Gigi stood and whirled around so fast that the room spun slightly. Macca moved quickly to her side, wrapping his arm around her waist. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, just moved too quickly.” She glanced over at the older man who stepped in from the inner office. This had to be Mr. Georgeson. The lawyer. Mr. Georgeson eyed them all, his face growing darker as his gaze rested on Macca’s dad.
“Everything is fine,” Everly said. She stepped forward with a smile. “I’m Everly McKenzie. This is my son, Nico.”
The older man’s face lightened as he saw the little boy.
“A child has no place at a will reading,” James grumbled. He glanced over at her and she braced herself for some nasty comment but he looked at Macca then hastily away. Whatever Macca said to him seemed to have made an impact.
“That’s fine,” said Mr. Georgeson. “Please, won’t you all come in. This won’t take long, but Penny was insistent on having a reading and she wanted you all here.”
They all sat down in stiff, leather chairs. Everly pulled a small, worn book out of her large satchel and handed it to Nico who sat at her feet.
“Right, thank you all for coming,” Mr. Georgeson started off. “You understand that the estate of Penelope Eloise McKenzie will be held in probate for six months in case of any claims, so what is read out today won’t actually settled until then—”
“Yes, yes, we all know this. Get on to the bequests. Who got the property?” Macca’s dad leaned forward, practically salivating in anticipation.
He was a disgusting human being.
Macca and Everly glared at him. To her surprise, the lawyer joined them.
“Yes, well, onto the bequests.” The lawyer turned to Everly. “To my great-niece Everly, I leave my opal ring and bracelet set, I know they were always her favorite.”
“Oh,” Everly said with pleasure.
“And fifty thousand dollars.”
“What? No! Really?” Everly looked completely stunned. Her mouth opened then closed. Then a tear drifted down her cheek. Moved by instinct, Gigi got up and knelt next to her chair, hugging her tight.
“For God’s sake, can we please get on with it, some of us have other things to do today,” James said abruptly.
“God forbid any of us get between you and your golf date,” Macca said dryly.
His father glared at him, but the lawyer cleared his throat.
“To my beloved grandson, Alexander McKenzie, I leave the rest of the funds in my bank account, along with all stock, dividends and shares, minus the money left to Everly,” the lawyer directed and Macca nodded. “I also leave my wedding and engagement rings. And the condo in Hawaii, I’m sure he’ll make good use of it. Life is short, spend it wisely by doing things you love with people you love. I know that special person is out there for you.”
Gigi watched Macca’s face as she stood and returned to her chair, but it could have been carved from stone for all the emotion he showed. Worry stirred in her gut. That was so unlike him.
His father smiled. “So that means the property comes to me.”
The lawyer cleared his throat. “To my son, James McKenzie. I leave five dollars. I had to leave you something so that you would be here for the reading of my will and hopefully I’m here in spirit so I can see the look on your face. James, I loved you so much. I’m not sure where I went wrong with you, but the way you treated your wife and son tells me that somewhere along the way I failed you. I doubt this is a wake-up for you, but one can hope.”
The lawyer looked to Macca as everyone stared at James. He sat frozen, expressionless, looking off into the distance. “I’m certain you can ensure that Mr. McKenzie gets what is owed to him?”
Macca pulled out his wallet and drew out a ten dollar note. “That’s as small as I’ve got. You can keep the change.” He held out the money and his father stared down at it, clearly in shock.
“What? What is happening? Who got left the property?” James asked, looking bewildered.
“He’s got a real hard-on for Auntie Penny’s place,” Everly muttered to her, shocking Gigi into a giggle at her wording. But yeah, she wasn’t wrong. “Makes you wonder why.”
“To my very dear friend, Georgina Raymond, I leave my house, including—” the rest of his words drifted away as she froze. Had she heard right? She couldn’t have, could she? Penny would never leave her the house.
“What the fuck!”
She turned her head at James’s roar of displeasure. He stood and pointed at her and the sheer fury in his face was terrifying. She guessed she couldn’t blame him. After all, his mother had just left her family property to her.
It was surreal.