He shrugged. “Not much. I’ve got that bait shop down the road, but it’s not real busy and I have the staff trained to run things, so I can come and go as I please. I also have a small financial planning business not far from your café. It’s where I spend most of my time.”
“Oh, yeah, of course. I’ve seen it. I drive by it all the time. I didn’t realise you still had the bait shop. I’ve stopped there to buy a drink or snack more times than I can count.”
“My daddy gave it to me when he passed, so I mean to keep it forever. Maybe one day I’ll have a son to take it over.”
“What a great idea,” Rita said. “I appreciate when a family leaves something to the next generation. My parents left me this lake house, and it’s been such a blessing to me and my family.”
“You did well,” Brian said, glancing around the kitchen and dining area. “It’s a nice place. And I know Tyler loved growing up here.”
“I’m glad he did. It was real special to be able to live with my folks and raise my kids at the same time. Then when my husband passed, it meant a lot to me that I had somewhere safe to land. Me and the kids have always felt like this was our refuge.”
“You’ve got two kids, though. Who will you leave it to?”
Rita arched an eyebrow. That was a probing question, but she’d thought about it a few times — the answer seemed too difficult to resolve, so she usually pushed the question aside and thought about other things instead.
“I’m not sure yet. I guess I’ll have to talk to Tyler and Sophie about it and see if it means more to one than the other.”
“How is Sophie?” Brian asked.
“She seems well, although that boyfriend of hers has been stringing her along for a good six years or so now.”
“Six years?” Brian whistled. “That is a while.”
“But she says they’re going to get married. When, I don’t know. But I’m dying to get some more grandchildren before every single hair on my head turns grey.”
Brian laughed. “I can understand that.”
“What about you? Anyone special in your life?”
Brian finished his tea and set the glass down on the counter. “No one in particular.”
“You young guys these days sure do like to put things off.”
His eyes sparkled. “I’ll stop procrastinatin’ just as soon as I find the woman of my dreams. I promise.”
Tyler joined them. He’d changed into a pair of jeans and a shirt tucked in at the waist. His hair was neatly combed, and he carried a stack of papers in one hand.
“Brian’s here to visit me,” Rita said, with a wink.
“He’s been talking about nothing else for days — when can I visit your mom? But since he’s here, maybe he can take me around a few places to see if I can find some work so my momma will get off my back.” He smiled at her to remove the sting from his words.
“You ready then?” Brian asked.
Tyler gave a nod, then kissed her on the cheek. “Don’t worry about me, Momma. I’ve got everything under control. And you’ve got more than enough things to fret over without adding me to your list.”
“You’re always on my list!” she called after him as he walked out the front door with Brian and pulled it shut behind him.
Chapter Twelve
Matilda felt as though she had to drag her feet for every step. She was so tired, she’d grown sick of talking about it. She wasn’t sleeping well, and every waking moment, she was working or compiling paperwork to give to Ryan’s lawyer for the meeting that morning. He’d agreed to hear about her case, although he had a busy workload and wasn’t sure he could commit to representing her.
She flicked through the paperwork that she’d stuffed into a manila folder on the passenger seat of her car. There were medical reports about the animal, signed permission forms from the owners, and statements from the other staff on duty at the time. Everything she could think of that might be of benefit had been photocopied, stapled, and shoved into the growing pile of evidence. She had a chance to win this thing. At least, it seemed that way to her. She’d have to see what the lawyer said.
The meeting was brief. The lawyer’s name was Samuel Boone. The similarity to the name Daniel Boone made her think of the theme song for the show she’d seen as a little kid, and the song ran through her head on a loop for the rest of the meeting. She had to resist the urge to tap her fingers to the beat as she listened to what he was saying. His bald head shone under the fluorescent lighting, and a single drop of sweat threatened to fall down his temple. Needless to say, she was very distracted and found it difficult to focus.
“So, you think I can win?” she finally asked.
He nodded. “You’ve got a good chance. I’ll take on the case. It shouldn’t be very time-consuming. The crux is that the clients signed a waiver. They knew the risks when they agreed to the surgery.”
