But for the last two years, she’d dealt with the shame of what happened. She carried her father’s guilt. So had her sister.
Only, now she had her own cross to bear, and when she’d been fired, her parents welcomed her home. No questions asked. No demands of apologies for the way she’d distanced herself from her dad. The way she still struggled with his quiet resolve that things would… work themselves out.
Both her parents emphatically believed her when she told them she hadn’t done what she’d been accused of. It left her wondering about her father and his words and what they’d really meant.
Grant leaned back. “I kind of wish I’d been a fly on that office wall when Winston and Callie learned they have another sibling. I can’t imagine those two being curious to know who this person is. I bet they only want to safeguard their inheritance.”
“I imagine they want to protect it from people coming after them pretending to be a long-lost sibling,” Erin said.
“That’s easily proved these days with DNA testing,” Riley said.
The door chimed again. Sandy Kane walked in with her husband, Mason, both dressed casually—her day off from being Stone Bridge's Chief of Police evident in her jeans and Stanford sweatshirt.
"Happy hour crew,” Sandy called out cheerfully, then spotted Emery. "I heard you were back in town. How are you settling in?"
"Still getting my bearings," Emery admitted. Sandy had been two years behind her in high school, and they'd run in different circles—Sandy with the athletes, Emery with the academic crowd. They hadn’t been friends, but Sandy had always been kind and full of sunshine.
"Well, if you need anything, you know where to find me. Hopefully not in an official capacity." Sandy laughed, sliding onto a barstool. "What are we drinking?"
Erin poured two glasses of their pinot noir for Sandy and Mason. "Grant was just telling us about David Callaway's will reading."
"Oh?" Sandy's professional interest flickered across her face. "I imagine that was emotional."
"Apparently, there was a provision about a third heir," Riley said.
Sandy's eyebrows rose. "The old rumors were true, then?"
"Seems like it." Grant leaned against the bar. "You remember when we were kids? Everyone used to whisper about it."
"I remember," Sandy said. "There was this period—what, when we were in middle school?—where it was all anyone talked about. Some kid supposedly had David's eyes or mannerisms or whatever."
"But then it died down," Erin added. "I always figured it was just gossip."
"Me too," Grant said. "But apparently, the will is pretty specific. This person exists and should inherit. So, there must be substance to it."
"Do Winston and Callie know who it is?" Erin asked.
"No idea. Bryson said Gabe only caught fragments of the conversation before he left." Grant shrugged. "But knowing Winston, if there's a way to contest it, he'll find it."
The door chimed again, and Emery's blood ran cold.
Harold Pemberton walked in with a woman Emery recognized immediately—Vanessa Wright, mid-thirties, blonde, dressed in the same kind of professional attire Emery used to wear. Vanessa had been Harold's assistant for years, always hovering in the background during authentications. They were deep in conversation, Harold gesturing animatedly, until he looked up and spotted Emery at the bar.
His expression shifted from surprise to something harder, more calculating.
"Well," Harold said, his voice carrying across the room. "I heard through the grapevine that you'd landed on your feet. I have to say, I'm surprised the Boones would take such a risk."
Emery felt everyone's eyes on her. Sandy had straightened on her barstool, her cop instincts clearly engaged. Riley had gone very still beside her. Even Grant's expression, as he stared at the other man, had turned cold, which Emery appreciated.
Vanessa had the decency to look uncomfortable, her gaze dropping to the floor.
"Harold." Emery forced herself to sound calm despite her racing heart. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"Client meeting in the area. Thought we'd stop for a taste." He gestured to Vanessa. "You remember Vanessa, of course. She took over your position after your... departure. Turns out loyalty and attention to detail are valuable traits."
The implication was clear.
"Hello, Vanessa," Emery said quietly. "Congratulations on the promotion."
