Page 5 of Dangerous December
“Not all heirs are quite so understanding, believe me. This office can turn into a war zone at the drop of a hat.” Nora smiled at him. “But while your parents did leave some of their liquid assets as a bequest for the church and some charities, that wasn’t the major part of their estate.”
The attorney sifted through the papers in front of her and began reading a lengthy document detailing numerous other bequests to local charities, distant relatives, and several close friends.
Beth shifted in her seat and shot another surreptitious look at Dev.
His casual demeanor revealed little concern about the proceedings...though as the only heir, he certainly didn’t need to worry. His father had been a popular small-town doctor, and his mother had come from an old-money family out East.
Whether or not he returned to active military service, his future would be secure.
Well, good for him. The sooner he left town, the sooner the painful knot in her stomach would ease.
Dev jerked upright at the same moment Beth heard her own name.
“You’rekidding.”
Confused, Beth looked between the two of them. “What did you say?”
“Vivian adjusted her will after her husband’s death.” Nora tapped the paper in front of her. “She said Alan wouldn’t have approved, but she had good reasons. As a woman of sound mind,she had the right to make any changes she wished. Are you familiar with the family home, Beth?”
“Well, yes. But I haven’t been there for many years. After Alan died, Vivian moved to a condo and turned their home into Sloane House—a boarding house, I think. She never talked about it.”
“Not just any boarders. She took in people who had faced troubles and needed encouragement, a safe haven, or a little boost in life. She helped them get on their feet.”
Dev’s face registered surprise that echoed her own. “So Vivian possessed an altruistic spirit? I never knew.”
Nora nodded. “Everything she did was done anonymously. As for Sloane House, there was never any publicity or hint that it was anything but a boarding house for older folks. She wanted it that way.”
Dev shifted in his seat. “Can you elaborate?”
“The residents at Sloane House have been there for various reasons. Some just needed an affordable place to stay while they saved money toward a rent deposit or down payment on a place of their own. Some were downsized and unable to find a decent job due to age discrimination, no matter what the law says.”
“I never knew,” Beth murmured.
“She didn’t just give them a place to stay. She helped them look for jobs and prepare for interviews, or find loans for re-education. Some needed help connecting with the right kinds of county services.”
“My mother, the social worker,” Dev said drily. “That isn’t how I remember her while I was growing up.”
Nora looked at him over the rims of her glasses. “You’ve been gone many years. People change.”
“I guess, but she sure never said anything about this in her formal Christmas letters.”
“She did know her limitations. She didn’t have a degree in social work, but she considered this her ministry. It meant the world to her when members of her flock succeeded.”
“She was certainly discreet,” Beth murmured. “I just knew there were boarders living there.”
“Which is exactly what she wanted the town to know, for the privacy of those who received her help.”
“Still, I’m not sure what this has to do with me.”
Nora smiled. “Vivian was worried about the future of any boarders who might be living there when she died. So she added a clause in her will requiring that you two operate Sloane House.Together.For a minimum of six months.”
“So my mother decided we would be partners, in the business sense?” Dev gave Beth a sharp look.
The heat of Dev’s stare scorched her skin, and Beth suddenly felt faint. “Both of us?Why?”
Nora pursed her lips. “I suspect Vivian thought Devlin would need help, but it’s probably a little more complicated than that.”
“Well, it won’t work. Period. I was due to re-up last month, but had to postpone it until my next checkup. It’s at the VA hospital in Minneapolis on the fifteenth. Once I’m cleared, I’ll go active as soon as I have the paperwork and can arrange the flights.”
