Page 38 of This Time Around (The Can’t Have Hearts Club #3)

A llie’s week went by in a blur. The days she went to her office were a flurry of meetings and spreadsheets, memos and presentations.

She had a big convention coming up in two months, but there was still plenty of time to plan.

Her co-workers were understanding, and her boss told her to take more bereavement days if she needed them.

She’d taken to spending nights at the B&B so she could make better progress on the fix-up projects she’d identified with a little help from Jack.

She was determined to do most of the work herself, and spent evenings watching DIY videos on everything from resealing travertine floors to reconditioning leather sofas.

Then she put her new skills to the test, scrubbing and polishing and working her way through the dilapidated house with a trail of mutant-toed cats behind her.

Jack helped when he could, stopping by after work to lend tools or muscle or some combination of the two.

Sometimes he’d bring Paige, and sometimes they’d both stay for dinner.

There was an undercurrent of something new and different between them.

They weren’t “back together,” exactly. It was more like they were together for the first time.

By the time Thursday rolled around, Allie felt a delirious mix of accomplishment, exhaustion, and excited energy.

She’d been home for twenty minutes, waiting for Jack to drop off Paige for the bra shopping, when the doorbell rang.

She smoothed down her dress and hustled to the front door, giddiness coursing through her at the thought of seeing Jack again.

But it wasn’t Jack at the door.

“Hey, Albatross.”

“Wade.” She stepped aside, allowing him to pass. “I don’t think Skye’s home from class yet. You can wait in the parlor, though.”

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you for a sec.”

“Oh?”

“It’s about the money.”

The seriousness in his voice, his expression, shot a shiver down her spine. “Okay. Come on in.”

She turned away so he wouldn’t notice and headed toward the parlor, feeling him close behind her.

Once she reached the doorway, she gestured toward the sofa.

Wade sat awkwardly, resting his hands on his knees.

He must have come straight from work, but he’d left his suit jacket behind somewhere.

He yanked on his tie to loosen the knot, but didn’t take it off.

“Can I get you some water?” Allie asked. “Or a beer or something?”

“I’m good.” Wade patted the space beside him. “Have a seat, Albatross. You’re making me nervous hovering like that.”

“You’re making me nervous looking all stern.” Even so, she sat down beside him, bristling with tension.

Wade sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. “Look, we haven’t had a chance to talk alone since that day on the back deck. When you mentioned finding money somewhere in this house?”

“Right. It’s been kinda crazy around here.”

Which was partly Allie’s doing. She’d done her best to avoid him, pretending to be on the phone when he stopped by to see Skye, or hunkering down in her bedroom with Jack when the happy couple was in the family room binge-watching Outlander.

Allie knew she was burying her head in the sand, afraid to hear what he might have to say.

But she’d clearly run out of opportunities to put off hearing Wade’s lawyerly lecture. “Lay it on me,” she said heavily. “What did you want to say about the money?”

Wade cleared his throat. “Look, you know property law isn’t my specialty. But I did a little more research this week and found out some things you should probably know about ORS Chapter 98.”

Allie nodded and fought the urge to glance at her watch. “Okay. Jack’s bringing Paige by to go bra shopping in about ten minutes, so maybe you could give me the short version?”

His eyebrow lifted a little at the mention of bra shopping, but he didn’t say anything. “You didn’t tell me the amount you found, but you said it’s more than two hundred and fifty dollars, right?”

“Right.” Allie swallowed, not sure what she’d say if he pressed for more.

“Under §98.005, any person who finds money or goods valued at two hundred and fifty dollars or more and the owner of those goods is unknown, the finder is required by law to give notice in writing to the county clerk within ten days.”

Allie felt herself go cold. “Notice?”

“Written notice. Within ten days of the finding. And within twenty days, you’re required to publish an ad in the local newspaper once a week for two consecutive weeks stating the general description of the money or goods found, the name and address of the finder, and the date by which they must be claimed. ”

“But—but—that’s insane,” Allie sputtered. “And totally old-fashioned. Besides, I’m not just going to put an ad in the paper saying, ‘hey, I’ve got a million dollars cash in my attic—is it yours?’”

Wade blinked. “A million dollars?”

“Hell.”

“Jesus, Allie—I assumed ten-K, max. Are you shitting me?”

“I didn’t mean to say that.” She kind of had, though. She’d been carrying the secret for days, and she desperately needed to tell someone. Someone besides Jack.

