The Widow and the Will

by J. Thomas-Like

  “Ya think?” Could there have been a more obvious statement to an equally obvious reaction to finding out you’re adopted? Tess wanted to say all the snarky things wandering through her brain, but good sense and Ruth’s manners kept her silent.

  “Once he calmed down, though, Jack was fine with it.” Emily smiled placidly, while staring off into space. By the wistful nature of her voice and the look in her eye, Tess imagined she was thinking of Jack. She couldn’t blame her, because she thought of Jack almost all the time, too.

  “We told him all about his father’s background, the investments.”

  “He was more pissed off that you made him pay for his own college, when you knew he had all that dough,” David muttered. His green eyes were clouded over, too, and his earlier anger and distaste seemed to have disappeared.

  As she leaned back in her chair, staring at all of them in shock and awe, she could see it then. Jack didn’t look like any of them. The only physical characteristic he shared was his mother’s lack of height. Emily was only about five-four and Jack had been about five-eight. Both Roger and David were well over six feet. The Kingstons all had green eyes and blond hair. Jack’s had been a chocolate brown. When learning about ancestry and DNA and the like in school, they’d figured it was due to recessive genes. Tess didn’t believe Jack ever suspected he wasn’t from this family. He’d always taken on enough of their personality traits to make up for the lack of physical resemblance. Still... how could she not have noticed?

  Roger looked ashen and twenty years older than the last time Tess had seen him. Emily’s usually flawless makeup was applied thicker and more haphazardly. David wasn’t as clean shaven and unrumpled as Tess was used to. She wanted to stay angry with them. Furious that they’d kept such a huge secret from Jack, and then her. But in that moment, their suffering was palpable. They’d lost their child and brother. They were hurting as much as she was, if not more.

  Desperate to keep calm, Tess let the silence engulf the room for several minutes before she relaxed her shoulders and spoke again.

  “When were you going to tell me about all of this?” she asked quietly, leaning forward and lacing her hands together on top of the table. “It’s been more than six months since the funeral.”

  She waited for an answer, but Emily continued to pet her dog. Roger found a piece of lint to pick off his pants. David concentrated on a spot in the middle of the table.

  “Were you ever going to tell me?”

  “I don’t know.” Roger made this admission softly, his glance in her direction darting and nervous. “Probably. I think I always knew it wouldn’t stay a secret forever. I didn’t know Jack had taken out the insurance policy.”

  “It seems like we’re all a bit in the dark then.” Tess tried to soften her expression and exude some sympathy toward her second family, in spite of their obvious discomfort with her presence and questions. “What do we do now?”

  “There’s nothing to do,” David said, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms across his chest. “I’ve already opened a probate estate for Jack and we, as his family, are named as the sole beneficiaries. Since the life insurance policy isn’t an asset in probate, then you can keep that.”

  “What kind of investments did Jack have?” Tess asked, before she could stop and think about the inflammatory nature of the question. She didn’t have to wait long for David’s explosion.

  “That’s none of your business!” he shouted, standing up and shoving his chair backward. “If you try and make one move to get your hands on anything, I will destroy you in court!” He took a menacing step in her direction. Tess tried to scoot back so she could stand as well, but her chair bumped into a dog, and it yelped. A similar sound escaped Tess’s lips.

  “Renaldo!” Emily cried. She fumbled to move one dog into one arm while reaching for the other, upending her chair. Emily cuddled the squirming, yapping dogs against her chest, looking from their faces to the chair and back again. Roger hoisted himself up and went to the toppled piece of furniture, righting it so his wife could sit down.

  Suddenly Tess was the accused. Jack had kept vital information from her, even though she was pretty sure he had a good reason. He’d never hidden anything from her before. Dead or not, Tess wasn’t ready to stop trusting him. Yet, his family was treating her like she was the one to be suspicious of. “I’m not after anything!”

  “David,” Emily mumbled. “Tess is Jack’s wife. Don’t you think–”

  “No! I don’t think anything. You and Dad took care of Jack all his life. Tess was married to him for all of five minutes! She doesn’t deserve anything.”

