Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
“What do you mean we don’t get our money?” Huck jumped up from his chair and leaned over the cluttered desk that took up most of the office space.
Billy, the lawyer their mama had hired to take care of her will, drew back in his leather chair and lifted his hands. “Now don’t be gettin’ in a tizzy. It’s not my fault the other person your mama put in her will is contesting your inheritance.”
“The other person!” Poppy jumped up and joined Huck at the desk. “Who is this other person? My mama only had four kids and they’re sitting right here, waiting for their share of the money they worked their asses off for!”
Dawson remained seated, but he agreed with his siblings.
Who was this mystery person and how could they contest the will when it had been followed to a tee?
Dawson had been hoping to sign a few papers and be done with his mama’s will and her crazy stipulation that they bring her beloved bar back to life in order to get their inheritance.
Now it looked like it wasn’t going to be that easy.
Of course, nothing in his life had ever been easy.
“Sit down, Huck and Poppy,” Jaxon said. His voice was firm, but he was in a much better mood today than he’d been in on Saturday night.
Probably because he’d spent the rest of the weekend in bed with his new bride.
Once Huck and Poppy were seated, he looked at Billy and asked the question rolling around in Dawson’s head.
“We did what the will stipulated, Billy. How can this person contest it?”
Billy sighed and leaned back in his chair, resting his hands on his big belly.
The chunky gold and diamond rings on his hands caught the sunlight coming through the window and scattered little dots of light around the room like a disco ball.
“They’re saying that y’all didn’t meet all the stipulations.
They’re saying Honky Tonk Heaven didn’t open on time. ”
“That’s bullshit!” Poppy started to jump up again, but Dawson reached out and stopped her. She shot him a mean glare but settled back in her chair and let him speak.
“Everyone in town knows the bar was finished and opened on Saturday night, Billy. You included.” Dawson pointedly looked at the purplish bruise on Billy’s face.
Billy rubbed his jaw. “Damn, Hector. I was just sitting there minding my own business when he punched me. It appears he’s still holding a grudge about his divorce.
But I only helped his wife get what she had comin’.
” He lowered his hand. “Which is what I’m trying to do for y’all.
But that big city lawyer who contacted me is what you’d call a ballbuster.
” He glanced at Poppy. “No offense. She’s claiming that the dancehall wasn’t open to the public, seeing as how it was a private wedding. ”
“What the hell’s the difference?” Huck asked. “The townsfolk are the public.”
“It does seem that way, but your mama made it clear in her will that she wanted the dancehall opened for business. If this person wants to split hairs—which it seems like they do—they might just have a chance of getting a judge to see it their way.” He glanced at Jaxon.
“Unless money was exchanged and you can prove the place was opened for business. Did anyone pay for their drinks or food on Saturday night?”
Jaxon shook his head. “It was all free.”
“What about the jukebox? Did people put money into that?”
Dawson knew the answer. Only one song had been played on the jukebox, and it had been Dawson who put the quarter in so Tully and Jaxon could dance. After that, Dawson had covered the quarter slot with tape so people couldn’t use it and the jukebox wouldn’t compete with the live band they’d hired.
“No,” he said. “No one put quarters in it, but me.”
They all just sat there for a moment before Jaxon spoke. “So, what do we do now?”
“Nothing right now. Everything remains the same until we get a court hearing. Y’all can still run Honky Tonk Heaven and live in the house. You just won’t have access to the money in your mama’s accounts until we get this all figured out.”
“And how can we get it figured out if we don’t even know who’s contesting the will?” Huck said. “That don’t seem right. And all we have to do is open the envelope Mama put in her will to find out.”
Billy shook his head. “I can’t do that. Your mama stipulated that the envelope should only be opened if y’all didn’t succeed in reopening Honky Tonk Heaven by the deadline.
If we open the envelope, we’re saying y’all failed.
No, I think it’s best if we let the rat come out in the open on his own.
He’ll have to eventually. Until then, y’all need to keep the bar open and functioning like your mama wanted. ”
Jaxon nodded. “Thanks, Billy. What do we owe you for handling this?”
“Nothing. Your mama took care of me before she passed.”
