glared at the attorney and groaned, “Man, just slow down with all of that, Christopher. I’m still trying to deal with my mother’s funeral right now. Can’t we wait until next week to for all of that?”
“Yeah, give him some time on that. What’s the hurry?” Taylor interrupted, stood and approached them at the table to support his friend while Melissa watched and listened from the sofa.
Burnett promptly gathered the load of paperwork and returned it to an oversized folder that sat in the empty chair beside them.
“All right then, it can wait. I just need for you to become familiar with the terms while we execute your mother’s will, but we can’t wait long. You have a substantial inheritance and we need to get your affairs in order for your own protection. It will all become clear when we review the estate documents. And this is all important, so please take it seriously.’’
He placed the oversized folder on the table, marked as
Stevens Estate
.
“I’ll make sure he looks over everything,” Taylor said.
The attorney nodded and stood from his chair, towering over Taylor in his dark suit. “Okay, well, I have a few other meetings to make on your mother’s behalf, including a meeting with Mayor Jerry Abramson today. He’s honored to speak at your mother’s funeral.”
“Yeah, how’d you manage to do that?” Gary asked him.
Christopher gathered his briefcase and smiled. “Well, Gary, so many people genuinely liked your mother that it honestly wasn’t hard to do.” He took a breath and exhaled. “She is such a tragic loss to all of us. I am really going to miss that woman, as will the community.”
As soon as the attorney walked out, Taylor sneered, “I don’t think I like that guy.”
“Yeah, he seems very
fake
,” Melissa added, finally walking over to join them.
Gary grumbled. “It doesn’t matter. As long as he gets it all done, who cares?” He had been that way all week—acerbic.
Right on cue, Taylor sat at the table and asked him, “Have you bothered to call that psychologist Dr. Teikata referred you to?”
Gary had shown them the referral note from the doctor to help explain the perplexity of his unusual response and moodiness. He eyed Taylor at the table and said, “I should have never showed you that.”
“Have you called and talked to any of your relatives?” Melissa asked him. “Where are your family members?”
She found it weird that only she and Taylor were around him after his loss.
Taylor looked at Gary and knew better. Gary and his mother had never been close to their extended family. It had been a long and unspoken feud that had occurred decades ago.
Gary answered gruffly, “They’ll be here for the funeral. Other than that, I really don’t want to be bothered with them. Some of them have called me, but I don’t know them that well.”
Melissa frowned and said only, “That’s too bad. Family is important.”
Gary shrugged. “Yeah, but my mom seemed really pressed to keep me away from them. So I don’t know what was going on there. I never had relationships with them.”
“What about at your family reunions or anything? Didn’t you look forward to being around your cousins or whatever?” Melissa continued.
Gary and Taylor sat there silently. They both knew what Melissa didn’t; Gary and Gabrielle had been the only family they knew … and Taylor. So Gary reached across the table and grabbed his best friend of more than a dozen years by the shoulder.
“Here’s my family right here: my cousin—brother from another mother.”
Taylor grinned and said, “Yeah.”
Melissa shook it off and smirked.
Guys!
she thought.
Gary returned to his disconnected stupor. Over the past three days, he had spent a lot of time thinking to himself, zoning in and out of their conversations with him. But he was fully aware that his friends had been watching over him, and he appreciated it.
He looked up and joked, “Are you guys planning to leave me alone
“Yeah, give him some time on that. What’s the hurry?” Taylor interrupted, stood and approached them at the table to support his friend while Melissa watched and listened from the sofa.
Burnett promptly gathered the load of paperwork and returned it to an oversized folder that sat in the empty chair beside them.
“All right then, it can wait. I just need for you to become familiar with the terms while we execute your mother’s will, but we can’t wait long. You have a substantial inheritance and we need to get your affairs in order for your own protection. It will all become clear when we review the estate documents. And this is all important, so please take it seriously.’’
He placed the oversized folder on the table, marked as
Stevens Estate
.
“I’ll make sure he looks over everything,” Taylor said.
The attorney nodded and stood from his chair, towering over Taylor in his dark suit. “Okay, well, I have a few other meetings to make on your mother’s behalf, including a meeting with Mayor Jerry Abramson today. He’s honored to speak at your mother’s funeral.”
“Yeah, how’d you manage to do that?” Gary asked him.
Christopher gathered his briefcase and smiled. “Well, Gary, so many people genuinely liked your mother that it honestly wasn’t hard to do.” He took a breath and exhaled. “She is such a tragic loss to all of us. I am really going to miss that woman, as will the community.”
As soon as the attorney walked out, Taylor sneered, “I don’t think I like that guy.”
“Yeah, he seems very
fake
,” Melissa added, finally walking over to join them.
Gary grumbled. “It doesn’t matter. As long as he gets it all done, who cares?” He had been that way all week—acerbic.
Right on cue, Taylor sat at the table and asked him, “Have you bothered to call that psychologist Dr. Teikata referred you to?”
Gary had shown them the referral note from the doctor to help explain the perplexity of his unusual response and moodiness. He eyed Taylor at the table and said, “I should have never showed you that.”
“Have you called and talked to any of your relatives?” Melissa asked him. “Where are your family members?”
She found it weird that only she and Taylor were around him after his loss.
Taylor looked at Gary and knew better. Gary and his mother had never been close to their extended family. It had been a long and unspoken feud that had occurred decades ago.
Gary answered gruffly, “They’ll be here for the funeral. Other than that, I really don’t want to be bothered with them. Some of them have called me, but I don’t know them that well.”
Melissa frowned and said only, “That’s too bad. Family is important.”
Gary shrugged. “Yeah, but my mom seemed really pressed to keep me away from them. So I don’t know what was going on there. I never had relationships with them.”
“What about at your family reunions or anything? Didn’t you look forward to being around your cousins or whatever?” Melissa continued.
Gary and Taylor sat there silently. They both knew what Melissa didn’t; Gary and Gabrielle had been the only family they knew … and Taylor. So Gary reached across the table and grabbed his best friend of more than a dozen years by the shoulder.
“Here’s my family right here: my cousin—brother from another mother.”
Taylor grinned and said, “Yeah.”
Melissa shook it off and smirked.
Guys!
she thought.
Gary returned to his disconnected stupor. Over the past three days, he had spent a lot of time thinking to himself, zoning in and out of their conversations with him. But he was fully aware that his friends had been watching over him, and he appreciated it.
He looked up and joked, “Are you guys planning to leave me alone
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