  “I think you should leave.”

  This was from Roger. His eyes pleaded with her to get out of the situation.

  “I’m not going anywhere until you answer some more of my questions.” Tess’s hands found their way to her hips in that indignant way Jack always said she had. Her brain was saying run, but her heart couldn’t let go of her confusion and hurt.

  “Roger’s right.” Emily’s voice was soft but firm. She looked at her then, with obvious effort to drag her gaze away from her furry children. There was no longer any affection in them for Tess, only sadness and… something else. Fear? Tess couldn’t tell.

  Who are these people? Tess had just been feeling sorry for them in their grief. She’d known them all her life and they had accepted her like the daughter they’d never had. And now she was being asked to leave because she’d become privy to some deep, dark secret. Something she would have known about anyway. Jack would have told her eventually. Right?

  Tess reached for the insurance letter on the table. David flinched, looking furious, as though she had done something aggressive. His body was rigid and her gut said he was the one on the edge of snapping. And doing what, she didn’t have a clue.

  Squashing the page in her left hand, she dug her keys out of her jeans pocket with her right as she hurried to the door. Glancing back, no one in the kitchen had moved and Tess was struck with a profound sadness. She had spent nearly half her life in this house and she knew without a doubt she’d never be back.

  Chapter 9

  Tears ran down her cheeks, splashing onto her chest as Tess squealed the tires to get away from Jack’s family. She tried blinking fast so she could see to drive, but after a block or two she knew she was a hazard on the road.

  Pulling over to the curb, Tess rested her head on the steering wheel and sobbed. As bad as it was to lose Jack on their wedding day, as horrible as it was to suffer through the funeral and sending back the wedding presents, even suffering with all the guilt she carried, Tess had thought she was finally finding her footing again. She was back at her own place. She was getting out of bed every day, showering, eating, working. Doing all the things she knew she was supposed to be doing.

  Now, not just the rug had been ripped out from beneath her, but the whole house with it. Everything her life had been built on was not what she thought. She needed time to process and she wasn’t being given that opportunity. New information kept piling on top of her like a garbage truck dumping its load at the landfill.

  Tess’s chest was heavy and tight; she couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t think. She couldn’t focus on any one aspect of the circumstances long enough to accept or deal with it. Afraid she would do something stupid, she put the car back in gear and drove to her parents’ house.

  As she pulled in to their circular driveway from Jefferson Avenue, she could see a strange truck parked in front of the double garage and her heart plummeted into her shoes. Please God, not something else. Please. Not now. I cannot take one more thing. Tess climbed out of her car, straightened herself and hurried up the steps toward the front door of her parents’ vintage colonial home. She burst through the door into the foyer, spooking the two house cats, Abercrombie and McTavish, who fled to parts unknown.

  “Mom?” Tess called out.

  “Tess!” Ruth came up the long hallway from the back of the house into the foye
r. “Did you get my message?”

  Tess didn’t answer her, barely hearing her words. She threw herself into her mother’s arms and began crying on her shoulder. Ruth rubbed the back of her daughter’s head and made shushing sounds as they rocked back and forth. Harry Langford appeared and joined them, hugging both wife and daughter to his chest. Tess wasn’t sure how long they had stood there, but it didn’t really matter. She felt bad about losing it, but that had always been her way. When some tragedy or misfortune took over her life and she needed her parents, Tess could never keep control before relating the facts. Once she exhausted herself of tears, she could hash things out in a rational manner.

  When Tess was finally able to gather herself together, Ruth handed her a tissue from the ever-present stash in her pocket. “Thanks,” Tess sniffled, wiping her face and nose. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry,” Ruth scoffed. “You got my message.”

  Tess’s bottom lip wiggled with anxiety and the threat of fresh tears. “No, I didn’t. If it’s more bad news, don’t tell me. I can’t handle one more thing.”

  Harry glanced at Ruth and frowned. She grimaced back.