“Who else knows?” he asked quietly.

“Jack. He was there when I found it.”

Wade nodded. “That makes it more complicated.”

“You’re not kidding,” she muttered, though she wasn’t thinking about the law.

“No, I mean legally,” Wade said. “I’ll need to look it up, but I’m pretty sure Jack’s bound by the same reporting requirement.

If you prevent him from getting in touch with the county clerk or putting the ad in the paper or whatever, there’s a chance you could be charged with theft by deception under ORS 98. 005.”

“What do you mean prevent ? Like I tie him up and tell him he can’t do it?”

“The law isn’t explicit there, but no. I think simple coercion would be enough to make the case.”

“Or omission?” She nibbled her lip. “Like not telling him that’s what I’m supposed to do?”

Wade nodded, his expression grim. “Yeah. Something like that.”

Allie swallowed hard and tried to think. She glanced at the window over her shoulder. She’d cracked it open to let the autumn-scented breeze ripple through, and a trickle of sunlight pooled on the back of the sofa.

She turned back to Wade. “What if it’s my grandma’s money? What if she left it to me on purpose?”

“Allie.” His tone said plenty, and so did the fact that he’d called her by name instead of Albatross . “We both know this isn’t about you wanting to keep a million dollars to yourself.”

“Maybe it is,” she said. “I could buy a lot of shoes with that.”

Wade shook his head. “You’re thinking the same thing I am.”

“What’s that?” she asked, forcing him to say it so she wouldn’t have to.

“We both know a lot of money magically vanished before your parents went to trial. If they get out on appeal, that’s a nice little nest egg just waiting in the family coffers.”

Allie shook her head. “But maybe that’s not it. Maybe my grandma left it to me free and clear. The will says I get the house and its contents, right?”

“Right. But not if those contents aren’t hers to give.”

Allie nodded and didn’t say anything. If the money was dirty, if her parents had squirreled it away somehow, she knew damn well they could say farewell to any hope of early release. Of returning to their normal lives and rebuilding like they might have hoped.

And even if it wasn’t dirty—if her grandma really, truly had tucked it away for her—there was no way to prove that. Then she’d just be getting her parents in trouble for nothing.

“I need more time,” she said. “To figure out if maybe someone in my family knows where it came from. Maybe it’s a legit thing.”

“How long has it been?”

“Six days.”

He frowned. “You don’t have much time left. Not according to the law, anyway.”

“I know.” She curled her fingers into the brocade fabric of the sofa, finding comfort in the familiar lines of the pattern.

“But I want to be sure. Before I go blabbing to the county clerk or putting up a billboard telling everyone to come get the money, I want to find out if there’s a legitimate reason it’s there. ”

Wade lifted an eyebrow at her. “Legitimate, or illegitimate?”

“Wade.”

He held up his hands in mock defense. “I’m on your side, Albatross. But we can’t let this drag out for very long, okay? There’s more at stake here than I realized when you first told me about it.”

Allie nodded and looked down at her hands. “I know that.”

The doorbell chimed, and Allie bolted off the sofa like it was on fire. She hurried for the door, not sure if she was more eager to see Jack or to escape the conversation with Wade. She threw open the front door to see father and daughter standing on the front porch.

“Hey, there,” she said, beaming at both of them with a smile she hoped didn’t look too guilty. “Good to see you guys.”

“Hey, Allie!” Paige beamed up at her, and stretched out her arms for a hug. Allie obliged, delighted by how unabashedly friendly this kid was.

Allie straightened up, not as sure how to greet him. This whole thing still felt a little awkward, and she wasn’t sure whether to treat him like a boyfriend or a casual fling, especially with Paige standing there. Did she shake his hand or hug him?

She was still pondering it when Jack solved the dilemma by brushing a quick kiss on her cheek and grinning at her. “Thanks again for doing this.”

“No problem. You know I love any excuse to shop.”

“I definitely remember.”

Allie turned to Paige. “You ready to go, Miss Thing?”

The girl had stooped down to pet BeeGee, who had flopped on his back like a fluffy disco ball with all four paws in the air.

Paige looked up with her palm still resting on the furry belly.

“Actually,” she said, enunciating the word with an extra syllable.

“I was hoping maybe I could use your bathroom.”

“Oh. Yes, of course. Right this way.”