Broken Promises (Broken Series) - By Dawn Pendleton Page 0,48

he did. I would like to put the house up for sale immediately,” I explained.

“Of course. I will put you in contact with a real estate agent as soon as possible. Mr. Bates, did Mr. Wells explain what he was bequeathing to you?” Jamison glanced at Luke. When Luke shook his head, Jamison continued. “Mr. Wells is leaving you his lake house in Greenville—”

“What? He’s leaving me the lake house? Did you know about this?”

He gave me a furious look. I nodded.

He was speechless. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly as he searched for the right words. I would have smiled at the comical expression on his face if I wasn’t so afraid of feeling anything at all for him. He finally turned back to the lawyer.

“Is that all?” he whispered as if he was afraid of the answer.

“No, sir. Mr. Wells is also leaving you ten thousand dollars cash. It won’t be payable until the life insurance company pays Mallory, but the money is set aside for you,” Jamison said.

Luke looked like he was going to be sick. But he didn’t say anything. “There’s only one other thing Joe asked me to give each of you,” he said as he pulled two envelopes from the file folder on the desk. He handed one to each of us.

“What’s this?” Luke asked.

“Joe wrote a letter to the two of you and he wanted them given to you upon his death. He only gave them to me the week before he died, so I think they are his final goodbyes,” Jamison said.

“Thank you, Mr. Jamison.”

I shook his hand and left the room. I would not break down in front of Luke. I walked slowly out of the office to my car. Luke didn’t follow me out right away. I sat in my car, holding the letter—Dad’s last words from the grave. I gulped. I sat in my car, afraid to open the letter. I was afraid that whatever he’d written to me would change my mind about moving back to Boston. I wasn’t prepared for that, but I had to know what he had to say. I ripped open the envelope and pulled out his hand-written letter.

My Dear Mallory Anne,

Never was a father more proud of his daughter than I am of you. You have grown into an amazing woman, a strong, successful, and stubborn woman. That’s what I love about you. And since you’re reading this after my death, I get the last word. For once.

You cannot run away from your life. I learned that the hard way with your mother and trust me, you don’t want to learn it the hard way. By now, I figured you’re all set to move back to Boston. Bags are packed, car loaded up? You’re nothing if not predictable, baby girl. But this isn’t about me telling you not to go.

This letter is to let you know how much I love you and that no matter what choice you make, I will always love you. I will always be proud of you. No woman has ever brought as much light into my life as you. And someday, you’ll bring that precious light into another man’s life. I’m not saying it will be Luke, or even that it should be, but I am asking you for only one thing…

Trust your heart.

All my love, Dad.

I managed to drive home after the tears settled and I wasn’t surprised one bit to find Rainey and Gabby waiting for me. They were already comfortable in the house with a cup of coffee from Irene, who had moved in, temporarily. I wanted to give her the house, but she refused when I discussed it with her. She said she would stay until it sold so that it stayed clean and I didn’t have to deal with showing it to interested people. She said she would take care of everything. I had no doubt that she would.

“Mallory, how did it go?” Rainey asked me the second I walked through the door.

She didn’t look like she expected an answer, though, and I guess that was my fault. I hadn’t spoken much to them the last few days. But now that I was resolved to go back to Boston, I was a bit more talkative.

“About as I expected. Dad and I discussed the distribution of his estate before he passed. I wasn’t surprised by the meeting,” I told her.

I didn’t mention my shock at having a letter given to me following Dad’s death.