Epilogue
EPILOGUE
NOAH BARRETT
THREE WEEKS LATER
I pace the living room floor as I wait for my brothers and Kiki to arrive. Kiki insisted on throwing a housewarming party for me, even though I told her I didn’t need one. She’s something else. I’m glad she didn’t leave Willow Shade Island. Tobias is so in love with her, my heart broke for him when I had to take her to the shuttle. I was scared she’d leave, and he would never be able to love again. It’s good to see them happy together.
My doorbell rings, and I walk to the door and open it. Kiki rushes in, a grocery bag in her arms. “Hey, Noah. This is such a cute place. I can’t wait to see how you’ll decorate it.”
I smile. That’s code for “why haven’t you put anything up on the walls?” I have no decorating skills at all, so the house is bare except for a few pieces of furniture and a bookshelf. I know it’s lame, but I have no idea what else to do with the place.
Tobias follows, carrying a tray of food. Skyler enters with Levi and Micah, who looks like he’d rather be in bed. I totally get it. Since I work the night shift, I’m usually asleep at this time of day. I’m okay right now, but I’ll crash in a couple of hours, after my family leaves.
Tobias hands me a tray of fruit cut into small pieces and arranged to look like a huge smiley face. “Violet made this. She would have come, but she’s got a granddaughter visiting.”
I set the tray down in the kitchen and take off the plastic wrap. Kiki takes a cucumber out of the sack and starts to peel it. She looks over at me. “Guess who I ran into outside?”
My stomach knots. I know who she most likely ran into, but I play dumb. “Who?”
“Savannah. Can you believe it? She lives in the house next door.” Kiki raises her eyebrows as she continues to peel the cucumber, and I can see the wheels turning in her head.
“Really?” I say, but my acting skills stink, and Kiki gives me a look like she knows exactly what I’ve done. And she’s right. I bought the house next door to my ex in the hopes that I can have an excuse to talk to her. And now that I’ve said it like that in my head it sounds super creepy. Sheesh. I really need to get a life.
Kiki grins at me. “I invited her to our party.”
I choke on the air I’m breathing. “You what?”
“She’ll be here in a minute. She’s putting a little something together. I told her it was just an informal housewarming for her new neighbor, but she insisted on bringing some food over.”
Sweat beads up on my forehead. “Does she know I’m her new neighbor?”
Kiki laughs. “Yes. I told her. She was quite surprised.”
Skyler runs to Kiki. “Can I help?”
“Sure.” Kiki pulls a chair over next to the sink. “You can wash the cucumbers when I’m done peeling them. It’s a very important job.”
“Great!” Skyler climbs up on the chair. “I’ll wash them good.”
I’m having trouble with simple tasks, like breathing, but I try to play it cool. “So, she knows it’s me who moved in here, and she still wanted to come over?”
“Of course.” Kiki turns on the faucet and hands Skyler a peeled cucumber before glancing at me. “She asked about you, you know. At one of our quilting meetings. I don’t know what happened between you, but I don’t think she harbors any hard feelings toward you.”
My throat grows tight, and I can’t think straight. Savannah’s coming over and she doesn’t hate me? I haven’t talked to her in seven years. Not really. Just pleasantries. I did move in here to try to rekindle something, but I wasn’t planning on seeing her today. I’m not prepared. I was going to write down a list of topics we could talk about. I wanted to think of some smooth things to say.
Tobias walks behind Kiki and puts his arms around her. He snuggles into her neck, and I remember why I decided to move into this house. I want that for myself. They’re so happy together, and my own loneliness seeps deep into my bones. I need to have that connection with someone, and I’d love to have it with Savannah.
It’s not like I haven’t tried to move on. I’ve dated women over the years, but Savannah and I had something special. None of the other women I’ve dated have measured up. Since I can’t get her out of my head, I’ve decided to actively try to get her back.
My brother steps back from Kiki and pats me on the shoulder. “Can I talk to you for a minute? In private?”
“Sure.” I follow him into the study, and he shuts the door. I stare at him, unsure of what he’s going to say that needs privacy. “What’s up?”
Tobias folds his arms across his chest. “I need you to meet me at the bank on Monday. What time is good for you?”
The bank? “I’m free around four o’clock. Why?”
“We need to sign some papers. With you moving out I feel like it’s time for me to give you your inheritance.”
My throat grows tight. I knew my parents left all of us some money. But Tobias has been using that money to raise us. I didn’t think there was much left. He’s been tight lipped about it. “How much?”
“Fifty million.”
I gape at Tobias. “What?!”
“Shh. Don’t yell.”
I hadn’t realized I’d yelled. “You mean to tell me Mom and Dad had that much money? That there’s fifty million for each of us?”
Tobias shrugs. “They didn’t when they first passed. I’ve been investing your money over the years. It’s grown quite a bit.”
I’m stunned. I knew Tobias had made a lot while investing. In the millions. But I always thought that was his own money. “Why didn’t you tell me this? I would’ve moved out a long time ago. I wouldn’t have busted my butt all these years.” My mind races with all the things I would have done differently had I known I was a millionaire.
Tobias frowns and rubs his forehead. “That’s why. You needed to go to college. You needed the academy. I’m not giving this to you so you can quit working.”
“You expect me to work as a two-bit cop when I have fifty million in the bank?” I can’t believe what Tobias is saying. He must be joking.
He narrows his eyes at me. “You love being a cop. Admit it. You like helping people and catching bad guys.”
I give it a second of consideration. “You’re right. I do love it.”
“Don’t quit. Just think about this for a second. If you flaunt your inheritance, your younger brothers will find out what they’re worth. Levi will never finish college. Micah might not graduate. They’ll live lavishly for a while and squander their money. Or worse, live like the celebrities on TV, in and out of rehab. I want them to get established and be responsible adults before I give them the money.”
I see his point. “All right. What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to sign the paperwork and act like nothing’s happened. Maybe invest the money. I can help with that. You can quietly enhance your life with your money, traveling or whatever you want to do. You’ll be financially secure, and you can retire early.”
I slowly nod. I can see the wisdom in what he’s saying. “All right.”
Tobias grabs my arm and claps my shoulder. “Thanks. I knew you’d understand. We’ll go to the bank on Monday.”
I walk back into the kitchen, my head in a daze. I’m a millionaire. Hot dang. Levi looks up from the couch. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Tobias says. “How are things going with Shelly?”
Levi grins and shakes his head. “Try to keep up. I’m going out with Lisa now.”
Micah puts his phone down and rolls his eyes. “This is a small island. You’re leaving behind a long trail of broken hearts. You might want to go slower or you’ll run out of girls.”
I hide a smile. Levi’s always been a heartbreaker. He hasn’t learned what it’s like to be in love yet. I know him. He’s got a sweet and loyal side to him. Once he finds the one, he’ll be a changed man, I’m sure of it.
I walk over to the tray of vegetables Kiki’s cutting up and grab a carrot. She playfully slaps my hand. “Stop that. The party hasn’t started yet.”
The doorbell rings and my heart jumps into my throat. That has to be Savannah. Everyone turns to look at me. I tug at the collar of my shirt as I walk toward the living room. I can do this. How awkward can it be? Savannah and I used to get along really well.
I open the door, but it’s not Savannah standing there. It’s Courtney. Tobias’s ex. She’s wearing a blue frilly dress with white gloves, a wide smile on her face.
“Noah. So good to see you,” she says in her sickly-sweet southern drawl. “Is Tobias here?”
The End of Book 1 of the Willow Shade Island Series