Chapter Twenty-Nine
Twenty-Nine
Hannah
I was nervous. Not because I was afraid of Robert O’Malley Jr. but because I desperately didn’t want to mess this up for Simon and Charlie. I sat on the front porch while Simon sat inside the house with the window open, listening.
Dude was outside with me just because he preferred to be outside, but it also made me feel better to have him nearby when O’Malley arrived. Not that I thought he’d hurt me, but one never knew how a privileged man would handle being denied what he wanted.
“Hey, Spencer,” Simon whispered through the screened window.
“Yeah?” I leaned back so I could hear him.
“I think we should get married.”
“What?” I spun around to stare at him through the screen, except the light wasn’t in my favor and I couldn’t see him. Not even his outline.
“Marriage. You and me.”
“Is this really the time to talk about this?” I asked.
“Say yes, Hannah,” Roland said from his hidden spot behind the crape myrtle.
“You should,” Luke agreed. “Bebe and I were just saying we haven’t had a wedding on the Split in forever.”
“I make an amazing wedding cake, not to brag,” Stephanie said.
“She does,” her husband agreed.
My phone rang, mercifully ending the conversation. I glanced at the display. It was Bebe. “Hi,” I answered.
“He’s on his way. The Bentley you described just passed our house.”
“Thanks.” I ended the call. And then spoke to Simon and the neighbors hidden all around us. “Bebe says he’s almost here.”
“Good,” Simon said. “We’ll talk about our wedding later.”
I let out an amused and somewhat exasperated sigh but didn’t say anything as the Bentley stopped in front of the house. Robert got out in an impeccable charcoal gray suit and shiny black shoes. Dude growled low in his throat but I put my hand on his back to let him know it was okay.
I had the papers he’d given me the day before on the table beside me. I hadn’t signed them.
Robert came up the steps and crossed the porch. I didn’t get up but I did gesture to the vacant chair across from mine.
“Ms. Spencer.” He inclined his head as he sat.
“Mr. O’Malley.” I tipped my chin up.
“I assume you’ve made the correct choice.”
“Actually, I have some questions,” I said.
A quick frown flitted across his face before his mouth curved in a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Such as?” he asked.
“You told me I had to sign my half of the house over to you or you would try to take Charlie’s conservatorship away from Simon even though the incident you’re using to do so was clearly a misunderstanding,” I said.
“You know Charlie wasn’t going to hurt anyone.
He just wanted to see if Diana liked the flowers he’d brought her. ”
Robert tipped his head back. “Your point?”
“How can I trust that you won’t do it anyway?
” I asked. “After all, any man who can use his disabled son for leverage to gain a property would likely just do it again if an opportunity presented itself. So, if I’m giving up my inheritance to keep Simon as Charlie’s conservator, I want reassurances. ”
“You’re not ‘giving up’ anything.” Mr. O’Malley leaned back. He crossed one leg over the other, looking entirely too smug. “You’ll be duly compensated for your half of the house.”
“But how do I know you won’t threaten Simon with this misunderstanding about Charlie?” I persisted. “How do I know you won’t try to take Simon to court over Charlie’s conservatorship if Simon doesn’t sign over his half of the house to you?”
“I don’t have to threaten Simon with anything,” Mr. O’Malley said. “I am the heir to my father’s estate, all of his estate. I will file a partition action and Simon’s half of the house will be given to me by the courts as it should have been all along.”
“Except it won’t.” Simon stepped out of the house. “Hannah isn’t selling her half of the house to you and I’m not letting you take mine, either.”
Simon’s father rose from his seat. His nostrils flared and his face became flushed. “I was under the impression you weren’t here.”
“Because I wanted you to believe that, which is why I hid my car.” Simon approached his father, stopping until he was just out of reach. “Let me tell you how this is going to go. You’re going to walk away and you’re never going to bother us again.”
“Ha!” Mr. O’Malley scoffed. “The hell I will. I want what’s rightfully mine and that is Charlie’s conservatorship money and this cottage.”
“It was never yours and it never will be.” Simon nodded. “Thanks to Gramps and Pops, there is no way you can take it from us.”
“It’s her, isn’t it?” Simon’s father waved a dismissive hand in my direction.
“She’s convinced you that you can take me on and win, but you can’t.
You don’t want to give me the house now?
Fine. I’ll take control of your brother’s conservatorship and reallocate the funds to buy my own property.
After all, it’s what I deserve as my father’s only child. ”
“I will never let that happen.” Simon shook his head.
