Page 21 of Colton's Last Resort

Someone knocked on the door. Before she could answer, Adam stepped in. “You heard?”

“About our ten o’clock?” Laura asked. “Erica told us.”

Joshua lifted the pastry box. “Doughnut?”

Adam frowned over it. “Jelly-filled?”

“Lemon or raspberry?”

“Lemon,” Adam said and took the parchment around the doughnut when Joshua offered it to him. “Thanks. By the way, I called Greg. He’ll be sitting in on the meeting.”

Joshua gave a little chuckle.

“I missed the joke,” Adam said critically.

“You’re the one who wants our attorney to sit in on a family meeting,” Joshua pointed out.

“Why is that?” Laura asked.

Adam shifted his jaw. “I have a feeling Greg should be a part of this.”

Laura trusted Adam’s instincts. Still, there was another matter. “Clive won’t like it. It’ll put his back up.”

“So will the fact that you still call him Clive,” he noted.

“Have you heard anything about Allison’s case?” Joshua asked.

“No,” Adam said. “I couldn’t sleep last night, however—”

“Disturbed, party of three,” Joshua inserted.

“—and I had a thought,” Adam continued, ignoring him. “I’d like to set up a fund for her family to help cover funeral costs.”

“Adam,” Laura breathed. “That’s a wonderful idea.”

“I second that,” Joshua said. “And she should have a plaque to go in the meditation garden. It was her idea, her design. It should be in her name.”

“Just like the restaurant is in Mom’s,” she mused. “Of course.”

Joshua’s phone beeped. “That’s Carter. I offered to help him with the morning work down at the stable. I’ll be back for the meeting.”

“Preferably on time,” Adam called after him.

Joshua tossed a wave over his shoulder and shut the door behind him. Adam looked at her. “Since Detective Steele is the only relative so far who’s contacted us, do you think we should send the offer through him, or would you be more comfortable speaking with her parents directly?”

“He’s her foster brother,” she explained. “I don’t think her parents are in the picture. She never spoke of them. Only him. And, you should know, last night, I got the sense Detective Steele was overwhelmed by the idea of planning a funeral for her. I offered to help. He refused. Judging by his behavior, I’m not sure he’d be willing to take on financial help.”

“Was he a jerk to you, Lou?”

“Hey,” she said with amusement, measuring the width of his straight-backed shoulders. He was wearing his best suit today and his muscles were knotted, ready, beneath it. “Easy there, knuckles.”

“He threatened you in the break room,” Adam reminded her.

“He threatened all of us,” she amended. “And underneath...” She sighed, remembering. “My God, Adam. He looked broken.”

“I don’t envy him,” Adam muttered.

“I’ll speak to him about the fund,” she said.

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