Epilogue
VON
Four Months Later
I stand in my new office and breathe in the scent of fresh paint and window cleaner.
It’s smaller than my old office, and the view is different. The building is only three floors, right on Magnolia Bay. My desk hosts a sleek laptop, a modern style lamp, and a handful of framed photographs of friends and family. I look out the window, at the bay glittering before me.
There’s a light knock on the door and then it cracks open. Noah’s beaming face pokes through.
“Morning” I say, as he comes up to kiss me lightly.
“First day jitters?” Noah says, holding out my green juice. He still makes it for me every morning.
I crook an eyebrow at him. “Do I look like the kind of girl who gets jitters?”
He chuckles and runs his palm over my hip. “Not even a little.”
Marion’s Justice came together faster than I could have imagined. I understand the infrastructure of a nonprofit and Noah took care of handling the lease and anything related to Magnolia Bay. I take a sip of juice and flip open my laptop.
“Do we have any cases yet?” I ask.
Noah checks his watch. “Seeing as we’ve been open for…one and a half minutes, no, sadly, no one has come needing our services yet.”
My lips pucker and he laughs. “I’m positive by the end of the day, your calendar will be full.”
I’m itching to get to work.
“In the meantime,” Noah says, settling himself on the tan leather loveseat in one corner of the room, “I’ve been doing more digging on the sheriff.”
I perk up and put the juice down on the desk. In the craziness to get Marion’s Justice opened, I’d let Mom’s case fall on the back burner. But neither Noah nor I are about to let this go—her killer is still out there.
“Anything useful?” I ask.
“Not yet. But I want to check out these Catholic charities that he and the judge donated to.”
“You think this was some religious conspiracy?” I say wryly. “Mom wasn’t Catholic.”
“No, but…” Noah shrugs. “It’s an avenue worth exploring.”
“Well,” I say, walking around to settle in my chair, “you know I trust your instincts.”
“Oh, I know,” he says, waggling his eyebrows.
I shoot him a rueful grin. These past few months with him have infused me with a sense of rightness, in every aspect of my life. I’m excited about this new career path. I’m looking for a new place to live—for Noah and I to live. Our own home in Magnolia Bay. In the meantime, he’s still living with Pop and I’m staying at the Estate. But we take the chopper to New York and stay at my place on the weekends. We make a good team. I’d wondered if that would translate after the trial was over. The pragmatist and the optimist. Turns out, opposites do attract.
“In the meantime,” I begin, but I’m interrupted by a knock on the door. “Come in,” I call.
Maria Perez cracks the door and pokes her head in. I hired Charlotte’s sister as my assistant—she’s a bright young woman and friends with Daisy. It was Daisy who told me Maria was looking to become a paralegal.
“Good morning, Ms. Everton,” she says breathlessly.
“Maria, I’ve told you, call me Von,” I say. I don’t want to stand on ceremony here. My goal is to make whoever walks through my door to feel as comfortable as possible. Another thing Noah has helped me with. I’m learning how to be softer, but it doesn’t come naturally.
“Right, Von,” she says, tucking a lock of dark hair behind her ear. “Mrs. Greerson just called. She wants to go over her will again with you this afternoon.”
I chuckle. I think Martha Greerson just wants to gossip. But that’s okay with me—I like being in the know about what’s going on around town.
“Tell her I can meet her at two,” I say.
Maria nods. “And, um, there’s someone here to see you. A walk-in.”
I sit up and glance at Noah, who jumps to his feet. My skin tingles.
“Send them in,” I say.
“Good luck, boss,” Noah says to me with an imaginary tip of his cap as he follows Maria out the door. I hear her say, “You can go in now,” and then a woman in her forties enters my office. She’s shaking, her fingers worrying at a tissue in her hands, her eyes red. There’s an old bruise on her temple that her hair doesn’t quite hide .
“Welcome,” I say. “Please, have a seat. I’m Von. What’s your name?”
“E—Elizabeth,” she stammers. “Elizabeth Wilson.” She perches on the edge of the loveseat, her knees trembling. “I don’t know why I’m here. You probably can’t do anything, I mean, the police can’t do anything but my husband…I’ve been trying to get away from him but I can’t afford a lawyer, and I don’t—he has all the money. The bank accounts, the house, the car, it’s all in his name.”
She lets out a hiccup. I walk over and sit down next to her. She’s winding her tissue into a rope, tighter and tighter.
“Elizabeth,” I say gently. “This is what I’m here for—it’s why I founded this firm. I’m here to help people who need it, regardless of their financial status. And you should know, I’m not the sort of woman who is easily intimidated. Your husband doesn’t scare me and neither do the police.”
She looks at me with wide, awestruck eyes. “Really?”
“Really,” I say. “So. Take a deep breath for me.”
She takes a shuddering inhale. “Oh, thank you,” she says, blowing her nose. “Thank you so much.”
“Let’s start at the beginning,” I say, getting up to grab my pen and notebook. Just then, my phone buzzes on my desk. “Give me one second,” I say. “Yes, Maria?”
“Hi Ms.—Von,” she says. “I have two more walk-ins and the phone is ringing nonstop. I’m inputting new meetings into your schedule.” My cell pings with the notifications.
“Great,” I say. “Tell Noah to get preliminary background from each of the new clients. He should be in his office.”
“Will do,” Maria says cheerfully and hangs up.
I turn back to Elizabeth, already looking a touch more confident and relaxed. She’s put the tissue away and is sitting up straighter.
I’m going to get her the justice she deserves.
Get ready for Alistair’s journey to love in PROTECT ME : Everton Legacy Book 3, a billionaire single mom romance, coming November 11, 2025!