Remind Me

by Samantha Chase

  “And…you’re okay with that?”

  She nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, God yes! I know my parents want me to stay here and follow in their footsteps and all that crap, but I want to make my own decisions and I want to travel and now I can!”

  “So…Pops left you….?”

  “A trust fund that I get next year!” She told Mallory the amount he left in trust and she had to admit, she was impressed. For a man who had so much money, it was odd that he never flaunted it or even talked about it.

  “That’s amazing, Parks. Really. I’m sure you already have a list of places you want to go and things you want to do, huh?”

  “You know it!”

  “Ugh…is she gloating over here?” Peyton asked as she walked over and joined them. “Because I have a feeling baby girl is gloating.”

  “May-be,” Parker said with a big grin before smacking her older sister’s arm. “And what are you complaining about? You got Cafe Magnolia! You love that place!”

  It’s true, Peyton loved cooking and had hoped to go to culinary school, but her parents encouraged her to get a “real degree,” as they called it. Looks like the business degree they forced on her could come in handy when running her own business.

  “That is so cool, Peyton! Your own restaurant! Aren’t you excited?” Mallory asked.

  Peyton shrugged. She was a couple of years younger than Mallory and nowhere near as studious or mature. If anything, she was the typical middle child who had done her share of acting out to get attention. Maybe having the responsibility of her own restaurant was a little daunting to her right now.

  “I know Dennis is getting ready to retire,” Peyton said quietly, “and the timing is right for someone to come in and take over, but…I didn’t expect it to be me! I’m not ready for it.”

  “I heard Dennis already found his replacement,” Parker said casually. “You’re going to have to go in there and start talking to everyone fast before it gets too chaotic. Too many changes at one time can’t be good for business, right?”

  If Peyton felt half as overwhelmed as Mallory did, she was sure this conversation wasn’t helping. “What about Gertie?” she asked, changing the subject. “Like I said, I zoned out and missed most of the reading. When I looked for her after everything was done, she was wiping away tears as her granddaughter walked out with her.”

  “It was nice of Mary Jane to come with her,” Peyton said. “You know Gertie can’t drive herself around much these days.”

  Mallory wasn’t aware of that so she simply nodded.

  “Remember how she always used to say she was going to retire in St. Thomas because that’s where her grandparents were from?”

  She nodded.

  “Well, Pops bought her a place there and left her enough money to make the move and retire,” Parker said with a sad smile. “It will feel so weird not to have Gertie around. Her cooking is legendary in this family.”

  Peyton cleared her throat. “Um…I’m a good cook too, you know.”

  “Not like Gertie,” Parker murmured.

  Sadly, Parker was right. Gertie had been cooking for them their entire lives and just the thought of not enjoying any more of her meals or sitting around the kitchen talking to her just added a whole other level of sadness to the whole situation. She sighed.

  “And did you hear what Mason got?” Parker whispered with a bit of a snarky grin.

  Mallory shook her head.

  “Oh, my gosh, his face was priceless!” Peyton said with a grin of her own. “I can’t even begin to imagine what Pops was thinking!”

  “Mal?” Sam called out, interrupting the conversation. “C’mon, we’re going back to the house.”

  “Okay, give me a minute,” she replied and was surprised when he stalked across the room and glared at Parker and Peyton before looking at her again. “Now. Mom’s upset and we need to go.”

  Saying a quick goodbye to the girls, Mallory turned and walked out of the room with Jake right behind her. They were outside walking across the parking lot when he stopped her. “Maybe we should just plan on seeing each other later.”

  “What? No, why?”

  “Your mom’s upset and I’m pretty sure your aunt is the reason. I doubt she wants me hanging around to witness it all.”

  He had a point, but…

  “I still want you there and besides, you’ll be a good distraction when we get her to start thinking about all the changes she wants to make to the house. I have a feeling we’re going to have to get her to focus on that instead of how angry she is with Aunt Georgia.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Leaning in, she kissed him.

  “Mallory!” Sam called out from beside their mother’s car.

  “I’m riding home with Jake!” And for some reason, it felt really good to say that out loud.

  Growing up, Jake’s parents had argued in front of him and had no problem venting when they were frustrated with whatever was going on in their lives. Sitting back and watching the Westbrooks handle the situation with their inheritances, though, was like nothing he had ever seen.

  “Who does she think she is–accusing me of strong-arming Pops into leaving me this house?” Susannah cried as soon as they were in the door. “No one ever told that man what to do and she knows it! Maybe she should consider the fact that he knew she was just being a gold-digger and didn’t want to leave it to her!” She tossed her purse on the living room sofa and began to pace. “Did you know she wanted to put Pops in a home last year? And she wasn’t even shy about making plans for this place right in front of him!”

  Jake remembered that whole shit-show. Zeke was livid and vowed that Georgia would never get her hands on his house.

  And clearly, Ezekiel Coleman was a man of his word.

  “She already has so damn much!” Susannah was saying. “Beau is beyond wealthy and they have more than anyone I know and yet she still wants more! And she doesn’t want anyone else to have anything either! Everything should go to her or her kids and…” She groaned. “She’s impossible!”

