Chase couldn't help himself. He had to say something before they moved on. "Well, that guy officially sucks."
He heard a small laugh escape Emma's lips, which made him feel a little bit better. At least she still had some humor left in her after this.
"OK, now that that's all settled." George gave them a small smile from the other side of the table. "Shall we continue with the rest of the reading?"
"I'm ready when you are," Chase said with a huge smile. "You good to go, Emma?"
She smiled and nodded her head. "Yeah, let's continue."
He leaned back in his chair, content in the fact that he and Emma were on the same side. They were sort of friends in this now, right?
But that wasn't going to last for long.
Chapter Two
From the last will and testament of Dorothy Colton:
I, Dorothy Colton, decree that Ms. Emma Colton shall receive my entire financial portfolio. Please contact Charles Dickson to make arrangements for the transfer of the portfolio into your possession.
However, I am adding a stipulation to the transfer of this account. In order to take possession of this money, Ms. Emma Colton must spend one percent of the portfolio's total amount within thirty days of the reading of this will. I also decree that Ms. Emma Colton must spend this money together with Mr. Chase Warwick.
Emma, you work so hard and are so serious, and I appreciate how you have overcome the obstacles you have faced. I cannot thank you enough for your companionship these past years. You have grown up to be an amazing woman who has always been there for me. We were the best of friends, and I hope you remember all those good times we had together.
I also believe that you need to get out, celebrate life, and enjoy things you may not have been able to do before. I hope this money, along withthe time spent with Mr. Warwick, will help you achieve that.
To Chase Warwick, I'm sure your relationship with an old grandma was as much a surprise to you as it was to me. You are such a wonderful gentleman, and I am in awe of your work as an actor and so thankful for your personal friendship with me. So I request that you help my granddaughter have fun, live life, and fulfill this challenge I've set out for both of you.
I officially sign this will and testament with a sound mind and entrust my lawyer, George Gordon, and my financial planner, Charles Dickson, to execute my final wishes.
Chapter Three
Emma sat there in silence. Her grandmother had told her that she needed to have more of a life outside of their house. She even mentioned a year ago that she was changing her will and was going to force Emma to have more fun somehow. Emma thought that would mean a little bit of money for some new clothes or money for a weekend getaway or something.
Emma wasn't expecting this. Spending money to make money? And she had to spend it on a movie star?
She could feel her chest tighten, and she reached for the buttons of this stupid blazer she bought for Nana's funeral. She wore it today to look professional and confident, but she wasn't feeling confident right now.
What the hell had Nana been thinking with this proposal of hers?
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, hoping that would steady her a bit. That's when she felt his hand on her shoulder.
Chase Warwick was still here, and he was still sitting next to her.
Emma knew Nana had befriended him. It seemed odd to Emma, but Nana loved it. Shealways put aside some of her pension every month for a convention and would go to three or so a year, but always close to home. It was cheaper that way. She also spent a little money on ingredients for cookies and would take dozens with her to share with fans she had become friends with over the years.
She would specifically make her special chocolate chip cookies just for Chase too.
"Don't worry," Nana would say. "Chase is paying for my martinis."
As if that was the issue.
Her grandmother was on a fixed income and while her pension was nice, she didn't really have a lot of money in savings. Meanwhile, Emma was just a librarian with student loans so it helped to live rent-free with Nana. It was also nice to live there and spend time with her. They had grown close over the past years with Emma out here. But they didn't live extravagantly. It was just a nice house that Nana had owned for a long time in a neighborhood she definitely couldn't afford if she had to buy it today. So this whole challenge to spend money wasn't really making sense.
Emma finally looked up to see Chase giving her a reassuring smile, but it wasn't all that reassuring. "Well, I guess you're stuck with me for awhile, huh?"
"I just...I don't understand this," she stammered. "I don't have any extra money to spend."
Charles the financial guy, who she had never met before, cleared his throat on the other side of the desk. "Actually, the one percent will come from your total inheritance. Once that's spent in thirty days, you'll get the other ninety-nine percent of the money."
