Chapter 28 #4
“Well, if you don’t have anyone,” Scott shared, “I might be able to rustle up somebody.”
“That’s good to know. Let me get in touch with Nick, and I’ll ask him to follow up with you, if need be.”
“Perfect,” he said, and he quickly rang off.
She phoned Nick right away, and, when he answered, his voice seemed distracted.
Nick answered, “I would say it’s perfect timing, but it’s really not good timing at all.”
“I can call back later,” she offered.
“No, it’s okay. I’ve been dealing with all kinds of issues in terms of your real estate,” he shared, “but you’ll need to make a trip, unless you just want to sell everything blind.”
“I don’t really know what to do,” she murmured. “I just got off the phone with Scott. He was asking me about Robin’s estate.”
“Yeah, Robin’s estate is another different headache,” he admitted. “And you may very well want to keep some of her stuff.” Then he frowned and added, “Or maybe not. You might not want anything to do with it at all.”
“I don’t know what to do with any of it,” she admitted. She heard him sigh. Then he changed the subject.
“I spoke to Mack this morning. Apparently you have another inheritance coming?”
“I didn’t ask for it,” she declared. “I don’t even know if it’s legal.”
“It is legal,” he confirmed, “because of the people involved as witnesses. Plus, Mack even recorded the verbal exchange.”
“I know,” she cried out, “but it sure wasn’t my idea. I didn’t ask and didn’t want anything to do with it. I didn’t even know it was on her mind. However, it’s important to note that she never intended for me to have her assets personally. She just wanted me to find a way to help others.”
“And that makes sense,” he said, with a laugh, “particularly since some people do know that you have quite a fortune at this point in time.”
“She told me to add it to the pot of what I’m already planning on giving to others in need.”
“Which you will do.”
“Of course. I just don’t know the process.”
“I’m looking into that myself right now,” he replied, “so expect more paperwork soon.” When she immediately groaned, he laughed.
“For somebody who doesn’t like to get into trouble,” he noted, “you sure get into a lot of it. And you are definitely starting to be a full-time client. Speaking of which, I’m … ”
“I know,” she said ruefully. “I undoubtedly owe you a small fortune.”
“Well, you will by the time we’re done with all this mess,” he agreed, with a laugh. “However, I did tell you that the original divorce proceeding would be pro bono.”
“Of course you did,” she noted, “because I’ll soon be family.”
“I would think Mack considers you family already, but yes,” he confirmed. “I also have expenses to pay myself.”
“Yes, of course you do, and a lot is yet to be done on the rest of Mathew’s houses, plus to set up the charities and things.”
“So, if you’re happy to keep working with me, then obviously we have a lot of work to do. And that’s fine by me, and I’ve been slowly clearing off my plate because of all the stuff I’m doing for you.”
“That would be good,” she said. “I really don’t know when I’m getting any money though. Although I might have some. To be honest, I haven’t checked.”
He laughed. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll be the first to tell you.”
“Are you okay for money for now though?” she asked. “Can you pay your bills?”
He chuckled. “I can pay my bills.”
“Good, because I do have a little bit of money, but I don’t have the millions that are coming yet.”
“Not yet,” he confirmed, “but I do know the millions are coming, so we can settle up when you get them.”
“If you trust me,” she added.
After a moment of silence, he added, “And if you trust me.”
“I’ve never really been ripped off in a way that I would recognize,” she shared, “and I wouldn’t expect you to do that anyway.”
“No, I sure won’t,” he stated. “My ethics don’t allow for that. Plus, my brother would kill me. There is also a lot of cash from Mathew’s house, and you can access all that.”
She burst out laughing and added, “Now that I can believe.”
“On the other hand, I have a fair bit of paperwork that needs to be processed soon,” he told her. “So, when I need something to cover the legal costs, I’ll let you know.” And, with that, he rang off.
However, she’d completely forgotten about the foreign properties and her conversation with Scott. She called him back and explained, “I’m sorry. I forgot to mention Scott. He might have somebody you could contact over there regarding the French estate.”
“Right, I can also use a generic third party, if you want.”
“Well, let’s be sure to have somebody who knows what they’re looking at. I would hope that these houses aren’t full of collectibles, but it’s certainly possible.”
There was a moment of silence before he groaned. “You know, after what we’ve already seen, I won’t be surprised if it’s exactly more of that.”
“I doubt anything that Birdie has would fit into that category, but I don’t know about Robin,” she added, “but, when it comes to my ex, it’s quite possible.”
This time when she hung up the phone, it was for good.