Page 58 of Fireworks & Forehead Kisses

Clyde huffed as he pressed his muzzle against my forehead. My body relaxed just being near them. Part of me wished that I lived here and that every day could just be spent on the beach with horses and dogs. If I had the choice, that would be the life I would want to live.

After taking a few more moments, I decided it was time to get back to reality. I sanitized my hands as I headed toward the house. When I walked in, Fred and Dorothy were nowhere to be found, but I heard commotion in the kitchen, so I assumed they were readying food for the launch celebration. I found Gran in the sunroom seated in her armchair, Rufus asleep at her feet.

I crossed the room and bent down to kiss her on her cheek. “Gran, you look beautiful.”

She did. It had been six months since I’d seen her, and in that time, she’d somehow managed to age backwards. I had been so concerned that taking on this project would have been too much for her, but it appeared the opposite was true. It had given her a new lease on life.

Her skin was glowing. Her hair was shiny. She’d even put on a little weight. I wondered if that had been Ashley’s influence. For all the frustration and irritation she caused me when shestarted, Gran seemed to love her. I wasn’t sure why, but she seemed to be the only person Gran listened to when it came to eating.

“Thank you. Sit.” She motioned to the seat across from her, not the one beside her.

Gran had never been overly effusive, but even for her, that was a curt greeting. This might even be worse than I’d thought. As I sat down, I braced myself.

“I gather you and Serena didn’t reconcile.”

“No. We did not.”

She closed her eyes, and I could see the visible disappointment in her expression. She inhaled slowly, then exhaled as if the information truly upset her, and she was finding it difficult to remain calm.

“Gran, what’s going on? What is this new interest in me getting back together with Serena?”

Her lids opened. “Have you spoken to Harry?”

“No. I’m seeing him tomorrow morning.” We were scheduled to go over Derek’s legal issues.

She sat upright with her shoulders straight, and her hands were folded on her lap. Her ankles were crossed one in front of the other and angled to the side. It was the way she sat whenever she was discussing something unpleasant.

“What’s going on? What’s wrong? Just tell me,” I demanded.

“I discovered a copy of your grandfather’s will.”

“Discovered?” I assumed she’d always had a copy of my grandfather’s will. “What do you mean, discovered? Haven’t you always had one?”

“No. I haven’t. He was always funny about things like that. He left his affairs in Harry’s hands. The upshot is things aren’t as straightforward as I assumed they would be.” She took a deep breath. “I was of the belief that the company would be put either in your name or in my name; if it were in my name, Iwouldthen make the decision of who it would be passed down to; my intention was to name you as my successor. That’s what your grandfather and I discussed. That is not the case.”

That was what I’d always been told as well.

“So what is the case?” I wondered if he’d broken up the company into three parts. Maybe he’d left the Wolfe Clothing to Gran. The Wolfe Tequila to Derek. And the Wolfe Hotels/Resorts to me. It wasn’t ideal, but I could understand his reasoning. As someone who had been running all three for the past eight months, I found it was a lot to take on.

“At the end of the fourth quarter of this year, on Christmas Day, the business, in its entirety, will be passed down to whichever male heir is married.”

I stared at her in total and complete shock and disbelief. “What?”

“At the end of the year, the company will go to Derek unlessyouare married.”

“That’s…” I shook my head. “No, that’s not…Grandad wouldn’t do that.”

“Hediddo that.”

“Well, can’t you undo it?”

“Everything is in your grandfather’s name except this house.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. The house in Atlanta, the penthouse in New York, the cars, the business—all the assets are solely in your grandfather’s name and will be passed down to whoever inherits the business.”

“That’s not…you were married to him forseventy years.”

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