Of course, Rosie had taken care of Billy.
Their mama had always taken good care of all her employees.
It was her own children she failed to take care of.
This was just another example. She’d put some random person in her will and given them the right to sue her own kids.
It was enough to make Dawson want to tell Billy to fuck his share of the money and walk out the door.
But this wasn’t just about him. While he cared nothing about money, Huck and Poppy had plans for their share. And for some reason, Tully had some weird infatuation with Honky Tonk Heaven. She would be crushed if they lost the dancehall. Which would crush Jaxon.
Dawson couldn’t let that happen.
Which meant he was stuck in Promise Springs for a little while longer. Something that didn’t make him happy at all.
Of course, his siblings weren’t happy either.
“This is such bullshit,” Poppy said as soon as they left Billy’s office.
“Damn straight, it is.” Huck slapped his hat against his leg. “I thought I’d be walking out of this town hall a lot richer.”
“We don’t need to panic yet,” Jaxon said, but Dawson could tell by the strained look on his face that his brother was worried. He had finally found some happiness and now their mama was trying to take it away. From the grave.
Once they were outside in the hot humid summer air, Dawson couldn’t help trying to ease his brother’s worry.
“Even if they should win, I don’t think the person contesting the will is going to want an old dancehall, Jax.
If they’re now living in a big city, they probably won’t give a shit about the bar. ”
“Then why did Mama put them in her will?” Jaxon asked. “She loved that damn bar, which is why she came up with the scheme to get us to renovate and reopen it. It doesn’t make sense that if we didn’t succeed, she’d will it to someone who isn’t going to return Honky Tonk Heaven to its former glory.”
“I agree with Jax,” Poppy said. “Mama wouldn’t want some city slicker getting Honky Tonk Heaven. She’d want someone getting it who loves it as much as she did. Someone who lives right here in Promise Springs and understands the history of the dancehall. Someone like Tully.”
Jaxon turned to her. “Tully isn’t suing us.”
“Are you sure?” Poppy’s eyes grew sad. “Sometimes people you love totally betray you.”
Like he had ever since learning about Wylynn breaking up with Poppy, Dawson had the urge to track down the asshole and make him pay for hurting his little sister. But that would have to wait for another day.
Dawson pulled Poppy close. “Wylynn was too stupid to know what he had. I’m sure he’s regretting it now.”
She tucked her face against his chest and swallowed hard.
“Yeah. He’s regretting it so much he’s posting pictures of him and his new girlfriend, who just happened to take over my job of lead singer, on social media.
” Dawson’s muscles tightened and he wished Wylynn was there now so he could rearrange his face for the next social media post.
“Good riddance, I say.” Huck joined the conversation. “There are plenty of bands out there who would love to have a lead singer as good as you, Pops. And if you can’t find one you like, when you get your inheritance, you can put together your own band and cut your own album.”
Poppy drew back from Dawson and sniffed. “If we get our money. I think we should make a list of everyone who was close to Rosie at the end of her life and see if we can figure it out. I bet Tully could help us. Then we can confront the asshole.”
“We’re not confronting anyone,” Jaxon said. “We’re letting Billy handle this.”
“Can we trust him to handle it?” Dawson wasn’t so sure.
“Why wouldn’t we? He was the only one in town who helped me out when I got arrested for robbing Mickey’s.”
Guilt washed over Dawson just like it always did when Jaxon mentioned the gas station robbery. And with good reason.
Jaxon had taken the fall for Dawson.
Not that Dawson had robbed Mickey’s. It was just his luck that he decided to set the old tires behind the gas station on fire the same night as someone broke in and took money from the cash register.
Just his luck that Sheriff Gentry saw him leaving Mickey’s in Jaxon’s truck.
Thankfully, the sheriff hadn’t had enough evidence to hold Jaxon for more than a night.
But that didn’t matter when the entire town thought Jaxon was guilty.
Dawson had wanted to confess, but Jaxon refused to let him.
Probably because he’d believed that Dawson had robbed the gas station.
And still believed it.
“So, we’re going to sit back and do nothing?” Poppy cut into his thoughts. “We’re just going to let some stranger take what’s rightfully ours?”