Page 80 of Charm and Conquer

I bite my lip hard. "Her circumstances changed," Goldy says. "Where would you like to meet Mrs. Geraldine? Do you have paperwork you need a table for?"

"This room should work just fine," Mrs. Geraldine says. "There's very little paperwork and, in fact, this won't take very long at all."

My nose twitches with a sneeze, but I hold my breath and swallow hard to prevent it. My throat aches with the denial and I sip from the water bottle by my side.

Mrs. Geraldine takes a seat on the couch across from me and Dani, sitting next to Goldy. Honey and Daisy perch on the arms of the couches, their expressions displaying matching pictures of uncertainty, like they aren't sure they should be here. I can hardly believe it, but Daisy must actually feel some guilt about the lie she's enacting.

"Can I offer you anything to drink?" Goldy asks. "There's a fresh batch of pastries that Dani made."

"No, thank you," Mrs. Geraldine says. "I had breakfast at a lovely little diner in town and I have a flight to catch in less than an hour." She clears her throat. "Your father asked that I visit at the sixth month mark to make sure you're all living here and following the instructions of his inheritance. I understand you've created a business?"

"A sanctuary farm," Dani says, pride clear in her tone. "It's a non-profit and we had our first successful fundraiser last month."

"That's wonderful," Mrs. Geraldine beams. "Your father would be so proud of you girls and so happy to see you all living harmoniously." She lifts the briefcase by her side and sets it on her lap. "Towards the end of his life, your father felt a great dealof guilt that he may have been responsible for the distance that developed between you all."

I very purposely don't look at Daisy. Any distance between us is on her.

Mrs. Geraldine pops open her briefcase and pulls out five envelopes. She hands them to Goldy. "Goldenrod, please distribute these to your sisters."

Goldy hands an envelope to each of us. Mine has my my full name typed on it with the law firm's address in the top left corner.

"Inside these envelopes, you will find a cashier's check for sixty-thousand dollars along with the documentation you'll need to provide to the bank to indicate this is an inheritance. Your father wanted you to have this money as a reward for staying here for half a year. He hoped it might help you in building a business if that's how you choose to use it."

I stare at the envelope in my hand. This money could be what I need to convince Russ to take my offer on the gym. He can't refuse straight up cash, can he?

Asher's warm smile flashes in my memory and I sigh. I can't do that to him. He wants the gym so badly and it wouldn't be right to go behind his back and try to sway Russ with more cash.

Even if Asher does already have the good ol' boy advantage, I'd never be able to forgive myself for betraying him like that.

Besides, this money is just a bit more than what I need to recompense one of the people Dad and I conned. I can give it to the feed store owner, Ronald Phillips.

Mrs. Geraldine pushes to her feet. "That's all I have—"

"Wait," Daisy says. "This isn't right. I haven't lived here for six months. I just moved in a few weeks ago."

I stare at my sister, shocked by her honesty.

Mrs. Geraldine only turns halfway to look back at Daisy. "My instructions are to give that money to the women who arecurrently living in this house. You are currently living in this house and attended the meeting." She smiles warmly at us all. "Lovely to see you all as usual, but I really do have a flight to catch."

Goldy stands and walks Mrs. Geraldine out.

Daisy stares down at the envelope in her hands. "This isn't right. It's not what Dad intended."

I snort. "You have the money, Daisy, don't bother pretending you have any capacity for guilt." I stand, ready to head out. I need to drop Barley off at Jaxon's and then I want to stop by the gym to see if I can convince Asher to run through another training session with me before I have to teach another goat yoga class back here at the farm.

"What is your problem with me, Clover?" Daisy asks.

I shake my head and start for the door. "I don't have time for this. You know exactly what my problem is with you. Stop trying to play the victim."

To my utter shock, it's Honey who steps in front of me. "You aren't leaving until we work this out. Everyone in this house is sick of the tension between you and Daisy."

"Don't do this, Honey." What I mean is, don't make me do this. I don't want to have this conversation in front of the whole family. "Just accept you're better off not knowing."

"I agree with Honey," Goldy says. "Secrets in this family cause far more trouble than the truth. Come back and let's work this out."

I stalk back into the room and face Daisy. "Is that what you want? You want to air this crap in front of our sisters?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Clover, but I've got nothing to hide from my family."