“I mean, we barely talked during the last years of his life. I took him out for dinner on his birthday and Father’s Day. He sent us those gifts for Christmas and my birthday. I don’t want to be all wrapped up in this. I left that behind when I cut ties.”
He loosened his grip on the steering wheel as he realized how heated he was getting. This is why he avoided his father. He always brought out the worst side of him.
“I understand,” Clara said in a calm, even tone. “But you are wrapped up in this. We don’t have to stay long, and maybe after we can get dinner with your family to end the evening off on a good note. It has been nice to see them more, even considering the unfortunate circumstance that has led us to it.”
“It has,” he admitted. “We all used to be close. I guess things with our parents just got in the way.”
“Maybe now you’ll be able to repair things,” Clara pointed out. “You just have to get through this one thing.”
It seemed so simple, but once they were all crammed in the lawyer’s small office, Ezra wished he had been more insistent about not coming. They were all well too aware of the fractured family dynamic, and it put them on edge. He would’ve rather spent the day working than going through this.
The lawyer reminded him too much of his father, in his Valentino business suit, salt and pepper hair, glasses, and wrinkling skin. Yet his brown eyes held a warmth to them his father’s eyes didn’t. He smiled, and it looked like at the very least he was trying to be friendly.
“Good evening,” he said, as he stood. “I’m Thomas Huntington. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”
Introductions were exchanged, the proper things said. Though it was all for show, it did put Ezra at ease just a little. This guy was nice, good at smoothing over tension. Once the tension did form, as it was inevitable once the discrepancies were mentioned, he trusted he’d be able to help them get over it. Ezra was starving. He wanted to move right onto dinner with the family. Though he suspected they’d be here for a while.
“Usually, I’d just mail you a document,” Thomas said as he sat back down. “Formal will readings aren’t typical anymore. But your inheritance is hefty, so I want to make sure you all get what’s due to you and have any questions answered.”
The family sat in the red leather chairs that were situated in front of the desk. Clara took Ezra’s hand. He focused on her touch. They just had to get through this.
“I’ll give you each a copy of the will, so you can see anything your father specifically wrote to each of you. Though, it’s not very personal. He never struck me as a sentimental man. He didn’t write up the will to send any particular message like some people do. Rather, it was a matter of business for him. Something that had to get done, so I’ll approach this in that manner.
“He left the house to your late mother’s sister. He said it’s what your mother would’ve wanted, and he gave her enough money for the upkeep of the house, as well as to pay taxes on it for the foreseeable future.”
That was a nice touch. Ezra smiled, just a little. He loved his aunt and was glad his father still cared about his wife’s family.
“As for the items in the house, he left Rebecca in charge of sorting all that out,” the lawyer continued. “He essentially requested that the three of you take whatever you wanted and sell the rest. Though he also asked that you leave enough furnishings and such for your aunt’s family. He didn’t have much in the way of personal belongings, but he wanted to take care of your mother’s family in the way she would’ve wanted him to.”
Thomas paused. Looked at them with awe in his eyes. Ezra’s mind was half paying attention to this. The other half was thinking about what he’d order for dinner. He wasn’t sure if he was in the mood for steak or seafood. Both sounded delicious.
“He left you with a million dollars each.”
Ezra’s thoughts were pulled from dinner plans and laid squarely on the current moment. This couldn’t be right. He looked to Rebecca and Kaden, who appeared to be thinking the same thing.
“A million dollars each?” Kaden repeated. They were expecting maybe Rebecca would get that much, but apiece?
“Yes,” Thomas replied, like this was no big deal. “Your father admitted that he didn’t spend that much money since you kids left the house. He took exotic vacations from time to time, but mostly he worked. He saved money. And he wanted to make sure you all got an equal share of that money.
“Obviously, that would be a hefty amount of cash to dole out, but since you’re here, I can help you get things set up so the money will be transferred to your bank accounts. Or you can wait until you have a more secure bank account to transfer the money into. I know a bit about finances myself, so I can help you with that or I can get you in touch with someone who can.
“I understand this is a lot of money and it’s going to be a huge change in your lives. So, I’m here to answer any questions you may have. You can also take time to process this if you need it. Losing a parent is an awful thing to go through, but I hope this alleviates your suffering at least a little bit.”
Ezra looked down at Clara. A million dollars? He never thought he’d see a million dollars. What would they do with all that money?
