Page 82 of What Started In Deception

He nodded. “That’s fair.”

She met his gaze again. “My parents raised Burke and me so normally. I had no idea that our last name—who my family is in the world—was any different than anyone else until I was ten or eleven.”

“This will be yours someday? Yours and Will’s?”

She shrugged again. “Hopefully not for a long, long time.”

“The estate belongs to your grandma?”

She nodded. “The Monroes have owned it since my great-great-grandpa bought it long ago. He bought stocks when they were low and invested during the Great Depression, which made him a very wealthy man.”

Ty nodded, remembering the basic history when he’d taken the time to learn about the Monroes. “He was a senator, too.”

She nodded again. “He was the first in our family to run for political office. Back in the 1930s. All of my grandpas have held a seat in the US Senate since. And of course, now there’s Uncle James.”

“Is he going to run for president?”

Her shoulders tensed a little. “Who’s asking? You or Special Agent Corddry?”

“Me, Lyd.”

She held his gaze for several seconds before she nodded.

He studied her again, dressed in everyday clothes with her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. “It’s hard to equate you with a political dynasty.”

She grinned. “Mostly, I’m just me. None of this belongs to me.”

“But you do have money.”

Her smile faded as she nodded. “Unfortunately, I do. Because of my parents’ deaths. I inherited a few million that I know I’m lucky to have, but I would trade it in a heartbeat if I could have them back.”

He took her hand, nuzzling it against his cheek, understanding exactly what she meant. He, his mom, and his sister had collected on his dad’s death benefits—nothing even close to the amount that Lydia had inherited—but all he’d ever wanted was his dad. “I’m sorry, Lyd.”

She sent him a small smile. “I know you are.”

He rubbed her knuckles against his skin again, wanting the somber moment to pass. “This is a truly beautiful spot.”

She nodded, holding his gaze. “I feel like I need to say that in this family, there are no handouts. You’re expected to earn your living. Obviously, I have plenty in the bank, but if things had turned out differently and my parents were still alive, I would live off my teacher’s salary. Burke would have done the same in whatever profession he would’ve chosen. It’s the same for Will, too. The estate is worth a fortune, but by no means do we have access to it.”

“I don’t care about that stuff, Lyd—about what you do or don’t have. Mostly, I just think you’re one hell of a great dance partner.”

She laughed as he grinned. “Do you want to get out? I can show you the main house. Gram-Gram, Uncle James, and Aunt Cindy won’t be here until tomorrow afternoon, and Will, Mac, and the kids are out at a barbecue, so it’ll be quiet.”

He shook his head. “We have plenty of time to get things figured out. How about we settle in?”

She nodded. “That sounds good.”

They both grabbed a couple of their bags from the trunk in the salty ocean breeze, then headed down the path at the back of the main house that took them closer to Lydia’s much smaller but still gorgeous two-story pool house.

She punched in the code, unlocking the door. “Did you get that?”

He nodded, memorizing the four digits.

“Welcome to my home away from home,” she said, opening the door to let him walk in before her.

He took two steps into the gorgeous open-concept space, studying pretty wooden floors and wood beam ceilings, a smaller, gorgeous kitchen complete with high-end appliances and a blue-gray painted island that rivaled the one that she had back home, a dining room space that easily sat six, and a living room with a sleek gas fireplace, big-screen TV, and a wraparound couch. But it was the views of the Atlantic through the massive windows that did it for him. “Holy fuck, Lyd.”

She laughed. “Not bad, huh?”