Page 6 of Luke

"Well, I'm glad at least some of you could come. I'll get right to it. As I told all of you, your father had very specific wishes about the way he wanted to die and about the distribution of his estate, which, as you know, is quite large." She paused. "There are a lot of details that you'll be hearing more about from your father's lawyer, but I guess the main thing you need to know is that the bulk of the estate will be distributed in five years."

"Five years?" James asked with a frown. "Why so long?"

"Your father told me that he was proud of how you were all your own men, and he wanted that to continue for a while longer."

"That's ridiculous," James said tersely. "He didn't think he could trust us with his money? We've each been our own men for more than a decade."

Claire gave James a compassionate smile. "I know that; I'm just telling you the facts. Your father's attorney, as well as several other trustees, will manage the financials over the next five years. They'll be reporting to all of you on a quarterly basis. I'm sure you have a lot of questions, and heaven knows your father amassed a great deal of money, property, and other assets over his lifetime. But in the meantime, your dad left each of you a personal legacy. And before you ask me what it is, I can say quite frankly that I don't know. He said he was giving you each something that he thought would bring value to your lives. He gave me an envelope with each of your names on it. I don't know what's inside." She opened her large handbag and handed envelopes to Knox, James, and Luke.

"What about Gabe?" Luke asked.

Claire met Gabe's gaze across the table, then looked at Luke. "I already gave Gabe his legacy. We met earlier today."

"Why is that?" Luke asked curiously.

For the first time all night, Gabe looked uneasy. He sat back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. "We met earlier because I wasn't sure I could make this meeting. But it turned out I could."

"What did you get from Dad?" Luke asked.

"The ranch in Calabasas," Gabe replied.

"Dad gave you the family ranch?" Knox asked, surprise in his voice.

"Yes, but there are strings attached. We are talking about Dad, after all," Gabe said.

"What strings?" James asked.

"Yeah, what strings?" Luke put in.

"I don't want to talk about it right now," Gabe said. "Let's see what the rest of you got."

"What do you mean you don't want to talk about it?" James asked. "You inherit the family home, and you don't want to discuss it?"

"Look, I didn't ask for it," Gabe said. "And it wasn't the generous gift you think it is."

"Don't be so cryptic," Luke said. "Spit it out."

"Another time," Gabe said tersely. "Why don't the rest of you open your envelopes? James, you should start."

James opened his envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. "It's a deed," he said, his gaze narrowing as he read the words on the page.

"To what?" Luke asked impatiently.

"The Villa Pietro Winery on the Amalfi Coast of Italy," James murmured. "What the hell is this?"

"Dad owned a winery?" Knox asked.

"First I heard about it," James said.

Luke shook his head at Knox's enquiring look and glanced at Gabe, who also seemed baffled.

"I can't believe he left you a winery," Knox told James. "I'm the one in the bar business."

"I would hardly call bartending being in the business," James said sharply.

"And I wouldn't call giving a winery to someone who doesn't appreciate a good wine a very smart business decision," Knox retorted.

The ring of James's phone interrupted their conversation. James read a text, then said, "I have to go. I need to take care of some business."

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