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Authors: Nicole Michaels
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right.”
Alex turned and stared Ted down. “We?”
Ted cocked his head to the side and stepped back. “I have been known to dabble in real estate. I’m licensed—it’s not unusual for an attorney. I’d get you a good offer for three percent.”
“And if I don’t want to sell it?” he asked.
“Alex, come on.” Ted smiled. It was unsettling. “What the hell are you gonna do with a hundred-year-old building? Between you and me, I don’t know why John loved it so much. It’s old, crumbling. It’s probably a money pit. Maybe you were right, he wanted to annoy you. It’s certainly in need of tons of repair. He probably wanted to bog you down with the rigmarole of maintaining an old structure. This will free you of all that.”
Alex took that in but didn’t address the man’s obvious change in tactics. Even though he’d had the same thought himself, it pissed him off to hear someone else voice it. His mind finally settled on his most obvious concern.
“What about Brooke?”
“Ms. Abbott can sell her earrings anywhere,” Ted said with smirk. “You can terminate her lease at any time. You just have to give her thirty days’ notice.”
The thought made Alex a little sick to his stomach. He couldn’t imagine facing Brooke again just to give her that kind of news. But damn, the thought of never again having to spend five months at sea was so tempting he could taste it. He squeezed his eyes shut for a second, unable to process what was happening. None of this was what he’d expected.
“Alex, I know you aren’t rolling in dough. You’ll never get an opportunity to make this kind of money again.”
Well, wasn’t that sweet. Nothing like a friendly reminder that you weren’t made of money. Alex was by no means hurting for cash either; he’d done pretty well for himself. He sent his mother money, and he had a roommate by choice. He had saved a decent amount, and his checking account was nicely padded because he worked damn hard for his money the past ten years and hardly ever spent it. But this asshole was right, he’d never be rich. Did he need to be a millionaire? Hell no, but shit.
Alex swiped a hand down his face and pulled his thoughts into focus. “When do you need to know?”
“They want an answer before Christmas, but the sooner the better.”
Alex nodded. “I need some time to think, Ted. This is … a lot to take in.”
“I understand, but you and I both know you’d be crazy not to take make a deal with them. Anyway, I need you to sign some paperwork before you go, just saying that you’ve been informed of your inheritance.” Ted handed Alex the papers and a pen. He read them over carefully, making sure it matched exactly what Ted had said. It appeared to, and just seeing his name on the official paper, spelling out that he had in fact inherited the property was bizarre. He finally signed his name, and Ted stuffed the papers into his briefcase. “Oh yes, one more thing. I was also to give you this, just some paperwork in regards to the property you should probably hang on to and a few extra keys.”
Alex took the items but didn’t say another word while Ted put on his expensive wool coat. The man made Alex uncomfortable, which was a rare occurrence for him. He was used to feeling sure of himself in any situation, but right now he felt like he was out of his depth and it made him angry.
After they exited the office and Ted had said good-bye to Beverly, Alex followed his grandmother into the warm, cozy kitchen he’d spent so many Tuesdays as a child and collapsed into the high-backed wooden chair at the breakfast table. Funny enough, this was another Tuesday. Apparently the old adage “The more things change the more they stay the same” rang true.
He allowed her to feed him some muffins and finally drank a cup of coffee. She asked him about his fishing job, and they chatted about the town. None of it succeeded in taking his mind off all the thoughts swirling through his
Alex turned and stared Ted down. “We?”
Ted cocked his head to the side and stepped back. “I have been known to dabble in real estate. I’m licensed—it’s not unusual for an attorney. I’d get you a good offer for three percent.”
“And if I don’t want to sell it?” he asked.
“Alex, come on.” Ted smiled. It was unsettling. “What the hell are you gonna do with a hundred-year-old building? Between you and me, I don’t know why John loved it so much. It’s old, crumbling. It’s probably a money pit. Maybe you were right, he wanted to annoy you. It’s certainly in need of tons of repair. He probably wanted to bog you down with the rigmarole of maintaining an old structure. This will free you of all that.”
Alex took that in but didn’t address the man’s obvious change in tactics. Even though he’d had the same thought himself, it pissed him off to hear someone else voice it. His mind finally settled on his most obvious concern.
“What about Brooke?”
“Ms. Abbott can sell her earrings anywhere,” Ted said with smirk. “You can terminate her lease at any time. You just have to give her thirty days’ notice.”
The thought made Alex a little sick to his stomach. He couldn’t imagine facing Brooke again just to give her that kind of news. But damn, the thought of never again having to spend five months at sea was so tempting he could taste it. He squeezed his eyes shut for a second, unable to process what was happening. None of this was what he’d expected.
“Alex, I know you aren’t rolling in dough. You’ll never get an opportunity to make this kind of money again.”
Well, wasn’t that sweet. Nothing like a friendly reminder that you weren’t made of money. Alex was by no means hurting for cash either; he’d done pretty well for himself. He sent his mother money, and he had a roommate by choice. He had saved a decent amount, and his checking account was nicely padded because he worked damn hard for his money the past ten years and hardly ever spent it. But this asshole was right, he’d never be rich. Did he need to be a millionaire? Hell no, but shit.
Alex swiped a hand down his face and pulled his thoughts into focus. “When do you need to know?”
“They want an answer before Christmas, but the sooner the better.”
Alex nodded. “I need some time to think, Ted. This is … a lot to take in.”
“I understand, but you and I both know you’d be crazy not to take make a deal with them. Anyway, I need you to sign some paperwork before you go, just saying that you’ve been informed of your inheritance.” Ted handed Alex the papers and a pen. He read them over carefully, making sure it matched exactly what Ted had said. It appeared to, and just seeing his name on the official paper, spelling out that he had in fact inherited the property was bizarre. He finally signed his name, and Ted stuffed the papers into his briefcase. “Oh yes, one more thing. I was also to give you this, just some paperwork in regards to the property you should probably hang on to and a few extra keys.”
Alex took the items but didn’t say another word while Ted put on his expensive wool coat. The man made Alex uncomfortable, which was a rare occurrence for him. He was used to feeling sure of himself in any situation, but right now he felt like he was out of his depth and it made him angry.
After they exited the office and Ted had said good-bye to Beverly, Alex followed his grandmother into the warm, cozy kitchen he’d spent so many Tuesdays as a child and collapsed into the high-backed wooden chair at the breakfast table. Funny enough, this was another Tuesday. Apparently the old adage “The more things change the more they stay the same” rang true.
He allowed her to feed him some muffins and finally drank a cup of coffee. She asked him about his fishing job, and they chatted about the town. None of it succeeded in taking his mind off all the thoughts swirling through his
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