“Why don’t you come sit here?” Cooper patted the place beside him. “Hovering around that window isn’t going to make him get here any sooner.”
She rolled her shoulders, but he didn’t think it did anything to release the tension that had seemed to have her in its grip. “I don’t think I can sit. I’m too worked up. I just can’t—no, I can—believe Phillip would do something like this. I can, now.”
She drew her lips together and shook her head. “How could he do this? Joseph was…he was just a lonely old man. He knew hundreds of people, but he didn’t really have many real friends. Phillip should have…instead of…God, he’s nothing but a vulture!”
Cooper got up and went to her, wrapped her in his arms. “We’ll make sure Joseph’s wishes are honored. Justin will be able to help work through the legal tangle, and I’ll help in any way I can.” He lifted her chin and looked into her beautiful warm amber eyes and had to swallow back his own emotion. “Even if it’s just providing a shoulder to lean on.”
Her expression softened and she gave him a look that reached into his chest and warmed the very core of his heart. “My favorite place to lean.”
She reached up and pulled his head down for a kiss. Lips touched softly, tasted, took comfort, molded, and then parted in the way lips do when hunger begins to build and they need more.
He swung her up into his arms and carried her to the couch. One could give and take comfort in many ways, and he knew one way he could help take her mind off her worries. And, as he’d been itching to touch her all night, he was happy to be of service.
Stretched out on the couch, she felt like heaven wrapped around him. Soft, warm, receptive, she was all that, and with the extra weight she’d put on over the last few months, she’d developed a few more curves that he found delightful to the touch.
Yep, he loved the hills and valleys, the subtle rise and falls of a woman’s body. Shallow or not, he couldn’t help himself; they just felt good under a man’s hands, so uniquely feminine. He slid his palm along the length of her side, over hip and breast, lingering here, savoring there, before shifting her onto her back and kissing her deeply.
Desire whipped through him, hot and fast, and when she moaned into his mouth he could taste her need, the hungry flavor of it palpable against his tongue as it danced with hers.
His blood raced, his heart thundered, and the need to take everything she offered claimed him as he lifted the hem of her sweater. He wanted to feel bare skin, hers against his. The rush to have it made his blood pump; it beat within him until he could hear it in his head, a steady, distant drum in the night—thump, thump, thump.
“Cooper,” she whispered urgently against his mouth, and his name spoken so breathlessly increased his need for her.
“Cooper.” She pushed lightly against his shoulder. “The door.” She exhaled, heaving a breath and sucking it back in. “Someone’s at the door.”
He rolled off her and stood up in one swift motion, pushing his hands through his hair and giving himself a hard shake. He looked down at her and she laughed.
“Relax, it’s probably Justin, and I don’t think he’s been knocking long.”
Reaching down, he pulled her up, the blood still buzzing through his veins, as if someone had released several dozen bees inside them. She went to answer the door and he tried to collect himself—to look casual—before her cousin could guess what they were about, as if she hadn’t just been driving him out of control and over the edge.
“Hey, Jus,” he heard her say. Cooper stuffed his hands into his pockets and turned around as her cousin walked through the door.
Justin gave Charlie a hug, then hiked his head in Cooper’s direction. “Hey, Coop.”
Cooper cleared his throat. “Jus. Get you a beer?”
Justin glanced between him and Charlie and then ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek. “Yeah, thanks, sounds good.”
“Now what’s this legal matter you wanted to talk to me about?” Justin asked as he pulled out one of the stools and sat down at the island.
Cooper reached across the countertop and handed him a beer. Justin twisted off the cap, and then spun to face Charlie, who had taken the seat next to him.
She spent the next ten minutes, with Justin asking a few clarifying questions in between, summarizing the late afternoon meeting she’d had with Deirdre and the information the woman had shared with her.
“So Phillip was his uncle’s attorney and also his executor?”
Charlie nodded in confirmation. “Deirdre said Joseph was planning to assign someone else as his legal executor, but then he got so sick, and…well, then he never got the chance. Apparently Phillip’s still the primary beneficiary, but Joseph made a number of changes to the new will. At some point afterward, Joseph became worried that he couldn’t trust Phillip. He thought he might—”
“Take matters into his own hands and try to pull a fast one,” Cooper finished for her, which appeared to be exactly what he’d done.
Justin rubbed a hand over his chin and narrowed his eyes. After a few moments, he reached down for his bottle of beer and took a hit. “Do you know when Phillip found out about the new will?”
“He drew it up, so as soon as it was changed, but I think it would be better to let Deirdre fill you in on all that and what steps Joseph took after he began to doubt Phillip’s integrity.”
“Okay, write her number down for me and I’ll give her a call in the morning. Since she told you she’d be flying home to Connecticut in the morning, I’ll see if she can get a copy of the will when she gets back, and we’ll go from there.”
“Could you do me another favor, Jus?” Charlie slid off her stool and stood up. “Whitney, Joseph’s dog—I didn’t get a chance to ask Deirdre what happened to her. Would you find out where she is for me?”
