AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Deidre stared unseeingly at the flames. Mari’s comment hurt, and she couldn’t help but suspect it pained her so much because there was an element of truth to it. Mari must have sensed her discomfort because she patted her knee again warmly.
“We don’t have to belabor it right now. It’s Christmastime,” she said, nodding toward the gorgeous nine-foot Douglas fir decorated with lights and ornaments situated to the right of the fireplace. “I’ll be doing a special Christmas Eve concert tomorrow afternoon with the symphony. You and Marc can attend together. Ryan couldn’t make it for the concert, but he’ll be here late tomorrow afternoon. We’ll have our own little family Christmas. It’ll be nice.”
Deidre tried to muster some enthusiasm into her smile, but it was hard.
What would Nick be doing for Christmas, now that she’d fled Harbor Town? Surely he’d return to The Pines or to San Francisco. She hated the idea of him spending the holiday alone in the Starling Hotel.
She chastised herself when she realized how worked up she was getting as she considered the possibility.
She was in the process of unpacking later when her cell phone rang. She cautiously checked the number but didn’t recognize it. For a moment, she wavered about answering it. Nick had called three times since their blowup yesterday, and her mother had left yet another message, imploring her to come to her house for Christmas Eve. She dreaded talking to Nick, but she couldn’t stop thinking about him.
Had she been wrong to react as she did? What kind of rotten luck did she possess, to fall in love with a man while billions of dollars were at stake? Could she ever completely trust his motives, now that she knew he’d kept his thoughts about Lincoln’s letter secret from her?
She felt uncertain about talking to her mother, as well. They’d gotten along so well at the McGraw Stables. What’s more, Liam and Natalie would be home for Christmas following their honeymoon. Colleen, Eric and the kids would go to Sycamore Avenue. If things hadn’t derailed so drastically yesterday after John’s visit and the call from GenLabs, Deidre suspected she’d have been accepting her mom’s invitation.
She made a split-second decision and answered the phone.
“Hello?”
“Ms. Kavanaugh? Deidre?” Something about the slight quaver in his voice suggested she spoke to an older man.
“Yes?”
“Hello. My name is Abel Warren. I was Lincoln DuBois’s personal attorney and am the designated attorney for his estate.”
“Oh...hello, Mr. Warren.”
“I’m very sorry about your loss, Ms. Kavanaugh.”
“Thank you. You knew Lincoln for a very long time, I’m sure. I’m sorry for your loss, as well.”
“Lincoln was a good friend. I hope you don’t mind me reaching you at this number. Nick Malone gave it to me.”
“He did?”
“Yes. He asked me to contact you in regard to several things, one crucial item being the availability of your funds.”
“Funds?”
“Yes. Your bank accounts and assets? I previously understood from Nick that we were waiting to hear about paternity testing. However, seeing as how paternity has been confirmed and Nick has given the go-ahead, we are free to carry on.”
“But I haven’t given you and Nick the official report yet,” she said numbly. “GenLabs is sending it special delivery later this afternoon.”
“Nick is satisfied with a verbal affirmation, and I’m satisfied if he is. Ms. Kavanaugh?” the man asked when she was too stunned to reply for several seconds. Deidre was too busy absorbing the news that Nick had told the lawyer that her word was golden. Of course she shouldn’t be surprised, should she? Nick had insinuated he wouldn’t stop her from getting access to Lincoln’s inheritance even before the results from the genetic testing had come.
“Yes?”
“I understand from Nick that discovering you are Lincoln’s coheir has come as quite a shock to you,” he said, his voice gentle. “Becoming an extremely wealthy woman overnight must be bewildering. It might be easy to begin to doubt your own instincts. While I would advise extreme caution, I hope you don’t give up on trusting yourself.”
Something about the unexpected kindness of the attorney affected her deeply. She gave a ragged laugh. “I’ll try,” she said.
“Give it time. It’ll sink in, slowly. I want you to know that I’m your ally, Deidre. Did you know that I worked for your grandfather, George DuBois, before I went to work for Lincoln?”
“No,” she said softly.
“Well I did. So you see, you’re the third generation of DuBoises that I’ll be offering service to. What do you think of that?”
Deidre smiled. She could almost picture a twinkle in the attorney’s eye as he spoke. Third generation of DuBoises.
