Chapter 4 #2
“No. I mean Corky’s estate will have to pay them.” James liked the fact that she had no idea what was really going on. With things like this, the state made the rules, and she should have done her homework. “Now, we need to finish our walk and get the dogs home for the evening.”
“Yeah. I’ll see you on Thursday,” Lyle added as they continued down the walk, leaving Debbie behind. “Is that what really happens?” he asked James.
“Yes. The estate pays the taxes out of the general estate funds, and any bequests are made after that. So depending on what assets Corky had, they may be used up to pay the overall taxes. Now, the rate at most is 15 percent. So we’re talking a few thousand dollars here.
It’s isn’t like there are millions involved.
And if Corky’s lawyer is handling the estate, then he’ll deal with all these kinds of things.
Debbie isn’t going to get much choice or input. ”
“So I don’t need to worry,” Lyle said softly. “It’s not like I have thousands of dollars lying around.”
“Nope. Just take care of the dogs and you’ll see how things work out when you meet with the lawyer. Feel free to ask him any questions, but you also have the right to know who he works for… just in case there are any issues.”
“Huh?” Lyle said, confused.
“What I mean is to make sure you know who is paying the lawyer. If it’s the estate, then the lawyer has the duty to do what Corky wanted. But if this is Debbie’s lawyer and he’s there to see to the estate on her behalf, then it’s another issue altogether. So ask him who is paying his fees.”
Lyle nodded. “Got it. But I didn’t think Corky had all that much money. I mean, she moved into the small place next to mine. She didn’t own a home or anything. So I suspect that she had the dogs and whatever was in the townhouse, maybe some savings… and that’s it. She was older, so who knows.”
There was little use in speculating about the details of Corky’s estate.
Lyle would know soon enough. What worried him was Debbie’s sense of entitlement.
She seemed determined that the dogs were hers, and she was going to sell them off if she got the chance.
Hell, James suspected that if she had gotten her hands on the dogs before Lyle, they would have been sold and delivered to their new owners right away. That woman was a real piece of work.
They continued walking the dogs back toward the townhouse, and once they reached it and Lyle unlocked the door, the pack rushed inside and looked all around as if to make sure everything was where they left it.
“Would you like some ice cream for dessert? I know it isn’t fancy, but I can get some if you’d like me to. ”
“Thanks, but I’m not really hungry right now,” James said, and they sat on the sofa, the dogs settling down on the floor. After the walk, they seemed a little worn out and ready to rest.
“What do you like to do when you have quiet time?” Lyle asked.
“I don’t have very much of it. I’m usually studying, and quiet time is a little hard to come by with three roommates. Someone is always up or needing something.”
“Do you have things you need to do now? I’ll understand if you have more work to finish. I mean… I know I can’t take up all of your time.” Lyle sighed and leaned slightly against his shoulder.
“I do have some reading to do and work that needs to be finished before classes Wednesday. There is always plenty to do, but I’m definitely ahead of the game at the moment. I have a paper due Friday, and it’s about halfway completed. The rest is outlined, so I just have to write it.”
Lyle chuckled. “I take it that you’re one of those people who gets everything done as soon as possible, rather than waiting until the last minute.”
“I never wait if I can help it. I always get things done as soon as I can. I like to think that gives me a chance to look over my work and make sure that it’s done to the best of my ability. This is my chance to have a different kind of life than my mom had.”
“I guess I have to ask. Is the law a real passion for you, or is law school a stepping-stone to something else?”
James shrugged. “I’m not sure. There are plenty of things I’d like to do in the law, but I’m not sure that I want to spend my time writing wills or going to court.
There are plenty of jobs that are open to lawyers, so I just have to decide what it is I want.
But I have some time yet.” He had thought about a private practice of some sort, but that was practically impossible right out of law school.
“I know I’m going to need experience, and that means I’ll need to work for a law firm at some point.
There are a few people in town that I’ve been talking with, and some of them might be interested in me working with them in a year or two. I just don’t know.”
“What would your dream job be?” Lyle asked.
“If I could do anything?” He paused because he had to think about it.
“I think I’d like to be an advocate for dogs and pets.
We treat them as if they are very important to us, and yet under the law, they’re no more than property, If you want to protect your pets after death, you have to jump through a number of hoops.
You can’t leave them your assets directly.
Instead, you need a trust and people you know will care for them.
It’s a bit of a mess. You can will people your pets, and you can will them money to care for them, but there are no guarantees that they’ll do it.
” Sometimes it made his head spin. “What about you?”
“I don’t know. I was never one of those people with grand dreams. Mostly I want to be able to make enough money to be comfortable and not have to worry about every cent.
I’d like to be able to travel and to see things.
I think that’s more important than the fancy house or a big car.
” He seemed almost taken aback by the question.
“Honestly, I’ve never really given it a lot of thought, I guess. ”
“Me too. I have a lot of things I’d like to do, but sometimes it’s down to the opportunities that come your way.
All I can do at this point is make sure I work hard and end up at the top of my class, and that way, more firms will be interested in taking me on.
From there I can figure out what it is I really want.
” He had some sort of plan, even if it wasn’t all mapped out.
But one way or another he’d figure it out.