Chapter 18
Hudson moved behind Pop’s desk and rested the back of his head against the window. He couldn’t hear the roar of the ocean through the cool glass, but it called to him.
Tessa stared out the window too as Malcolm detailed Sam’s charity bequeathments. Was she also thinking about ditching everyone and grabbing a couple of poles and a bucket of bait?
Shrugging out of his jacket, he rolled up his sleeves. He caught Tessa watching as Malcolm explained to Ralphie and Josie they’d each been left five million dollars.
“But I don’t want it.” Ralphie rose from the couch. “Not any of it. I just want Sam back.”
Josie stood next to him and wiped tears from her eyes. “It’s too much. Too much.”
Hudson crossed the room and clasped each of their hands. Squeezing their fingers, he forced humor into his voice. “Pop was always too much of everything. What did you expect?”
He earned watery smiles and tight hugs. His heart hurt as Josie put her arm around Ralphie and excused them for the night.
As the door clicked behind them, Nathaniel glanced from his phone, shifting to the edge of his chair. “What’s next, Malcolm?”
“Sam left his sweet fishing boat to me. He left the Belmarva property to the town, along with funds to establish a fishing retreat for wounded veterans.”
Hudson’s chest cinched. He’d thought he’d braced himself for anything the will might say, but this carved a hole in his heart and healed a piece of it at the same time.
Tessa pressed her fingers to her mouth and met Hudson’s eyes. “Perfect.”
Her reaction cleaved through his beautiful ache.
Nathaniel muttered under his breath. “Are we done with the fucking charities yet?”
The peaceful moment with Tessa shattered. Hudson’s jaw tightened as he dropped his gaze to the bald spot Nathaniel tried to conceal with a slick comb-over. Tamping the urge to knock the pushiness out of him, he nodded at Malcolm to continue.
“Sam left Vivian a sum of twenty million dollars.”
Vivian closed her eyes and lifted her chin to the ceiling. “Thank you, Sam.”
Nathaniel’s shoulders relaxed as he smiled and typed on his phone again. “When do we get access to the money?”
“The funds will be transferred into an account in Vivian’s name to be accessed by only her. Upon her death, the funds go to Shayla.”
Nathaniel’s fingers paused on his phone. “That can’t be right.” He shot from his seat. “You’re telling me I have to ask my wife for money. That’s marital property. I’m her husband.”
One look from Hudson shut Nathaniel’s mouth.
“What else?” Vivian tugged her husband into his seat. “Who did Sam leave the house to?”
Malcolm shuttled his gaze from Hudson to Tessa. The corners of his mouth twitched.
“Sam left the mansion and surrounding properties to you two.”
Tessa’s stomach pitched like the floor shifted beneath her. She whipped her gaze to Hudson. The deep crease in his forehead mirrored her surprise. Ignoring Vivian and Nathaniel’s protests, she looked back at Malcolm. “Excuse me? Can you repeat that?”
“You heard me.”
Vivian slapped her hand on the chair’s armrest. “This doesn’t make sense.”
Tessa couldn’t agree more. “Sam left me half the mansion?” The words sounded even more insane out loud.
Malcolm nodded. “Along with twenty million dollars.”
“What?” Her shoulders jerked like she’d been hit, fear pressing in as dollar signs swam in her vision. Had Frank known about her windfall and sent Fry Jack to fetch her?
“Tessa.” Hudson splayed his hands on the desk and leaned across the smooth mahogany. “Breathe.”
She dragged in a long breath, the steady command grounding her in the moment.
In the mansion.
In her freaking mansion.
Malcolm stood. “Do you need a minute, Tessa?”
“No.” She needed a lifetime to comprehend all the money she’d done nothing to deserve.
Malcolm nodded and glanced at Hudson. “Pop left you the rest of his assets. We can go over the sums and intricacies later, but there are a few stipulations regarding the property you all need to know about.”
Hudson’s jaw hardened. “Explain.”
“You and Tessa own equal shares. You cannot sell. Upon your deaths, your shares will go to heirs of your choosing. And there’s one more thing. Vivian and Nathaniel’s residence here is at the discretion of you two.”
“What?” Vivian’s voice shook the crystal on the bar. “This is ridiculous, Malcolm. Get your father on the phone so he can tell us what to do to fix this.”
“There’s nothing to fix, Viv. It’s what Sam wanted.”
“We all know Sam was too generous for his own good.” Vivian waved a hand at Tessa. “It’s bad enough she got the same amount of money as me, but half the mansion too? And she’s partially responsible for my living situation. No offense, but what the hell was Sam thinking?”
Hysteria bubbled in Tessa as she rose. Bracing her hands on the desk, she leaned toward Hudson until their faces were inches apart. “I didn’t know about any of this, I swear.” Her heart pounded with her need to make him understand. “And I didn’t want or expect to be left anything.”
A vein throbbed in his neck. “What is it you want, Tessa?”
She couldn’t tell whether he was being sarcastic or genuine with his mouth inches from hers. Either way, her answer was the same. “For everything to go back to the way it was before you showed up in Sam’s kitchen.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
Vivian sighed. “I’ll drink to that.”
Malcolm cleared his throat. “There’s one more matter.” He opened the top desk drawer and shoved his hand inside. “Pop left Tessa…dammit.” He yanked his hand out. A fishing lure stuck to the tip of his finger.
A prickling built behind Tessa’s eyes. Somehow, she’d managed to stay composed since she’d walked into the study. Even learning she was an heiress hadn’t broken her. But a fishing lure?
She sniffed back tears. “Sam stashed lures all over the Belmarva house too.”
Hudson let out a low laugh. “I hope his tetanus is up to date.”
“My fault. I know the risks of getting stuck in this house.” Malcolm sucked on his finger. Easing the drawer open farther, he carefully rummaged through its contents and pulled out an ivory envelope and a small black velvet box. “You know what that is, right?”
Hudson took the box and stared at it for a long moment. As he slid it into his pocket, Tessa caught the shimmer of tears in his eyes.
Malcolm handed her the envelope. “Sam’s wishes state that you and Hudson read this together. In private.”