Page 18 of Accidentally in Bloom

“Did you do this?” she spat, eyes shooting venom at him.

“Why would I want more work, princess? I’m busy enough.” Goddamnit, she was frustrating. Like he had time to coerce his friend into writing him into his will to babysit his absent daughter?

“In the case of the co-executorship, Frank was very particular that you have to sign off on all decisions together. The decisions of what to do with his property, finances, everything.”

Gray glared over at the fuming, bossy, gorgeous know-it-all and cursed under his breath. The next few weeks of his life would be absolute torture.

If Frank weren’t already dead, Gray thought he might kill him.

ROSE

Fuck. Her life just got seventeen times more complicated.

“What do you mean we have to sign off on decisions together?” She never took her eyes off the pain in the ass across the room.

“I mean,” Mrs. Maroo said, “you’re a partnership. You’re in it to win it. He’s peanut butter, you’re—”

“Cyanide,” Gray muttered at Rose.

“I’m sure,” Mrs. Maroo continued, glaring at Gray, “you’ll want to consult with Violet and Lily, but ultimately you both have to agree on what to do with Frank’s house, his greenhouse, his business, including the building, and finally, another very unfortunate piece of information.”

Rose’s stomach sank. What could be worse than working with her newly found enemy, smoldering three feet away?

“I’m not pleased to tell you this, sweets, but you’re in deep shit.” Mrs. Maroo took a deep, resigned breath and pulled out a folder.

“Did she say ‘deep shit’?” Lily glanced around the room in confusion.

“Yes, ma’am. Deep, deep. Frank was a good man, God rest his soul, but not one for handling money.” She spun around to Rose with a pained look on her face. “I’m gonna give it to you straight. Your dad and his business owed a lot of money to the IRS.”

Rose heard a small gasp beside her and saw Violet’s eyes widen behind her glasses to the size of saucer plates. Rose reached for her hand, and Violet squeezed it like a lifeline.

“It’s fine, we’ll be fine,” Rose said quietly, squeezing Violet’s hand back.

Rose felt her fingers tingle with panic, but she reminded herself she could handle it. She’d made a good living and had some savings.

How bad could it be?

“Ok…” Rose took a deep breath. “Owed how much?”

Mrs. Maroo peered at her computer screen. “Three hundred and forty-seven thousand dollars and fifty-seven cents.”

Rose gasped and confusion echoed in the room. She pushed her hands through her hair. “How? He’s had the house and the shop forever.”

Mrs. Maroo removed her large glasses and steepled her hands in front of her. “He couldn’t keep up with the tax payments, and then they accrued faster due to the late fees.” She shrugged. “I think after a while, he just ignored it. We were in the process of discussing bankruptcy before….”

Before he died.

The county had ruled his cause of death as a stroke that took him while he was sleeping. Had the stress of this caused it?

“What if…” Violet started but bit her lip. “What if he was the borrower on my house loan?” Her skin had gone pale, and her hand trembled in Rose’s.

Mrs. Maroo’s eyebrows shot up. “He was the primary borrower on your loan?”

A tear fell down Violet’s cheek as she nodded. “I was so young when I wanted to buy the house. It was our grandparents’. In the family forever. I didn’t have the credit, so he got the loan, and I was the cosigner.”

“The IRS is usually pretty lenient when people die, right?” Gray offered Violet a small smile, and his eyes met Mrs. Maroo’s.

She shrugged. “Honestly, Frank’s finances were so intertwined with his business that it wouldn’t surprise me if they acted more harshly. They’d have every right to. I’m sorry, sweetie.”

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