Page 33 of Scarlett and the Big Bad Billionaire
Scarlett’s reading pace must have been about the same as mine because we both gasped simultaneously.
“Power of attorney?” I asked. “Victoria, why?”
“I’m not sure what this means,” Scarlett said to her then looked at me with a quizzical glance.
Victoria took a seat in her favorite wing-back recliner chair.
“In case you two haven’t noticed, I’m old.” She chuckled. “I feel fine, but I’m noticing changes. I move slower, I think slower. My vision is going, and my hearing’s not too hot either. I’m not buying any green bananas these days, if you know what I mean.”
She chortled at her own joke before going on. “Thanks to the sale of Stuart’s company and some smart investments I made in art and collectibles, I have quite a lot in assets. I would like to start finding new homes for all those pretty things. It’s time.”
Scarlett knelt next to her chair, looking distressed. “But you could live alotlonger—another decade, maybe even more.”
Victoria stroked her granddaughter’s cheek with a gnarled hand. “If I do, it’ll be with far fewer possessions… and in a smaller house. This is too much for me, and your priorities change as you get older. It’s ridiculous to have cleaners dusting rooms no one ever goes into. A young family should be living here— or an active couple who willusethe house.”
She turned from Scarlett to me. “I know you don’t like me talking about it, but it’s fair to say that at this age, any day could be my last. I want to see my art collection in loving hands. There are people who’ve contacted me over the years wondering if I’d like to sell this piece or that.”
Looking back at Scarlett, she said, “And I’d like you to find the perfect buyer for the home and some worthy causes to donate my fortune to. It’ll be a lot of work, and it’ll take time, I’m afraid. But I have no one else to ask.”
“Of course,” Scarlett said. “I will if you want me to, but…”
“But what dear?”
“I hate the idea of you leaving—especially when I just got you back in my life.”
“We’ll make the most of the time we have left, shall we?” Victoria asked with an affectionate smile.
Scarlett nodded then went to sit on the sofa, reading through the paperwork. At one point her expression clouded.
“This says Gray and I arebothto have power of attorney.”
Victoria nodded. “That’s right. Many hands make light work. It’s too much to ask one person to do. Gray knows art, and he knows what I have in my collection. I figured that could be his responsibility.”
I nodded to her, swallowing hard.
She went on, pointing at Scarlett now. “You can handle some of the other things like arranging an estate sale for the things that aren’t going in the auction. You two can divide the work evenly.”
Now Scarlett’s eyes came up to meet mine. I knew what she was thinking before she said it. “Vivi… are you sure you can… trust him?”
I huffed an irritated laugh. “Are you sure you can trust her?”
Victoria slapped one scrawny thigh, looking and sounding thrilled. “This is working already. I trust youboth, but the fact that you don’t trust each other will ensure that my estate is liquidated properly and fairly. Of course you’ll be compensated for your efforts.”
Both Scarlett and I spoke at the same time, protesting.
“You don’t have to do that. I don’t want your money,” she said.
“It isn’t necessary. I don’t need it.”
Victoria held up a silencing hand. “Youwillbe compensated. That’s final. I have only one more thing to ask.”
“What is it?” Scarlett asked.
“Anything,” I said.
“No more of that bickering I heard outside my bedroom door. The two of you are enough to wake the dead when you get going.”
The housekeeper came in and announced the visiting nurse had arrived to give Victoria her bath and medications, so Scarlett and I both bid her our goodbyes and left.
