“She means tea,” Beatrice said at the same time
Oakley glared at Beatrice. “Yes, some herbal tea.”
Theo helped Oakley sit down, fussing over her, while Beatrice came back with a cup of steaming tea.
“Are you all right?” Theo asked her as he took a seat at the head of the table.
Oakley heaved a big sigh and took a noisy sip of her tea. “I will be as soon as I have the money I need to support the last piece of Brooks on this earth.” The loud sobs started again. “I need to know my house is mine. I need to finish the nursery.”
Emmie’s face was dark. She stared straight ahead.
“Let’s get on with it,” Beatrice said with a strained smile. “Brooks would have wanted us—I mean you, Oakley—to be strong.”
Theo shuffled papers. “As the executor of the will of Brooks Dawson, it is my duty in the State of New York to ensure his final wishes are carried out as specified in this legal document.”
He cleared his throat and read:
“I,Brooks Dawson, being of sound mind and body, hereby declare this my last will and testament. To my beloved soon-to-be spouse,Oakley, I leave our family home, with all its belongings and memories, in gratitude for the years we spent together.”
“What the fuck? He just changed the name on the will we wrote.” Emmie was furious.
“If you can’t mind your manners, you’ll be thrown out,” Theo sneered at Emmie.
My fingers dug into the leather seat.
Emmie’s face was white.
“To my beloved Oakley, I also leave all of the jewelry, the car, the china, my art collection—”
I grabbed Emmie’s hand before she could let out a swear word or five.
“Yes, oh my God, yes!” Oakley pumped a fist then realized it wasn’t the best reaction to have and began to sob again. “Of course, I’d rather have Brooks than the money.”
There was a knock on the door, and the paralegal entered.
“I’m in the middle of a will reading!” Theo barked.
“Yes,” the paralegal said, wearing that blank face the really good paralegals had even though you knew they were dying inside. “But I found this stuck in the mail chute. I told you we needed to get that fixed. It pertains to the will.”
“We just read the will,” Oakley snapped at her. “It’sbeen read. Now, give me my money.”
Theo slowly unfolded the paper.
If I hadn’t been there, I was sure that he would have just burned it up. His face went red as he read the revised copy of the will.
I stood up to read over his shoulder.
“Brooks has decided to give everything to his unborn child,” I said. “Oakley’s name is crossed out.”
“No! It’s a lie!” Oakley cried.
“It’s signed and dated with Brooks’s signature.”
“Not a problem.” Oakley patted her protruding belly.
“And should no child be born, then it reverts to the old will anyway, right?” Beatrice asked anxiously.
“Wrong,” I said. “It goes to the legal next of kin, who would be Emmie.”