  No one disagreed.

  “What am I supposed to do, huh? How am I supposed to just…go ahead with my plans for the house with her being so unreasonable?”

  Jake looked at Sam and Mallory and saw that neither seemed to know what to say.

  But he did.

  “Excuse me for saying so, Susannah, but…what difference does it make what Georgia thinks? The house is yours. Your name is going on the deed, the account for the renovation will be in your name…the way I see it, Georgia can’t stop you.”

  “What if she contests the will?”

  Jake grinned. “I guess you missed Richard’s disclaimer at the beginning of the reading.”

  All three Westbrooks looked at him.

  “Anyone who contests the will, loses their inheritance as will their children,” he said with a grin. “You don’t think for a second that Zeke didn’t know Georgia was going to freak out when she found out you got the house, do you?”

  “I don’t remember him saying that,” Susannah said, slowly sitting down on the sofa. “I guess there was so much legalese that I missed it.”

  “I remember him saying it,” Sam said frowning. “So now I’m stuck with a business I don’t want.”

  “What? How could you not want it?” his mother asked. “It’s the perfect job for you! You love working in the yard!”

  “Not as a career, Mom!” he countered. “I’m going to sell the business. It’s the only solution.”

  “Um…” Jake began hesitantly. “Have you guys looked at your letters from Zeke yet?”

  They all shook their heads.

  “Maybe you should before you make any rash decisions,” he said and hated how he had been privy to so many of Zeke’s thoughts before he died. Granted, he had no idea what any of them were getting–except for Sam–but he wasn’t about to share that information.

  Out of all his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Sam was the one Zeke worried
about the most. He knew Sam was a hell-raiser who was constantly in trouble, and most of the time he attributed it to the fact that Susannah’s husband had left and there hadn’t been a positive male role model in Sam’s life on a full-time basis. Over the years, Zeke had talked about wanting Sam to grow up and settle down–not so much with a wife and kids, but just…calming down on his wild and impetuous ways.

  About a year ago, Sam got arrested. The only reason Jake knew about it was because he had been here when Susannah got the call. It was for a DUI and Sam spent a night in jail, but Zeke had demanded he come here and talk to him in person. Sam had and Zeke laid down the law for him–either get his shit together, or he was going to be disowned. It seemed drastic, but Sam had taken the warning seriously and for the last year it seemed like he was doing okay. Looking at his face now, however, Jake saw traces of the angry and defiant man who had shown up here a year ago.

  Not a good sign.

  In the letter Zeke wrote, there was most likely a demand that Sam work the company for a year. It was something they had talked about because Zeke knew Sam would reject the idea of coming to work and live in Magnolia. He thought it would be good for Sam to have some family nearby and some stability in employment. If he opted not to stay for the year, the business would go to Mason and Sam would get no monetary gain from it.

  He'd begged Zeke not to do it, and he honestly had no way of knowing for sure if he did until Sam read the letter.

  And was it wrong that he secretly hoped there was a similar stipulation with Mallory’s inheritance?

  If she was forced to move back here for a year, he’d have more time to convince her that what they had was meant to be. But he also didn’t want to be her fallback–a way to pass the time until she could leave. Even though that’s what he originally went into this new phase of their relationship thinking, he now knew it was crazy. They weren’t having a fling. This was the real deal.

  He just needed Mallory to see it too.

  They were all quiet for so long that he thought he’d go mad, but finally Susannah spoke up. “Jake, do you think…I mean…is it wrong that I want to do this? To turn this house into something new?”

  He shook his head. “If anything, I think the timing is kind of perfect.”

  “What do you mean?” Mallory asked, sitting up a little straighter where she was on the sofa.

  “The hurricane did so much damage to the town. What was once a neat and picturesque little town is now in shambles. We’re going to be picking up the pieces for a long time. And, judging by Zeke’s will, there’s going to be a lot of new owners and management throughout the local businesses. I’d say Magnolia Sound is going through a bit of a transformation and wouldn’t it be great to open the tourist season next summer with a new bed and breakfast?” he asked with a smile. “Think about all the marketing and promoting you could do for it. We always have a very active summer season and to have a place like this–a place with such a long-standing history within the town–would be a big draw. And depending on how big you want to go with this renovation, you could appeal to some very upscale clients.”

  He saw the smile on Susannah’s face grow.

  “And with Mallory helping with the design and decorating, you know it’s going to be classy and elegant here.” Then he looked at Sam. “And you are going to restore the grounds to the way your great-grandfather always had them–only better.” He straightened and watched as their faces all seemed to transform from wariness to wonder. “What better testimony to the founding family of this town than restoring this place and preserving its history?”

  Then, feeling a little smug, Jake walked over and sat down in one of the massive leather wingback chairs and smiled. “But that’s just one way you can look at it.”

  And then everyone started talking at once.

  “The addition could be turned into an apartment for me…”

  “We need to think about adding another bathroom or two…”

  “The nursery here in town doesn’t offer enough inventory for me to do what needs to be done with the yard. Although I guess I could talk with them about special ordering stuff for me…”

  “The wallpaper needs to be the first thing to go…”

  “What about putting in commercial-grade appliances in the kitchen?”

