Page 100 of Soul Food

JAYNE

“Excuse me?” I blinked, then blinked again at Ruth’s lawyer in front of me.

Barb slapped her palm over her eyes and sighed. “It means that my daughter wanted you to have it.”

My skin was clammy and damp, hands shaking as I stared down at the paper. “Si-si-six million dollars?” I shoved the paper back on the lawyer’s cherrywood desk. “No, this can’t be right.”

The lawyer exhaled, leaning into his rolling chair. “I assure you, it’s correct.” He tossed some more papers around and handed them to Barb. “Besides what she has left for you and Jayne, she also left you clear instructions on picking out which charities to donate the rest of her money to.” He pulled open a drawer and handed us each an envelope with our names written on them. Ruth’s handwriting. “She also left these for you. Funny, those envelopes weren’t added until a week right before she went missing. She had the will written months before that though.” His eyes were studying us, and my insides churned. It was like he knew something was odd about all of this.

Barb tore into hers quickly while I waited to open mine. I gauged her reaction. Her lips trembled as her eyes darted across the paper. She looked to the side and wiped her eyes just as she closed the letter back. “Is that all that was needed from us?” She was already rising to her feet.

He nodded. “Yes, everything should be finalized within the next few weeks.”

I didn’t look at the lawyer as I stood quickly and followed Barb outside where she stopped once the sun touched my heels. The rest of me was kept hidden in the shade provided by the large building next to me. “You think she’s regretting her choice now?” Her shoulders and head both drooped. “How do I know she’s okay?” I looked away when her voice cracked. “How can she take care of herself when we have all her money?”

I coughed, straightening out my voice, because I shared the same worries Barb did. But in remembrance of Ruth, I said, “You raised a strong and confident woman. I think she knew what she wanted and went for it.”

She nodded vigorously, clutching the letter against her chest. “You’re right. She’s tough. Lord knows she had to be with me as her mother.” She walked away, then stopped and peeked over her shoulder at me. “If you hear from her, you’ll tell me, right?”

I cocked my head to the side, plastering a smile on my face. Like Ruth wanted. “What are you saying? I’m going to take you out for bagels next week! Just because Ruth left us doesn’t mean we have to leave each other.”

She scoffed at me. “Who eats bagels?” Her dark curls bounced around as she scurried down the steps.

I watched her fade away in the distance, and my smile faltered.I’ll look after your ma, Ruth.I couldn’t understand why she had to disappear to get what she wanted, but if there was one thing I knew about Ruth, she did things she had to. There was a reason. One I didn’t know but respected. But I missed her and wanted to ask her why she left me so much money. I was her PA. She was my employer, but I’d never seen it that way. It was so easy to become her friend.

I found myself at a bench where I stared off into space.

Holy shit.It dawned on me again. Ruth just made me a millionaire. Why? For being a good friend? I was a good friend because she was a great one in return. That was it. I didn’t deserve the money she spent so much time making.

I sniffled. I was her best friend too, wasn’t I? That was why this hurt so bad that she left me like this.

“There she is.” Playful and upbeat.

“I told you we could find her here.” Mischievous and charming.

My skin tingled with awareness. Those were familiar voices that I spent a good amount of exhausting time avoiding when Ruth was on tour with them. And I was very good at it too.Avoiding them. I lifted my head and felt the heat crawling up my neck and face. I was already going over a hundred possible scenarios in my head on how to get away.

Why did Liam have to be the one that sat down next to me while the other two stared down at me like the creepy cat from Alice in Wonderland? “Plotting an escape?” Liam asked, and I bit my bottom lip. The nicest, the most mischievous one of them all cocked his head at me.

Remembering what they first said, I furrowed my brows at him. “Are you guys looking for me?”

“Indeed, we are,” Pete answered.

“We heard it through the grapevine that you had a meeting about Ruth’s will today,” Liam informed me with a wicked grin like he knew what I did.

How did he do that? Always look so devilish? The man was tall and lanky and covered in tattoos. He was always playful, yet he made me nervous—so freaking nervous. Was it the piercing in his nose or the one in his eyebrow? I always liked tattoos on guys even though I never dated a guy with any before. I didn’t really know why I was so antsy around them.

“Where are you working at these days?” he asked.

“I’m kind of in between jobs right now.” Which was code for my ass was struggling. Not anymore if I thought of what Ruth had just given me which I wasn’t willing to accept just yet. I appreciated the sentiment but how could I take this when I didn’t even know if she was okay?

“We need you,” Liam whispered with a strange huskiness to his voice.

My cheeks heated. Damn it all to hell. I blushed like a freaking school girl. “You need me?” I squeaked.

“Yes. Fact is, we just fired our assistant for stealing, and we’re in desperate need of someone to help us out when we go on tour next month.”

I held up my hands. Me stuck on a tour bus with them? “I don’t think that’s a good idea…”

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