Page 34 of The Best Friend Power Play

We hug briefly.

"Good to see you." She spots Hannah next to Nonna. "Both of you. Hey, listen, Culver." She lowers her voice. "This isn't the right time, natch, but I need to speak to you at some stage about?—"

True to her word, Hannah swoops in to save me. "We should say hello to your parents. Hi, Bianca."

Bianca pouts.

"Sorry. Gotta go," I say, trying to sound believably apologetic as Hannah clutches onto my arm and pulls me away. Once we're out of earshot, I mutter out of the corner of my mouth, "Smooth move, Cooper."

She giggles. "Am I the best in-law wingwoman, or what?"

Before we reach my folks, we run into Farrow. We hug, he kisses Hannah, and I ask, "Where's Sandy?"

"Emergency at work."

"Ah. I see."

"Bet you guys say that a lot," Hannah says with a warm smile.

Sandy's a vet, and Farrow followed in Pa's footsteps and became a firefighter.

"More than we'd like to," he answers.

His gaze flits between me and Hannah, so before he can start on us, I lower my voice and ask, "How's Ma?"

"Holdin' up. I think she just wants to get this reading over with."

"We all do." I look over and see she's with Pa, and yeah, she looks on edge. "Will you excuse us?"

"Of course." He claps me on the back. "Good to see you…both."

I ignore his lack of subtlety and focus on the woman I'm most worried about. "Hey, Ma," I say, leaning down for a kiss and hug. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm ready for all this to be done," she says, pulling Hannah in for a warm squeeze.

Pa puts down his drink and gives me a bear hug. "Good to see you, son. How are you feeling?"

"Fine." I answer a little too quickly because today is about Ma, and not my crumbling excuse for a body.

"So, what's the plan?" I ask Pa.

He lifts his drink—whiskey, I'm guessing by the color and smell—and tips his head toward two men I hadn't noticed dressed in identical dark-gray suits. "Now that we're all here, except for Brock and Sandy, we can have the will read."

We gather around the two lawyers sitting side by side on the tiny sofa. Ma and Nonna take the other one. Everyone else stands. Pa gives them the go-ahead to begin.

The slightly older man nods, clears his throat, and opens the large, leather-bound document in front of him.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he begins in a calm, steady voice. "Thank you for gathering here today on such short notice. As the legal representatives of the late Mr. Rockcliff, it is our duty and responsibility to ensure that his final wishes, as articulated in his will, are communicated clearly and accurately to all concerned parties in accordance with the laws of the state of California."

The younger lawyer, adjusting his glasses, addresses the family. "We ask for your full attention as we go through the specifics of the distribution of Mr. Rockcliff's estate."

"I thought stuff like this only happens in the movies," I quietly confide in Hannah.

She suppresses a grin and leans in closer to me. "Know what would make it even better?"

"What?"

"If your family was somehow involved with the mafia."

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