  Jake had a feeling this conversation was going to go on for a while and he opted to stand and excuse himself. Susannah and Sam both waved to him, but Mallory came over and kissed him goodbye and promised to see him later. And as he walked out of the house and looked at the construction equipment strewn all over the property, the enormity of what had been given to him today hit hard.

  Walking quickly, he made his way back to his house and had his phone in his hand as soon as he walked through the door. He needed to talk to someone, and his father always had a way of helping him through some of life’s harder moments.

  “Jake! What a surprise! I figured you’d be busy for at least the next month or so before you’d have time to talk mid-day!” his father said with a small laugh. “Everything okay?”

  God, where did he even begin?

  Walking into the living room, he sat down on the sofa and let out a long breath. “We met with Zeke’s attorney today for the reading of his will.”

  “Oh, Son, I’m sorry. I’m sure that was hard. How’s everyone holding up? How’s Mallory?”

  Jake couldn’t help but smile at the sound of her name. “She’s hanging in there. Honestly, it’s been hard on all of us. Between the storm and Zeke dying, it feels like the entire world is upside down.”

  “Well, in some respects, it is.” Jonah Summerford was almost always the voice of reason. He had a way of speaking plainly that Jake always appreciated. “Zeke has been a constant in Magnolia Sound for almost a century. He’s been the one holding his family together for most of that time.” He paused. “You know, it was so sad when we watched as he buried his wife and then his own children, but through it all, he was a rock for everyone. I imagine it’s going to be a big adjustment for Susannah, Georgia, and all the great-grandkids.”

  “You have no idea…”

  “What happened?”

  Jake told him about the contents of the will and the argument between Susannah and Georgia and wasn’t surprised when his father laughed.

  “If you ask me, that’s exactly as it should be. Georgia doesn’t deserve the house. Susannah may have been gone for a long time, but she was always good to Zeke and I know he adored her–just like he does Sam and Mallory.”

  Then Jake told him about their inheritance.

  “You know what, that makes total sense. Good for them!”

  “I think Mallory’s excited at the prospect, but Sam’s not particularly thrilled.”

  “Sounds about right,” Jonah responded thoughtfully. “Sam has never wanted to do what anyone tells him to do. No doubt he’s fighting this simply because he’s seeing it as Zeke telling him what to do one last time. I think in time he’ll settle into it.”

  “I don’t think Zeke gave him a choice.” He explained the stipulations and his father laughed heartily and Jake couldn’t help but join him. “I’ll tell you something, Dad, Zeke was always crafty, but this whole will really proved it.”

  “Any other surprises?”

  And that’s when he told him about his own inheritance.

  “Jake! That is incredible! You’ve always wanted to be the one running Coleman Construction and Zeke knew it too. Congratulations!”

  Yeah, it had been something they had all talked about ever since Jake was eighteen. He just never thought it would happen quite like this.

  “It’s a big responsibility, Dad. We’re super busy right now and there’s so much going on and…I don’t know…I’m a little overwhelmed.”

  “Nonsense. We both know you were already running the business. Nothing is going to change except a new title.”

  “Dad, you’re over-simplifying. Of course things are going to change,” he countered.


  “I disagree. Your staff is still in place, Jake. Zeke wasn’t running the day-to-day operations and you’ve been the one signing the paychecks for the last year ever since Darrel Johnson retired. So why do you think anything’s going to change?”

  “Because Zeke’s not here for me to go to for advice on things related to the business,” he said quietly. Closing his eyes, he rested his head back against the cushions and fought the urge to cry even as the sting of tears was already there. “Everyone looked at Zeke as an old man who was out of touch with what was going on with his businesses, but it’s not true. He was still as sharp as a tack. He loved talking about the jobs we were working on and offering advice on where to get materials or who was the right choice to be the foremen on different jobs. Without him here…”

  “You’ll still know what to do, Son. Zeke has been training you and prepping you for this for ten years. You need to believe in yourself. Zeke did.”

  And damn if that didn’t make him want to break down even more. “I don’t want to let him down…”

  “You couldn’t. It’s not possible. What does Mallory say about all of this?”

  Jake paused for a moment and realized he hadn’t told his father–or anyone for that matter–about the change in his and Mallory’s relationship. “Why do you ask?” he asked suspiciously.

  “You know I’ve always adored that girl,” Jonah explained. “Things didn’t end well for the two of you way back when, but I would imagine you’ve had to spend some time together since Zeke’s passing. And I would also imagine you were both able to put the past aside during this time.”

  He nodded even though no one could see.

  “I know how close Mallory was to Zeke, and I just thought she would have said something when you found out about inheriting the business.”

  “We haven’t really talked about it. As far as I can tell, no one’s upset with it, but they were all a little distracted by the whole Georgia and Susannah thing.” He still couldn’t believe there had almost been a catfight in the lawyer’s office. “I don’t think anyone else wanted the business, but knowing how greedy Georgia is, maybe once the dust settles, she’ll realize she could have sold the business for a lot of money.”