Page 112 of Blue Jean Summer

“Understood. Thank you, sir.”

Mr. Allen said his goodbyes just as Lewis’s phone rang.

He glanced at the screen, then stepped out to answer it. “You better have good news for me, Gerald,” he snapped.

Hallie watched Lewis disappear into the rose garden, then looked at me. “He’s about to be in a bad mood, isn’t he?”

“Fortunately for me, yes. The judge said that the will stands, and the estate is mine.”

Hallie let out a sharp breath and laughed in relief. “That’s some damn good news.”

Mason cut through the kitchen and stopped short when he saw the two of us in conversation. He stepped through the study door and looked between Hallie and me. “Everything alright?”

Hallie leaned into him. “Lawyer called. Lewis doesn’t have a claim to the estate.”

Mason blinked in surprise as his hand coasted up and down her back in a reassuring motion. “I was preparing for the worst, so that’s some real good news.”

“Yeah,” I said as I swallowed the sand and shock that abraded my throat. “It is.”

Catherine returned and crowded in the door with Mason. Her eyes flicked to where his hand was, then looked up at me with an impassive expression.

“You wanted to talk?” I said hopefully as I rose from behind the desk.

Mason and Hallie glanced between Catherine and me, then looked at each other.

“We’ll give you two some privacy,” Hallie said as she and Mason turned to slip out.

“No, y’all can stay. This pertains to you guys too,” Catherine said, all business.

My stomach twisted.

“I’m throwing a grand opening for the Learning Cottage next weekend. I have it handled. I just wanted to give you a heads-up that there will be guests on the property. It shouldn’t interfere with the regular operations.” Catherine was robotic as she gave the news.

I was so fucking proud of her, and I hated that she wouldn’t let me share in her excitement.

I hadn’t worked out how to reconcile with her yet. Frankly, I didn’t think I should have to apologize. I was the one who had stuck my neck out for her. I had protected her.

But somehow, my attempt at protecting her had hurt her.

I had never been torn up over a relationship before, even when my engagement ended. Maybe I had grieved too much as a kid to be upset over ending things with a romantic partner, but Catherine taking off her wedding band had crushed me. Even today, her finger was bare.

I hadn’t slept. I never drank more than a sip of alcohol because of my daily medications, but today, all I wanted to do was sink to the bottom of a bottle.

“I can’t wait to celebrate with you,” I said earnestly.

The corners of her lips tightened, and she swallowed. “I should get back to work.”

“Cath—”

But she was already disappearing through the patio doors.

“Dammit,” I muttered as I shoved away from the desk, pushed past Mason, and followed her without a rehearsed plan or even the faintest clue of what I was going to say.

Something inside me had overridden every natural inclination to stay in the study. My feet had a mind of their own as I sprinted after her.

There was only one thing that could override logic.

Love.