“Eh. Some days are worse than others.”
April knew he was making light of his job. Hell, Rodney knew it too. Cole didn’t brag about what he did, but she was aware he wasn’t simply an enlisted sailor. He was a SEAL.
Rodney leaned forward and set his elbows on his knees. “Listen, I’ve been digging around some more. I don’t think anything your dad did was illegal. Unfortunately, nothing anyone else did was either. It seems that Chamberlain hired his bookies to pressure people into betting beyond their means. It worked. Your dad wasn’t the only one in over his head. The bakery two doors down closed about a month ago for the same reason.”
April gasped. “Jed Swanson? He was gambling.”
Rodney nodded. “Yep. Got in over his head and signed the title to his bakery over to Chamberlain. The man seems to be picking off the businesses one by one that way. Granted, not everyone can be lured into gambling and getting into debt, so he has other means too. Some of his tactics are skirting the edge of the law.”
“Jesus,” Cole murmured. “So, Chamberlain was backing up the bookies. Loaning my father money because he has it.”
“Yep. What I’m trying to do now is find out under what circumstances the other businesses on the street were purchased. The florist for example. Some people might have settled and taken the offer, but others I don’t believe would do that. A good majority of the town is not in favor of this strip mall replacing everything that’s been there for decades.”
“You think Chamberlain is coercing everyone into selling?”
“Yes. And between you and me, I think some of his tactics are unethical.”
Cole lifted a brow. “More unethical than taking advantage of a gambling addict?”
Rodney nodded. “Sheila from Sheila’s Flowers was having an affair. I suspect Chamberlain played on that somehow.”
April groaned. “Sheila? That’s so shocking.”
“It is, but rumor has it Chamberlain had her followed, took pics, and then blackmailed her. She ended up telling her husband and filing for divorce anyway, but the florist closed.”
“Shit. That man is a fucking asshole.”
“Yes. Between him and the chief of police, hardly anything in this town is above board.” Rodney drained the rest of his beer.
“Would you like another?” April asked.
“Nope. One is my limit. I never know when I might get called in.” He rose from the chair.
Cole and April stood also.
Rodney smiled at them, glancing back and forth. “I don’t know what happened between you two ten years ago, but I still think you belong together. I hope you can work things out. Life is too short to hang on to the past.”
April felt emotion welling up inside her, making it impossible to respond. She swallowed back her tears.
“Thanks, man,” Cole murmured, his voice rough. He shook Rodney’s hand again and walked with him to the door.
While the two of them said their goodbyes, April slipped into the bedroom. She needed a moment. Everything seemed so overwhelming. She shut the door and leaned against it, hoping Cole would take the hint and give her some time alone.
The tears finally fell, and she swiped at them while she drew in deep breaths. He’d asked her to move to San Diego with him, and the idea was growing on her. There wasn’t much for her here. She had a shit job she hated, a small apartment she could barely afford, and no prospects for a man in her life.
That last one wasn’t from lack of interest. People asked her out. She occasionally dated, but none of them were Cole, and every time she went out with a man, she ended up spending the evening comparing him to the boy who stole her heart when she was fifteen.
But was it wise to let Cole sweep her off her feet? She needed to remind herself over and over that the man had secrets. She still had no idea why he’d left her in the first place, and no guarantees he wouldn’t do it again.
Had he gotten cold feet and decided he couldn’t commit to her? After all these years, she still believed he’d intended to ask her to marry him that night. It had seemed logical. Yes, they’d been young. Only eighteen. But they’d known their minds. At least she thought they had. She’d known how she felt.
She tried to rationalize that Cole was older now. He knew his heart better. Or at least she hoped he did. Just because he had doubts at eighteen didn’t mean he would bail on her again now. There was no reason to believe he was commitment-phobic in general.
Trusting him, however, was a wild step she wasn’t sure she was willing to take. Uprooting herself and moving across the country?
Huge.
Chapter 9
Cole was the first to arrive at the lawyer’s office the next morning. George Stockton. Cole vaguely remembered meeting the man a few times when he was younger. He’d known Cole’s father for many years. He was close to the same age.
By the time Cole was situated at a large oval table in the conference room, Amanda and Jacob arrived. They were flustered as if they’d overslept which was absurd. It was ten in the morning. They took seats opposite Cole. George sat at the head of the table.
“Is there a lot to go over?” Amanda asked.
“Not much. But your husband did have a will, and he updated it three years ago.”
“Oh.” Amanda sat up straighter. “I wasn’t even aware he had a will.”
Cole thought that was odd too.
A file folder sat in front of George, unopened, and he leaned his elbows on the table and glanced back and forth between Amanda and Jacob. “I need to warn you that your husband, and your father, redid this will after Jacob was an adult and had been working at the shop for a year.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Amanda asked, her voice shrill.
George tapped the table with his fingers. He looked uncomfortable.
Cole stiffened, wondering what the hell was going on and why George wasn’t looking in his direction.
