“Honey?” Colton’s voice rang out a second before he knocked. “You decent?”
He’d never thought another man would call him honey. Coming from Colton, it made him smile.
“Yes.” He laughed as he imagined himself stripping off his clothes and meeting Colton naked and hard. Then he’d see if honor and duty were stronger than lust and hormones.
Colton eased the door open. “Can I come in for a second? You up to this? I can put this lawyer off if I need to.” Colton didn’t sound like he was all the way sure of that, but the offer was sweet.
He wouldn’t be able to delay things. Mr. Lee had taken the first flight he could from Virginia to meet Zach. “What good’s putting it off going to do?”
Colton chuckled softly, the sound making him smile. “It’s not. Shit, this stuff’s so far over my head it ain’t funny. I just nod a lot and keep my mouth shut. Seems to be the secret to life.”
Zach could see that. Colton’s world was tight as a nun’s thighs in a lot of ways. He lived on family land, he worked for his uncle, and he had someone watching him all the time.
No wonder Colton had cast eyes on him. Hell, in a lot of ways, they were living the same life, except he thought Colton had given up the passion of music for the safety of not being scared.
That wasn’t a choice Zach had been allowed to make. Until now. “Sometimes, speaking up is what makes it worth living.” He kissed Colton’s cheek. “Don’t give up your dream for what’s easy.”
Zach walked out before Colton repeated the lies he’d convinced himself were true. It also wasn’t right to upend Colton’s world. After the talk with Mr. Lee, Zach would figure out where to go next.
Problem was, he was going to leave his heart behind when he left.
Mr. Lee was nothing and everything Zach expected rolled into one. Tall and trim, he was younger than Zach pictured. He also didn’t present as technologically challenged as the man who said he couldn’t figure out Facetime or Zoom chats.
But Zach had nailed how he dressed. Khakis, navy blazer, top button open on his pale pink oxford; hell, Zach had even got the goddamn loafers right.
Beauregard glanced up from his papers and smiled when Zach walked into the dining room. It wasn’t predatory, but it was more than just professional courtesy.
“Zachariah.” He stood and extended his hand. “Nice to meet you after all these years.”
Zach swallowed his nerves. Showing fear wasn’t an option anymore. “Years, sir? We spoke for the first time three weeks ago, Mr. Lee.”
“Please, call me Beau. I work for you, not the other way around.”
He shook briefly, and Zach relaxed a hair. The contact would have lingered if the man wanted more from it than being polite. “Mr… Beau, I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but I think you’re mistaken. I didn’t hire you, and I sure as hell can’t afford to pay a lawyer.”
Beau blew out a breath. “As I feared; Jeb never told you.” Motioning for the chair next to his, Beau sat. “Let’s talk.”
Taking the offered chair, Zach sat across from the sheriff. Colton plopped next to his uncle, and everyone waited as Beau shuffled a few papers.
“Your grandmother’s family and mine are related. It goes back a few generations, but we are both descendants of Richard Lee. Our family helped found Virginia and the United States. We also tried to break it up when Robert E. Lee beat all those Yankee generals before Ulysses Grant wore him down.”
Zach had the feeling his ‘cousin’ would have sided with General Lee over the Union if he’d been there.
“My father, and his father before him, were trustees of your great grandparents’ estate. Your grandmother was an only child, so she inherited the entire fortune. That passed to your mother and now to you.”
“Help me understand this,” Sheriff Ted said. “What happened recently that triggered Zach gaining his inheritance?”
“Technically, nothing.” Beau smiled. “He’s been entitled to income from the trust since he was eighteen. His grandfather was his guardian after Zach’s parents died. Jeb was instructed to tell Zach about his trust many times. Clearly, he ignored those directions.”
“And you never checked with Zach?” Colton asked.
“My firm had no reason to doubt Jeb Baxter. He never asked for money from the trust to take care of Zach. We weren’t Zach’s guardians, only trustees of the family trust. Unless we suspected misuse of funds, we had no cause to investigate.”
Zach sat there with his mouth hanging open. Just sat there not believing a single word coming out of the man’s mouth. This was like—it was a con. It had to be. This wasn’t how his life worked. “So… this is legal money. Nothing fucked up?”
One of Beau’s eyebrows lifted so high Zach almost busted out laughing. “Indeed.”
The world was all of the sudden moving at the speed of The Orange Blossom Special, and Zach was holding onto his bow and just praying he’d get to the end of the tune without losing the whole goddamn thread.