  “Whose truck is that?” Tess pointed back over her shoulder.

  “Come on into the kitchen, Padunkin.” Harry reached for her hand. He hardly ever used her childhood nickname anymore and Tess groaned.

  “Daddy?”

  “It’s okay, kiddo. Come with me.”

  Harry led her down the hallway toward the kitchen. When she stepped in the doorway, she couldn’t have been more shocked than the day Jack died, and the sound of air sucking into her lungs proved it. The sexy guy from the post office earlier that day was sitting at the table, sipping coffee from one of her mom’s familiar mugs. He held the door for me. Beside him sat a younger man in a suit and tie, which had been slightly loosened. She stopped short, causing Ruth to run right into the back of her.

  “Hello again.” Sexy Man said, raising his cup to her in a gentle salute. His voice was as rough and scratchy as she remembered. And still just as sexy.

  “Uh, hello?” Tess prayed she wasn’t blushing. Stop that!

  The younger man stood up and extended a hand in her direction. “I’m Hudson Marks, the lawyer who drew up Jack’s will.”

  Tess was having trouble remembering to pay attention to anyone but the leather clad man sitting in what was normally her father’s chair. Blinking herself back to reality, she tried to focus. “Will? Jack has a will?” She shook his hand and then sat down heavily in one of the other chairs.

  “Yes, he does, and I have a copy of everything for you.” He indicated a large yellow envelope sitting on the table. “I’m sorry to meet you under these circumstances and for your loss.” Hudson dipped his chin in what Tess figured was a show of sympathy and it made her mentally flinch. When am I ever going to get used to that?

  “Thank you.” Tess lowered her head, grateful for the opportunity to avoid looking at the other man, or feeling his gaze on her.

  “Mrs. Langford, could I please get a refill?” Sexy Guy held his mug up in the air.

  “Of course!” Ruth rushed to get more coffee while Harry took a seat beside Tess.

  “What are you doing here?” Tess asked. “How did you know I’d be here? How did you know where my parents lived?” Her world felt as if it were spinning out of control. Sweat gathered beneath her arms and her fingers began to tremble the same way they did when she hadn’t eaten all day. Twisting them together, she shoved her hands between her knees. The words like “will” and “lawyer” were suddenly thudding into her brain like spikes.

  “Jack left specific instructions for the delivery of his will. He gave me a list of all your relatives’ phone numbers and addresses. I tried returning your call a couple of times earlier, but you didn’t answer. When I didn’t reach you, I tried calling your parents. They invited me over to wait for you. Ruth thought you might show up here.”

  Tess’s knees began to bounce up and down as she remembered the ringing of her phone from before. “How come you didn’t call me right after Jack died? It’s been over six months.”

  Hudson’s face filled with sorrow and pity, making Tess want to smack him.

  “I did not know that Jack had passed.”

  Tess snorted. “My husband didn’t pass. He wasn’t taking a test. You can say it, he died.” Immediately, she regretted her words. Every face in the room went stiff with shock and embarrassment from her attack. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Really, I’m sorry. I just hate that expression.” Tess closed her eyes and took a deep breath, conjuring Jack’s voice in her head. Keep it together, T. He’s here to help you. No need to shoot the messenger.

  Harry reached for his daughter and rubbed her shoulder. Ruth reappeared with fresh coffee in the carafe and set it in front of Sexy Man, who busied himself by pouring. Ruth leaned in to kiss the top of Tess’s head.

  “Please, don’t be sorry,” Hudson said, his tone kind and warm. “It’s totally okay. I received this letter today notifying me that Jack died.” He pulled a sheet of paper out of his briefcase and handed it to her. It was from EJR Insurance saying that they would be making a payout to Tess Langford Kingston on the insurance policy.

  Tess nodded. “They called me yesterday.”

  “Well, that makes sense then why I would get a notification too.” Hudson jotted some notes on the pad of paper in front of him. “I take it, then, that you don’t know anything about Jack’s estate planning?”

