Lakeside Sweetheart Read Online Free Page B

Lakeside Sweetheart
Book: Lakeside Sweetheart Read Online Free
Author: Lenora Worth
Pages:
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suffered. He didn’t ask. Miss Fanny probably knew, but he wouldn’t ask her to tell him.
    Vanessa would have to be the one to do that.
    If she ever trusted him enough to tell him anything.
    â€œLet me walk you to your door,” he told Miss Fanny. He needed to think this through. He checked the driveway next door to see if Vanessa’s little blue car was parked there.
    â€œShe’s not there,” Miss Fanny said, already reading his mind. “I think she went to the lawyer’s office to take care of some business. Probably the reading of the will.” The older woman turned when they reached her front porch steps. “But she’s planning a big estate sale sometime soon. She’ll need help...sorting through all that clutter.” She shrugged. “And since you’re also planning a rummage sale at the church...”
    Rory nodded. “I’ll be glad to help.”
    Miss Fanny nodded, her work here done.
    â€œThank you for the corn fritters,” Rory said after he’d made sure she was safe back inside her house. “Go take your afternoon nap.”
    Miss Fanny waved him away and shut the door.
    Rory hurried back down the steps, but he stopped on the sidewalk and glanced over at the long, sprawling house to the left of Miss Fanny’s place.
    He hadn’t said this to Miss Fanny, but Rory had often thought he’d like to buy the old Craftsman cottage and fix it up.
    But now, he also had the added challenge of trying to help repair the woman who’d come to town to sell this house. He’d have to pray hard on how to manage that without scaring Vanessa away for good. And he’d have to pray hard for her to forgive the minister who’d obviously damaged her for life.
    * * *
    â€œWhat did you say?”
    Vanessa stared at the studious gray-haired lawyer sitting across from her in the elegant conference room situated in an old Georgian-style building across town.
    Charles Barton leaned up and studied Vanessa’s face, his bifocal glasses low on his hawk-like nose. “I said you have inherited the bulk of Richard Tucker’s estate. Mind you, after your mother’s care and expenses over the last few years, a fourth of it is gone. But you have the Millbrook Lake cottage and you have the holdings in Alabama, namely a house in Birmingham and several commercial rental properties in that area.”
    Vanessa sat staring at the man across from her, unable to comprehend what he was telling her. Finally, she swallowed and spoke. “I knew Richard left my mother comfortable, and I was grateful that she had constant, around-the-clock care at the nursing facility, but I had no idea about something such as this happening.”
    When Mr. Barton had stated the exact amount of the inheritance, Vanessa had almost fallen out of her chair. Growing up, she’d often dreamed of that kind of money. Now, she was content with her shop in New Orleans and the online boutique full of eclectic clothes and artisan wares from hundreds of vendors. She wasn’t rich by any means, but she made a good living, selling quirky items to quirky people. Vanessa’s Vintage had taken off in the last year or so. The boutique in New Orleans had become popular with both locals and tourists, and the online store kept up a steady business.
    â€œYou are now a wealthy young woman,” the lawyer stated. “Of course, we’ll deal with probate and a few other minor details, but all in all, since Richard had no other close relatives, this should be an easy transition.”
    â€œI’d planned to clean up the cottage and sell it,” Vanessa admitted, still numb. “I thought that was the only thing I needed to worry about.”
    â€œYou can decide what to sell off and what to keep once this sets in,” Mr. Barton said. “After a death, I always tell my clients who are left to take over estates not to make any rash decisions. Give it some time.
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