She grabbed the phone on the third ring rather than follow that thought. The city council had a meeting tonight. If it was one of Axell's damned constituents, she'd personally ram the receiver down their throats. Axell better believe she'd make a lousy mayor's wife.
"Miss Alyssum?" the voice inquired on the other end.
"Alyssum-Holm," she corrected determinedly. She hadn't bothered changing the name on her legal documents. She'd better start considering how much of her identity she wanted to sacrifice.
"Mrs. Holm," the deep voice continued with more assurance. "This is Philip MacGregor with MacGregor and Blythe in Raleigh."
Lawyers. Mr. Pfeiffer's lawyers. Maya remembered them well. She wrinkled her nose and wondered why they weren't calling Selene. She remembered they were supposed to. Panic immediately ripped through her. What if they were calling to say the lease was invalid?
The lawyer had continued talking while her thoughts spun out of control. She'd missed the first part of his spiel. Frantically, she tried to tune in now.
"We've filed the will with the court here in Raleigh. As executors, we're free to begin proceedings on the deed transfers. If you prefer, we can send someone down there with the documents. We're having the property appraised for estate-tax purposes. The appraisal value will be your basis at the time of transfer, so you may wish your attorney or accountant..."
Maya choked the receiver and stared blankly at the window. Deed? Not lease?
"Mr. MacGregor," she interrupted tentatively. He'd think her a nutcase. She was a nutcase. She didn't care. "Could you please start all over? I don't understand..."
"I should have realized this came as a surprise to you," the voice replied soothingly. "Perhaps I should drive down and explain in more detail. Would your sister be available? I'm not certain how to reach her."
"Cleo's at the shop," she said absently. "I'll call her. I just don't understand..."
"Mr. Pfeiffer acknowledged you and your sister as his granddaughters in his will, Mrs. Holm. He came to us a few years ago, after his wife's death, to have it drawn up. I think it would be best if I drove down and explained it to you and your sister in person."
"Yes. Yes, I think that's best."
Maya sank to the floor and stared into space, dimly aware of Alexa's crying in the background.
She'd thought there had been no will.
The lawyer had mentioned deeds.
Did the school belong to her now?
November, 1976
Some rumor-monger has told Dolly of my daughter's existence. I cannot even correspond with my lawyers for fear she will discover what I have been doing without her knowledge. If Dolly should go to the Arnolds to verify this damned story, there will be hell to pay. I'm not as wealthy as they are, but by damn, I'll do what it takes to look after the ones I love.
Chapter 33
I used to have a handle on life, but it broke.
Glancing out his office window, Axell saw the unmarked police car parked in front of the building next door and cursed. He didn't need this now. The police had been all over the bar Saturday night after he'd gone home. One of the local yokels had pulled a knife on a city salesman, and his new manager hadn't realized the seriousness of the situation. He'd been too scared to call Axell.
So now he had police reports scattered across his desk, lawyers and insurance companies calling about liability, and a curt message from someone at the ABC board to deal with. The damned mayor had made certain they'd heard about it. He didn't need more police at Cleo's shop—his shop. He was a damned partner, thanks to Maya.
Flinging his pen down and striding out, Axell faced a fleeting regret for the days when a leggy Katherine in her red suit used to greet him in the mornings with nothing more noxious than gossip about the latest backyard panther sighting. Now he had cops and knifings and drugs and a skinny college graduate assistant in too-narrow ties anxiously waiting to be thrown out on his ass. Life had been so much simpler...
Before Maya.
Axell rubbed his brow. He couldn't reasonably blame any of this on Maya. True, Katherine had quit because he'd married Maya, but he couldn't blame anyone but Katherine for that. And Maya had nothing to do with the knifing, other than luring him home when he should have been at work. Maya had nothing to do with her sister's drug habits, either. She was completely innocent of everything except existing. Maya just needed to