to watch the wild, white-capped waves raging by. Despite the cold, a flush of color brightened his cheeks. “I don’t know what I was thinking coming out here. I didn’t really think anything through, to tell you the truth. Do you have any idea what it’s like to have a family who only wants to get what you have? They have no respect for a man’s life’s work. They just want to take the things and the money and use it to make their lives better. They don’t realize without being happy in the first place and on their own, the money and the things will only cause them more trouble.”
He shook his head and stared out across the bay. “And who says I have to leave it to them. They think just because I’m sick they can come in and take over. I’m old. I’m not dead yet.”
She smiled and held back a laugh at his disgruntled tirade. He climbed down from the railing and stood facing the water. She turned and put her arms up on the railing, matching him, hoping he continued to open up about his problems instead of solving them in the worst way.
“I have an idea of what you’re talking about. My uncle would like nothing better than to turn my grandparents’ estate into his personal money pool he can squander away in the hopes of becoming a happy person. Since he can’t get his hands on it, he’s made it his mission to make my life hell.”
“Do you think I did something wrong in raising my son and daughter in a way they can’t see past the money to find a life for themselves? They’re obsessed with having things. The easier it is for them to have it, the more they want.”
“I think it’s the double-edged sword of being a part of a wealthy family,” she agreed. “There are those who are selfish and can only want for more, and then there are the few who see wealth and privilege as a responsibility and a kind of challenge to keep what’s been passed down. Those few want to put their mark on the family history and the world. For them, it isn’t about the money.”
“You’re an interesting woman. I didn’t think another living soul understood my circumstances. So, which are you?”
“Definitely one of the few. My grandmother said I was unique. In a world where I was surrounded by wealth and privilege, I was more concerned about people than possession. They raised me as they did my uncle and father. My father was like me, one of the few, and my uncle was one of the many, who believe being born privileged gives them the right to the wealth. Even if they’ve never worked for it or done anything more than be born, they think they’re entitled.
“Sorry.” She frowned and stared across the swelling waves and into nothing. “You caught me on a day when I have to face my uncle across a conference-room table and listen to the reading of my grandmother’s will. I’ll have to spend the rest of the afternoon listening to my uncle argue every point.”
“She left everything to you, I take it.”
“No. But it won’t matter to my uncle. He believes just because he was born of her flesh, he should have it all. I’m just the granddaughter, after all. Even more heinous, I’m just a woman.” Sarcasm dripped from every word, and she rolled her eyes. “In his mind, I’ve already gotten much more than I deserve from my parents’ estate and from my grandfather.”
“Have you gotten more than you deserve?” he asked, genuine interest in his tone.
She cocked her head and thought about it. “Hard to say. I have more than I’ll ever spend.” She shrugged and let her thoughts roll off her tongue. “I look at it in a different way. I got what I have because I don’t have my parents. They were killed when I was three. I’d give it all back to have them. I got more because my grandfather died. I’d give it back to have that grumpy old man fight with me over dinner about the latest business coup or political race. Whatever my grandmother left me will never take the place of the hours I spent painting with her, or the intangible gifts she’s given to me that can’t be quantified.”
He heard the words, but more importantly he heard the love. She loved her parents and her grandparents and