  She shook her head no, but continued to stare at her lap. “I didn’t. It’s been a pretty hard time, Mr. Marks.”

  “Please, call me Hudson.” He turned to the table to look at the file open there, flipping through pages before looking at her again. “I can’t begin to imagine how all this has been for you. I wish I had found out sooner. The last thing I want to do is add more to your plate. Jack was worried about all of the assets he came into very suddenly. He wanted things taken care of as soon as possible.” Hudson sighed and ran a hand through his thick, wavy hair. “I would never have believed you’d need the documents so soon.”

  “Ya think?” Tess muttered, wringing her hands in her lap. She stared at her fingers, lacing and unlacing them together. She had almost successfully forgotten about Sexy Dude. Almost. “When did he do all this?”

  “Jack contacted me in November to schedule a meeting.” Hudson shuffled through some of his paperwork again. “November twenty-fifth to be exact. We met the next day to go through all of the paperwork and begin drafting the documents. Everything was finalized and signed a few days before your wedding. Usually I don’t work that quickly on an estate plan as large as Jack presented, but he seemed worried. Jack wasn’t sick, was he?”

  Tess scratched her head. “Not at all. What was he worried about?” Dredging up the play-by-play of the last two weeks before the wedding, Jack had seemed happy and excited. He was focused on making sure all his work was finished and clients covered so they could go on their honeymoon without any distractions. He was attentive and patient with her through all the pre-wedding jitters and last minute chaos to make sure everything was perfect for their big day.

  Guilt thudded in her stomach, yet again, as she admitted to herself that it was she who had been completely self-absorbed with doubts and fears in those two weeks. She was the one who hadn’t thought of anyone but herself and taking care of all the loose ends for the ceremony and reception. Jack could have trotted around the house in drag and she probably would have told him he looked nice.

  Clearing his throat, Hudson paused. “How did Jack die?”

  Tess felt her bottom lip quiver, but she bit down on it hard to keep herself from crying. “He had a heart attack. It happened in the vestibule of the church right after the ceremony.”

  Hudson let out a breath and shook his head, dropping his pen on the table in shock. “Oh Jesus,” he whispered. “I mean, geeze, I’m so sorry.”

  Tess waved a hand, struggling to fill her lungs with air. She
could never talk about it without seeing it in her mind.

  “Are you all right, kiddo?” Ruth had been hovering just behind her, waiting to see if she and Harry should stay or go.

  “I feel like throwing up.” She could feel her hands trembling and the fuzzy feeling she got when she thought she might pass out.

  Ruth was beside her in one sliding motion. “Do you want some water?”

  “Yes, please.”

  Harry jumped up and vanished to fill a glass and bring it to his daughter. He handed it to Tess, while placing a comforting hand on her back. “Maybe we should do this later, Mr. Marks.”

  Swallowing the water, Tess shook her head. “No. I’ll be okay. Let’s get this over with. You and Mom should sit down, Dad. I want you here for this too.”

  “Are you sure?” Ruth didn’t move.

  “Yes.”

  Tess watched her parents take seats on either side of her with reluctance. The water sloshed in her stomach but the wave of nausea passed. “Go on, Hudson.”

  Turning toward her, ever so slightly, Hudson flipped to a blank page on his legal pad and grabbed his pen. “Was there an autopsy performed? What was the cause of death listed?”

  “Yes. They said the heart attack was from all the energy drinks Jack drank. Energy Life, Health Boost, you name it. Jack couldn’t get enough of them.”

  Hudson frowned and wrote. “What about a toxicology report?”

  “We haven’t gotten one yet.”

  “Not surprising.” He glanced over at Sexy Guy and Sexy Guy’s face had a matching blasé expression. Tess looked from one handsome face to the other, a thought tickling the back of her mind, but she couldn’t put a finger on it.

  “They said it would take a few months. I guess we should be getting it any time.” Tess’s head ached with the stress of the moment and she was filled with worry by the men’s reactions. “Is that bad?”