Page 12 of Wrangled
She grins at me. “I took care of that, naturally.”
“Of course you did.”
“Now, where was I? Oh yes, I have eviction notices, severance packages, and new hire forms. Where do you want to start?”
I take in the forms spread out on the table before me. I haven’t told a soul about what happened to me that night. Not the real truth anyway. Not about what Austin did to me, not about Dale’s lies, or how the man I was convicted of killing isvery much alive. The way I figure it, I was already punished for killing a man. I might as well have the fun of experiencing it.
“Let’s start with the eviction notices and go from there.”
“Works for me. From what I can tell, nobody lives in the main house. I’m not sure why, but it does mean you won’t have to kick anyone out of it before you move back in. Not that it would matter anyway—the house and all the land are yours, free and clear. Any questions?”
“Nope. Just tell me where and what to sign.”
“You’re not even going to ask me how much your inheritance is?”
I shrug. “It doesn’t really matter to me. It wasn’t something I was expecting, so whatever it is will just be a bonus. Hopefully, it will relieve the financial burden a little, while I get my business up and running again.” And now that we live in a world of social media, I’ll focus more on selling my things online so I don’t have to worry about interacting with the locals.
“It’s twenty-two point two million dollars, give or take a few.”
My mouth drops open in shock.
She throws her head back and laughs. “I thought that might surprise you.”
“Holy shit.”
“Holy shit indeed. On a side note, it gives me peace of mind knowing you have it. Businesses have been struggling a lot in Crowhurst. I did a little research, and a lot of places have filed for bankruptcy.”
I shrug, innocently. “The recession hit everyone, I imagine.”
“It was the strangest thing. Crops failed, trade dried up, and even the cattle became problematic. For whatever reason, the town is slowly dying.”
I fight back a grin. “You’re right. That is strange.”
Chapter Five
Istep outside the gates and close my eyes, taking in a deep breath. I jolt when they close behind me with a clang.
Freedom has never felt more like an illusion than it does right now. A car approaches, kicking up dust in its wake. I watch as it gets closer before stopping in front of me.
“You coming or what?”
“Jenny?”
“You were expecting someone else?”
“I wasn’t expecting anyone, actually,” I answer, pulling open the passenger door and climbing in, tightening the carrier bag in my hands as I do.
She looks me up and down and frowns. “You didn’t have anything else to wear? Not that orange doesn’t suit you.”
“I was a little smaller when I was sixteen.”
“Weren’t we all?” She grins as she speeds off before I’ve even gotten my seatbelt on. “You ready for this?”
“No. But I’ll figure it out.”
“I’m sure you will, though a lot has changed since you’ve been gone.”
“Of that, I have no doubt.”