Justin got up and took the last slug from his beer. “I’ll ask. In the meantime, if Phillip shows up again or tries to contact you in any way, I want you to let me know immediately. He probably thinks because he’s a lawyer he knows how to beat the system, but he didn’t give his uncle enough credit.”
Her cousin leaned forward and kissed Charlie on the cheek. “He didn’t give you enough credit, either.” He slipped his arms into his jacket and turned to Cooper and sent him a silent message.
Keep an eye on her, the look in his eyes said. Cooper gave an almost imperceptible nod in response. He intended to do exactly that…and more.
THEY WERE well-entrenched into autumn. The large osprey nest on the wooden platform out in the marsh loomed empty. Charlie had enjoyed watching the parents raise their brood this year. The chicks, now full grown, had just recently gone, delaying their migration by a few weeks after their parents had already departed in order to gain a little more body fat that would help sustain them on their journey to warmer climes.
Charlie stood on the shoreline cupping the chunky, cobalt blue mug that had become her favorite and which now held her morning coffee. A few migrating wood ducks splashed around the edges of the marsh in search of the snails that clung to the grasses. They were more secretive than most of the other ducks that called the Bay home, preferring the fresher water of woodland ponds to the saltier water beyond the grass lines, which made her appreciate them all the more whenever she saw them.
Farther out on the river a fishing boat worked its way home after a morning that would have started before the sun had begun to poke over the horizon. She’d awoken hours ago herself—restless, imagining various scenarios of what the next week and beyond might hold. After lying awake with her thoughts for what seemed forever, she abandoned any hope of falling back asleep and had slipped out of bed, dressed as quietly as possible so as not to wake Cooper, and come down to the water’s edge—her peaceful place.
Coming back to the Bay had helped her to heal. She believed that. Life was in rhythm with the tides here, the ebb and flow, and she had needed this…this connection to all she was, all she had ever been before losing her way.
“I see I’ve missed the sunrise, but ‘lo, what beauty is this I’ve stumbled upon on these wave-kissed shores, surely one that outshines even that, the brightest celestial star.”
Charlie spun around, her hair whipping out to the side and falling in long, loose curls down over her breast as she came to a stop. Her heart warmed at the sight of him—just the sight—quick as that.
He was barefoot but had wrapped one of the wool blankets Mary kept piled in the big wicker basket by the back door around his shoulders.
“Got your Shakespeare on pretty early, don’t you?”
“That was all Barone, sweetheart. I wouldn’t want to look too closely at the technicalities, but no one could find fault with the sentiment. You truly are a sight to behold, Charlie.”
Cooper spread his arms open and curled his mouth in sexy invitation. “Got enough room in here for one more if you’re interested.”
“Best offer I’ve had all day.” She walked into his arms and absorbed the comfort of his embrace as he enclosed her in the blanket, the warmth of his body seeping into hers.
“Good morning.” He brushed his mouth over hers in a kiss as soft and light as the brush of a butterfly’s wing.
“Good morning to you.” She smiled up at him, but then glanced down and asked, “Aren’t your feet cold?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you put your shoes on before you came out?”
“That’s a very good question. One I don’t have a good answer for. When I looked out the window and saw you down here, I just grabbed a blanket and came out without thinking.” He frowned down at her. “I’m going to go put them on now before I get frostbite.”
“I’ll come up with you. I’m starting to get hungry.”
“For me?”
“For bacon and eggs, and a piece of rye toast with jam, and I need more coffee.” She took a couple of steps back, missed the warmth of him instantly, and held up her empty cup.
“I’m not sure how I feel about always having to compete with food.”
Charlie turned and started back toward the cottage. “There’s no competition,” she said over her shoulder. “Food’s a necessity. You’re a choice, Cooper.”
“Okay, that makes me feel a little better.” He caught up to her and took her hand. “Why don’t we go into town and get breakfast at Mosey’s?”
She cocked him a glance. “Go out for breakfast?”
“Yeah. A big stack of their apple pancakes sounds good right now, and if we go out, no one has to cook or clean up afterward.”
“You do know that if people see us getting breakfast together this early on a Sunday morning, they’re going to think we’re sleeping together.”
“Do you have a problem with that?”
She stopped and thought about it a moment and realized the idea sat fine with her. “No, my guess is everyone we know already suspects as much.”
Twenty minutes later they walked into Mosey’s and settled into a window booth. The diner was already bustling with an early morning breakfast crowd. The smell of bacon and sausage frying on the big griddles behind the counter, and the scent of Mosey’s signature cinnamon rolls wafted from the kitchen and made her stomach growl.
Charlie picked up the menu and scanned the breakfast specials. She was glad they’d come into town. She’d always loved coming here for breakfast with her parents when she was growing up. It felt good to be here, good to be here with him, in a place that was so familiar.
