4. Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Colt smoothed down the front of his button-down shirt. It was just one of his usual work shirts, which he never touched outside of the office, but this had seemed a place where he ought to make an exception. The law office of Haley and Sons loomed before him, its polished brass nameplate glinting accusingly in the morning sun.
Kate’s hand settled on his shoulder, warm and reassuring. “You good?”
At least in this, Colt could accept help, and he was infinitely grateful for her presence. The thought of showing up there alone to meet Jackson Haley had plagued his thoughts the last several days as he worked tirelessly on the house.
“Yeah.” He offered her a slight smile. “I’m good.”
They entered the building, the hushed atmosphere immediately pressing down on Colt. His footsteps echoed hollowly as they followed a secretary to a windowed conference room. Jackson Haley stood with an easy smile and held out a hand as they all made introductions. As Colt lowered himself into a chair, his gaze swept over the tidy piles of paperwork Jackson had been going through. He’d never gone through anything like this before, but it seemed like a lot.
“Mr. Grieves,” Jackson began.
“Please, just… Just Colt.”
“Colt.” His smile held, not insincere, but most definitely practiced. “We’ve finished reviewing your father’s estate. When we spoke on the phone a few days ago, you mentioned you were vaguely aware that the house and a modest inheritance were to be yours, correct?”
Something turned in Colt’s stomach. “Yeah?”
The lawyer slid a document across the table. “Your father left everything to you, by no surprise. However, the extent of his assets is a fair bit more than what I think you were expecting.”
Colt’s eyes widened as he scanned the paper, trying to make sense of it.
“There’s more,” Jackson interjected, his voice cutting through Colt’s shock. “Glenn had a separate savings account set up for you, Colt. He’d been contributing to it since you were born.”
Colt’s gaze snapped to the man. “He... What?”
The lawyer nodded, producing another document. “Two of them, actually. Your father was quite diligent in his savings for you.”
Colt took the paper, his vision blurring as he tried to comprehend the figures before him. A lump formed in his throat, threatening to choke him. All those years, living in that hell hole, and his father had been secretly saving for him? With how much stuff Dad bought, he would’ve thought his inheritance was less than expected, not more . Then again, Glenn Grieves had lived frugally, hoarding aside. He worked from home, never went anywhere, did all his shopping online, and he loved a good deal.
But why save it for Colt? Why not use it to do…literally anything else?
“I don’t understand,” Colt whispered, more to himself than anyone else. “Why didn’t he use this money to...to fix things? To get help?”
Kate’s hand found his, squeezing gently. “Glenn’s issues ran deeper than money could solve, Colt. But he always wanted to make sure you’d be taken care of.”
Colt closed his eyes, overwhelmed by the conflicting emotions surging through him. Gratitude warred with resentment, love with lingering anger. The weight of his father’s legacy, both the clutter in the house and now this unexpected windfall, settled heavily on his shoulders.
Jackson Haley continued his explanations, but Colt’s mind drifted. He saw his father’s face, creased with worry and love, amidst the towers of accumulated possessions. He wondered what dreams Glenn had harbored for this money, what future he’d envisioned for his son while burying himself alive in his own past.
“—can take awhile,” Jackson was saying.
Colt shook his head. “Sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t catch that.”
“I was saying that, like with any estate, there’s some red tape we need to work through. The estate will be in probate for a time. During this period, you won’t be able to make any significant changes to your father’s assets—that includes selling the house.”
Colt closed his eyes. Could the house even be sold, the condition it was in? Still, he’d figured if nothing else, the land it sat on was worth something and grasping onto the idea of getting rid of it all was a lifeline, a way to escape everything it represented.
“How long?” he managed to ask, his throat dry.
“It’s hard to say exactly,” Jackson said. “Thankfully, he had all his business in order, and the fact that you’re both California residents makes this easier.”
Colt’s mind raced. Months trapped with that house, surrounded by his father’s hoarded possessions, each item a potential landmine of painful memories. He could feel his chest tightening, his breathing becoming shallow. Kate must have sensed his distress because she placed a comforting hand on his arm and squeezed.
“And, regarding Glenn’s assets,” Jackson continued. His eyes met Colt’s with a mix of curiosity and concern, “we’ve been informed that the condition of the house is...unique. Is that correct?”
Colt swallowed hard, shame and defensiveness rising in equal measure. “My father was a hoarder,” he said, the words bitter on his tongue. “The house is...it’s full. Every room, floor to ceiling. I don’t think any of it’s worth anything significant, but I have no way of knowing.”
Jackson Haley’s head bobbed into a nod. “I see. In that case, a traditional assessment might not be possible. We’ll need to discuss alternative options.”
As the conversation continued, Colt found himself drifting again, his mind wandering back to the cluttered rooms of Lullaby Lane. He could almost smell the musty odor of dust and dirt long embedded into the walls, feel the claustrophobic press of items threatening to topple at any moment. And somewhere in that maze of memories, he saw his father’s face, smiling sadly, as if to say, “I’m sorry, kiddo. I never meant for it to be this way.”
