Page 15 of Overnight Inheritance

“Plus,” Mae added, “I’d be looking at my own legs all day. I want to focus on the work instead.”

He grinned. “You’re not like the other suits.”

“To be honest,” she said, peeking over his head at Sebastian as he entertained Alfie with a bunch of pens, “I’m an elementary school teacher. My family owns half of this company, but I don’t usually work in the office.”

“Good to hear it. All these business people in their fancy suits and their hair slicked back like it’s the forties. Gives me the heebie-jeebies.”

Mae couldn’t hold back the laugh. He’d summed up the lawyers at the meeting the day before. “They’re great talkers,” she said, “not so great at listening.”

He slapped a hand on the desk. “That’s it in a nutshell.”

“I’m right here,” Sebastian said, leaning a hip on his desk.

Mr. Sheridan turned to him. “Whyareyou still here?”

Sebastian’s brows drew together comically. “It’s my office.”

Mae bit down a grin. “Actually, he’s not so bad. Now, tell me why you’re here, Mr. Sheridan.”

“Larry. The name’s Laurence, but you can call me Larry.”

She caught sight of Sebastian mouthing, “Oh, comeon,” and grinned back at him.

“Okay, Larry. I’d love to try and help.”

Almost forty minutes later, as she walked back in from seeing Larry out, she found Sebastian sitting on her desk, a drowsy Alfie still in his arms.

“That was impressive,” he said.

“I didn’t fix things.” Larry had multiple offers for his small property, and he was ready to sell, but wanted a bunch of assurances. First and foremost, that his house wouldn’t be pulled down and the land used to build a skyscraper. Turned out, that was exactly what Bellavista Holdings had planned. A stalemate.

“You got him to discuss his terms and start to consider he might need to compromise, which is more than anyone else here has been able to do.”

“I feel for him, though.” It was the house he’d bought with his wife when they’d first married. They’d raised their kids there and he knew almost everyone in the neighborhood, who would all be affected by the decision. But the prime location meant that even if he sold to a private person, they’d likely be tempted to sell to a developer soon after. He was just trying to do his best for his community.

“Hello?” A soft voice came from the door and a middle-aged couple walked in, clearly trying not to make too much noise. “Is he asleep?”

Sebastian smiled. “Close. His eyes are starting to droop.”

“Oh, my heart,” the woman said, crossing to the baby and smoothing the hair from his face.

Sebastian looked down at his son too, and his features softened, his gaze full of love. Mae’s father had been completely absent from her life, so fathers were always a curiosity to her. When her mother had found she was pregnant for the second time, she’d taken two-year-old Heath and disappeared to protect them all, and Mae was both grateful and proud. It had left her fascinated by fathers with their babies—nothing quite tugged at her heart the way Sebastian unashamedly loving his son did.

“Can I hold him?” the woman asked.

“Sure.” He carefully transferred Alfie to his grandmother’s arms. “He might be too sleepy to be excited now, but once he wakes up and realizes you’re here, he’s going to be beside himself.”

“My sweet baby,” she whispered and kissed the soft, wispy hair on his head.

Sebastian waved a hand toward Mae. “This is Mae Rutherford, though I think she prefers Mae Dunstan. One of Joseph’s missing children. Mae, this is Amanda and Barry, Ashley’s parents and Alfie’s grandparents.”

“Oh,” Amanda said, eyeing her eagerly, “so lovely to meet you. I have to admit, after reading about your reappearance I’ve been a little curious.”

“Alittlecurious?” Barry said, chuckling. “She’s been following any crumbs of the story she can find.”

Amanda blushed. “Well, we have a family interest. You’re the people who share Sebastian’s company. And our little Alfie will inherit it after him, so you’ll have to excuse me for wanting to snoop a bit.”

“It’s fine,” Mae said. “I’m sure I’d do the same in your position.” In fact, she and her brother had been raised to be suspicious, so they would have done much more investigating than simply following the crumbs of a story.

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