Page 23 of Gentle Fox

I dropped my head onto the back of my chair and looked up at the ceiling with a huff. "Lay it on me."

"Easton asked me to look into that other place Annalee had an appointment with. The sublet won't be ready for a few days. The owner's mother had an unexpected fall and has been in thehospital with her for the last week. He’s a single father with way too much shit going on and hasn’t had the chance to get the place cleaned out from the previous tenant."

Well, wasn't that just great. This day couldn't possibly get any worse.

I spoke too soon.

Annalee's screech and slamming of the office phone echoed through the room. I was once again grateful for the audio system Maverick put in place that allowed us to hear what was happening out in the reception area.

"Well, that doesn't sound good."

I gave my boss the “duh” look before rushing out to see what was going on. Annalee was still mumbling to herself when I made it to her side.

"Everything okay?"

"No, everything's not okay," Annalee snapped. "My father's attorney emailed that he had urgent business to discuss with me, so I called him back. My evil stepmother is suing me and trying to contest the will saying I coerced my father into changing it."

At least he hadn't told her about the magazine articles and the fact that they were blaming her for her father's death. I had a feeling that would've only further pushed Annalee over the edge.

"Did the attorney mention what her chances are of winning?"

"Zero. Her chances are zero. He assured me she doesn't have a leg to stand on. My father's attorney was the one to witness the change of the will and spoke in great length to my father about it. He made his attorney promise that he wouldn't discuss anything with me until the will was read. The attorney knows I didn't have a clue what was going on, let alone coerced my father into anything."

That was good at least. But it didn't explain why she was so mad.

"So then, what's the problem?"

If looks could kill. I would be a pile of ash at the moment.

"The problem is mystepmotheris dragging both my name and my father's name through the mud. I don't give a shit about me. I can defend myself, but my father can't, and he did a lot of good while he was alive. To have her ruin that would have my father rolling around in his grave."

I guess I hadn't thought about it that way. From the little research I had done on Theodore Bruce, everything pointed toward him being an extraordinary individual who never hesitated to donate money. That was a rare commodity among the rich.

"Did your stepmother ever have a problem with how much your father donated?"

Annalee released a heavy sigh and leaned farther back in her desk chair. "I'm not sure. If they fought about it, he never mentioned anything to me. My mother was the one who loved to give back to others. When she died, my father continued on with her legacy. As far as I could tell, that didn’t change even when he remarried, but again, if they disagreed about it, he never said anything to me."

I made a mental note to check on that as well. It would be easy enough to go back over the years and see where the money was being spent. Money trails were one of the easiest things to follow, especially if things were kept on the up-and-up. Something told me Theodore was that kind of man.

"What do you say we get out of here for the day?" It was after five o'clock, and even though Maverick never required us to keep typical banker hours, it was rare I would leave so early, but it looked like Annalee needed a break.

She looked at the clock and winced. "I was so busy I forgot to check in with you about those places to see if they were still available."

"Yeah, about that . . ." I really hated being the bearer of bad news. "The one is no longer available. I don't have the exact information yet, but they removed the sign. The other won't be ready for a few days."

Annalee chewed on her lip. "I could always get a hotel room. It would have to be under your name but I could pull the money from my inheritance without anyone knowing."

That wasn't happening.

"The closest hotel is twenty minutes away, and as much as driving doesn't bother me, I've gotten used to being able to leave my house and be at work in under five minutes. I have no desire to travel an hour every morning to go get you and then come back to work."

Plus, there was no way I was leaving her in a hotel room alone, so the point was moot. I didn't tell Annalee that though. Until the situation with her stepfamily was resolved, she wouldn't be going anywhere alone.

"I could buy a car"—Annalee snapped her fingers—"or take the bus."

"Does this town look like it has a bus station?"

We walked out the front door together and she looked up and down Main Street. "Yeah, I guess not, now that you mention it. I didn't think this whole arrangement through when I agreed to come down here."

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