BooksBarbecue
Back The Newcomer Save as PDF
Chapters (71)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. Dedication
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. Epilogue
  68. Acknowledgments
  69. Also by Mary Kay Andrews
  70. About the Author
  71. Newsletter Sign-up

She heard a ping coming from inside the apartment and got up to fetch her phone.

It was a text from Zoey.

Girl—I hope you’re okay. A lawyer came here today, looking to see if I knew where you’re at. I acted dumb and said I hadn’t heard from you, but don’t think she bought it. She says she’s your sister’s lawyer and needs to talk to you. Wouldn’t say what it’s about. Here’s her card. Take care, you hear?

The next text message contained a screenshot of a business card.

Samiya Chritesh, attorney-at-law. There was a phone number and an email address. Written in neat block letters on the bottom of the card was a note.

Ms. Carnahan. I represent your late sister’s estate. It’s urgent that I speak with you. Please call.

25

LETTY DIDN’T KNOW WHETHER TO laugh or cry. Tanya had an estate? She didn’t recognize the lawyer’s name, but knew this Samiya woman was not the attorney who’d represented her sister in her custody battle with Evan.

She’d met that lawyer, a sharp-eyed older man recommended by one of Tanya’s Mommy-and-me friends, when she’d been deposed in the court fight.

Was this some kind of trick? Letty typed the name Samiya Chritesh into the computer’s search engine.

A moment later, she was reading the woman’s online biography. Graduated top of her class at Northwestern, NYU law school, sole practitioner at Samiya Chritesh LLC, specializing in trusts and estate planning.

Letty studied the photo accompanying the bio—of a thirty-something woman with smooth brown skin dressed in a sedate lawyer-lady blazer—and realized she’d met her before.

Could this be Sammi? Tanya’s yoga friend? That was how both sisters always categorized Tanya’s eclectic roster of friends and acquaintances. There was Vida, no last name, her modeling-agency friend; and Heather and Jenn and Portia and Liza, her ex-friends, because they were married to Evan’s friends; and Demetria, her nutritionist, whom she’d met through Portia, but who’d stayed loyal to Tanya because Demetria wasn’t married to any of Evan’s friends. And then there was Sammi.

Letty had steadfastly resisted Tanya’s pleas to accompany her to yoga class, because she didn’t want to become a clichéd yoga-practicing kombucha-drinking Manhattanite, but she’d once, in a moment of weakness, agreed to meet Tanya and a new friend for coffee after class.

At the time, she’d been instantly intimidated by Sammi, so sleek in her Lululemons, her glossy dark hair totally unmussed, even after an hour of what Tanya described as “excruciating” hot yoga. Letty hadn’t known that she was a lawyer.