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“I know. I was hoping they don’t know what that means.” I nodded toward the youngsters.
“You’re right, they don’t.” But then her smile fell again. “So... back to the lawyer. He insisted that I don’t discard their demand as baseless. I wonder if the fact that I moved the twins out of their parents’ house can count against me.”
“What’s going on with the house?”
“The mortgage is simply too large, so I rented it out as fast as possible. Jim and Nora had a good life insurance policy, but they wanted it to be used for the kids’ college, not the mortgage. I’m executor of the estate until the twins come of age, and then the house belongs to them. Renting it out takes care of the mortgage.”
Jim and Nora’s house was a sprawling mansion in Beacon Hill. Jim had made a lot of money as an investment banker, but even he complained once or twice that the mortgage was eating up most of their money.
“Oh, Nick, I can’t lose them.” Her face crumpled, tears threatening to spill over.
Besides the funeral, this was the first time I’d seen her inconsolable.
“You won’t. Now come on, let’s eat. Then we can put our heads together and think some more about this.”
She nodded, wiping her eyes. “Annie, Jack, come on,” she called after a moment. “The pizza’s getting cold.”
“Yes, Auntie Allison,” Annie said. She spoke a bit more than Jack, who understood conversations but would only reply with yes, no, or very short sentences after Jim and Nora passed away.
While they were eating, I asked how their daycare was going. Annie dutifully filled me in on her favorite toys. Mr. Beagle was still up there, holding the first spot.
Allison was looking at them like they were her whole world. Who in their right mind would take these kids away from her, and why?
After we finished the pizza, Jack started to wail. He was obviously tired. Then Annie followed suit.
Allison sighed. “Nick, I think it’s best if you go. Putting them down for the night will take longer than usual.”
“I can help,” I said even though I didn’t know jack shit about the kids’ bedtime routines. I had a nephew, Ben. He was my half brother Spencer’s kid. We spent a lot of time together, but I’d never been with him in the evening.
She laughed. “Trust me, you don’t want to do that.”
“Listen, I know a family lawyer. He’s a friend of mine. I’ll talk to him.”
Her eyes brightened. “That would be amazing. I started to look for one, but work is madness. I have zero time. My day is divided between drop-off at daycare, my job, picking them up from daycare, and then bringing them back home.”
“I have no fucking clue how you do it,” I said. Damn it, I should have asked her in more detail if she needed help with day-to-day things. “What can I do to help?”
“Dropping by with dinner twice a week is amazing,” she said.
Annie’s wails became even louder, so Allison picked her up on one hip. Then she took Jack by the hand as they went up the steps.
I was rooted to my spot, watching her.
Would there ever be a day when I wouldn’t look at Allison Holmes and immediately think inappropriate things?
I didn’t think so.
Chapter Two
Allison
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“Allison, I just need your signature before you leave for the day,” my assistant said, poking her head into my corner office.
I eyed the clock. It was 5:20 p.m.
“Sure. Put it here on my desk.”