“The thing is that Marcus did not think Jacob should take over the shop in the event that Marcus should pass.”
Amanda gasped. “What do you mean?”
Jacob shifted his weight forward, glaring at George.
Cole held his breath. This was about to get ugly, but he had no idea in what capacity.
“I mean that Marcus did not leave any shares of the shop to Jacob.”
Amanda gasped, her hand coming to her chest. “He left that stinky place to me?”
It was a good thing both Amanda and Jacob were ignoring Cole because Cole was struggling not to laugh at the two of them. They acted like they had no brain cells.
George shook his head and then cleared his throat. “No. He left you the house and your car.”
Amanda blew out a breath of relief. “Well, that goes without saying. I’m his wife.”
“Nothing goes without saying, ma’am. Not where wills are concerned.”
Amanda gasped again, but she wisely pursed her lips and didn’t say anything else.
George swallowed. The man looked like he’d rather be having a prostate exam. “Marcus left the business to Cole.”
“What?” Cole wasn’t sure which of the three of them spoke the loudest, but there was no doubt they all spoke at once. He hadn’t known what to expect, but not this. He hadn’t spoken to his father in ten years. Not a single word. Why would the man leave the family business to him?
Jacob jumped to his feet. “You can’t be serious. Cole left this family a decade ago and never looked back. He doesn’t deserve to own the shop. I’m the one who works my ass off making sure everything runs smoothly.”
Cole couldn’t keep from chuckling at that insanity.
Jacob jerked his gaze to Cole. “What the fuck are you laughing at?”
George interjected again. “According to your father, you had no interest in the business, hardly showed up to work, rarely took any initiative, and had no appreciation for what it took to run the place. His words. Not mine.”
Cole was glad the job of explaining Jaco
b’s lazy ass fell to George, but his mind was spinning at the same time. It was impossible to understand why his father would do this.
George opened the folder and pulled out three envelopes. They each had a name on it, and he handed one to each family member.
Cole’s hand was shaking and he tucked the envelope in the inside of his jacket to look at later. He was certainly not going to read whatever his father had written in front of anyone.
“You’re saying he left me nothing?” Jacob asked, still standing.
George cringed. “He left you his ’57 Chevy.”
“Are you kidding me?” Jacob shouted, setting his hands on the table and leaning forward. “What the hell would I want with that old piece of shit?”
“Well, I’m pretty sure Marcus explained that in your letter, but he was hoping you might learn an appreciation for cars if you tinkered around with his pride and joy. Again, his words.”
Jacob slammed his palms on the table, turned around, and stormed out of the conference room.
Amanda leaned forward slowly. She didn’t look quite as angry as Jacob. Still ignoring Cole, she said calmly, “So, if my husband happened to be in financial trouble, and he left the shop to Cole, does that mean that Cole is responsible for settling the debt?”
Cole froze. She had a point.
George glanced at Cole and then back at Amanda. “Perhaps. I’d have to know more in order to answer that question. I wasn’t aware your husband was in any financial trouble.”
Amanda cackled. “Apparently he had a gambling habit. He owed a bookie a lot of money. The guy has come to me twice this week offering to take the shop as payment to clear the debt.”
George blinked at her. “I’m sorry. I know nothing about this. I’ll need more information. Let me look into it and get back to you. If by chance your husband has more debt than the value of the shop, you could lose the house too.”
It was Amanda’s turn to jump to her feet. “I’m not losing the damn house. That’s my home.” She jerked her attention to Cole for the first time. “You better take care of this problem, Cole, or so help me God.” And then she stormed out of the conference room just like her son.
Cole flinched as she slammed the door. For a moment, he stared at the door, trying to gather his thoughts. Finally, he looked back at George.
George furrowed his brow in apology. “Do you have any idea how much money your father owed?”
“Not exactly. A lot. I do know who is extorting the money and why.”
George leaned back. “Talk to me.”
“It would seem that my father had a side gig going for a few years betting on the races. It wasn’t a big deal until some people started pressuring him to increase his bets. He grew addicted to the process and got more and more in debt.”
“Do you know who he owes the money to?”
Cole nodded, fisting his hands against his thighs in frustration. He wasn’t the sort of person who easily lost his temper, but this situation was beyond reproach. “Richard Chamberlain.”
George jerked back. “The mayor?”
“The one and only.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
George ran a hand over his face. “Why?”
“Because Chamberlain wants the shop. He set my dad up to get into deeper and deeper debt and then started harassing him a few months ago to get him to turn over the shop to pay off the debt.”
George blew out a long breath, nodding. “Because it’s in the way of the new strip mall construction.”
“Exactly.”
“Jesus. Are you sure it’s even legal?”
“Nope.”
“Has anyone contacted the police?”
Cole chuckled. “My best friend from high school is on the force. I spoke to him yesterday. He says there are only a handful of guys working for the local police department who aren’t corrupt. It’s hard to know for sure who. He trusts no one. He’s only stayed on the job because he’s been hoping to gather enough evidence to take down the entire department from the police chief down.”
