Page 110 of Day Break

She nodded. “I can respect that. I want to move forward with a few things. I start drivers’ education in a few days. When I get my license, I want to look at renting a building around here. With my portion of what George left me, I’d like to open a restaurant,” she said, smiling.

I pulled her into my arms. “That’s an amazing idea.”

“I don’t know much about running a business,” she admitted against my chest. “I think one of the first steps is to hire a lawyer to help me out.”

I chuckled. “I think I might know a few good ones. I can get you their contact information.”

Chloe pinched my side and I laughed.

“Okay.” I held up my hands. “I’ll do it.” I kissed her. “I might know a building that will work. It’s in town. Maybe we can swing by later to look at it?”

“I’d like that,” she said, then her smile slipped. “I don’t want you to feel that I’m forcing your hand. Making you stick around here, but…” She took my hand in hers.

I chuckled. “You’re not. Whatever I decide, I’m one hundred percent sure that I’m not going to sell this place.”

“Good,” she said with a sigh. “George wanted you to have it. Not just to sell, but to live in it.”

I nodded and looked around our new room. Instantly, I thought about bringing some of my furniture from my townhouse up here. Maybe even all of it. Even though most of the stuff in the house was newer, there were a few pieces I liked of my own.

One of the first things I’d done was put the massive house in Seattle where my grandparents had lived up for sale, the one now occupied by my uncle Robert and aunt Reba.

I could just as easily sell the townhouse since I couldn’t see myself living there any longer. Everything I wanted was here.

“How about we head into town, and you can show me the place you were thinking about, and we can have dinner at the gas station diner?” Chloe suggested.

“Sure,” I said, then I snapped my fingers. “You were given the contents of my grandfather’s safety deposit box. I’m dying to know what is inside. We can swing by the bank first.”

Chloe smiled. “She looked down at the shorts and T-shirt she’d worn to clean and move stuff around. “Let me change first.”

I nodded. “I’ll meet you downstairs.” I headed down to the study to gather the necessary documents we’d need for the bank.

As we drove into town, I filled Chloe in on the legal steps in opening a business. Most likely she’d need her driver’s license first, which wasn’t a problem. That would give her enough time to get everything ready to start her business.

But to begin with, we could open the business under the trust’s name.

I felt as light as a feather as we walked into the bank. We presented the teller with the legal paperwork that we needed to get into the safety deposit box, and the manager came out and chatted with me for a moment. They tried to complain that Chloe didn’t have a driver’s license, but I reminded them that the documents she did have were legally acceptable in this case.

Half an hour later, right before the bank closed, we were shown into the vault, and the manager opened the locked box with the key I had been given by Lee.

The manager set the safety deposit box on the table in the middle of the room.

“We close in five minutes,” he said, then he left.

“Well?” I said, motioning to the metal box.

“You want me to open it?” Chloe asked.

“Everything inside is yours,” I pointed out.

She walked over and lifted the lid, as if expecting a snake to jump out from inside it. Instead, a single envelope with Chloe’s name on it sat inside.

Picking it up, she frowned at me.

“Go on,” I said.

She opened it and took out the letter. There was a small silver key tucked inside the paper. She looked at it, then handed it to me as she read.

“My dearest Chloe, I know this might seem strange to you, but it was the best I could do on such short notice. I hated dragging you into my messed-up family affairs. But at this point, you’re better than family. Last year, I found out some disturbing information about my family and, outside of Lane, you’re the only person I trust. So, here goes. Today I’ve changed my will so that you and Lane receive pretty much everything of mine. The only other people in my family worthy of anything is Tiffany and her child. I’ve seen to it that they are both compensated, without allowing her no-good-husband to take any of it. I have my reasons, and I know my family will try to contest my last wishes. If I know Lane, he’ll fight them to the very end. It must come as a shock to you to be thrust into such drama. For that I’m truly sorry. The moment I woke to you standing over me in my kitchen, you reminded me of my sweet Florence. You have the gentlest and kindest soul I’ve ever seen. Too good for the likes of any Robinson. With that said, if by some miracle you and Lane marry, there is one caution I would give you. Someone in the family murdered my granddaughter, Sherry. This is a fact. I was unable to find out who before locking this letter away. Both of my sons know more than they led on all those years ago. The only proof I have of this was a discovery I made a year ago. I buried the discovery in the special place you showed me. I would do anything to keep you safe, but I’m afraid that by sharing this information with you, I’ve put you and Lane in danger. If I was years younger, I would have known what to do with the proof. I would have had the courage to stick up for what was right. For Sherry. Now, I’m afraid I’ve signed my death warrant just by writing this. I’ll leave you with this last piece of joy. You were as much of a granddaughter to me as Sherry was. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t miss her laugh, her smile. In the short time I knew you, I loved you with all of my heart. May your future be as bright as the dawn. It’s very fitting that you chose it for your last name. Love, George.”