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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

“They haven’t really told me anything. The big problem is, several of my most valuable properties were in Tanya’s name. For tax purposes, of course.”

“Ahhh,” she said. She let that hang there in the air.

Evan tugged at his ear. He did that, she noticed, when he was agitated.

“Tanya left a will,” he continued. “Her attorney drew it up, and I wasn’t even aware of it, until recently. Everything she had goes to Maya, our daughter, of course. But Letty is listed as her guardian.”

“Not you? Her domestic partner? She chose a sister who wouldn’t even speak to her for a couple years?”

“Yes.”

She bit back the sarcastic comment that came immediately to mind. “Just how much property are we talking about?”

“A lot. Several million dollars’ worth. The most valuable portion of my investment portfolio.”

“But in the eyes of the law, it’s not actually yours, right? It’s her kid’s now. And the aunt’s, by default, because the kid is a minor. Although, if this aunt is charged with murder, by law she wouldn’t be allowed to profit from her crime.”

“True,” Evan said.

“Do you think the sister is aware of this will? Of what she and the kid stand to inherit?”

He tugged at his ear again. “I don’t know.”

12

LETTY HAD ONLY HERSELF TO blame. Moving to New York had been Tanya’s idea, but Letty hadn’t exactly discouraged her. She offered the pull-out sofa in the Tribeca apartment, loaned her money and clothes, showed her how to buy a MetroCard.

And the first night Tanya was in town, she introduced Evan to her little sister.

“Wow!” Tanya said, later that night, as she was making up the sofa bed. “You didn’t tell me your boyfriend was, like, smoking hot. Seriously, Letty, he’s amazing. And this apartment is so cool! I feel like I’m living in a Friends episode. Tell me again, what is it you exactly do to earn this place?”

Letty was hard put to explain her job.

“I’m the on-site manager. We had six units in this building when I started, but Evan just closed on two more. And he owns ten more units in the neighborhood.”

“Do you happen to have any white wine?” Tanya asked, poking her head in the fridge. “That Italian food we had tonight was soooo salty. I’m parched.”

“There’s a bottle of Sancerre on the door,” Letty said.

Tanya found the bottle and filled a wineglass nearly to the rim with the sixty-dollar-a-bottle wine Letty had splurged on the previous week. She held up the bottle. “There’s like half a glass left. Want some?”

Letty shook her head.

Tanya sat back down on the sofa, her lovely nose wrinkled in disapproval. “So, you’re like Evan’s receptionist? I don’t get it. I thought you moved to New York to act.”