“Shit,” George muttered. “So, there’s a good chance that your father wasn’t actually doing anything illegal and neither was Chamberlain. Except that ethically he shouldn’t have continued to extend a line of credit to someone who wasn’t paying his bills.”
“Exactly,” Cole repeated.
“Do you have any idea what you’re planning to do?”
Cole shook his head. “Not yet. Nor did I expect you to tell me the shop was left to me. Now I’m wondering if my dad did this on purpose. If he changed the will three years ago and that was about the time he started betting, it’s possible he’s laughing at me from the grave at the mess he left, and he actually saved Amanda’s ass by leaving her out of it.”
George shook his head. “I don’t think that’s the case, Cole. I know it looks suspicious, but I think your dad genuinely felt bad about how he treated you growing up. In recent years, he bragged about your accomplishments every chance he got.”
“That just makes no sense to me, though Bart Hensley told me the same thing yesterday. Why the hell didn’t he reach out?”
“Pride. He was afraid you wouldn’t talk to him. I suspect it was also easier on his marriage.”
Cole leaned back in the chair. “What a clusterfuck. Pardon my language.”
“I’m going to have to agree with you. If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know.”
Cole nodded and rose to leave. “I will. Thank you.” He shook George’s hand and then left the office, more confused than he had been so far this week.
Chapter 10
April had spent the morning showing two houses to a client who had been stringing her along for months. Every once in a while, the couple would send her a few listings and she would show them and then crickets. She was used to it.
She met Cole back at her apartment after lunch, and he started pacing. “My dad left me a letter.”
April stiffened as she dropped onto the couch. She was still wearing her standard professional attire of a nice blouse, black slacks, and a matching jacket, but she’d kicked her heels off at the door. “When did he write you a letter?”
Cole removed his jacket and pulled the envelope from the inside pocket. “Three years ago. George gave it to me this morning. He had one for Amanda and Jacob too.”
“Have you read it yet?”
He shuffled toward her. “No. I didn’t want to do it in front of my stepmom and Jacob. Too personal.” He sat next to her and balanced it in his hands.
“Would you like some time alone to read it? I could go in the bedroom.”
He shook his head. “No. I want you to read it with me.” He wrapped his arm around her and hauled her closer to his side. “According to George, Bart wasn’t lying about my dad. Apparently, he bragged about me often.”
April smiled at him. “That’s good. It will give you some peace.”
“If it’s true, I wish he would have said something while he was alive.”
April set a hand on his thigh. She struggled to know exactly what to say. Nothing sounded adequate to her ears. “I know, but at least you’ll know in his heart he didn’t die angry with you.”
Cole took a deep breath and carefully opened the seal. He pulled out a single, handwritten page and unfolded it, holding it between them.
April leaned closer while they both silently read.
Dear Cole,
There are no words to express how sorry I am for all the years I treated you unfairly. You were just a little boy when your mom died. I didn’t handle things well, and I realized much too late that I deferred to Amanda far too often when it came to raising you.
I was blinded to the fact that Amanda didn’t want to raise a child that wasn’t hers, so she picked on you and made you feel unwanted. There is no excuse for me believing her every time she told me how naughty you were.
After you left home, I thought the house would find peace, but it didn�
��t. I see now that Amanda was the common denominator. Her mood did not improve with your departure.
I should have left her. I never should have married her in the first place. But we had a child together, and Jacob needed me, so I stayed.
Cole, I never stopped loving you. My first-born son. I know I never said it, but I was always proud of you and everything you accomplished. You’re the strongest person I know. You managed to survive twelve years in a horrible home environment and went on to become a Navy SEAL with no support from the people who should have stood by you.
I’ve kept tabs on you all these years. I scoured the internet to keep up with your accomplishments. I burst with pride every time I think of you. I hope that I played at least some part in setting a foundation for who you would later become during your first six years of life.
Your mother would be so proud too, and I’m sure she’s smiling down on you from heaven.
If you’re reading this, I have gone to be with her. I’m so sorry for all the pain I caused you. I’m leaving the shop to you because Jacob has no interest. His heart is not in it. I know it might not be convenient for you to return home to take over the business, and I don’t blame you if that’s not your choice. I also know you will do whatever you think is best with regard to selling it or liquidating it. It’s been a lucrative business, and you deserve to be the one who inherits it.
I made many bad choices in my life, and I blame no one but myself. I’m leaving Amanda the house because I’m not vindictive enough to totally abandon her. It’s partly my fault that she has never worked and can’t support herself.
As for Jacob, he’s a good kid, but he needs to learn the value of hard work, and setting him up with a trust fund will not help him in any way. I pray that he gets out from under the overprotectiveness of his mother and finds his path in life.
Cole, you turned into a fine young man who deserves all the best in life. I hope you find every happiness and can forgive me someday for my transgressions.
All my love,
Dad
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