“You’re not a joke, Teagan, you’re awesome. And Troy doesn’t deserve you. Portia is a bitch, and she was always a crappy friend. You know, if it’s too much to handle, you can come stay with me. I’m planning to convert the garage to a one bedroom.”

She gives me a sad smile. “I appreciate that, but with my job and Dad . . . it’ll be fine. I just need to wait it out. It’ll all blow over. Once your name is cleared, it’ll all go back to normal. Minus Troy. We’ll get through this.”

“We will. I’m here. Whatever you need, Teag.”

It seems like out of all of us, Teagan is the one who has to suffer the most for sins she didn’t commit. I can’t help but wonder if normal is what we should be striving for—that maybe this is the universe’s way of telling us it’s time to make a change.

CHAPTER 21

THE RUSE

Van

I hate that my sister has to go back to the city. I don’t want her to have to face all the crap on her own. With the breakup and her shitty superficial friends, this can’t be easy for her. I wish I could convince her that it’s not her job to make sure Dad is okay. We all lost Mom, and yes, that absence never goes away, but living in the past isn’t really living at all.

The day after Teagan and Bradley go back to Chicago, I get a call from Bernie. Nothing seems to happen quickly around here, but I’d like to get everything in order and in my name, for peace of mind.

“Hey, Bernie, how’s it going? You need me to come in and sign some more documents?”

“Well, I’d like to say yes, but we have a bit of an issue.”

I flip a pen between my fingers to keep my hand busy. “What kind of issue?”

“I’m not sure what to make of it, but it looks like someone is trying to contest the will.”

“Contest the will? Why?” It’s been months since Bee passed. It doesn’t make sense that someone would contest it now.

“Basically, this person is calling into question whether or not Bee was capable of making the decision to make you sole beneficiary of the estate.”

I run my fingers through my hair, gripping the strands at the crown. I don’t understand who would want to take Bee’s cottage. A couple of months ago I would have been able to fight a legal battle over it without an issue, but with only Bee’s random stacks of cash to live on, I’m not in any kind of position to put up a financial fight. The thought of losing all the memories associated with the cottage and Bee is inconceivable. “Do we know who it is?”

“Not yet, but I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough. Is there anyone you can think of who might be unhappy that you’re the sole beneficiary?” he asks.

“I don’t know. I’m going to make a few phone calls, though, and ask some questions.”

“Okay. When you have some time, it might be a good idea to come by the office.”

“Sure, yeah. Is this afternoon okay?”

“Anytime is good. Just tell Darla that I asked you to stop by.”

“Sure. Thanks for letting me know.”

I end the call and exhale a breath, hoping to find some calm, but it’s not working. Maybe my dad has gotten himself into more financial trouble than he can handle. But would he even think this place is worth anything? I don’t want to believe that he could do something like this behind my back, but I need to at least find out if he knows anything about it.

I pull up his contact and hit the call button.

“Donovan, it’s good to hear from you, son. How are things in Pearl Lake?”

“They’re okay.” They’re not really, but I’m warming up to that.

“Good, good. I’m glad to hear that. Teagan said she had a wonderful time with you. She misses you, though. She told you about her and Troy falling out?”

“I miss her too. And yeah. She did.”

“Mmm.” I hear tapping in the background, signifying that he’s probably answering emails while on the phone with me. “It’s unfortunate. They seemed so well suited. And he’s doing very well in finance. He would have been a stable partner for her.”

“Yeah, well, his lack of loyalty sure did show his true colors, so I’m going to say she’s better off without him. Anyway, I wanted to check in with you, see how things are going. Have we made any progress on the investigation into the missing funds?”

“I have a forensic accountant looking into things for us. I know you must be eager to get back to Chicago and return to the twenty-first century.” He chuckles, and I am reminded of how much of a snob he can be. Even when my mother was alive, he would rarely, if ever, come stay in Pearl Lake.

“Thanks, Dad, I appreciate that. Look, I know this might be an odd question, but you wouldn’t happen to know anything about Grammy Bee’s will being contested, would you? You know if there are financial issues, you can always tell me.”

The sound of typing stops. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I just got a call from the lawyer. The will is being contested, but he doesn’t know by who yet. I’ve been working on having everything switched to my name, but that can’t happen until this is sorted out.”

“Well, I have to admit, Bee leaving everything to you and only you was a bit unfair.”

“Unfair? Teagan and Bradley both got checks out of the deal,” I snap. “Neither of them wanted the cottage. I’m the only one with an attachment to this place, and it was Bee’s decision.”

“There’s no need to get worked up about it, Donovan. It’s not going to change anything. I’m just saying that it isn’t surprising that someone is contesting it. Although I honestly don’t understand why they would bother. That cottage is falling apart, and the land it’s on isn’t something anyone can develop, especially on that side of the lake. Not without red tape and years of battling the town for permits. It’s more of a headache than it’s worth. Bee made sure of that,” Dad grumbles.

“Right. Yeah. Did Mom have any relatives who might think it’s worth something?”

“It’s possible. Bee had a sister, but she’s long passed, and I don’t think Bee’s nieces and nephews had any real connection to the place. I can look into it on this end if you’d like, son. I know you’ve got more than enough on your plate already. I’m sorry you’re dealing with this too.”

“Yeah. Me too. I’ll let you know if I get any more information on the who and why.”

“I’ll do the same on my end. We’ll get it all figured out. I promise.”

“Thanks.” I end the call more confused than ever.

I head over to Bernie’s to sign what he needs, and I berate myself for not acting sooner. Bee’s wishes would’ve been honored had I not delayed doing this.

On the way in I run into Billy. “Hey, Billy, how’s it goin’?” I hold the door open for him and glance around the parking lot, searching for Dillion or a familiar car, but I see neither.

His brows furrow in confusion. He tips his chin up, eyes narrowing. “Who’re you? How do you know my name?”

I’ve only met him a couple of times, and once he was so drunk he couldn’t see straight. “I’m Van. I live next door to you, in Bee’s cottage.”