Page 5 of Honeyed

Alana catches my eye and motions as if to say she’ll be waiting by her car for me, and I nod. This might take a while, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she leaves. Because, as of now, I have no idea where we stand.

“As do I. Arthur was a good man and a good friend.” He pulls an envelope from inside his suit jacket. “This is what he left. Read it, think about the terms, contact me to sign the papers after the task is complete.”

With tense fingers, I take the sealed cream object, confused. “Isn’t there more paperwork to go over? His estate, belongings … I don’t know? More to do?”

Arthur was a rich man with multiple companies; there has to be more for me to settle.

“That will come after the only requirement is met. Just read the letter, and here is my card. After it’s done, get in touch.”

With that, he turns on his heel and leaves the funeral.

I’m left perplexed, intrigued, and with a somewhat eerie feeling in my chest. Because this seems too good to be true, and things in my life that have felt like that always end up biting me in the ass.

Quietly, I slip away into an unoccupied hallway to read the letter. If I take it outside now, Alana will want to know the contents, and I want to read it privately first. I owe this to Arthur, to carry out his wishes like he wanted.

Carefully, I rip it open, emptying the contents into my hand and unfolding the letterhead with his name and companies listed beneath. The expensive card stock makes me miss him more.

Then, after taking a good deep breath, I read.

Warren,

I’m assuming since you’re reading this, I’m gone. Everyone always starts these things that way, and I guess I’m just another cliché, even in death.

I’ll keep it brief; you were a kind soul to me even when my actions didn’t warrant it. I wish Clara and I could have done better by you, but in our defense, we didn’t know quite what we were up against. If anything, you proved to us that you were always far stronger than the two of us.

When I married Clara, I thought we were about to build this momentous life. That we’d fill that old brick mansion with a dozen children, but sadly, it never did work out for us. You, coming into our lives when and how you did, was something we thought we were prepared for, but we weren’t. For that, I am so deeply sorry.

However, spending the time we did together in these last few years has been such a light in my dark days. Your visits were the one thing I looked forward to after Clara passed.

If there is one thing in my life I did completely right, it was falling in love and tying myself to a woman who was much better than me. Spending my life committed to her and forming our partnership so that it was an unbreakable bond is truly my greatest accomplishment.

So, I am here to ask one more thing of you, even if it isn’t fair of me. There is no one else who deserves everything I have to give more than you. And I’m prepared to leave it all in your name; the houses, the cars, the trust, the money, everything.

You just have to do one simple thing: marry Alana.

Marry the woman you’ve gushed about for hours on end over the past few years. I don’t think you notice how much you talk about your best friend, but I didn’t talk about Clara nearly as much, and I was head over heels for that woman.

Clearly, you’re in love with the girl. Have been for most of your lifetime. I’m not sure what’s stopped you or what misguided sense of honor and duty has you refraining from going after what you really want, but that stops now.

If you want this money, my estate, all you have to do is marry your best friend, the woman you’ve always loved. If I know anything, it’s that nothing in this life is worth having at all if it isn’t shared with the one you love. The two of you will do magnificent things together. I just know it.

My one wish in death is to leave you on this earth as happy and loved as I can. I couldn’t give that to you in life, so I figure I’ll force you into it now. You deserve it. You deserve her.

Find your happiness,

Arthur

Apparently, even in death, my adoptive father is teaching me one last lesson.

I’m not getting a choice in stepping up or moving on because Arthur has decided for me. Shock radiates through me like a flaming arrow speared my chest.

Suddenly, this turning point went from something I had an optimistic outlook on, to something I am downright fearing.

3

ALANA

“Hi, Nonna, hi, Mrs. Spring.”