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“Huh?”

“Kyle, I don’t need these properties. I don’t want the house Grandma and Grandpa lived in. And this one will be beautiful, I’m sure, but I don’t want it, either. Let me sign my share over to you.”

“You should sell me your half, then,” Kyle replied.

“No, just take them. Take the money, too. I’ll transfer it all into your account.”

“What? No. Jolie, you need it.”

“Just keep it. If something comes up and I need it, I’ll let you know. If I have it in my accounts, though, no matter how strong I might be, she’ll find a way, Kyle. I can’t let that happen. I might change my mind in a year or two, and if so, give me my money back.” Jolie laughed. “But for now, if I don’t have it, she can’t get it from me.”

“Are you sure? You could buy a house up there.”

“I will. One day, I’ll buy a house with my husband, andI’ll ask for some of it then. For now, though, I don’t need it, so it just feels like this albatross hanging around my neck. This would help me, Ky. And that’s especially true if you’re not there to help me when she gives me those puppy-dog eyes and tells me she needs cash.”

Kyle nodded and said, “Okay. If that’s what you want. But I’ll see about putting it in a special account. Maybe some of it would go into an investment account or something.”

“Whatever you think is best. I trust you.”

“Okay. We can go to the bank and take care of it, if you want.”

“That would be great, yes,” Jolie replied before she stood and walked over to the counter, where Kyle was still standing. “Is that the shitty chicory stuff or actual coffee?”

CHAPTER 32

“Jolie, hey,” Melinda said.

“Hey. Is it okay that I’m here?”

“Yeah, of course,” she replied and looked behind Jolie.

“She’s not here,” Jolie said. “She’s at the bank right now. She told me to stop by and let you know that she’s going to be a little late.”

“The bank?”

“My fault,” Jolie explained. “I told her I didn’t want the money or the houses. She’s talking to someone about moving my half to her account and setting something up. I don’t know. She explained it all to me, but it went in one ear and out the other.”

“Oh,” Melinda said.

She’d been running the register while Jill went out for a quick break and had expected Kyle and Jolie to stop by, but not for it to just be Kyle’s sister, with whom she’d never spent time alone.

“Should I go? I can occupy myself around the Quarter until she gets back.” Jolie hooked a thumb at the front door of NOLA Guides.

“What? No. We’re not busy today, and I’m just covering the register for Jill, who will be right back. Then, I’ll work in the office. I’m basically the manager of this place. I do tours for fun most of the time, and the tips are good, but I’ll take it over one day.”

Jolie smiled, leaned over the counter, and asked, “Are you trying to look good for the little sister?”

“Yes. How am I doing? You haven’t seen my kick-ass apartment. Want to go up there and–”

“Melinda, you don’t have to impress me.”

“You’re all Kyle has,” Melinda replied seriously. “No offense, but I really don’t give a crap what your mother thinksabout me. I guess I should care about what your dad thinks. Ky said he’s a good guy, but he’s not here, and you are.”

“Ky, huh?” Jolie smirked. “Cute that you call her that now.”

“It’s easier, and I like calling her that.” Melinda smiled.

Then, the front door opened, and a man and a woman walked in.