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Talk about a life-changing moment, it was staring up at me in the form of black print on white legal documents.
“You still have some time to decide,” Jade said. “You can take these with you, read them over, or have another lawyer go over them before you sign.”
“And just where would I find this other lawyer?” I asked, knowing there was a scarcity of legal counsel in this area of California.
“I’m sure there are plenty of legal experts you can hire in Napa or Sanoma.”
“I’m sure there are, but I know you, and I trust you, so if I’m going to do this, let’s just go over all the pages here. I’d like to get this over with today before I have any second thoughts.”
Luke held back a muffled chuckle.
“What?” I asked, turning to him.
“Only you would have second thoughts about inheriting a fortune.”
“Well, I just want to be sure,” I countered.
“As well you should be,” Josh said, as he stood. “Maybe you’d like some privacy? We don’t want to influence you.”
Before I could answer, Jade said, “That might be for the best.”
“That’s not…” I began, but Rascal cut me off.
“She’s right. This is a decision between you and your lawyer.” He stood then, joining Josh, and eventually Luke, then they all walked out and closed the door behind them, leaving me totally on my own.
I thought about calling Shea. I thought about calling Lexi or even my mother, but ultimately, this was my decision. I’d always been great at giving advice, but apparently, I sucked at figuring these big things out on my own.
Well, it was about time I started living big and embraced everything I’d told everyone else to do, damnit!
“Let’s get started, shall we?” I told Jade, and for the next hour, she explained each page of the document, I carefully listened, asked questions, and with a steady hand, I signed and initialed my way into a sprawling working ranch, a monster Caddy with horns, and a five-million-dollar trust fund that I had complete control over.
I didn’t question where a cowboy like Dusty had made all this money, but Jade had mentioned over the course of my signing that he’d owned several prime commercial properties in San Francisco that he’d inherited from his grandfather when he was a much younger man.
Dusty had kept those properties, which now sported luxury business offices or apartments. They were a source of income, which his family was now dealing with. Apparently, the ranch was simply Dusty’s escape hatch whenever he wanted to get away from his responsibilities, which, in the last ten years or so, was where he spent most of his time.
With the income I’d already made from running Betty’s Startup, and would continue to make, Shea had refused to let me go, I was… well… rich. A concept I would have to talk over with Shea, who was also rich… much more than I was… but a wealthy woman, nonetheless.
Plus, she just happened to be in a relationship with three men, who were not rich, but who instead were craftsmen who loved what they did for a living. Nothing had changed for any of them when Shea inherited her vast wealth. Gio’s Repair Shop still went on repairing precious items for anyone who needed it, and Shea continued to restore anything that had been caned and needed a repair.
They loved their work, and truth be told… I loved to sing. It was performing in front of people that terrified me.
But not this time.
This time would be different or at least I hoped so.
By the time I walked out of Jade’s office with a hard copy of all the paperwork tucked inside a fancy envelope that sported Dusty’s ranch logo, DL Ranch, I could barely speak, much less think.
“Well?” Josh asked, as I met them out in front ofSpur of the Moment.
“Well, I now own a ranch, two ranch houses, several horses, and a vineyard. I also have an insane amount of money, and this crazy car is now all mine.”
Rascal let out a loud woot, while Luke whistled. Josh just grinned and shook his head.
“I know you guys are excited, but I’m trying my best to deal with all this sudden change. I feel as if I just stepped into another world, one with four moons and dragons that fly. I need to go back to my normal world for the rest of the day, if that’s okay with you.”
“Whatever you want,” Rascal said as he opened the door to the Caddy, and we all hopped in.
I was glad the guys were with me, but it all felt so surreal, I didn’t know how to think. I needed pie, a slice of chocolate raspberry mousse with a shitload of whip and two pots of strong tea. Maybe after that, I’d feel normal again, because right now, if I closed my eyes and felt the wind on my face as Rascal drove, I could envision myself gliding over Cricket, looking down on all the folks from the back of my pink dragon.
