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“Sheila, the grandchildren, they’re… safe?”
“Yes.”
Gloria opens her mouth a fraction, another question on her lips, but Evan interrupts. “You know that’s all I can say.”
“I know. It has to be enough.”
“You still have time to change your mind.”
“Oh, there’s no backing out now. Not in my condition. It’s all yours.” Gloria sips from her cup, wagging her hand reassuringly. “Would you like to stay for lunch? Both of you?” Her smile melts my heart, the implication clear. She wants Evan to be happy. Like a family member wanting to set him up.
The thought of being with him, like this, being together…
How would that even look or work with someone like Evan?
And why am I suddenly very curious to find out?
I see Evan shift in his seat slightly, looking for an excuse.
“I’m sure we’d love to, any other day…”
I immediately step in, reaching out to place my hand on hers. Evan gives me a side-eye. “Can we come back next week, Evan?”
“Indeed. Unfortunately, we have several more appointments today, but I will check in on you the day after tomorrow.” Evan stands, looking intensely at the matronly woman across from us. They share a quiet moment before they both nod, and we see ourselves out.
I wait until we’re driving, leaving the somber tone of the meeting behind before I ask the burning question, “Is she…?”
“Dying. Yes.”
“And you are taking everything. Her estate. And more.”
“In exchange for a complicated favor. Yes.”
Outrage blossoms in my chest at the comment, at how flippantly he treats the fact that a woman is dying and that he is just taking everything she has. Logically, I know there must be more to it. Still. He’s so…
I’m about to lay into him, my mind racing.
“Be very careful what you say next,” he almost growls, meeting my eyes in warning.
I take a breath, clenching my fists to steady my tone. “What is the favor?”
“This job requires making difficult choices. You must learn how to subdue your sense of outrage, right and wrong, and make the best decision for the situation. The decision that best benefits the organization, future exchanges, the betterment of the many over the few. However, in certain cases, you still can save ‘the few’ if you’re careful.” The last statement is softer, less frigid.
The car slows, pulling into a long driveway that leads back onto a sweeping property. Massive trees line the entry, leading to a colossal mansion. It’s out on the skirts of the hills, heading into the mountains where only the most elite have their estates.
Evan stops the car in an alcove along the drive, hidden behind some trees. Reaching back, he passes me a bag. “Change.”
“Only if you explain to me what the hard choice was this time. What you just did for her. I need to know.” Shimmying out of my pants leaves me feeling exposed, but I’m too frustrated and angry to care if he sees me in my underwear.
“Gloria’s sister was all but bled dry by her own children. They abandoned their own kids in the process. Squandered all the money. They came back for more. She wanted to save her grandchildren. Save what was left of her family’s legacy. So, we made a deal. The grandchildren are cared for. Sheila, too, though she’s in poor health. Kept safe from the vultures trying to find them, as well.”
“And their inheritance?”
“Doesn’t exist anymore.”
“How so?”
“Because the heir to both family branches appeared, conveniently.”
