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“I don’t want the property,” she said to the baffled man on the other end of the line. “I want to return it.”
“It was a gift to you. You own it.”
“Did you hear a word of what I said? Take it back.”
“I can’t. The only way to transfer ownership again is either to gift it or sell it.”
“Well, then gift it to the original owner.”
“You mean Mr. Rivers?”
“Yes.”
“He was very specific about his request. I don’t think he’s going to take it back.”
“Then give it to the owner who gave it to Mr. Rivers.”
There was a pause. A shuffling of papers sounded. “That would be Mr. Cain Jones.”
She gritted her teeth. “Whoever. Just do it.”
“There’s a legal fee involved. It’s a complicated process. You’ll have to make an appointment and come in.”
She uttered a groan of frustration. She didn’t have the money to pay for legal fees. “Just call Mr. Jones and tell him I don’t want his property. This is his mess. He can pay the transfer fees.”
The man hesitated. “It’s a prime property, Miss Sommer.”
“Do you understand English?” She didn’t care that she was being rude.
“Fine,” he said stiffly. “I’ll see what I can do.”
The line went dead.
She got to her feet. She owed her granny an explanation. Emily was dying of curiosity, but she was too polite to ask.
“Granny?” she called, walking to the kitchen as she considered how much to tell her grandmother.
The sight in front of her made her stop dead in the doorframe. Emily sat at the kitchen table with a cup of tea in front of her, head tilted to the side, eyes open, and a faint smile on her lips. Asia didn’t have to look deeply into her granny’s eyes to know the light in them was missing. Her body turned heavy. Her heartbeat slowed to a sluggish thump in her chest.
Rushing to the table, she crouched next to the chair and touched her grandmother’s cheek. “Granny?”
Emily’s skin was cold.
Tears burned in Asia’s eyes. Her legs started shaking. Her breath caught on a sob, and then she couldn’t breathe at all. Flopping down on the floor, she pulled her knees to her chest and rocked herself as silent tears soaked her tunic.
“No,” she whispered. “I’m not ready to let you go.”
She pressed her forehead against her knees and dragged air into her lungs with stuttering breaths until sobs wracked her body.
Thank goodness Matt had already left for school. She wouldn’t have wanted him to be the one to find Emily. She had to be strong for her brother now.
Taking a deep, calming breath, she gripped the edge of the table and pulled herself up. She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand as she took her phone from her pocket and swiped a trembling finger over the screen.
When the operator answered, she said, “My granny just passed away. Can you please send an ambulance?”
From the shore, Sean had a prime view of the castle that stood on an island in the middle of the lake, the gray stone walls taking up all the land space. The only access was via a bridge that connected to the mainland.
Mist floated on the water. His breath made white puffs in the cold air. This was his favorite spot in Scotland. He often walked the short distance from the B&B and pub his dad owned. The Highland hills stretched from here to as far as the eye could see. When he was a boy, the sight seemed to go on endlessly, into forever. He was old enough now to know better.
There was an end to everything.
He drank in the serene setting. The only sight that beat this one was a frail lass with green eyes and soft curls. She was his favorite view in all the world. Was she setting up her spa at this very moment? Was she living her dream?
The ringtone of his phone disturbed the peace. He retrieved it from his pocket and glanced at the screen. He was going to reject the call, but when he saw Jerry’s name, he swiped the green button.
“I was just thinking of the old pub,” Sean said. “How are you?”
“Bronzing my backside on the beach as I should’ve done months ago. How’s Scotland? Freezing your ass off?”
Sean chuckled. “What’s up?”
“You told me to keep an eye on the Danish girl.”
Sean stiffened. “Is she all right?”
“I don’t know if this is the kind of information you want, but I reckoned you’d want to know her grandmother passed away.”
Damn. He pulled a hand through his hair. “When?”
“Couple of days ago. The funeral is the day after tomorrow.”
“Can you send me the details?”
“Sure thing. I’ll text you.”
Sean hung up and booked the next available flight to Colombia.
Sean landed in Bogota two days later and took a connection to Cartagena. Jerry waited at the airport. On their way to Jerry’s cabin where Sean was going to crash for a couple of days, Jerry stopped in front of the old pub. The place was locked up and dark. No workmen hung around. Maybe it was taking Asia longer than anticipated to start with the renovation, especially with the sudden death of Emily. He knew Cain had given her enough money to set up a handsome business and more. If she would’ve taken his money, he would’ve given it to her, but he knew better. A primitive part of him hated that Cain was her provider, but at least she wouldn’t need for anything. Matthew could go to university, and she could run her spa with a sea facing view.
