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"Maybe you're more human than wooden, after all," Jack said quietly. "It seems this has hit you harder than you expected. How are you feeling?"
I took a deep breath and watched a seagull land on the pool deck and then settle itself down for a nap in the sun. "Like my emotions are having a big fucking battle in my head. Not sure when I've ever had such mixed feelings about anything."
Shay stood. "You need some sustenance. I'm going to mix you up a banana smoothie." She disappeared inside.
I looked over at Jack. "I take that back. I just remembered something that has my feelings tangled into a big fucking mess."
Jack tapped the table hard enough to rattle the beer bottles. "I knew it. Ha. I fucking knew it. You're falling in love with Shay."
I didn't answer him. But then I didn't need to. I took a long drink and put the bottle down.
"Shit, Jack. He's gone. My dad's gone. I was sure he'd stick around for no other reason except spite, but even David Nash Archer couldn't outsmart death."
24
Considering the complexity of my dad's business affairs there was very little paperwork left to deal with. He had taken care of everything. Though, I was convinced he'd done it not to save me the headache but to show he'd had control until the last minute. That revelation made me smile. It really summed the man up well.
James Sheffield had been my dad's lawyer since I could remember, or at the very least, since I'd learned the word lawyer. He was a man whose fine dining and whiskey sours had caught up to him. His stomach strained the fabric of his vest, and his multiple chins were giving his shirt collar a workout too.
He lifted the stack of papers I had signed and tapped them on the dining room table to straighten them. "That should do it for now. The deed to the house will be transferred to the charitable trust until it can be sold. In the meantime, you'll probably want to make a list of all the things you are taking with you and what you'd like to be sold at auction. As I'm sure you know, some of the art your dad collected is extremely valuable."
"Yes, my dad didn't hold on to anything unless it was extremely valuable. There are a few items I want. I'll make a list next week. Could you also see to it that Mr. Pruitt receives one of the paintings at the top of the stairs as a gift."
Sheffield's eyes bulged. "That's extremely generous of you. Are you certain?"
"Trust me. He earned it."
Sheffield wrote a reminder on his phone and pushed out his chair to stand. "Your father took care of everything and got all his affairs in order. All that's left besides his funeral are the legal details on the trust. I'm sure you'll need time to decide which financial institutions you want to use. Will a week be enough time?"
I pushed up from the chair to see him out. "I think you might be ahead of the game, James. My new company doesn't even have a logo yet, let alone a seven digit profit. Could be awhile."
James rubbed his many chins between his forefinger and thumb. "I'm not following. What does your inheritance have to do with your new company?"
"The new addendum? I'd already reached the first one by making ten million without him, but he was so angry about my fiasco with MG Enterprises, he told me I had to get my company up and profitable before the trust could be turned over."
Dad's lawyer looked at me as if I was talking in a foreign language. His bushy brows did a little dance on his forehead. "I don't have a clue what you're talking about, Nash. There is no such addendum. And there was never a stipulation that you had to earn ten million on your own first. The trust has always been signed over to you, David Nash Archer Junior, his sole heir. Of course there is a chunk of money set aside so that Miss Odenkirk can continue to receive her monthly stipend." His mouth rolled into a thin line as he finished speaking. It seemed he wanted to take away the last part.
"Miss Odenkirk?" I asked. "Just who is this elusive Miss Odenkirk?"
His face turned red, and his tongue seemed to be tied in a knot. "My lord," he stuttered. "I was sure you knew about her."
"It seems there are a lot of things I didn't know about. My dad never stopped treating me like a kid. He was a private man, as you know. Who is she?"
He paused. "I'm not sure it's my place to say."
"James, you are probably the only person on earth who knows everything about my dad. More than me. It's your place."
His big barrel chest expanded with a deep breath. "Lydia Odenkirk is your mother."
I stared at him, not sure I’d heard him correctly. "That can't be right. My dad paid some woman to have his baby and then he sent her off for good. He never even told me her real name."
