AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Delilah wanted to blast her stepfather for his lavish spending and infidelity but refused to waste her breath. Randy wouldn’t listen anyway. Instead, she turned to Shannon. “Do you have their account information?”
He nodded. “I’ve been distributing money to their accounts since the lottery payout.”
She turned to her family. “You will receive your first year’s allotment by the end of the week.”
“What happens to the money if Dee dies or is incapacitated?”
Shannon looked troubled. “In that event, after Delilah’s expenses have been covered, the money will be distributed to her heirs.”
Delilah stilled. According to her current personal will, her heirs were the remaining members of her family. Oh, boy.
“Is that all?” Zach asked the lawyer. “Did Mom leave any other instructions or bequests?”
“You know it all. Everything goes to Delilah.” He sent an apologetic glance toward Randy. “Including the house. According to the terms of the will, you have twenty-four hours to vacate the premises. You are to take only your clothes and personal belongings.”
Delilah almost felt sorry for Randy. Almost.
Her stepfather rose to his feet. “I want a copy of the will. I’ll warn you right now that I intend to have another lawyer look at the document.”
Shannon stood. “I’ll have Ms. Walters make you a copy. Follow me, please.” He stalked from the room followed by Zach, Evan, and Shane.
Her brother stopped at the threshold and glared at Delilah over his shoulder. “You won’t win this battle, Dee. Accidents happen all the time. Sometimes those accidents are fatal.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Rage filled Matt as Zach Frost slammed the office door behind himself. Was Delilah’s brother responsible for the attack in Otter Creek? One of her family members could have found out about the will and planned to kill Delilah before Michelle passed away so the will would favor the four men.
Delilah leaned her head against Matt’s shoulder. “Are you sorry you came to Harmony?”
“I’m glad I was here. Are you all right?”
“I have to be. Mom asked me to do this. Based on what Zane found, Mom was right not to trust Zach or Randy with the money. I can’t imagine how much money they would have blown through in the next few years.”
“Sounds like Michelle wanted to wean them off being dependent on her.” He suspected Michelle’s actions came too late. The men hadn’t worked in years and their spending habits were set. They were either going to flourish or crash and burn. His money was on the second choice.
“They’ll hate me.”
He pressed a kiss to her temple. “You hold the purse strings, and they wanted free reign with the cash.”
“I can’t imagine what Mom was thinking. She should have given Randy and the others the full five years of allowance, then given the rest to charity without involving me at all.”
“You don’t care about the money for yourself?”
“My shop is doing well enough to pay the bills and support a few extras every month. I’m happy.”
“Maybe that’s why she chose you for this task.” He wished Michelle had thought this through. Delilah already had her hands full with Wicks without this added burden.
The door opened and Shannon entered the office. “Where are you staying, Delilah? I’ll have the papers drawn up, giving you signing rights to your mother’s accounts, and send them to your hotel.”
“Why don’t you tell me when to stop by your office? Matt and I have several things we need to take care of and won’t be in the hotel much.”
The lawyer frowned. “Leave a phone number where I can reach you.”
Matt gave him the main number for Fortress. “Leave a message for Delilah. She’ll call you back when she has a chance.”
“Surely Delilah’s phone number isn’t a secret.”
“I’m in private security, Mr. Shannon. We don’t pass our phone numbers around. I’ll be notified within minutes of your call.”
