Hot SEAL, April's Fool by Becca Jameson (smart books to read .txt) 📗

“Is there a lot to go over?” Amanda asked.

“Not much. But your husband did have a will, and he updated it three years ago.”

“Oh.” Amanda sat up straighter. “I wasn’t even aware he had a will.”

Cole thought that was odd too.

A file folder sat in front of George, unopened, and he leaned his elbows on the table and glanced back and forth between Amanda and Jacob. “I need to warn you that your husband, and your father, redid this will after Jacob was an adult and had been working at the shop for a year.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Amanda asked, her voice shrill.

George tapped the table with his fingers. He looked uncomfortable.

Cole stiffened, wondering what the hell was going on and why George wasn’t looking in his direction.

“The thing is that Marcus did not think Jacob should take over the shop in the event that Marcus should pass.”

Amanda gasped. “What do you mean?”

Jacob shifted his weight forward, glaring at George.

Cole held his breath. This was about to get ugly, but he had no idea in what capacity.

“I mean that Marcus did not leave any shares of the shop to Jacob.”

Amanda gasped, her hand coming to her chest. “He left that stinky place to me?”

It was a good thing both Amanda and Jacob were ignoring Cole because Cole was struggling not to laugh at the two of them. They acted like they had no brain cells.

George shook his head and then cleared his throat. “No. He left you the house and your car.”

Amanda blew out a breath of relief. “Well, that goes without saying. I’m his wife.”

“Nothing goes without saying, ma’am. Not where wills are concerned.”

Amanda gasped again, but she wisely pursed her lips and didn’t say anything else.

George swallowed. The man looked like he’d rather be having a prostate exam. “Marcus left the business to Cole.”

“What?” Cole wasn’t sure which of the three of them spoke the loudest, but there was no doubt they all spoke at once. He hadn’t known what to expect, but not this. He hadn’t spoken to his father in ten years. Not a single word. Why would the man leave the family business to him?

Jacob jumped to his feet. “You can’t be serious. Cole left this family a decade ago and never looked back. He doesn’t deserve to own the shop. I’m the one who works my ass off making sure everything runs smoothly.”

Cole couldn’t keep from chuckling at that insanity.

Jacob jerked his gaze to Cole. “What the fuck are you laughing at?”

George interjected again. “According to your father, you had no interest in the business, hardly showed up to work, rarely took any initiative, and had no appreciation for what it took to run the place. His words. Not mine.”

Cole was glad the job of explaining Jacob’s lazy ass fell to George, but his mind was spinning at the same time. It was impossible to understand why his father would do this.

George opened the folder and pulled out three envelopes. They each had a name on it, and he handed one to each family member.

Cole’s hand was shaking and he tucked the envelope in the inside of his jacket to look at later. He was certainly not going to read whatever his father had written in front of anyone.

“You’re saying he left me nothing?” Jacob asked, still standing.

George cringed. “He left you his ’57 Chevy.”

“Are you kidding me?” Jacob shouted, setting his hands on the table and leaning forward. “What the hell would I want with that old piece of shit?”

“Well, I’m pretty sure Marcus explained that in your letter, but he was hoping you might learn an appreciation for cars if you tinkered around with his pride and joy. Again, his words.”

Jacob slammed his palms on the table, turned around, and stormed out of the conference room.

Amanda leaned forward slowly. She didn’t look quite as angry as Jacob. Still ignoring Cole, she said calmly, “So, if my husband happened to be in financial trouble, and he left the shop to Cole, does that mean that Cole is responsible for settling the debt?”

Cole froze. She had a point.

George glanced at Cole and then back at Amanda. “Perhaps. I’d have to know more in order to answer that question. I wasn’t aware your husband was in any financial trouble.”

Amanda cackled. “Apparently he had a gambling habit. He owed a bookie a lot of money. The guy has come to me twice this week offering to take the shop as payment to clear the debt.”

George blinked at her. “I’m sorry. I know nothing about this. I’ll need more information. Let me look into it and get back to you. If by chance your husband has more debt than the value of the shop, you could lose the house too.”

It was Amanda’s turn to jump to her feet. “I’m not losing the damn house. That’s my home.” She jerked her attention to Cole for the first time. “You better take care of this problem, Cole, or so help me God.” And then she stormed out of the conference room just like her son.

Cole flinched as she slammed the door. For a moment, he stared at the door, trying to gather his thoughts. Finally, he looked back at George.

George furrowed his brow in apology. “Do you have any idea how much money your father owed?”

“Not exactly. A lot. I do know who is extorting the money and why.”

George leaned back. “Talk to me.”

“It would seem that my father had a side gig going for a few years betting on the races. It wasn’t a big deal until some people started pressuring him to increase his bets. He grew addicted to the process and got more and more in debt.”

“Do you know who he owes the money to?”

Cole nodded, fisting his hands against his thighs in frustration. He wasn’t the sort of person who easily lost his temper, but this situation was beyond reproach. “Richard Chamberlain.”

George jerked back. “The mayor?”

“The one