I nodded. “I’m glad to finally hear someone admit it.”?
“I didn’t really know. Not until after everything came to light, at any rate. Vance and I were going through some of Dane’s files. He had an investor from Atlanta looking at the space to build high-rise condos and commercial space below.”?
“Oh, I know,” I laughed. “I appreciate you, Eunice, but I can’t let you give me this property.”?
Her head snapped up. “Oh, sweetheart, no. I wouldn’t dare insult you like that. You’d lease—to own—and you’d be responsible for all of the renovations.”?
She stood to go, bending down to give me a kiss on the cheek, and I smiled up at her. I knew I didn’t have to give her an answer right then and there, and it warmed me to know that she was self-aware enough not to just hand me something.?
Because I wasn’t taking anything from anyone anymore.
“I don’t know how I’d come up with the money for the restoration, though.”?
Eunice turned back around and smiled. “You’ve been named President of the Wilder Family Trust as of this morning. What’s now back in there—securely—is yours. Vance filed Cole’s death certificate and his will, which now makes you the sole owner of whatever is left of O’Malley’s. The land it stands on, the insurance pay out, everything is yours now, and everything that Dane fraudulently signed with Cole’s name is now null and void. You also have the personal shares leftover from Vance, myself, and, of course, from Lee. That money’s yours, Magnolia. Whether you’re a true Wilder or not, you’re still a part of this family.”
She tucked her purse under her arm and scooted through the square, not looking back at me once.?
***
I crashed Sutton’s baby shower, and when she saw me burst into the kitchen of a family I’d never seen before a day in my life, she threw a cookie sheet down on the marble countertop and growled at me.?
“That look on your face. I don’t like it, Magnolia. It’s got Wilder drama written all over it, and I don’t have time right now!”?
“Girl, do you need help? Why don’t you let me take over whatever this is,” I quipped, gesturing to the pile of burned shards lingering on the counter.?
She threw her arms up in the air and yelped. “I feel like I’ve lost my mojo! Ever since Ryan left Savannah and I left LaMonte’s, it’s like I have no one to impress!”?
“Wait, you were trying to impress Ryan? Never mind. Let’s save that. Sutton, you’re one of the most talented chefs in the entire city. When you left LaMonte’s, restaurants scrambled to try and get you to come on staff. Pass me that gouda. Honestly, you only need to impress yourself at this point. The rest of us know what’s up.”?
She shrugged and leaned back on the sink. “Those are cookies, Magnolia. You’re putting gouda on gluten-free cookies.”?
We both let out a series of wild cackles followed by long belly laughs. When I composed myself, I walked over and wrapped her in a hug.?
“What did you need to tell me? Seriously, if Lee is back…” She sighed into my embrace.
“He’s not. It’s nothing. Let’s get this situated and go grab a drink when you’re done.”?
“Thanks for stopping by,” she said quietly, fixing up a charcuterie plate as I made my way to the door. “Sometimes I forget what it’s like to have you all to myself. I’m really thankful for your help.”?
“I hope so, girlfriend, because I’m going to be needing yours real soon.”?
Chapter forty-six
LEE
The last leg of our mini-tour naturally—and of course, ironically—took us to Savannah.?
I didn’t tell anyone I was coming home, but Ryan let Sutton know, who told Jordan, who said something to Doyle, who fessed up to his sister, Tally, who of course had to tell Charlie, since the two of them had started officially dating.?
A doozy, as usual.?
If Magnolia knew, or my momma for that matter, I’d not received any screeching phone calls nor was I greeted at the airport by the police—or worse, Sutton—telling me to fuck off.?
Charlie called when I was in the air and left a voicemail asking me to stop by the shop when I got into town and promised the place would be clear of anyone wanting to beat me upside the head with a blunt object. Which was good, I supposed.?
We dropped our luggage off at the hotel, which felt weird to me once again. This was my home, and I was back to feeling like an outsider. But I guess that was what happened when you were away for long enough—it no longer belonged to you in the way it once did.?
Kind of like the people living there.?
