to hear. But she closed her mouth, stood, and hoisted her purse over her shoulder.
“What time tomorrow? I have to find a sitter again.”
“And,” Amelia interrupted, “I will make sure the sitter is financially covered as I’m the one asking to come back.”
“Generous of you,” Vivian said, but there was an underlying tone of sarcasm.
“Let’s meet here again tomorrow at ten,” Sam said.
“Fine.” Vivian was the first to walk out of the office.
Amelia heard Sam’s mother wish her a nice day, but there had been no reply.
Penelope hadn’t stood. Instead she rested her head on her folded arms on the table.
Amelia rested her hand on her back. “Are you okay?”
“I’m exhausted. That took a lot out of me.”
“C’mon. I’ll drive you back to the room.”
Sam stood and moved toward them. “I have a very nice couch in my office and a blanket. Why don’t you rest there for just a few moments? I’d like to talk to Amelia if you don’t mind.”
Penelope raised her head and nodded.
Sam escorted her across the hall and returned a few minutes later, shutting the door to the room behind him.
“You’re not going to seduce me again are you?” Amelia raised an eyebrow.
“Something tells me trying that more than once in one day would be dangerous. Besides it seems you’re the only married woman around.”
“Right.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Widowed—remember that.”
He nodded and then sat back down where his paperwork was and she followed.
“I don’t mean any disrespect, but why did he leave you everything when he had Vivian and the kids?”
Amelia shrugged. “I have no idea. We always did everything separate. Different accounts. Different credit cards. Hell, I leased the house.”
Sam looked down at his papers. “I don’t suppose anyone noticed that there really isn’t much to what he left. In fact, by doing this he left a lot of different debts in his wake.”
Amelia let out a breath. “I wondered about that.” She leaned back in her chair and pulled the band from her hair. “We need to pay off those debts and take care of those kids.”
“You could turn it all over. If you’re okay financially and he didn’t leave you with debt you could…”
“I promised Vivian her kids would be taken care of and they will be.”
A smile formed on Sam’s lips.
“What?”
He sat back in his chair. “You scared me the moment I met you. I didn’t expect you to be this nice.”
“I’m not nice.”
“Yes you are. You don’t want to be, but you are.”
“I get my dedication from my mother. The nice and nurture come from my father.”
“It’s sexy.”
“You’re making a move on me again.”
“I’ll apologize in advance. I assume that’ll keep happening until you tell me to stop.”
She gave him a shrug. “I’ll let you know.”
That smile was back on his lips. What a prime opportunity to just dive across the table and yank that tie again, but she didn’t. There were other issues at hand.
“We can’t just divide up the money—or what there is of it. We need to clear his debts and take care of the kids. All three of them.”
“Okay, what do you suggest if you don’t divide it up?”
“See the money will run out. It’ll go too quick. They both have expenses. Vivian has two mouths to feed and clothe. There’s daycare and now she has to get a job. Penelope has nowhere to go. She has no job. No house. She’s going to need prenatal care and eventually she’ll have to pay for the delivery.”
Sam laced his fingers behind his head. “You’ve given this a lot of thought.”
“I think fast in what I consider crisis mode.”
“And this is a crisis?”
“To them it is. I don’t want any of this. I couldn’t give a rip what he has. But he put me in charge for a reason.”
“I assume he knew what he was doing.”
“That’d be a first.”
Sam stood and walked to the seat that Penelope had occupied. He reached across to his pile for a
“What time tomorrow? I have to find a sitter again.”
“And,” Amelia interrupted, “I will make sure the sitter is financially covered as I’m the one asking to come back.”
“Generous of you,” Vivian said, but there was an underlying tone of sarcasm.
“Let’s meet here again tomorrow at ten,” Sam said.
“Fine.” Vivian was the first to walk out of the office.
Amelia heard Sam’s mother wish her a nice day, but there had been no reply.
Penelope hadn’t stood. Instead she rested her head on her folded arms on the table.
Amelia rested her hand on her back. “Are you okay?”
“I’m exhausted. That took a lot out of me.”
“C’mon. I’ll drive you back to the room.”
Sam stood and moved toward them. “I have a very nice couch in my office and a blanket. Why don’t you rest there for just a few moments? I’d like to talk to Amelia if you don’t mind.”
Penelope raised her head and nodded.
Sam escorted her across the hall and returned a few minutes later, shutting the door to the room behind him.
“You’re not going to seduce me again are you?” Amelia raised an eyebrow.
“Something tells me trying that more than once in one day would be dangerous. Besides it seems you’re the only married woman around.”
“Right.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Widowed—remember that.”
He nodded and then sat back down where his paperwork was and she followed.
“I don’t mean any disrespect, but why did he leave you everything when he had Vivian and the kids?”
Amelia shrugged. “I have no idea. We always did everything separate. Different accounts. Different credit cards. Hell, I leased the house.”
Sam looked down at his papers. “I don’t suppose anyone noticed that there really isn’t much to what he left. In fact, by doing this he left a lot of different debts in his wake.”
Amelia let out a breath. “I wondered about that.” She leaned back in her chair and pulled the band from her hair. “We need to pay off those debts and take care of those kids.”
“You could turn it all over. If you’re okay financially and he didn’t leave you with debt you could…”
“I promised Vivian her kids would be taken care of and they will be.”
A smile formed on Sam’s lips.
“What?”
He sat back in his chair. “You scared me the moment I met you. I didn’t expect you to be this nice.”
“I’m not nice.”
“Yes you are. You don’t want to be, but you are.”
“I get my dedication from my mother. The nice and nurture come from my father.”
“It’s sexy.”
“You’re making a move on me again.”
“I’ll apologize in advance. I assume that’ll keep happening until you tell me to stop.”
She gave him a shrug. “I’ll let you know.”
That smile was back on his lips. What a prime opportunity to just dive across the table and yank that tie again, but she didn’t. There were other issues at hand.
“We can’t just divide up the money—or what there is of it. We need to clear his debts and take care of the kids. All three of them.”
“Okay, what do you suggest if you don’t divide it up?”
“See the money will run out. It’ll go too quick. They both have expenses. Vivian has two mouths to feed and clothe. There’s daycare and now she has to get a job. Penelope has nowhere to go. She has no job. No house. She’s going to need prenatal care and eventually she’ll have to pay for the delivery.”
Sam laced his fingers behind his head. “You’ve given this a lot of thought.”
“I think fast in what I consider crisis mode.”
“And this is a crisis?”
“To them it is. I don’t want any of this. I couldn’t give a rip what he has. But he put me in charge for a reason.”
“I assume he knew what he was doing.”
“That’d be a first.”
Sam stood and walked to the seat that Penelope had occupied. He reached across to his pile for a
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