“Right, well, let’s get on with this, shall we?” Fran said, and looking up from her notes, her eyes met Joanna’s. “The first thing we need to discuss is the time limit on this...on this arrangement. I still plan to challenge some of the details of Oliver’s will in court, but you need to go into this knowing the longest possible time frame rather than the shortest. That way, there are no surprises, and we’re all on the same page.”

“That makes sense,” Joanna said.

“Good, I’m glad you agree,” Fran said. Inhaling slowly, Fran held her breath as she dropped the bombshell. “We’re talking about five years, Joanna.”

Without having to look around the table, Joanna knew all eyes were on her. Millie, who had been busily scribbling in a day planner, had stopped writing, and Addison Kane, who had been aimlessly paging through the contents of one of the folders Fran had set aside, had suddenly closed it and placed it on the table. The room was silent, and everyone was waiting for Joanna to back out of the deal.

Five years may have sounded like an eternity to some, but for Joanna Sheppard, it sounded like a gift. It would give her five years of quality time to spend with her father, rather than just a few minutes here and there before she rushed off to work morning, noon, and night. It would give her five years of not having to worry if he was getting the right care, and five years of not having to stress over the ever-growing pile of bills that were delivered almost daily. Time wasn’t important to Joanna Sheppard. Her father was.

“Well, that’s longer than I expected—”

“But if I manage to win a few of the court battles, your time could be reduced,” Fran said quickly, fearing she was about to lose Addison’s only hope.

“You make it sound like a prison sentence,” Joanna said with a small grin.

“It’ll hardly be that I assure you,” Fran said, flashing a stern look in Addison’s direction. “And I know it sounds like an awfully long time, which is why I wanted to talk about it first. If you don’t think you can commit to five years, then we end the discussion right now. It’s your choice.”

“No, it’s fine, Fran,” Joanna said. “Five years won’t be a problem, as long as I know that my father and I will be taken care of.”

“You will be,” Fran said, smiling as she glanced back at the papers in front of her.

“So, what’s next on your list?” Joanna asked, seeing Fran place a large check mark alongside to the first line on her notepad.