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Though she trusted Carter, she didn’t know these two men. She was taking nothing for granted in her life and never did before.
She wouldn’t risk Josie’s future for anything or anyone.
“No,” Grayson said, laughing. He looked like his brother in his features. You knew they were related and she’d seen a lot of pictures of the Bond family and could see the dark genes coming out too. “He wouldn’t. Unless you told him you are here, I didn’t.”
“No,” she said. “It didn’t come up. But you know Carter and I are dating, I’m assuming.”
She hadn’t said that to Grayson when she reached out, that Carter gave her his brother’s name.
“I do,” he said. “I’ve known for over a month, but I’m sure you’re aware my brother doesn’t say much either.”
“No,” she said. This meant Carter wouldn’t have told Grayson about the amount of money she had and she hadn’t wanted to put that in an email or say it over the phone.
“Then have a seat.” She heard a bell go off. “Excuse me. I’m the only one here and wasn’t expecting anyone. I should see who it is.” He got up and before he could move out of his office, he said, “Hey, Rex, didn’t know you’d be here today.”
“I stopped in for a few things,” Rex said when he walked by. “Sorry to interrupt.”
“Rex,” Grayson said. “This is Dr. Avery Keegan, the new vet on the island. Avery, Rex Knight, the owner of the firm.”
Rex stuck his hand out. “Carter’s girlfriend,” Rex said, shaking her hand. “Nice to meet you and glad to have you on the island. It’s been the talk for a few months now.”
“My practice or me?” she asked.
“The practice. Maybe you are in the family too. Nothing bad,” Rex said, grinning.
“Nothing bad,” Grayson agreed. “We aren’t that way.”
“And as we’ve established, Carter doesn’t say much. Rex, if you’d like to sit in you can. I think what I’m going to tell Grayson you’ll find out. Or the amount I need taken care of might require some more authorization. I don’t know and don’t want to assume.”
“By all means,” Rex said. “But Grayson is the one you’re dealing with unless you think it’s a conflict?”
“Not at all,” she said. “We are all professionals here regardless of personal relationships.”
Grayson laughed and she didn’t know why but pushed past it. “What you told me was that you had money in a trust for Josie Pacer. That you are her guardian and you wanted to invest it, correct?”
“Yes. Did Carter tell you about Josie and me?” she asked.
“I do know about how Josie came to live with you on Amore Island but not much more,” Grayson said.
She briefly told them both about Colleen’s accident and the lawsuit. “I didn’t want to do it. Then I told myself if I could get something for Josie to make her life easier, her future, it was the least I could do. Colleen was a single mother; she never got any child support or anything. Josie’s father isn’t on the birth certificate and he signed away his rights.”
“It’s too bad there are men like that out there,” Rex said.
“It’s better in the long run,” she said. “I didn’t want to go to court. I was going to take a decent settlement. My lawyer at the time asked for a crazy amount and I never expected to get it.”
“That’s normally what lawyers do,” Rex said, laughing.
Avery knew Hailey had a massive firm in Boston and a satellite office on the island. She’d have to consider retaining legal services here soon too. She supposed there was no way she’d get Hailey by the sounds of it and wouldn’t be able to afford her, but there had to be plenty more.
“I know,” she said. She pulled some papers out of her bag. “Here is everything you’ll need, I believe, to show I’ve got access to this money and that it’s in my authority to spend it. I don’t want to, but I know you need this. I’d like to get more things set up legally in terms of a trust and have to contact someone to do that.”
“We know some lawyers,” Grayson said, smirking.
“I figured.” She handed the papers over. “The trust currently has over five million in it. My lawyer got her share or it’d be more.”
Grayson let out a whistle. “Those damn lawyers,” Rex said, grinning again.
She laughed. “Josie is unaware of this money. Very few know. She doesn’t even know of the lawsuit, but it was public knowledge at the time, just the amount undisclosed.”
