Chapter 18
Afew weeks later, rain once again tapped softly against the windows of the cottage.
Casanova’s new home aquarium glowed warmly behind the sofa, and Brownie snoozed in his dog bed under the coffee table.
Boone, Demarien, and the others sat around the living room, mugs of coffee growing cold as they waited for Milo to arrive to start the family meeting.
“Little fella is missing a leg,” Felix said, frowning as he studied Casanova. “And a claw.”
“That’s why we decided to bring him in,” Boone said, stretching an arm to settle across Demarien’s shoulders. “Didn’t think he’d last in the wild much longer.”
“Pets are the best.” Felix sighed happily. “My pigs are so sweet. They’re good company, too. Toodles eats too much, but that’s just part of her charm.”
The front door slammed as Milo came in, struggling with his raincoat and boots. “Important news, everyone.”
“What’s up, boss man?” Haley asked, completely unconcerned. She handed Milo a fresh cup of coffee, then went back to painting Demarien’s toenails.
Milo stared into his cup, standing awkwardly by Casanova’s tank. "I got a call from the bank this morning."
The room fell quiet.
Patrick leaned forward. "They know who cleaned out the account?"
Milo shook his head. "No. Right before Aunt Dahlia died, supposedly, her accountant and she took out a huge loan using the Myrtlewood estate as collateral."
Nobody spoke for a moment. "That’s not right," Puck said quietly. “She wouldn’t have done that without telling you.”
“The signature isn’t hers. The house was in my name at the time, too.” Milo rubbed his face. “Our family lawyer is sorting it with the bank, but he said that it would take time and we should keep making the payments for now.”
“Where’s the accountant?” Boone asked, trying to keep the anger from his voice. These men had been through so much, and someone kept fucking with them. It was time they got to live their dream without the worry.
“Dead. Along with the banker who approved the loan.” Milo shivered and finally sat down. “Just like Bernard.”
“What the hell is happening?” Puck asked, tears welling. “Who would do this to Aunt Dahlia?”
“Someone who knew they weren’t getting a damn thing from her death,” Milo answered bitterly.
“Everyone in my sick fucking family knew Aunt Dahlia was leaving everything to me. I think some of them hoped they were wrong, but they knew. As I said earlier, this estate was already in my name. I was on most of her accounts. It was very clear who was inheriting everything.”
“And Aunt Dahlia was dying,” Demarien said, voice trembling. “You were so wrapped up in being with her. You wouldn’t have noticed anything too strange going on.”
“Where does this leave us?” Felix asked, leaning into Puck’s side.
“No money is coming from her biggest account,” Milo said, “and we have to make payments for a loan we never took out. Big payments. At least until the lawyer sorts it, he said it could be weeks or months.”
Boone cleared his throat. “I’m marrying Damarien.”
Milo smiled half-heartedly. “Yes, we know, Boone. You may have mentioned it once or twice.”
“That means I’m family.” He looked at Demarien. “Right?”
Demarien just rolled his eyes and hugged him. “Yes, you’re family.”
“I have a nice-sized savings that my grandpa left me.” Boone gave them all a stern look. “I say we make payments from my account. That way, all profits from the inn and restaurant go straight back into the inn and restaurant. Your lawyer will sort it out.”
Milo shook his head. “No. You may never get that money back.”
Boone shrugged. “Then I don’t. I live here now. This is my home as much as Demarien’s. I don’t want to lose it, and I have the means to handle it.”
“He’s right,” Puck said, reluctantly. “Any of us here would do the same if we had the money to do it. It would take one headache off of us.”
“It’s a really big payment,” Milo pointed out.
“Grandpa left me a lot of money and property. Making payments would only be temporary.” Boone wanted to help them so much.
The inn wasn’t his dream, but being with Demarien was.
“I was saving it to buy my childhood home here in town if it ever went up for sale, but I like the cottage more. It has a Demarien that comes with it.”
“That is a really good perk,” Milo said, smiling fully now. “Your grandpa left it for you, though.”
“He would approve,” Boone laughed. “He knew I had a thing for Demarien. Used to tease me about it every day. He liked the four of you, and I know he would like being able to help. So would Joe, Wilma-Jean, and Sammie, for that matter.”
Milo looked horrified. “They help enough. We would never ask them for money.”
“Okay. Family vote,” Felix called out. “All in favor of Boone making the payments with his grandpa’s money?”
Demarien, Patrick, Haley, Puck, and Felix raised their hands.
“Let it be noted that I am not in favor of this.” Milo glared at Felix. “That money should be spent on Boone’s future.”
“You know I don’t really take notes, right?” Felix asked. “I just doodle while everyone is talking.”
“This is my future,” Boone said softly, looking at Demarien for a long moment. “Everything I want is right here. Investing in it is the smartest thing I could ever do.”
Milo let out a long sigh. “Fine.”
“If I get a vote, I feel like I should be able to invest too,” Patrick said, pouting.
“You can only invest if you take part in building up the inn,” Milo said, hands on his hips. “Demarien has the restaurant, Puck has the gardens and walking trails, I have the inn, and Felix, Boone, and Haley handle maintenance, cleaning, and all the unfun stuff.”
“What would you offer, Patrick?” Felix asked, snickering. “You don’t like handywork or the outdoors. You’ve made that very clear. Plus, you have a job in town that you love. The inn doesn’t need a deputy. That doesn’t bring in the tourists.”
Haley raised a brow. “I mean, it could. What would Patrick be wearing?”
“No need for me to become the inn’s personal stripper,” Patrick smirked.
“I knew you all would question me. That’s why I have a plan.
I want to revitalize the winery. I have an army buddy who’s all into making wine.
His family owns a fancy vineyard in California.
He’s already agreed to move out here and give it a go.
It’s a slow process, but Puck said the grape vines were in surprisingly good shape.
All my money can go right into that, and a couple of years down the road, it would be bringing in the big bucks. ”
Milo sighed, then stared at the ceiling, searching for divine help. The inn already had so many moving parts, but the idea wasn’t horrible. Aunt Dahlia would have loved to see the vineyard alive again. “Write up a business proposal, and we’ll review it at the next family meeting.”
Patrick laughed. “Already done.” He pulled out a file he had hidden beside Casanova’s tank. “My friend put it together. He’ll do all the work. Having his own winery has long been his dream. I did pick the cover, though.”
“You talking about Roman?” Boone asked, thinking of their large, jovial friend who had served with them for years before opting out right before Patrick did.
“Yes.” Patrick nodded, grinning again. “Think about it, Milo. Winery tours, tastings, maybe a little gift shop to sell wine and Felix’s glass baubles. More tourists mean more money.”
“We can get more sheep,” Puck said, yawning as he leaned back into the couch.
“Serving our own wine in our restaurant?” Demarien added, wagging his eyebrows. “Fancy.”
“Everything is happening so fast,” Milo said, sitting down on an ottoman. “It’s like as soon as one thing goes right, something bad happens, and we’re back to square one. This is a big risk, Patrick.” He pointed at all of them. “We’re a big risk.”
“It’s a risk I’ll take,” Patrick said with a shrug. “I believe in you all.”
“I believe in you, too,” Boone said, hugging his omega tightly.
“I believe in this place and each of you,” Haley added.
“We can do this.” Felix stood and hugged Milo. Puck and Demarien joined in. “Let’s make Aunt Dahlia proud.”