Page 39 of Too Broken to Love

Malcolm nodded and glanced at Hudson. “Pop left you the rest of his assets. We can go over the sums and intricacies later, but there are a few stipulations regarding the property you all need to know about.”

Hudson’s jaw hardened. “Explain.”

“You and Tessa own equal shares. You cannot sell. Upon your deaths, your shares will go to heirs of your choosing. And there’s one more thing. Vivian and Nathaniel’s residence here is at the discretion of you two.”

“What?” Vivian’s voice shook the crystal on the bar. “This is ridiculous, Malcolm. Get your father on the phone so he can tell us what to do to fix this.”

“There’s nothing to fix, Viv. It’s what Sam wanted.”

“We all know Sam was too generous for his own good.” Vivian waved a hand at Tessa. “It’s bad enough she got the same amount of money as me, but half the mansion too? And she’s partially responsible for my living situation. No offense, but what the hell was Sam thinking?”

Hysteria bubbled in Tessa as she rose. Bracing her hands on the desk, she leaned toward Hudson until their faces were inches apart. “I didn’t know about any of this, I swear.” Her heart pounded with her need to make him understand. “And I didn’t want or expect to be left anything.”

A vein throbbed in his neck. “What is it you want, Tessa?”

She couldn’t tell whether he was being sarcastic or genuine with his mouth inches from hers. Either way, her answer was the same. “For everything to go back to the way it was before you showed up in Sam’s kitchen.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

Vivian sighed. “I’ll drink to that.”

Malcolm cleared his throat. “There’s one more matter.” He opened the top desk drawer and shoved his hand inside. “Pop left Tessa…dammit.” He yanked his hand out. A fishing lure stuck to the tip of his finger.

A prickling built behind Tessa’s eyes. Somehow, she’d managed to stay composed since she’d walked into the study. Even learning she was an heiress hadn’t broken her. But a fishing lure?

She sniffed back tears. “Sam stashed lures all over the Belmarva house too.”

Hudson let out a low laugh. “I hope his tetanus is up to date.”

“My fault. I know the risks of getting stuck in this house.” Malcolm sucked on his finger. Easing the drawer open farther, he carefully rummaged through its contents and pulled out an ivory envelope and a small black velvet box. “You know what that is, right?”

Hudson took the box and stared at it for a long moment. As he slid it into his pocket, Tessa caught the shimmer of tears in his eyes.

Malcolm handed her the envelope. “Sam’s wishes state that you and Hudson read this together. In private.”

Hudson stared at Vivian and Nathaniel until they shut their mouths about contesting the will. “Everyone out except Tessa.”

“But—”

He glared at Vivian. “Get. Out.”

“First, she steals millions from us. Now she gets a letter, like Sam loved her or something?”

She rose from her chair and tipped her wineglass toward Tessa. A gasp squeaked from lips as she pitched forward. Hudson yanked Tessa out of the way. Holding his ground, he caught Vivian by the shoulder as she toppled into him. Wine flew in all directions.

Motherfucker.

How had the situation gone to shit quicker than the trauma bay during a full moon?

Dropping his mouth to Tessa’s ear, he whispered, “Only I get to call you a thief.”

She shuddered against him. “No wonder Sam came to Belmarva to get a break from her.”

“Jesus Christ, Hudson.” Vivian wiped wine from her pants. “Maybe she didn’t know about the money, but she still ended up with it. She’s trouble, I tell you.”

Oh, you have no idea how much trouble she is.

“Shut up, Viv and clean up your mess before Pop haunts your dreams with a parade of fish heads.”