The lawyer’s voice cut through Colt’s reverie. “Given the circumstances and the absence of other significant assets, if I had to wager a guess, I’d say it’s hopeful we can wrap things up in four, five months.”
Kate, who had been silent for most of the meeting, chimed in with a wry smile. “Well, that’s convenient. At the rate Colt’s going through that house, it’ll probably take him just as long to sort everything out.”
Colt felt a flush creep up his neck. He knew Kate meant well, but the reminder of the monumental task that lay ahead stung.
Several document signatures and more numbers and terms thrown around later, Colt was glad to be out of there.
As they exited the law office, Kate touched his arm. “Hey, how about we grab some coffee? You look like you could use a break.”
Colt nodded, grateful for the distraction. They made their way to a nearby café, ordering their drinks to go before heading to the pier. The salty breeze off the bay ruffled Colt’s bleach-blond hair as they stood at the railing, watching the gentle lapping of the waves.
Even if the rest of the world felt all shades of wrong, at least this was right. The ocean, the trees…
Kate sipped her latte. “So, how’s it really going? With the house, I mean.”
Colt shrugged, eyes fixed on the horizon. “It’s going. Slow, yeah, but... Kind of expected that. It’s only been a week.”“It really bothers me you’re trying to do all this alone, you know,” she sighed. “Especially when you have people eager to help.”
Colt nodded. The sound of a crow’s cry pierced the air, drawing his gaze upward. He watched it wheel against the pale sky, free and unburdened, and felt a pinch of envy deep in his chest. He couldn’t think of anything to say that would’ve made Kate feel better, so he didn’t say anything.
She continued, though, her brown eyes growing serious as she turned to face Colt fully. “Speaking of people who want to help, I wanted to talk to you about Sera.”
Colt’s attention drifted to her. “What about him?” he asked, trying to keep his voice casual.
Kate took a deep breath. “In the months leading up to Glenn’s death,” she began, her words measured and careful, “your dad and I had several conversations about his will.”
Colt’s brow furrowed. He’d known his father and Kate had worked closely together but hadn’t realized they’d discussed such personal matters. “Okay.”
“Glenn was considering altering it,” Kate continued, her eyes never leaving Colt’s face. “He wanted to include Sera.”
Colt stared.
He turned this information over in his head, examining it from multiple angles, finding it confused him no matter how he looked at it. He turned back to the water. His mind raced, conjuring images of Sera and his father together, sharing a life he’d never been part of.
“He felt Sera deserved something,” Kate explained gently, “after all he’d done for Glenn over the past seven years. Your dad wanted to leave him some of the money. Not all of it, not even half, but a very generous sum.”
Colt swallowed hard, his fingers drumming nervously against the railing. “I see,” he murmured, more to himself than to Kate. On one hand, the idea of his dad wanting to provide for Sera made perfect sense. It was exactly the kind of thoughtful, generous gesture Glenn would have made. But beneath that logical understanding, a small, wounded part of Colt ached. It felt like another reminder of how a stranger had been there for his father when he hadn’t been. “Sera knows?”
“I’m not actually sure, and I didn’t feel it was my place to ask him,” Kate admitted. “Even if he does, I mean… The will was never altered before he passed.” She paused. “What you choose to do with that information is entirely up to you. I’m not here to judge, just to make sure you have all the facts.”
Colt’s cold fingers curled around the weathered wood of the pier railing, his knuckles turning white. “I think I’ll stay here for a bit longer,” he murmured, his gaze fixed straight ahead.
Kate nodded. “Of course. Take all the time you need.” She gave his arm a gentle squeeze before turning to leave. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”
As her footsteps faded, Colt let out a long breath. The vastness of the bay stretched before him, a canvas of blues and grays that seemed to mirror his mood. It wasn’t the money that twisted his insides into knots; he couldn’t care less about that. No, it was the gnawing feeling of unworthiness that ate at him.
He’d been off futzing around, waiting for his dad to…what, magically get better? While Sera had been doing all the hard work. The hoarding, the mood swings, everything. Colt’s mind drifted to the cluttered rooms of Lullaby Lane, the narrow paths through stacks of newspapers and antique appliances. He remembered the small corner of his room where he’d slept, surrounded by his father’s accumulated treasures and trash.
Sera had stayed and navigated that labyrinth for years.
Colt had run away.
He knew next to nothing about Glenn and Sera’s relationship. Fear had kept him from asking, from truly understanding the dynamic between his father and the man who’d become such an integral part of Glenn’s life. It was the real reason he hadn’t asked Sera any questions. About his dad’s last years, last months, last hours… All he knew were the bare facts: complications from COVID, a hospital stay, and then...nothing. The details, the final moments, they were all a mystery to him.
The weight of his ignorance pressed down on him as heavy as the clouds gathering on the horizon. Colt stared out at the water, feeling more lost than ever, the gap between him and his father’s final years yawning wide like the endless expanse of the bay before him.
How fucking unfair was it of him to look the other way and pretend like none of it existed, all because he was too ashamed to address it? Something needed to change.
He turned away from the water, his steps hesitant but purposeful as he headed back. Lullaby Lane and all of its obstacles towered like a mountain to be climbed, and Colt needed to ready himself for the ascent.