Page 3 of Reckless Vow

Thank you,Granny.

“Oh, yes, that’s a wonderful question.” Rupert curves his lips, but on his stern face it’s unclear if that’s an attempt to smile. Still just a creepy grin. “In such case, and I really hope it doesn’t get to that, the money will be donated to various organizations.”

He pulls a sheet of paper from the thick binder and hands it to London, who takes it with hope on her face.

I guess we all could get on board with donating shitloads of money. We’re rich, but Roberta Montgomery and her brother are next level. Their wealth is several degrees above ours.

London gasps and hands the list to Paris. Paris swallows and clutches her chest, visibly paling. I jump up from my seat, cross to her and snatch the paper away.

Sydney joins me and peers over my shoulder while I blink at the alphabetical roster of organizations, institutions and some private groups.

“Fuck.” Sydney sums up what we’ve all just discovered.

“That’s right. Granny Dearest challenges ourmoralstill her last breath.” London stands up. “Rupert, I’d like a copy of the will.”

“Of course.” He opens a drawer and hands her a binder. “I was expecting it.”

She takes it from him. “We’ll be in touch.” She turns on her heel. “Let’s go.”

We scramble to pick up our purses and exit the office without looking back at our great uncle.

But I stop and turn. Glancing at the letter opener one last time, I memorize its shape and texture.

When I look up, Rupert is studying me, his expression blank. I shrug, and before I can stop myself I whisper, “Sorry for your loss.”

I give him a smile that I hope shows I’m sincere. If he ever imagined a family reunion, I’m sure it wasn’t this.

He jerks his head as if affronted, or shocked. I’m not sure if I can just turn and leave. I don’t know why I extended my condolences exactly, but perhaps he should acknowledge them?

We stare at each other. Do I have his pale green eyes? I’ve always looked different from my sisters who took after our father. Maybe I have more in common with this stranger than I thought.

I’ve been an outsider in my own family for so long that this odd connection—and I recognize it’s only in my head—spreads warmth through my body.

“Your sisters are waiting for you,” Rupert’s housekeeper says, interrupting the moment, and I dash out without looking back.

“Let’s go see Dad,” Sydney suggests as we climb into Paris’s town car that has been waiting for the past hour.

“Good idea. He must be curious and anxious about this bullshit.” Paris keeps rubbing her belly.

As the car moves, my sisters pull out their phones and call their significant others, while I stare out the window at the passing city.

I have no one to call.

I turn to the rear window. In my mind the house we’ve just visited shrinks slowly on the horizon as we move away, leaving me strangely empty.

In reality, we’ve already turned into the city traffic, and all I can see is a sea of cars.

But the odd connection lingers, and so does the emptiness.

I have been living aimlessly for several months. After almost nine years in England, I returned to help Paris when she was going through a tough time with her baby and the baby’s daddy.

To be honest, that was just an excuse to escape a toxic relationship with my ex. Or maybe Paris saved me from spiraling into a pattern that has been woven through my life—getting attached to the wrong people.

Syd, Lo and Paris are telling the gist of the afternoon to their partners.

Any of them could easily marry tomorrow. Their men adore them, and they live together, anyway. A marriage certificate is a formality for them.

I remember the list of recipients of Granny’s fortune if I fail to comply with her condition and shiver.

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