Kathy Douglass - The City Girl's Homecoming

Then she and Tim had broken up. Since the breakup had been friendly, Megan had believed she would remain friends with his family. She’d been wrong. She’d made excuses for them when they stopped returning her calls. But when her birthday came and went without acknowledgement, she’d realized they’d well and truly cut her from their lives.

She’d decided that the best way to deal with the painful situation was to make a clean break. On impulse, she’d written the names of the forty-nine other states on slips of paper and placed them in a hat. She’d pulled out North Carolina and had begun her job search there. Last month she’d been hired by Daniel Sutton, turning his one-man law firm into a one-man-and-one-woman firm. Sutton Law Office was very different from the five-hundred-lawyer firm where she’d worked before. It was a change, but not an unpleasant one.

While they ate, Megan and the Whitaker sisters chatted about Furever Paws, the animal rescue the sisters had founded on their property. The shelter, which was run mostly by volunteers, provided a necessary service in the community. Lost or unwanted pets were housed until new families could be found for them. The shelter held adoption fairs providing opportunities for the humans and animals to meet.

Once they’d eaten their cake and finished their sweet tea, Megan was able to steer the conversation to the reason she was here—their finances. She pulled a file from her leather bag and then looked from one sister to the other. Life had taught her that there was no such thing as sugarcoating bad news. Since Birdie and Bunny were going to be hurt, there was no use in beating around the bush.

“Well, ladies, I’m afraid what I have to say isn’t good. Your brother Greg has been embezzling from you.”

Bunny gasped and clasped her hands together against her chest.

Birdie shook her head. “Are you sure? I can’t believe Gator would do that to us. Can you, Bunny?”

“No.” Bunny’s voice was barely over a whisper, but Megan heard the pain there.

Even though Megan had expected this response, her heart still ached for them. Bunny didn’t want to believe anything bad about anyone, and Birdie had a blind spot when it came to her baby brother. Nothing he did would ever be wrong in her eyes. Even now, faced with evidence of his crimes, she still referred to him by the family’s old, affectionate nickname.

Megan had the proof that he’d been stealing from them for years, but whether she could convince the sisters to do anything about it was anyone’s guess. Still, she had to try. Bunny and Birdie were more than her clients. They were her friends. They were friends of the community. They cared about everyone and everyone cared about them.

“I have proof,” she said, passing over copies of the documents to each of them. Neither sister touched the stacks of papers. They barely looked at them. “This is the information from the forensic accountant I hired. I have time to go through everything now and answer any questions you have.”

“I’m sure you do. We just aren’t ready to think about any of this right now,” Bunny said. “We need time to process what you’ve told us.”

“I understand that, but it’s important that we act sooner rather than later.”

“We know, but we have other things to deal with right now and can’t handle another.”

“Like what?” Megan knew the news must be hard for them to grapple with, but putting off thinking about it wouldn’t do them any favors—not when they were at risk of losing their home.

“Rebekah,” Bunny replied immediately, and Birdie nodded.

“What about her?” Rebekah was the director of the animal shelter and one of Megan’s new friends.

“There’s something going on with her,” Bunny replied. “She seems a little run-down and tired these days. I came upon her the other day and she looked positively ill.”

“I saw her a few days ago and she looked fine to me,” Megan said, hoping to end this discussion so she could get the sisters back on track.

“Do you think it could be stress from dealing with Grant?” Birdie asked as if Megan hadn’t said a word. “That nephew of ours is such a perfectionist. He might be putting pressure on her.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Bunny said. “We should talk to him and make sure he knows how much we like Rebekah and how pleased we are with her work.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Megan said. “But what are we going to do about your money? If Greg continues to steal from you, you’ll be in big trouble. It’s possible that you could lose everything, including your home, the rest of your land and the animal rescue.”

At that bit of grim news, the sisters stopped talking about Rebekah and Grant and gave her their full attention. Birdie looked at her sister and then back at Megan. “Go on.”

“I’d like to set up a trust that would protect your property and money that your brother currently doesn’t control. Once we gain control of the rest, we’ll be able to protect that, as well. And if neither of you is interested or feels qualified to act as trustee, I’ll hire one for you.”

The sisters shared a long look. “That would be all right,” Birdie said finally.

“Great. I’ll take care of that right away. Now, the second thing we need to discuss is whether or not you want to bring criminal charges against Greg.”

“I don’t know. I can’t imagine putting my baby brother in jail,” Birdie said.

“Your baby brother is robbing you blind,” Megan pointed out. “If we hadn’t caught him in time, you could have ended up on the street.”

“Still...we need time to think about that.”

“Good enough.” At least she’d gotten them to take the first steps to protect themselves in the future. “Take your time and consider what I’ve told you. In the meantime, I’ll get busy setting up the trust. I’ll make sure that your brother doesn’t have the ability to make financial decisions for you any longer. Your assets will be protected, although I can’t promise we’ll be able to get any of your money back. No doubt it’s already gone.”

“Okay.” Birdie picked up the documents Megan had given to them and tried to hand them back.

“Those are your copies,” Megan said. “I have my own. Read them over at your leisure. If you have any questions, I’m always available to answer them.”

“Oh, there’s no need for that, dear,” Bunny said. “We trust you. It’s good to know we’re in such good hands.”

Megan didn’t bother to tell the older woman that it was that kind of blind trust that had landed them in the mess they were in. At her age, she wasn’t likely to change. But since Megan was trustworthy and her boss Daniel was as well, she knew the sisters truly were in good hands. No one else would be able to harm them anymore.

Megan stood and grabbed her briefcase.

“Don’t tell me you need to leave right now,” Bunny said.

“I’m afraid so. Thanks again for lunch. It was wonderful.” Megan walked beside the sisters to the front door. Before Megan stepped onto the shady porch, Bunny gave her a hug. Surprised, Megan froze. It had been a while since she’d been the recipient of such open affection. Pushing down unexpected emotions, she returned the hug, then walked to her car. As she drove away, she hoped the sisters would take her advice and bring criminal charges against their brother. Family was a precious thing, and anyone who took advantage of their siblings deserved to be punished.

As she headed for her office, her thoughts drifted back to Cade Battle. He was probably the best-looking man she’d ever seen, and undoubtedly the grumpiest. Still, he’d been kind to Bunny so she knew he couldn’t be all bad. Not that it mattered. He clearly didn’t like her.