Page 4 of Hold My Heart

Finding her way to the right room, Olympia took a seat at one of the tables, crossing her legs, setting her purse down and rooting around for her lip gloss for something to do with her hands.

It was agony not to look at the clock and count the minutes. How had she managed to beat Marvin to their meeting? Normally prompt, she’d given herself a few extra minutes of cushion, but if he was late, it ate into her allotted hour.

She craved a cigarette. Which was odd, because she didn’t even smoke.

“Mrs. Trumbald?”

A freakishly tall man with a goatee, a bald patch, and deep lines carved into his face approached her, briefcase in one hand and his other hand out for a shake.

“Mr...Marvin.” When his name escaped her again, she stood and offered him a megawatt smile instead, holding out her hand. “I’d like to say it’s a pleasure to meet you, but truly...”

She trailed off and he filled in the blank. His goatee bristled. “I understand. These are not exactly the perfect circumstances, are they? I’m sure you weren’t expecting this today.”

It was work to keep the smile from turning snarky, but of course none of this was his fault. “Not in the least.”

“However, I do appreciate your promptness in the meeting.” Marvin glanced around him, rotated in a complete circle, his eyes turning suddenly frantic.

“Did you forget something?” she asked politely.

“No, ah, I’m sure she’s around here somewhere...likes to run off, I’ve found.”

“She?”

Marvin took a giant step back like a man on stilts, his arm shooting out around the door of the room. “Reneee, please!”

When he retracted his hand, his fingers were clenched around a bright red pea coat, leading down to stubby stocking-clad legs and adorable buckled black patent leather shoes.

Olympia studied the little girl, from the pout to the pudge of baby fat. The riot of curls like a halo around her head gave her a cherub-like appearance. “Is this your daughter? She’s beautiful.”

“No, she’s not my daughter.” Marvin sighed and led the little girl to a seat at the table. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get the proceedings started.” He laid the briefcase on the table, clicked it open and searched inside for papers. The inside of the case looked like a mini Tasmanian devil had played havoc there. “I have a few papers for you to sign and then everything will be turned over to you to handle the bulk of Mr. Salant’s estate.”

“Sure. No problem.” She sent a grin to the little girl, currently kicking her legs back and forth and knocking her feet into the underside of the table. “How old are you, sweetie?” she said softly, signing the first paper Marvin sent her way without even reading it.

The little girl huffed, crossed her arms over her chest.

“What? You don’t want to answer me?”

Marvin handed her the next stack of papers in need of her signature. “Her name is Renee, and she is four years old.”

“Four, wow. You’re such a big girl.”

Again, Renee refused to answer. Was she unbearably shy?

Olympia felt her heart ping against her ribs. She’d pretty much given up on having children. That ship had sailed when her husband died and she’d been diagnosed with cysts on her ovaries.

“Just a few more and we can be on our way,” Marvin stated, directing her attention back to the legal documents. “Again, once you sign off on the last of the papers, the whole of Joshua’s estate will revert to you as his closest living relative and executor. Barring what the court takes to cover his outstanding debts, of course.”

“I understand. I don’t expect there will be much left after everything is settled.”

“We are quite lucky the late Mr. Salant and his wife had recently relocated back to New York. It makes this much easier.”

“I can imagine.”

“For decedents who die with a will in New York, matters are pretty uncomplicated, with most wills being executed exactly as the decedent specified they should be. Just howthissituation will be handled, though, is completely dependent upon the value of the estate and...other factors. In every case where there are both a will and real property in the estate, everything must be submitted to the court for probate.”

“Hold on...probate? What do you mean?”

“The probate process in New York begins with a judge reviewing the will of the deceased, ensuring that it’s accurate and legal and has all the information necessary for it to be considered valid and binding. In his will, Joshua Salant named his wife as his executor, but since his wife perished with him, the will stipulates a secondary executor. Which is you, Mrs. Trumbald. So after debts are settled, you may begin distributing the property as listed in the will to the intended beneficiaries. That makes things relatively simple for us. You are also responsible for identifying and settling any outstanding liabilities that may still be pending, all according to New York inheritance laws.” He gave her a smile as if this was all self-evident.

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