Page 79 of Inheriting Miss Fortune

I chimed in to tell her about the views, about Majestic, and about how friendly everyone seemed to be. We went on to tell her about the ranch and the horses, and when I told her about the “real” Trigger, she seemed to melt.

The evening passed quickly, and after a walk to the park for a quick visit to Lellie’s favorite climbing playground, we returned home and let Renata do the bedtime routine one more time.

Unfortunately, Renata wasn’t, in fact, a miracle worker, and the night turned from good to bad very quickly after her departure. Kenji offered to help, but we sent him to bed in Katie’s old room. Thankfully, the house cleaners had already been through to make sure the room was made up with clean sheets and Katie’s personal items had been packed away.

Dev and I stayed up, taking turns trying to get Lellie to settle in her crib before the two of us finally fell asleep with her snuggled between us in the guest bed.

When I awoke the next morning, I felt the warm press of Lellie’s foot on my neck and turned to see her head resting on Dev’s chest. His large hand cupped the back of her head, his fingers tangled in her messy dark curls.

My heart skittered toward him and slid to a stop, safely encased in Dev’s own chest, while I forced myself out of bed. Orris was expecting me in the office first thing this morning, and I needed to stop by my apartment first to pick up fresh work clothes.

When I finally arrived at the office, everything seemed normal. On the way over, I’d braced myself for the stern talking-to I was going to get about being a “team player” and helping the firm by “doing the right thing” in helping the Scotts get custody of their granddaughter.

Which was why I was completely shocked when Orris didn’t even mention them once in our meeting.

“Good morning, Tully. Thanks for coming in so early. I could really use your help with a client situation.”

I blinked at him in surprise. It wasn’t uncommon for him to pull me onto a bigger case, but it was unexpected right now, considering he’d asked me to stay with Lellie to keep an eye on her. “Of course. What’s the situation?”

He explained that the adult son of one of his clients was interested in creating a revocable trust. “One of my clients has an adult son who is aging out of his family’s large trust and needs to set up his own estate planning. The young man has the money from his trust, continuing family financial interests, a business, and multiple rental properties.”

As he continued to explain the details, I wondered what I was missing. It didn’t seem particularly complex. It was more… labor-intensive. It meant going through a laundry list of assets and determining the best way to draw up the legal language to make sure he was well protected.

Yes, it would mean plenty of billable hours, which was great, but it was also the kind of assistance that could be done by any attorney at my level. While I’d never minded helping Orris with his clients, and I always looked forward to organizing an estate with this many facets, I wondered why he didn’t have someone else take it over while I was still working on Katie’s situation.

“Should I assume you’d like me to release Lellie into Mr. McKay’s custody?” That wasn’t quite the right language since we both knew Lellie was already legally Dev’s without any kind of release. Katie had made sure in the case of her death, he had prima facie custody. If he flew away with Lellie today—and I was pretty sure he planned to—he’d be well within his legal rights to do so.

I clenched my fingers into a fist where he couldn’t see it. This was it. This was the end of my time with Lellie.

With Dev.

Acid burned in my throat as I remembered last night. Sitting around the table and laughing. Watching Lellie pick up each tiny piece of her broccoli between her little pointer finger and thumb after Dev finally convinced her to eat it. Listening to Dev tell Renata about introducing Lellie to the real Trigger. Seeing Kenji sneak a photo of the entire scene and send it to Way and Silas.

Falling asleep together like a little family.

“I think that would be for the best,” Orris said. “Your talents are better spent elsewhere, and I’ve scheduled an appointment for you with the gentleman for this afternoon.”

I gathered my thoughts, doing my best to bite my tongue. It didn’t work.

“With all due respect, sir, why bring me in on this case instead of having Jim or Louise handle your client’s needs?”

He leaned back in his chair. “He’s not my client. Not formally, anyway, though I’ve known him for years. The truth is, I have a full docket at the moment, so I suggested Miles hire you. It’s up to you to close the deal. He’ll be here at four.”

I stared at him. He was handing me the opportunity to sign a seemingly wealthy client with little to no effort on my part?

What the hell was the catch?

Orris continued. “I had a long talk with Miles and his father and assured them both that you were the best man for the job. I smoothed over any concerns Joe had—which were mostly about your age—but Miles himself seemed willing to meet you on my recommendation. Apparently, you also have a mutual friend. I can’t remember who, but I’m sure you’ll talk about it when you meet.”

“I… I don’t know what to say, sir.”

Orris smiled slightly. “I think the words you’re looking for are ‘thank you.’ I think you and Miles will really hit it off. I told him that you, in particular, are a firm believer in client first, firm second.” He shot me a look that was clearly meant to chastise me for my behavior on Katie’s case.

I kept my mouth shut. This client was a gift I couldn’t and wouldn’t refuse.

“I’ll do my best,” I promised. “And I’ll obviously take good care of him as a client.”

Orris nodded and shook my hand. “I have no doubt. You’re a solid attorney, Tully, and you work hard. If you can help us retain this client, it’ll reflect well on you when partnership decisions are made.”

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