Page 19

He nodded.

“What about back taxes?” I asked.

“Those were paid out of the estate once a year,” he explained. “Everything is up to date, but now that you know about the will and the assets, it’s no longer the firm’s responsibility, so make sure that you get that taken care of yearly.”

I gathered my things and stood.

“One other thing,” he said, stopping me from turning around.

“Yes?” I asked.

“Your brother’s care,” he said. “Your parents asked that you take care of him.”

I laughed. “Not a chance, dude. Not a chance.”

With that, I walked out and into the rest of my life.

Four

He called me a bitch, so I called him an ambulance.

—Jessamy to Black

Jessamy

Present day

I should’ve never gone into the city council’s building with anger boiling in my veins.

I didn’t want to be as mad as I was.

But I’d heard at the coffee shop this morning where I’d picked up my favorite cup of coffee that I wasn’t the only one who was being affected by the corrupt city council of Sawtooth. I’d gone early, because the one and only barista that would serve me worked the early morning shifts. And she was only by herself from five to eight.

So I’d dragged myself out of bed at seven, knowing I’d need the energy boost to get through the day.

I had a meeting with the town council on their plan to annex some of my land.

I’d moved into my grandmother’s place a week after being told that it was mine.

From there, I’d made it my own.

It was too far out of town to have anyone randomly driving by, and I had zero trees surrounding it. Only meadows, brooks, and the Madison River.

I could see animals or people coming for miles.

Just the way I liked it.

I’d been happy there, content as fuck, until I’d gotten a letter in the mail last week telling me that the town was annexing the front part of my property to build a road.

I think, the fuck, not, city of Sawtooth.

Hence why I needed the coffee.

The meeting was planned for nine.

Getting my coffee right before eight, then sitting in my car building up the courage to go inside the city council sounded like a great plan.

And it was, too.