Chapter Two
Lucy
“What the fuck do you mean she didn’t leave us anything?”
Spit flies from my uncle’s mouth as his face continues to turn red. I can see the sweat beading on his forehead from my chair across the office. My aunt is pacing back and forth but has her eyes narrowed at Mr. Hill, Nana’s lawyer.
“As I told you when you first arrived, Mr. Winslow, your mother was very clear when she made this will, what would happen to her estate.” Mr. Hill fiddles with the papers in front of him, but I can tell it’s helping to keep himself calm.
The voices fade as the shouting from my uncle starts again, and I lose myself in my thoughts.
Grandma was rich? Not just rich, but rich rich. Why didn’t she ever tell me?
My mind searches through memories of growing up as I look for clues to confirm what Mr. Hill is telling us.
There were a few splurges here and there, but I never really thought about how much Nana was making with her baking.
She was the first person people called for baked goods.
She was always up before me in the mornings and in bed after me at night.
The slam of a door hitting the wall shocks me back into reality and I jump. Aunt Diane is walking out of the doorway, but Uncle Wayne stops on his way out and narrows his eyes at me.
“This isn’t over, Lucille. We will get something out of this.” Turning, he heads out the doorway after his wife and slams the door.
When a few minutes pass in silence, Mr. Hill raises his head and looks at me with an understanding, his fingers rubbing his temples.
“I know this may come as a shock to you, Miss Lucille. Your grandmother always paid in full, with cash for everything besides the land, which was paid off before your grandfather died. She was also very good at investing her money,” he says, looking at the papers.
“You could live a comfortable life and never work again if that is something you wanted. The house and land deeds are in your name as well. There were no stipulations about whether you could sell the house, so whatever you decide is your choice.” He reaches over his desk, handing me a couple of papers from the file.
I can’t speak. My mind is racing as I reach over to meet his hand and grab the documents.
Holy. Shit.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many digits in my bank account before. Actually, I know I’ve never even been close to seeing this number.
Mr. Hill can tell I am not going to retain any more information and tells me to call him if I need help with anything.
I quickly stand and shake his hand, muttering a quick goodbye before leaving his office.
Stepping out into the spring air, I scan through the documents to be sure everything is there.
I close the folder and hold on to it for dear life.
Holy. Fucking. Shit. What am I going to do now?
There’s a pounding coming from somewhere in the house as I try to open my eyes and roll over in bed. The clock says 7:02am, and I groan.
Where is that noise coming from? How much did I drink last night?
I only had a couple glasses of wine while I talked to Ember to bring her up to speed with what happened at the reading.
The pounding is persistent, and I groan again as I slip out of bed to find the source of the noise. I get halfway down the stairs before realizing it’s the front door and that someone is here.
Who would be here this early?
I rub my eyes before making my way down the rest of the stairs and swing the door wide open.
“Can I help you?” My yawn is cut short when I see two of the hottest men I’ve ever seen in my life, and my mouth stays open.
I must be dreaming.
“Actually, you can,” the one on the right says. He has light brown hair and bright blue eyes, like the sky on a summer day. His beard is full but neat, and I wonder what it would feel like on my skin before I kick the thought out of my head.
I snap my mouth shut and look towards the man on the left. He has dark brown hair, almost black. His green eyes slide down my body before he brings them up to meet my gaze with a smirk.
Oh shit.
I look down, realizing I’m in nothing but a large graphic band tee that ends on my mid-upper thigh. Also, I’m not wearing a bra, which means my pierced nipples are on full display. I quickly cross my arms over my chest as I turn my attention back to the man on the right.
“What can I do for you?” My voice comes out a little shaky, but I lift my chin to create a sense of confidence.
The man clears his throat while looking directly at my face. “My name is Nash, and this is Ren.” He points over to the man on his left.
“Hi.” Ren gives a small wave but has a huge grin on his face. He looks amused by the situation happening right now.
I shift on my feet. “Lucille.” I shake my head a little to focus. “Lucy. What are you doing here?” Out of the corner of my eye, I see another man walking up to the porch. He stops, standing at the bottom of the stairs.
How are they all this fucking hot??
“And you are?” I scoff, waving my hand towards the man.
The man shakes his head and crosses his arms. Just like the other two standing in front of me, this one is also covered in tattoos. He looks huge leaning against the porch pole. His dirty blonde hair complements the hazel specks in his eyes.
“That’s Colson, but you can call him Cole,” Ren speaks up as he smiles again when I look back at him.
Oh, good lord, he has dimples. Wait, no. Lucille, you need to focus!
“We’re here to talk about your grandma,” Nash rushes out.
“She’s de—,” I start to say, but can’t finish the word. It will only make it more real if I say it out loud. I drop my head and brush my bare foot across the porch in front of me.
“Yeah, we heard about your grandma. We’re sorry for your loss. She was an incredible lady. Always smiling and offering lemonade and snacks while we were here.” Nash’s voice is laced with sympathy, and I can’t bear to look at him while fighting the lump in my throat.
“She was also a mean baker. I’d die for some of her homemade cinnamon rolls right now.” I look up at Ren and see when the realization of what he said hits.
“Fuck,” Colson grumbles, dragging his hand down his face, like he’s already tired of Ren’s bullshit.
I clear my throat, my face heating. “Hate to break it to you, but there won’t be any more baked goods or lemonade for you here. Now please leave.” My voice is steady, but laced with rage.
Nash puts his hands up as he and Ren both start to apologize, but I shake my head. I drop my arms to my sides and squeeze my fists, my nails biting into my palms.
“No need for the attitude. He didn’t mean it like that,” Colson practically growls at me.
They may all be hot as sin, but I’ve had enough.
“Get the fuck off my property and don’t come back.” I step inside the house, glaring at each of them before slamming the door. Hard. Rushing up the stairs, unshed tears blur my vision causing my foot to slip. Picking myself up, I fall into my bed before the first tear falls.
Nana, why did you have to leave me?
My body shakes while the sobs continue for what feels like hours. Eventually, the alarm on my phone sounds, which means it’s time to get myself together to go pick up Ember from the airport.