Page 148 of In Spades

Matt chuckled. “Thanks for calling me back. Mr. Solomon told me he’d reach out. He said he hadn’t gotten a chance to loop you in about the 529 accounts yet.”

“Yeah, there are a lot of things we haven’t talked about.” Understatement.

“So,” he clipped, getting back to business. “We have the five college savings accounts set up with two million each. For the older two, I’d like to speak to them personally since they’re close to college age, so they’ll be up to speed regarding the available funds.”

Holy shit.

Ten million dollars… I couldn’t even fathom that much money.

“You’ll get a packet of information in the mail talking about how to access the funds for each beneficiary, but it’s pretty cut and dry. Mr. Solomon wanted to see that you and your siblings’ college educations would be completely taken care of. Tuition, books, housing, transportation—the whole nine yards. Between you and me, I told him you’d lose some in penalties because there’d be money left over after, but he insisted there be enough to cover grad school or continued education a few times over.”

I had mentioned to Will once that I liked the idea of getting a Master’s degree someday. That was, if I ever finished my Bachelor’s.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Hoffman, but I can’t accept that.”

The line went silent. Apparently, the guy wasn’t used to people turning down a cool ten million.

Maybe I was a fool to turn it down. That was more money than I could earn in several lifetimes. But I wasn’t going to be bought.

Will couldn’t roll in, throw money around, and pretend like it made everything better. Though, I’m sure hundred-dollar bills made excellent Band-Aids.

“Ms. Boyd, if I may speak frankly…”

“Please.”

“Mr. Solomon warned me that you’d turn it down. I’m not trying to get into a private situation. But if it makes a difference, he started the process of setting up these accounts the second to last weekend in October.”

“Why would that make a…” My voice trailed off as it hit me.

October… The fair… The weekend we all spent at Will’s house.

It had all felt so natural, waking up under the same roof. Lazy weekend mornings with pancakes and crisp fall air. The kids ran around and played outside without me worrying about who was loitering around our trailer. Will and I lounged in the hammock without a care in the world.

He had been working on this for months… and hadn’t told me? Not that I was really surprised given the recent revelations.

Ten million wasn’t girlfriend kind of money. That was long-term, his-and-hers hand towels, vows, rings, and a dog named Spot kind of money.

Oh my God. Will had been fidgety all night before the staff party. Was he going to?—

I ended the conversation with Will’s financial advisor, then hurried out of the house, leaving Logan and Kylie in charge and promising to be back before bedtime.

I definitely did not drive the speed limit to New Bern. Luckily, it was well outside of Steve and Chase’s jurisdiction.

I felt foolish as I drove my third-hand car past the gated driveways that lined Will’s street. That didn’t bother me, though. I was rolling in a healthy dose of righteous indignation.

What if he wasn’t home? Shit. I hadn’t thought this through.

Lucky for me, his truck was sitting in the driveway. The house was dark, except for a single light on the main floor. He was probably in his bedroom, in the bed we had shared a handful of times.

Leaving home without a coat was a stupid idea. It didn’t matter. The rage inside kept me warm.

Will wanted to see me? Wish granted.

I didn’t bother with the doorbell, opting to work a little anger out by pounding my fist against the thick mahogany door. Locks clicked in quick succession and?—

“Kristin…” My name was out of his mouth as soon as he got the door open.

Will looked—well—terrible. Dark circles hung under his eyes. He had on his wire-rimmed glasses, which I usually loved. But the frames were hiding deep lines around his temples. He wore rumpled sweats and a long-sleeved shirt. Thick salt and pepper scruff shrouded his jaw.

---