Snippet of the Day

Snippet of the Day

“I don’t understand it,” Ella said. Her eyes scanned over the front page of what was a thick packet of documents.

“Did you and your uncle not have a good relationship?” The attorney glanced at her over the rim of his glasses.

“We did when I was young.” Ella shook her head. “As I got older, he and my father didn’t see eye to eye anymore. Something happened. My father’s been dead for years. After his funeral, I never saw my uncle again.”

“And your mother, if I may ask?” His tone was cautious.

Ella sighed, riffling through the papers again, trying to make sense of it all. “My mother left as soon as I went away to college. She had some sort of midlife-crisis thing. She’s out west, fulfilling her lifelong dream of owning an antiques business. After my father’s death, things fell apart. I can’t say we have a great relationship either,” Ella added, her tone hushed with regret. She felt like she was dumping her dysfunctional past on a stranger. “Doesn’t my mother want the house?”

“Your mother’s name isn’t on the will. Yours is.” James Ryan of Ryan, Spencer, and Brighton stood up and righted the papers on his desk, signaling to Ella that their business was complete. He slid the keys across his desk, the chain a shiny, plated gold. “That’s a prime  piece of real estate you have there.” He chuckled, seeming perplexed over why Ella was debating with him. He obviously thought this was her gateway to a great fortune. “There’s no mortgage, and the taxes have been paid for the next six years. I say go down there and enjoy. Try it.” He shrugged. “If you don’t want the place...sell it. You’ll walk away with a nice purse, I can tell you that,” he said. James Ryan grinned, his wiry brows lifting.

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