Page 112 of Against The Tide

“I asked Nora to invite Sean over to talk about my father’s will, but he’s going out of town tomorrow, so I guess today is as good a day as ever.”

“Avery.” The portly attorney calls her attention back to him as he shuffles the papers in front of him on the coffee table. “We can do this another time. There is no rush.” He looks down at his lap, his hand flattening over the papers he’s already laid out. His actions contradict his words, which makes me think he’s trying to pacify her because he knows something’s coming.

“Thank you, but like you said, it’s better to get these things dealt with sooner rather than later. I’ve put it off long enough.”

A trembling hand combs through the loose curls cascading to just below her chest, and I don’t waste another second debating whether to go to her or not. It’s been a couple of days already and I won’t let her go through this alone. The instant I’m at her side, she grasps my hand tightly as though that is enough to give her the strength she’s looking for. I hope it is. I hope I am everything she needs right now, as she is for me every tick of every day.

“It’s all straightforward.” He picks up a set of papers and clears his throat. “He requested that I do this as soon as possible. Robert didn’t want you to drag out the pain. He was adamant that you read this before we carry on.”

Sean picks up an envelope that looks like official stationery with an intricate S and W intertwined in one corner and Summer & Wells emblazoned to the side of it. There’s a low hitch to her breath as she takes it, and Nora starts for the double doors, ushering Rowan and Callie out as she leaves too.

“There’s one for you too, Nora.”

“For me?” She turns, flustered, her eyes widening on the envelope Sean is holding out in her direction.

It’s exactly the same as Avery’s, with the exception of their names scrolled across the front.

“Once you have both read those letters, I can carry on with the reading of the will.”

“I’d like to read mine later,” Avery tells him with that wet rasp to her voice that tells me she needs more than just my hand to get her through this.

Sean shakes his head in that way that attorneys like to do as a precursor to whatever negative thing they’re about to say. Before he does, I guide her to one of the armchairs on the other side of the coffee table and sit her in it, while I perch on the arm and rest my hand on her satin-covered thigh.

“Robert wasn’t just my client, he was my life-long friend, and I have to honor his wishes. He wanted you to read that letter before the will, and I will not continue until you have.”

“Sean…” Nora sits on the couch beside him. “You⁠—”

“I’m sorry, Nora, but those were his wishes.”

Avery doesn’t draw out the inevitable; she makes quick work of opening the envelope, being careful enough not to tear it before she pulls out the folded note.

“You should read yours too,” he tells Nora while I keep my focus on the way my hand molds perfectly around the top of Avery’s thigh.

I’m waiting for a sign that she needs more from me. That I can do something more to help her in some way. In any way. Then she sobs, and all I can do is wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her into me as I grab some tissues.

With my chest constricting around my lungs, it’s impossible for me not to feel the pain tearing through her as she shudders in my hold, hands trembling as her sobs turn into cries.

“I’m ruining all my makeup,” Avery hiccups as she holds the letter to her chest.

“Don’t you worry about the makeup, darling, it can be fixed.” Nora folds her own letter back up, slipping it back in her envelope before she folds it a couple more times and puts it in her dress pocket.

“Let me know when you would like me to read the will.” Sean sits straighter as he skims through the paper he’s holding.

“I’m ready,” Avery tells him, grabbing my hand and holding it between both of hers. “I’m ready.”

“It’s pretty straightforward. I’ll start with the small things to make it easier to digest.” With that he pulls a leather box from the briefcase at his feet and hands it to Nora. “This is for you, along with this.”

He places a bottle of wine on the table. It looks like a cheap bottle that was bought in a twenty-four-hour liquor store, but it makes Nora laugh so hard that the tears she was holding in pour from her eyes, heavy and yet still so happy.

“Oh Jesus,” she coughs, picking up the bottle and inspecting the paper tag attached to it with ribbon that looks more expensive than the wine itself. “Of course, he had to make a big joke about the end. Robert was always so good at making you laugh when you least expected.”

“He was.” Avery smiles, clutching tighter at my hands.

“I’m glad we never saved the best for last. It tasted better when we drank it together.” After she reads the message on the tag, she holds the bottle to her chest with a long sigh. “He was my best friend after Gerry died. There was nothing he didn’t do to look after Rafe. He was always there, and I already miss him. Especially tonight.”

Sean waits until there’s quiet again before he continues. “I’ll read the actual will now.”

The first couple of paragraphs sound like the usual legal jargon, but then Sean clears his throat before he reads, “To my granddaughter, Iris Elizabeth Henderson, I bequeath our family home and the beach house in Montauk. I name my daughter, Avery Olivia Henderson, custodian of such inheritance until she marries, at which point it should be gifted on behalf of her grandparents, Robert Patrick Summers and Elizabeth Mary Summers. Should there be other grandchildren, the properties are to be split evenly between the siblings.”