than I’d intended. I needed to get this meeting done and move on with my day. “This way, please.”
After a quick glance at Deb, Rose moved closer. “Mr. Hawthorne? I think there might be a mistake here. I’m supposed to meet with Mr. Reeves—”
“I can assure you there are no mistakes. If you wouldn’t mind stepping into my office for some privacy, there are some things I’d like to go over with you.” I watched, impatiently, as she thought it over.
“I was told I was needed to sign something and then I could leave. I have another appointment in Brooklyn, so I can’t stay for too long.”
I gave her a curt nod.
After a brief hesitation and another look at our receptionist, she followed me toward my office in silence.
After a long walk, I opened the glass door for her to step in. I reminded Cynthia, my assistant, not to forward any calls, and then I waited until Rose was settled in her seat. Holding her bulky brown handbag on her lap, she gave me an expectant look as I took my own seat behind my desk.
“I thought the Colesons’ lawyer was Tim Reeves, at least the estate lawyer. Has there been a change?” she asked before I could utter a word.
“No, Miss Coleson. Tim is the one who drafted the will, and he is the one handling everything at the moment.”
“Then I’m still not sure—”
“I’m not an estate lawyer, but I did help the team who was handling your late father’s corporate cases on a few occasions last year. Can I get you anything to drink? Coffee, maybe? Or tea?”
“No, thank you. Like I said, I have another app—”
“Appointment you need to get to,” I finished for her. “I understand. That’s—”
“He was my uncle, by the way.”
“Excuse me?”
“You said father. Gary Coleson was my uncle, not father.”
I raised an eyebrow. This was something I already knew about, but apparently I was too distracted to remember every detail. “That’s right. I apologize.”
“That’s okay… I just wanted to mention it in case you weren’t already aware. I’m afraid it’s also the reason why I wasn’t mentioned in the will, which brings us back full circle, Mr. Hawthorne. I’m not sure what you could possibly want to talk to me about.”
This wasn’t going like I had planned. Granted, I hadn’t given how I wanted to do this much thought, but it was still not going smoothly enough.
“I read the will,” I admitted after taking in the stiff way she was holding herself: sitting on the very edge of her seat, impatient and ready to bolt. Maybe she’d appreciate a more straightforward approach, which was something I excelled at.
“Okay,” she prompted, raising an eyebrow.
“I’d like to talk to you about the property on Madison Avenue that was owned by your uncle.”
Her shoulders stiffened. “What about it?”
“I’d like to know what your plan is going forward regarding the property. I believe you and Gary had signed a contract a little while before his death indicating that you would have use of the property for a short time period, something like two years, and would only pay him a small amount of rent instead of the actual worth of the place. At the end of the two years, you would relocate. Correct?”
She frowned at me but nodded.
Satisfied that she was following me, I continued, “The contract was entered into the will, but Gary chose to add a stipulation I believe you only recently learned about. In the case of something happening to him during those two years, he wanted ownership of the property to transfer to your husband—”
“If I were married,” Rose finished, her chin held high.
“Yes.” I pointedly looked at her left hand and she followed my gaze. “If you were married, that is.”
Her eyes lifted back to mine in the next second and I watched a frown form between her brows.
“I already know about all of this,” she explained slowly. “Gary was excited about me marrying Joshua, my fiancé. They got along well, and he liked him—we both had a business degree, but evidently it looked like he trusted Joshua more—”
“Your ex-fiancé, you mean,” I reminded her.
She paused at my words, but her fingers finally let go of the death grip she had on her handbag as she tried to follow my meaning. “Yes. Right. Of course, ex-fiancé. It’s still a habit. We only broke up a few weeks ago. I’m sorry, but how do you know he’s my ex-fiancé?”