Page 8 of Dangerous December
Beth stared at Dev in shock, wishing she hadn’t let her thoughts wander earlier. “We’re divorced. I shouldn’t inherit anything.”
“Apparently, my mother thought otherwise.” He shrugged. “Maybe it’s like Nora said—she didn’t believe I could handle this alone. Offering you a chance to own your building was a way to ensure your cooperation.”
“It wasn’t a trust issue,” Nora interjected. “I can promise you that. She just felt that the job skills in your military career wouldn’t be attuned to this kind of role, Dev.”
“But thebuilding,” Beth insisted. “That’s just...” She fumbled for the right word. “Too much.”
Unless Vivian had somehow learned her secret.Was that even possible?
Dev leveled a look at her. “Maybe she figured you deserved battle pay after being married to me. Or maybe she just thought you deserved a break.”
Why hadn’t Vivian said something about this?
Dev’s abrupt decision to file for divorce had hurt his mother deeply—Beth had seen it in her eyes.
Still, her former mother-in-law had remained distant but cordial whenever she stopped at the bookstore or joined the crowd lingering outside church on Sunday mornings.
She’d even included her in the dozens of townsfolk she invited for a Christmas brunch last year, though the divorce had long since been finalized.
But Vivian had never made a single comment about the divorce, and there certainly hadn’t been any hint about the contents of her will.
Beth frowned. “This must be a mistake—a forgotten clause in the will, or something.”
Nora cleared her throat. “It’s all legal. She revised her will last February, actually, five months after your divorce was final. She went over every paragraph with me.”
“Still, this should be managed by someone experienced in the field.” Dev made an impatient motion with his hand. “Maybe a social worker. Or a nurse.”
“These were your mother’s wishes. She didn’t want to leave her charges to flounder without her,” Nora said with a firm smile. “I’m sure she figured you would follow through.”
He studied Beth for a moment, his eyes narrowed. “Maybe she had other motives.”
Horror and embarrassment washed through Beth at the obvious implication. “You think she wanted us thrown together over this?”
He didn’t respond, but she could see his answer from the hard glint in his eyes.
Maybe he even thought Beth had been in on the “plan,” but there was no way to prove him wrong. Did he really think she was so needy and pathetic?
She could feel her cheeks burning. “Your mother might’ve had fond dreams of happily-ever-afters, but if so, she was sadly mistaken. That couldneverhappen. You made that more than clear when you demanded a divorce. And believe me, I have absolutely no desire to turn back the clock.”
At the force behind her words, he looked taken aback. “No insult intended.”
No insult intended?He was even more obtuse than she’d thought. She took a steadying breath. “None taken. I’m just stating facts.”
Nora glanced between them. “I’m guessing this is going to be an uneasy peace between you two. Maybe even impossible.”
Silence stretched uncomfortably between them.
“I’ll request an extension of my leave,” he finally said through clenched teeth. “We can make this work. Right, Beth?”
Beth swallowed hard. “If we want to save your inheritance and my bookstore, we don’t have a choice.”
She tried to ignore the sudden, familiar warmth that sped through her when his large, strong hand briefly enveloped hers. Warmth that triggered a rush of memories, both good and bad.
He dropped her hand as if he’d touched fire, and she knew he’d felt it, too.
They had six long months ahead.
Six. Long. Months.
