Claire laughed. The two of them were just too much. “Lucy, is there anything you’re not telling us about your surprise visit?”

She put her hands up, the picture of innocence. “No! I just wanted to pop in and see how you were doing, and see this mysterious hotel you’re working in.”

She could tell that Lucy was trying to hide something. Her tone was off.

Claire narrowed her eyes at her. “Oh really? That’s all?”

“Fine.” Lucy let out a sigh. “I also thought they were going to fire me, so before they could do it, I quit my job.”

Claire laughed. “Ah, that makes sense.”

“The job didn’t align with my professional interests anyway,” Lucy continued. “That’s all though, I swear. I don’t know anything about the FBI.”

Marty was smiling at her, but said nothing.

Lucy sighed again. “Really, that’s it. Claire’s been so busy working at this hotel that I wanted to make sure she was okay. And, you know, figure out my next steps, too.”

Claire wasn’t sure how many shocks Lucy could handle in one night, but she felt uncomfortable that Lucy still thought she was simply “working” at the hotel.

She’d hoped to tell the girls the truth about the hotel, and about the inheritance, the next time they all visited. It seemed she needed to move that date up, though.

Her silence didn’t go unnoticed by Lucy. “What? Did you get fired, too?”

Claire shook her head. “No, I did not.”

“They must not be paying you very well if you’re staying in a place like this,” Lucy said, shaking her head. “I mean, it’s cute, but it’s so small. How are we supposed to visit you here?”

Claire shrugged. “I was thinking you’d stay at the hotel.”

“That’d be way too expensive.”

Marty let out a laugh and Lucy shot him a look.

“What?” she said. “I’m a little bit broke, but I can always find ways to make money when I need to.”

“That’s not why I’m laughing,” Marty said.

Lucy crossed her arms. “Then what is it?”

Claire let out a sigh. Whether the timing was right or not, Lucy needed to know the truth. “Do you think you can take another surprise?” she asked.

“Uh, I think so.” Lucy shrugged. “Honestly, I thought the DNA test was going to be a super lame gift. It was Lillian’s idea. This is actually pretty cool. Marty seems cool, except for the whole outlaw thing. But it kind of works for him.”

Marty tilted his head. “It does?”

“Yeah.”

Marty seemed pleased with that, though he was shaking his head.

“Does the hotel have a staff dorm?” asked Lucy. “Or servant quarters? Is it like Downton Abbey?”

“You could say it’s kind of like Downton Abbey,” Marty said.