Page 66 of An Island Summer
“Okay,” she said, relenting.
“It’ll probably add another seven hundred dollars in labor.”
What was she supposed to do, leave the holes in the wall and live in Pappy’s cottage with no electricity? “All right,” she said, having literally no other option but to agree. Right now, she didn’t have that kind of money to throw around. All she could hope for was that Toby would come through for her quickly and locate her inheritance.
The ocean swelled and crashed against the shore on the other side of the wild grass-covered dunes behind Meghan, as she and Toby sat at one of the bistro tables on the deck of Lost Love Coffee after her shift at work. Meghan anxiously twirled her straw in her iced coffee, her heart in her throat, her eyes on the open journal in Toby’s hands. Toby closed the journal slowly and set it down.
“How can you prove this is real?” he asked, folding his hands, the calmness a little too steady for her liking.
The buzzing of anticipation came to a screeching halt. She’d just assumed that after everything they’d learned with Rupert, she wouldn’t have to prove this to Toby. But just like he’d done early on, he was doing it now: brushing off coincidences that were too obvious to her to ignore.
“My grandfather had the combination for the lock. Isn’t that something? The bank people said they’d been waiting to see who would finally come get it.”
“We don’t know anything about the origins of this,” he said. “And if it was Hester’s, how do we know she wasn’t completely off her rocker when she wrote it? She didn’t strike me as the most stable of people.”
“She left her money to her family,” she said, having no idea what other words to tell him. “I’mher family.”
“Meghan,” he said softly, shaking his head, bewildered, “I can’t part withmillionsof dollars of my grandfather’s money because you’ve found some notebook with a cryptic letter inside.”
“It’s not cryptic. It spells it out right here.” She opened the journal and tapped Rupert’s name with her finger.
His shoulders lifted as if he had no explanation for it. “Until I have solid proof in an official document, our legal team won’t touch this. There are no last names listed, we have no idea as to the origin of this, and my father holds no accounts in Hester’s name. My hands are tied. You have to understand that. Do you have any legal proof at all besides this journal?”
“There’s a will.” She ran her finger under the words on the page stating it. “Rupert has it. Hester said it herself.”
Toby shook his head, that sparkle she’d seen in his eyes now a cloud of disbelief. “I’ve been through all my grandfather’s paperwork and I’ve never seen a will of any kind.”
She knew that without a will, she had very little to prove her case. She wanted him to tell her they’d figure it all out, but she understood how massive this was, and she knew he needed time.
“I should go,” he said, thoughts written on his face, his response telling her he was as confused as she was by the whole thing. “I’ll see if I can find anything that would substantiate this, but I doubt I will.”
“Okay,” she said, not knowing what else to say to him, suddenly feeling like they’d drawn an invisible line between them in the sand, her heart breaking. Should she just let it go? She knew she couldn’t. If that money were meant for her, it could change her life.
He turned to leave and she was glad that her back was to him so he couldn’t see the unexpected tears that had welled up in her eyes. The last thing she wanted was to cause a rift between them over money, but if it was meant for her and her family, what could she do?
“Should we continue to stay here at The Seabreeze?” Tess asked as she sat next to Meghan on the sofa after Meghan had gotten home.
Meghan twisted toward her friend. “Why do you ask?”
“What if you end up having to go to court over this? I searched online and you can use letters as a will and take him to probate court over it. They could contest it if it’s vague or if there’s no evidence to support it, but we could try if we had to. Should we use his money or goodwill right now? Would it be a conflict of interest?”
Charlie jumped up beside Meghan on the sofa, nudging her to give him attention. “I don’t know,” she replied honestly, feeling awful. The very last thing she wanted was to fight Toby in court, and she knew deep down that his legal team would eat her alive. “Let’s just see where it goes in the next few days and we can figure out our next move then.”
“Have you thought about what will happen if the rumors are true and he’s already spent Hester’s money? Would you go after him and make him pay it back?” Tess asked, her face racked with worry.
Meghan shook her head, looking up at the high living room ceiling with its track lighting around it as she rubbed Charlie’s side for comfort. “I don’t know,” she said again, tears pricking her eyes. She blew out an anxiety-filled breath through her lips. “I can’t imagine it coming to that.” A lump formed in her throat, her heart aching. “And if it did, how would I even pay a lawyer so that I could get the money, when I can’t even afford rent?”
“I could use my savings,” Tess offered. “And if we’re really careful with our tip money, we could do it if we had to.”
Meghan pulled her feet up onto the sofa and put her head in her hands. “If we still have tip money.”
“What do you mean?”
“Would I be allowed to work for a man that I’m suing?” She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. “I don’t want to sue Toby. I didn’t ask for any of this…” Hester loved Rupert and would never have sued Rupert’s family. Meghan was nearly sure of it.
Tess fluttered her hands in the air. “Nobody’s suing anyone,” she said. “All we have to do is prove that there’s a will of Hester’s, right? If we have that, Toby will come around.”
“And how are we supposed to do that?” she asked, rubbing her aching temples.