They gathered in the big kitchen of Blake and Delaney’s house Tuesday evening to find out what Justin had learned about Joseph’s will. Everyone chipped in to get dinner on the table. Blake helped Delaney prep the food. Justin and Gabriella took kid patrol, setting up a small table with the help of Chloe and Ben who had been delegated to watch over the little ones so the adults could focus on the matter at hand. They would enjoy the novelty of being in charge of their own table and be grateful they didn’t have to sit quietly while the adults discussed more serious business.
Cooper and Charlie set the main table, the same one she, Blake, and Justin had gathered around as children when their grandparents lived here. Family meals had been loud and informal, and it was expected they all show up for Sunday dinner unless they had a very good reason why they couldn’t.
They were happy times, good memories, surrounded by family, and as there was always more than enough food to go around, whatever neighbors or friends might wander through the door.
Charlie glanced around the room, her eyes resting a moment on each precious face of those gathered here now with her—for her. They were hers, Cooper too. He’d become a part of their circle…at least for now.
She carried a platter heaped with spaghetti carbonara to the table. Cooper passed her on his way back to get the rolls that Delaney had just taken from the oven. He caught her eye, winked, and sent her an intimate grin, because they were now, and she was glad for it, that she’d allowed him in, even further now that Phillip had surfaced.
After the children were settled, Blake gestured toward their grandmother’s old table. “Let’s eat.”
Once seated, they got down to the business of filling their plates with pasta and a mixed greens’ salad with Delaney’s homemade vinegar, sweet basil, and oil dressing. Charlie reached for a still-warm roll and slathered on some butter.
Justin filled them in on what he’d learned. Deirdre had gone to the probate court office in Connecticut, where Joseph had lived, first thing Monday morning and gotten a copy of the will that had been filed.
“As executor, Phillip filed for probate right after Joseph died, so we had no problem getting a copy since it became public record at that point, and Deirdre faxed me a copy yesterday afternoon.”
According to the will of record, Phillip was listed as sole beneficiary with the entirety of the estate going to him. If what Deirdre told them was true—and they had absolutely no reason to doubt her—that meant Phillip had committed fraud by suppressing the revised will Joseph told Deirdre he’d made when she’d visited him in the hospital.
Justin had also learned that Phillip had not only been Joseph’s attorney, but was co-owner on his safe deposit box, which meant he had a key and access to it whenever he wanted. Joseph told Deirdre that when he had Phillip draw up the new will, he’d still trusted his nephew, but when he began to suspect Phillip was intentionally keeping him from seeing Charlie, he started to question whether he’d made a mistake trusting everything to him. He also became alarmed that there might be other reasons Phillip didn’t want Charlie to come for a visit and worried if he’d been wrong to introduce the two of them.
As his uncle’s attorney and executor of the estate, Phillip had taken the original of the new document to file in his office and given Joseph a copy, which Joseph told Phillip he was going to put in his safe deposit box.
“Could Phillip have taken the copy from the safe deposit box?” Blake asked.
“It’s possible,” Justin confirmed. “As a co-owner he could access the box whenever he wanted. Once he signed in, the guard or safe deposit attendant would have escorted him to a private room where he would have had the privacy to go through the box and if he wanted, add or remove something.”
“But what about when his uncle died?” Blake pushed. “Wouldn’t the bank take an inventory or something of everything that was in there?”
Justin shook his head. “Not unless someone had come forward to contest the will. Otherwise, when Joseph died, Phillip would have become the sole owner of whatever was in there. I need to check a little more into Connecticut law. Some states will seal a box for days or weeks when the owner dies so the taxing
authorities can assess the box’s contents for inheritance tax. In that case, even co-owners can’t access the box without a court order. I’m sure Phillip knew that, so my guess is he probably removed the copy before death, when he realized Joseph wouldn’t be coming home from the hospital alive.”
He reached for the salad and added a little more to his bowl. “Delaney, you need to give Gab your recipe for this salad dressing.”
“I will, and I’m glad you like it so much.” Delaney flashed her dimples at him.
“I’ll take it, because I love it, too, but it still won’t taste the same as when you make it,” Gab said. “Nothing ever does. I think your fingers have some kind of magic in them that makes everything taste better.”
“You just have to make it a few times and tweak it until you get the proportions right to suit your taste. There are only five ingredients so it isn’t difficult.”
“So says the culinary wizard,” Gab came back with a rueful grin.
“Would you lift me a little more of that, too?” Charlie handed her bowl to Cooper, who was closer to the salad than she was, and then looked back across the table at Justin. “So basically you’re saying Phillip had possession of the only two copies of Joseph’s new will, one in his office files and the other in the safe deposit box, which he co-owned. And if he decided to keep it a secret, no one would know the difference or be able to prove otherwise if he removed the copy from the box. Is that right?”
Justin smiled. “Except for one minor detail. Most criminals, and believe me that’s what your old boyfriend is, think they can get away with their crime because they’re smarter than everyone else. Phillip may have played the devoted nephew, but he made a mistake by keeping you away from Joseph. Deirdre told me that whenever Joseph asked his nephew to bring you for a visit, Phillip made excuses or promised he would and then cancelled at the last minute.”
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