“You know your house is too big when walking to your front door is exhausting,” I tease.
The lawyer enters the living room, carrying a laptop, which he immediately sets on a table. “Mind if I drag this over here?” he asks even though he’s already doing it.
He arranges the table and laptop just so, then sets up a Zoom call.
Grandpa not-so-gently suggested that Kevin and his family go to the ranch house in Pine Ridge for a couple of nights. I didn’t like that idea at all, but I’m also tired of dealing with them. I wondered why he sent them there, but now I think the living will that he wants to be read today is going to carry some shocking news.
I hope he’s decided to sell everything and give it all to charity. That would be the best thing that could happen to this family.
James and Harper pop up on the screen behind Kevin and Judith. I still have hope that Harper will turn out normal. I know she likes the ranch and she’s even helped me do chores around there when we’re both out there.
Erik, my father’s brother, is here with his wife. They both look very suntanned from their cruise. Grandpa’s sister, Catherine, is here as well. She’s Mallory’s grandmother. Catherine’s three daughters walk into the room, completely in sync. Though they’re all in their forties and fifties, it’s easy to tell they’re sisters.
Ah, dear sweet cousins. It’s sad to think that I spent a lot of my childhood wishing I had cousins to play with. And now I know what a waste of time that was. Family isn’t always by blood. I hope that my future children will get along like Magnolia and her siblings. I want my hypothetical children to actually like each other—not be pitted against each other at every turn.
Grandpa waits as the lawyer unpacks a folder from his bag.
Uncle Kevin looks positively gleeful as his face fills the screen. A change in the will has him in a good mood. Maybe he thinks that by contesting the will he’ll be getting more.
I wish I were anywhere but here. I don’t care what the will says. I don’t need Grandpa’s money. I need Magnolia.
Magnolia, who doesn’t need me. She gave up on me. Did I tell her to do that? Yes. Do I regret it? With every breath I take.
The tableau unfolds in front of me. Grandpa has set a dramatic stage.
I shake my head and smile. “Suppose there will be peace in this house now that you’ve come to your senses?” I tease him with a grin.
His eyes sparkle. “Oh, I highly doubt that. Peace is overrated. I think this is going to be much more fun.” He has a maniacal look in his eye.
Maybe I should leave before the fallout…
But then the lawyer begins a long, painful monologue of all of Grandpa’s assets, investments, real estate, and cash. The total is valued at thirty million.
Scanning the room, I watch as smiles grow with each new asset listed. It’s almost like watching a cartoon where the dollar signs are flashing in the character’s eyes. Kevin is leaning so close to his camera on the Zoom call that it looks like he’s trying to climb through the screen.
Grandpa is still holding his pipe. His eyes are bright, and he tips the corner of his mouth up when he catches me looking at him.
This is getting a little suspicious.
There’s another couple of paragraphs of legalese before we get to the crucial part.
“The executor of the will, Alexander Whitlock, has bequeathed all of the aforementioned assets and monies to one individual.”
Jaws drop around the room, but before anyone can question it, he continues, “Alexander Whitlock, being of sound mind, has left the entirety of his estate to Magnolia Hawthorne.”
I lurch forward in my seat.
The gasps in the room might as well be screams. It doesn’t take long for the shouting to start. I’m not even sure which question or demand is coming from which person.
“Who does she think she is?”
“That con woman!”
“He’s not in his right mind!”
“He’s robbing us.”
“What about my yacht?”
