Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 67432 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67432 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
“It is, it is.”
“Enjoying it so far?” my dad asked, effortlessly sliding into the conversation. He sat at the head of the table, looking relaxed in a light blue polo shirt, the sleeves rolled and the buttons on the collar left open.
“I am. This feels like being dropped into a storybook.”
“It does, doesn’t it? Amelia and I had our first vacation with the kids here, and from that summer on, it became a tradition of sorts. It’s too bad this is the last year we get to do this.”
“I still don’t see the need to sell this place,” Matthew said, looking around at the open-air dining room, his gaze full of the same memories that flicked across my brain. Running through this very room as kids playing freeze tag, coming here after Matt’s high school graduation, spending Jen’s fifteenth birthday here, me coming out to my family in the yard.
So many memories, and all of them more special than the last.
“It just makes sense,” Dad said in a tone that implied he didn’t want to talk about it anymore.
Archie didn’t seem to mind. He swirled his glass of red wine and took a gulp. I noticed there was a dark purple tint to his lips, meaning this wasn’t his first glass, and I had a feeling it wouldn’t be his last, either. As if reading my mind, he grabbed the bottle of red wine from off the table and gave himself a healthy pour, the glug-glug of the wine leaving the bottle seeming to echo around the now quiet room.
“So, Jax,” Archie said, his hands making a loose fist on the table. There was a twist to his tone, a sneer on his face, that told me something had shifted. “When are you going to read the will?”
The tension wound around the table like a hungry python. My lungs felt tight as the air was sucked out of the room. It was partly why we were all there, and the sooner we got it over with, the better, but it was still difficult to even think about, much less talk about.
“I discussed that with your father, and he agreed that waiting until the end of our stay here would be best.”
I sat up stiffly in my chair. That wasn’t what I expected to hear, and judging by the surprised faces around me, I wasn’t the only one.
“Seriously?” Matt said, his fork clinking against his plate. “Shouldn’t we just read it as soon as possible?”
I noticed Kendall wasn’t reacting, her eyes glued to her lap. He must have told her already. Perks of dating the family lawyer, I guess.
“Matt,” my dad said, putting a hand out and grabbing my brother’s wrist. “Let’s just enjoy these two weeks. We won’t have this villa after this year, and it was your mom’s favorite escape. I’m sure she was fair and compassionate with whatever she left behind, so let’s not worry about it until the end of this trip, okay?”
Matt looked like he was about to argue. He and dad always butted heads, but it was rare that Matt would win any of those battles, and he seemed to have recognized that tonight. He sat back, picking up his fork and going back to eating.
“Is that why you’re doing it?” Archie asked, looking across the table at Jax. Behind him, the sun was beginning to set on the distant mountains, draping them in a tapestry of orange and purple.
Matthew may not have been confrontational, but Archie surely was. “Or is there another reason?” he asked, leaning forward.
“What are you talking about?” Jax looked as confused as I felt.
“Are you holding off on reading it because your name is on it, too? Scared someone here is going to be upset by that?” Archie crossed his arms, cocking his head, his purple lips twisting into a sneer.
“Why would his name be on it?” Jen asked.
“Yeah, Jax, why would your name be on it?” Archie prodded. I wasn’t catching on to whatever he was tossing out. I looked at Eric from the side of my eye. His expression was neutral, but his gaze was locked on Jax, as if analyzing the tiniest of micro-movements in the man’s face.
“I don’t think I follow,” Jax said, sitting back in his chair. He gave the impression of someone sitting in an uncomfortably hot sauna, shifting and tugging at his shirt.
“Really?”
“Archie,” Wendy said, a hand on her husband’s. She gave him a look that my brother completely ignored.
“So you’re going to completely ignore the fact that you were in a relationship with my mom for years before you got with my sister?”
A gasp sounded from the table, but I wasn’t sure who it had come from. Maybe me?
“Is that true?” my dad asked.
“We aren’t doing this right now,” Kendall said, taking the napkin off her lap and moving to stand up.