Page 120 of Nash Falls

You have more faith than I do, sis.

The law firm of Hobart, Selkirk and Robins, LLC was in a downtown office building not that far from Sybaritic Investments. As Rhett walked in, he saw the fruits of client billings on the walls in the form of expensive artwork, and the luxurious finishes throughout the space. He also knew there was a fitness center and on-site massage therapist. He’d also seen the expensive cars in the part of the garage reserved for the law firm.

Harvey Robins was his father’s lawyer, a bloated, pompous man of sixty-five, who drew most of his professional self-esteem as well as his wealth from having repped the late billionaire for nearly three decades.

Rhett and Mindy met in the anteroom of Robins’s office and were led to a private conference room adjacent to the lawyer’s corner office suite. Robins also brought along a lovely young woman and introduced her as Lindsey Cole. He proudly told them she was a second-year attorney who’d graduated from Stanford.

“Only the best and the brightest here,” he added.

They all sat at the table, and Robins conveyed to them in succinct sentences the last earthly wishes of Barton Temple and his billions.

At the end of it Rhett looked at Mindy and Mindy looked at Rhett. She was dressed as conservatively as she probably ever did, meaning her butt was fully covered, her cleavage was not visible, she wore nylons, and her heels were a mere three inches high and not open-toed.

Rhett said, “So Mindy gets a quarter of the estate outright despite her prenup, my sister gets fifteen percent, DeeDee gets fifteen percent, and Angie gets forty-five percent to be held in trust?”

“That is correct,” said Robins.

“And when Angie dies?”

“The residual goes to the Barton S. Temple Foundation to fund good works around the world.”

“Like what sort of good works?” asked Rhett.

“That will be up to the committee.”

“What committee?”

“The one appointed by your father’s executor,” answered Robins.

“Who is?”

“Me, actually.”

“And I get what exactly?” said Rhett.

Robins appeared to struggle to hold back his sneer. “Well, I’m no math whiz, but after those distributions your share would naturally bezero.”

“And his homes?”

“The main one goes to Mrs. Temple. The other homes are to be held in trust for the benefit of his daughters.”

“So no roof for me?” said Rhett.

Robins’s sneer deepened. “You have your penthouse, Mr. Temple. Our records show it is valued at fourteen million dollars. So you have a very niceroofindeed.”

Rhett’s fingers curled to fists and he cleared his throat. “And my position at Sybaritic?”

“In the will Walter Nash was designated to take over as CEO of Sybaritic, but that, of course, will not be possible now. As a backup your father named Elaine Fixx. His other companies will continue on with current management in place.”

“But Elaine Fixx is a junior exec with no experience at the CEO level.”

“Nevertheless, those were your father’s wishes,” said Robins, as though that would explain all.

Rhett looked at Mindy. “He was clearly screwing her, too.”

“Excuse me?” said Robins with an indignant harrumph added on.

Rhett looked at him. “I said he wasscrewingElaine, too, Harv. She was apparently good in bed, so why not give her my job?”