swung an arm around Davis’s shoulders and walked in the direction of the parking lot. “You’ve been ignoring my calls, Davis. And I sent you three letters. There’s one of them there.” Seth nodded to the envelope on the top of the pile of mail that Davis clutched.
He looked down at the envelope with Seth’s business address and a red “urgent” stamp on it. “Yeah, I guess I’ve been busy lately.”
“Sure,” Seth said, but he didn’t look convinced. “Well, son, let me get right to the point. Your brothers are coming to town, or so their lawyers say. They say if they can’t get in touch with you, they’re coming to see you.”
Davis sank against the Acura and looked up at Seth, who’d stopped just in front of him. Seth crossed his arms over his chest. He looked down at Davis with firm brown eyes, his lips set in a line.
“What, why?” Davis ran a hand through his hair and then pushed himself onto the hood in a sitting position.
“They don’t want to say too much until they can talk to you. No lawyers involved. All I know is what you probably already guessed. It’s about the house and whatever else remains of your father’s estate.”
Davis snorted. That the few trinkets and dollars left behind were being called an estate was funny to him. “When are they coming?”
“Apparently, they’re both planning time away from work and making other arrangements as we speak. They say they hope to be in one day next week. They’ll call you. And it won’t do any good not to answer, son. They kind of know where you live,” Seth said with a wink. He put a hand on Davis’s shoulder. “But seriously, Davis, it’s going to be fine. You know they can’t do anything to you. If they threaten to, give me a call.”
“Cole didn’t say anything about bringing his family, did he?” Davis asked.
“No.”
Davis hadn’t expected him to. There was no way Cole wanted his kids knowing Uncle Davis. When Davis had left Cole’s house in Pennsylvania after the accident, Cole and his wife had just had their first kid. That one probably didn’t even remember Davis. He’d only been a few months old when Cole had kicked Davis out.
“I need to get back to the office, and I should let you get to work as well,” Seth said.
“Yeah.” Davis nodded and hopped off of the car, making sure to land on the leg connected to the good knee. “Thanks, Seth. Sorry about, you know, the run-around stuff.”
“Don’t worry about it. I billed you for all of it, so it’s no skin off my back.” Seth chuckled—his idea of a joke. “Remember, call me if you need anything.”
“Yep.” Davis got into his car and slumped against the driver’s seat, staring down at the pile of envelopes in his lap. He flipped through them idly, trying to decide if he should be proactive and call his brothers, or do what he wanted to and change his number.
Chapter 8
Friday afternoon Jemma met Carolina, Emily Rose, Michael, and Meg for lunch at the restaurant where Davis worked. It was probably going to be a little awkward to see him after the first and only time they’d talked since she’d come back to town, but it wasn’t like they had a lot of restaurants to choose from in Derring.
The restaurant’s worn brick façade was visible from the turning lane where she sat waiting for a green light. Two of the large windows facing the road had signs in them advertising $9.99 lunch specials. Once she reached the parking lot, Jemma spotted Emily Rose’s car and Carolina’s rental. She got out of Mary’s car, straightened the skirt of her paisley sundress, and told herself that she wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it if she saw him. They were just two people who’d shared something small in another life. That was it.
She entered into the cool, dark interior of the restaurant and was hit simultaneously by a blast of cold air and the smell of onions and stale cigarette smoke. Couldn’t have a restaurant that was popular with
He looked down at the envelope with Seth’s business address and a red “urgent” stamp on it. “Yeah, I guess I’ve been busy lately.”
“Sure,” Seth said, but he didn’t look convinced. “Well, son, let me get right to the point. Your brothers are coming to town, or so their lawyers say. They say if they can’t get in touch with you, they’re coming to see you.”
Davis sank against the Acura and looked up at Seth, who’d stopped just in front of him. Seth crossed his arms over his chest. He looked down at Davis with firm brown eyes, his lips set in a line.
“What, why?” Davis ran a hand through his hair and then pushed himself onto the hood in a sitting position.
“They don’t want to say too much until they can talk to you. No lawyers involved. All I know is what you probably already guessed. It’s about the house and whatever else remains of your father’s estate.”
Davis snorted. That the few trinkets and dollars left behind were being called an estate was funny to him. “When are they coming?”
“Apparently, they’re both planning time away from work and making other arrangements as we speak. They say they hope to be in one day next week. They’ll call you. And it won’t do any good not to answer, son. They kind of know where you live,” Seth said with a wink. He put a hand on Davis’s shoulder. “But seriously, Davis, it’s going to be fine. You know they can’t do anything to you. If they threaten to, give me a call.”
“Cole didn’t say anything about bringing his family, did he?” Davis asked.
“No.”
Davis hadn’t expected him to. There was no way Cole wanted his kids knowing Uncle Davis. When Davis had left Cole’s house in Pennsylvania after the accident, Cole and his wife had just had their first kid. That one probably didn’t even remember Davis. He’d only been a few months old when Cole had kicked Davis out.
“I need to get back to the office, and I should let you get to work as well,” Seth said.
“Yeah.” Davis nodded and hopped off of the car, making sure to land on the leg connected to the good knee. “Thanks, Seth. Sorry about, you know, the run-around stuff.”
“Don’t worry about it. I billed you for all of it, so it’s no skin off my back.” Seth chuckled—his idea of a joke. “Remember, call me if you need anything.”
“Yep.” Davis got into his car and slumped against the driver’s seat, staring down at the pile of envelopes in his lap. He flipped through them idly, trying to decide if he should be proactive and call his brothers, or do what he wanted to and change his number.
Chapter 8
Friday afternoon Jemma met Carolina, Emily Rose, Michael, and Meg for lunch at the restaurant where Davis worked. It was probably going to be a little awkward to see him after the first and only time they’d talked since she’d come back to town, but it wasn’t like they had a lot of restaurants to choose from in Derring.
The restaurant’s worn brick façade was visible from the turning lane where she sat waiting for a green light. Two of the large windows facing the road had signs in them advertising $9.99 lunch specials. Once she reached the parking lot, Jemma spotted Emily Rose’s car and Carolina’s rental. She got out of Mary’s car, straightened the skirt of her paisley sundress, and told herself that she wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it if she saw him. They were just two people who’d shared something small in another life. That was it.
She entered into the cool, dark interior of the restaurant and was hit simultaneously by a blast of cold air and the smell of onions and stale cigarette smoke. Couldn’t have a restaurant that was popular with
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