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“I’m okay.” She takes the plate Chance has filled for her with food. “But I’ll be going home tonight.”
“This bum kicking you out?” Chance glances at me as I sit down, setting our glasses by our plates.
I give him a stink eye. “Of course not.”
“I’m joking, asswipe. Damn.”
“It was kind of a mutual decision,” Carly says, maybe to keep us from bickering. “I have to work things out with my dad.”
Chance nods. “That reminds me. Miles and I were talking earlier, and I’m sure Austin will agree. We’d like to quitclaim your land back to your mom and dad.”
“What’s that?” Carly asks.
“A change of name on a property deed. In this case, giving your land back to your parents. A legal handoff.”
“Can we do that?” I ask. I don’t know much about the logistics and legalities of property.
Chance nods. “Yeah. I got on the horn with Shankle and he says it’s an easy transaction, though he did try to talk me out of it.”
“Why?” I ask.
“Because he was our father’s attorney long before he was ours, and that bastard never would have transferred a damned piece of lint without some kind of consideration. Proof of him being shady by taking the Vance’s land in the first place. But I made it clear that we’d be doing this one way or another. I figured we’d have to wait a year until the money’s ours to give the portion that was shafted, but Shankle says we can do the paperwork portion now if we want to.”
“You just want to give it to my dad?” Carly’s eyes are wide.
“Yeah,” Miles says with a decisive nod. “We don’t need it. Have you seen the size of this place?” He waves his hand around the huge kitchen. “Besides, we don’t want something that shouldn’t be ours.”
Carly shakes her head, but not in answer to Miles’ question. “My dad won’t take it. He’ll think it’s charity.”
“We’re just trying to make things right,” Chance says. “The three of us aren’t our father.”
“I know that,” she says. “I’ve always known that. It’s why I’m going home. He’ll understand eventually, and this gesture may help.”
“I’ll have the papers by tomorrow,” Chance says, “if Austin here agrees.”
“Of course, I agree.” I trail my finger over Carly’s forearm.
“It’s settled, then.” Chance shoves a forkful of food into his mouth.
Carly smiles at me.
And for that single moment, all is right in this fucked-up world, if I don’t think of the mysterious dead body that was uncovered, my mom in the hospital, my woman’s dad hating my guts, the EPA after us, and…
Yeah, never mind.