“Neither will I.” Lorelei came around the side of the house to stand beside Simon. “Charlie’s conservatorship will never be under your control.”
Simon put his arm around his sister’s shoulders.
“You called your sister in on this?” Mr. O’Malley looked incensed. “Are you seriously hiding behind a woman?”
Simon looked at him as if he were incomprehensible. “Hiding behind…? What is wrong with you? Lor and I are a team and we’re infinitely more qualified to take care of our brother than you are.”
Mr. O’Malley glowered at his children. “You think you can keep the conservatorship from me? What judge would allow that? I’m Charlie’s father. You two were MIA when he was in trouble the other day and I’m the one who stepped in and took care of things.”
“By using the situation to coerce me into selling my half of the house to you,” I said. “Leveraging your son’s well-being for your own gain makes you a shit guardian.”
“Stay out of this!” Simon’s father snapped.
“Hey, watch how you talk to my future wife!” Simon retorted.
“Wife?” Mr. O’Malley looked like he’d swallowed a bug.
“I’ve had enough.” He frowned at me. “Since you refuse to see reason, I’ll move forward with my attorney to have the conservatorship switched to me.
Remember this is all on you. How do you feel about your wife material now, Simon?
She’s willing to let you lose your conservatorship for a piece of property. ”
“Do you even hear yourself?” Simon asked. “Hannah has done nothing. It’s you who’s made threats about Charlie’s care.”
“There’s not a judge in the state who’d believe you against me.” Mr. O’Malley took his phone out of his pocket.
“Oh, I think I know a judge or two.” Vincent Cosmo stepped out of the house, where he’d been waiting with Simon. “In fact, I went to law school with Judge Talley, who presided over the switching of the conservatorship from Simon’s grandfather to Simon.”
“Who are you?” Mr. O’Malley asked through clenched teeth.
“I’m the estate attorney for your late father, and I think Judge Talley would be fascinated to hear how you’ve used your threat to take away the conservatorship from Simon to try and coerce Hannah into selling her inheritance to you.”
“That’s not what’s happened,” Mr. O’Malley lied. “Besides, it’s your word against mine and these three are in cahoots to try and screw me out of what’s rightfully mine. How much are they paying you to lie for them?”
“That’s not true, but you have brought up an interesting point—without witnesses this could become a case of your word against theirs,” Vincent said.
“Exactly.” Simon’s father pointed at him. “And you will lose.”
“Hmm.” Vincent rubbed his chin. “It’s a good thing we have witnesses, then.”
Luke and Roland popped up out of their respective hiding places as did Stephanie and Mike. Roland sent Robert a powerful stink eye and said, “I heard every word. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“I guess we’ll see you in court, Dad.” Simon stared at his father in a look that was so cold I was surprised Mr. O’Malley didn’t get frostbite.
“You’ll regret this.” Simon’s father stormed off the porch.
“Doubt it,” Lorelei called after him.
As soon as the Bentley peeled off down the road, we all let out a collective whoop of triumph. Even Dude tipped his head back and howled.
“We did it!” Lor hugged her brother and high-fived a bemused Vincent.
Luke and Roland joined us on the porch and Stephanie and Mike came around the side of the house and she said, “This calls for champagne and sticky buns!”
Everyone trotted inside, but when I would’ve followed, Vincent caught my arm and said, “Can I have a word, Hannah?”
I glanced at Simon to see if he knew what this was about but he shrugged. Then he clapped Vincent on the shoulder and said, “Thanks for your help. I’ll meet you both inside.”
The screen door swung shut behind him with a bang.
“Is something wrong?” I asked. “Did I break a law I’m unaware of?”
“No.” Vincent shook his head. “When your grandfather wrote up his will, he gave me two letters. One I was to give to you if you sold the house, and the other was for if you decided to stay.” He reached inside his sport coat and withdrew a business-sized envelope.
It was thin but I recognized the handwriting on the outside. Pops.
My throat got tight and my breathing shallow as I took the envelope. “I don’t understand, why two? And where’s the other one?”
“As Mr. Spencer explained it to me, he wanted you to make your own decision about the house,” he said. “The other letter per his instructions will be destroyed.”
I glanced down at the envelope. This was so very Pops, prepared for any contingency. I nodded and said, “Thank you.”
“I’ll give you your privacy.” Vincent excused himself.
The door shut behind him and I slid my thumb under the envelope flap, working it gently open so as not to tear it. Inside was one sheet of fancy writing paper. I took it out and unfolded it.
It read:
My dearest Hannah,