MY HEART TO KEEP (Hazel Island #2)

Chapter 1-2

As Luke watched his parents out of the corner of his eye, he had to restrain a smile. Not because he was happy, exactly. There wasn’t much to be happy about, considering this was the reading of his grandmother’s will. He missed Granny Esther terribly.

But to see his dad squirming in his seat, when Gregory Wright had never squirmed in his entire life, was certainly memorable.

His mom, Juliet, stroked her latest Pomeranian. Luke couldn’t remember its name. Its tongue was hanging out, and it looked like it had a grand total of three brain cells to rub together. This morning, Luke had watched the fluffy i***t bark madly at one of the fountains outside.

Granny’s lawyer, Mr. Hitchens, was shuffling papers, muttering under his breath as he tried to get himself organized. Luke had a feeling the man was just stalling for time.

I wish Tristan were here, Luke thought. But his prodigal little brother hadn’t shown his face at their parents’ house in over a decade.

Hitchens cleared his throat. “Okay, yes, here we go.” He cleared his throat a second time. “Mrs. Walter Wright changed her will six months prior to her death. These are the changes included herein.”

Luke sat forward in his seat. So did his parents. Even the dog seemed to perk up its ears in anticipation.

“‘All of my assets and money shall go to my grandson, Luke Gregory Wright. To my grandson Tristan Julian Wright, he shall inherit the remaining ten percent of Mrs. Walter Wright’s money. My son, Gregory Kenneth Wright, and his wife, Juliet Rebecca Wright née Havens, shall receive nothing.’”

Luke had never understood the phrase “so silent you could hear a pin drop,” but in that moment, it applied. It was as if a blanket of silence had covered the entire room. His heart was pounding so loudly, though, he was half-certain everyone could hear it.

“Are you f*****g kidding me?” Luke’s dad launched himself from his chair, causing the dog to start barking and jumping at his ankles. “That can’t be the will. Is this a joke?”

Luke also stood up. He caught the dog before Gregory could kick it into the next galaxy. Gregory had never been cruel to his wife’s pets, but this wasn’t a usual moment. Luke stroked the dog until its barks turned into soft whimpers.

“Hitchens, can we see the will ourselves?” said Luke. He needed to see the paper it was written on, feel it under his fingertips. Maybe then all of this would seem real.

Hitchens cleared his throat for the third time. “I’m afraid to say I haven’t finished reading it all. Please, take your seats.”

Gregory, red-faced and steam nearly coming from his nostrils, didn’t sit down. Luke handed the dog to his mom and wiped the dog hair from his shirt in vain.

“‘Contingent upon inheriting, my grandson Luke Wright must fall in love and marry a suitable woman of his choice within one year of my death. He must stay married for three years,’” recited Hitchens.

Now it was Luke’s turn to say, “Are you serious? Please tell me you aren’t serious.”

Fall in love and marry? He’d always known Granny was eccentric, and even overbearing, but this was insane.

“‘My dearest friend Opal Johnson will meet with Luke and his wife to determine if they are in love upon marriage. If she sees that he is trying to skirt the rules, she will inform my lawyer and provide documentation of her findings.’” Hitchens pulled at his collar, looking uncomfortable.

That was when Luke started laughing. He knew he sounded hysterical. The entire situation was hysterical. Granny Esther must be laughing her bony little ass off wherever she was, damn the woman.

“And what about my brother?” said Luke suddenly.

“It says here that he must return to Hazel Island within a year and live here for three years to inherit,” replied Hitchens.

“This is outrageous!” Gregory slammed a hand onto the desk, making Hitchens jump and the dog bark again. He grabbed the papers from Hitchens, reading over the text and turning redder and redder. “This can’t be real,” he kept saying over and over.

Juliet, for her part, was the only one who seemed calm. But Luke could tell she was upset, too. She wasn’t petting the dog but instead chewing on her bottom lip. She only ever did that when she was really agitated, because she hated messing up her lipstick otherwise.

“Listen to this,” said Gregory, his expression sneering. “‘As I loved my dearest David, I want the same for my eldest grandson. As far as my younger grandson, I want him to return to his home and reunite with his family. These two things, I wish for with all my heart.’ What a bunch of bullshit!”

Despite himself, the image of Jocelyn in a wedding gown, walking toward him, burst into Luke’s mind. He pushed the thought ruthlessly away. There’s been enough insanity for today, he reminded himself.

Luke took the papers from his dad’s grip as Gregory started pacing like a caged tiger. Even reading the words himself didn’t make them seem real.

Luke was tempted to say to hell with the money. Even Granny didn’t have the right to dictate who he married. But Luke had been counting on inheriting a substantial amount of money that wouldn’t just be for his own enjoyment. It would be hugely beneficial to so many people.

Luke’s mind started turning, trying to find a way out of this. But deep down, he knew Granny would’ve made sure he couldn’t wriggle out of this. Wily to her last days was Esther Wright.

“Granny did always like a good joke,” said Luke.

At that, his dad whirled on him, pointing a finger in his face. “You! You did this. You influenced her. You went behind my back and made her change the will. There was no reason she would’ve done this to me. I was her only son. I took care of her, paid for her to be in the nicest facility, got her the best nurses, all of it. And she repays me like this!”

Luke pushed his dad’s hand aside. “Do you honestly think I could’ve gotten Granny to do anything she didn’t want to do? Come on.”

Gregory scowled. He knew Luke was right. No one had been as stubborn as Granny. Even in the moment before she’d breathed her last, she’d reminded her son that she’d wanted her body to be cremated. If he didn’t heed her wishes, she’d come back to haunt him. No one in the family had ever been cremated; the Wrights had the largest cemetery plot on Hazel Island. But Granny had wanted to defy tradition just like she always had.

“Well, this has been a little too much excitement for me.” Juliet stood. She came over to kiss Luke’s cheek. In a whisper, she said to Luke, “Better avoid your dad for now. I don’t want any bloodshed ruining my brand-new carpets.”

Luke just chuckled darkly and did as he was told for once.