The Inheritance (The Donatelli Series) by SUE FINEMAN Page A

“Goodnight, Blade.”
    “Goodnight, Maria.”
    Without looking back, she walked down the side of the driveway, away from the soap and oil, and down the street. The water foamed as it ran down Blade’s driveway, and she wondered how long it would take to get all that soap out of the broken asphalt.
    A soft rain fell from the sky, but she kept walking. If she turned back now, she wouldn’t get home tonight, and she’d never be able to explain that to the kids or to her mother. Or to herself.
    What was it about that man that got to her? He seemed lost in some ways, capable of living alone yet incapable of taking care of himself. He needed a wife to get his inheritance, but the thought of being married was so foreign to him, the entire prospect of living with another human being scared him half to death. And he didn’t have the slightest idea what to do with kids.
    Assuming the sellers of that lot near Nick’s house accepted Blade’s offer, Maria would help him find the right house plan for the property, but he’d have to find his own wife. With his inheritance, he could surely find a woman to marry. If he kissed another woman the way he’d kissed her and flashed some of that money around, he’d be married in no time. Keeping the woman from running off with his money was another matter.
    As Maria walked up to her mother’s front door, she wondered if his lusty kiss was an indication of how good he was in bed. Her face burned with the thought, but she couldn’t get it out of her mind. Blade would undoubtedly be an unforgettable lover, but she’d never know. From now on, she’d keep her distance.
    Before she walked inside the house, she spotted Sunny’s car driving slowly down the street. Maria stepped inside and peered around the living room drapes. The car cruised around the cul-de-sac and down to Blade’s house. It stopped in the street and sat there for a few minutes before it moved on.
    Maria rubbed the goose bumps off her arms.
    <>
     
    The next morning, Blade heard from the broker. The sellers had made a counter-offer. He made arrangements to meet June at her office after lunch and then drove to the Max and Company offices to see if he could find a house plan that would work on that site. Maria wasn’t there, but Nick was.
    “I’m negotiating with the sellers on that property. Assuming I get it, I’ll need a house plan, and since your cousin is still in college—”
    “Since Max and Company is paying his way through, he’s sharing his school assignments with us. There’s one that might work, with a few changes. It’s a big house. Is that what you want?”
    Blade didn’t know what he wanted, except he didn’t want anything formal. If big meant he could have a nice master bedroom, two or three other nice sized bedrooms, a room for a pool table, an office that would fit that partner’s desk in his grandfather’s house in New York, and a library, then he wanted big. On the other hand, he didn’t want to rattle around by himself in something the size of his grandfather’s house.
    “I don’t know what I want, Nick. I need to talk with Maria. It’s weird having someone read my thoughts, but sometimes I think she knows me better than I know myself.”
    “Yeah, I know what you mean. That’s one reason I hired her. She’s good at reading what people really want. She’s never had any special training or classes in decorating, and I don’t care. Her instincts are excellent, and the kitchens and bathrooms in our homes have never looked better.”
    “Are you talking about me?” asked Maria.
    Blade turned to see her walking through the office door. She looked good enough to eat in black slacks and a pale pink pullover sweater with a big, draped neckline. As she hung her jacket on the hook beside the door, he looked at her small waist and generous ass.
    She shot him a look over her shoulder. It’s your fault for looking so good , he thought.
    “Generous?” she said. “That’s like thinking a