Page 33 of Keep On Loving You

“Do you mean, do you think I’ll find someone and live happily ever after like the four of you?” It wasn’t a secret that Kat had been waiting for her turn, and she knew that her brothers and sisters all thought that it was at least in part because the rest of them had all fallen in love. “You know I don’t care about that, right?”

Charli gave her a look that told her she didn’t believe a word she said, but Kat only shook her head and focused on the two men at the front of the room behind their father’s desk. “Can we get started?”

The lawyer, Willam Evans, smiled and nodded. “Ifyou’re all ready, this will be a short meeting since you all know what to expect.”

Kat barely heard anything that came out of the lawyer’s mouth for the first few minutes as he went over how the meeting would work and what it meant. They all knew very well what was happening. Their father, Michael Carlson, had left each of them specific instructions to be carried out over a period of six months before the next section of the will would be read. The next section always involved another child and another set of instructions.

Kat was last.

It was her turn.

Finally, William looked at her specifically and said, “Kat. I’m sure you know what’s coming next?”

She nodded and sat up in her chair, hardly able to breathe as she waited for her orders.

“This time it’s a little different,” William continued.

“Different?” Chase and Asher both spoke at once. They exchanged glances, but it was Chase who asked, “What do you mean, different?”

William smiled a little and adjusted the stack of papers in front of him before he started reading.

“The fifth and final section of Michael Carlson’s will requires that Katherine Carlson complete the enclosed list of tasks in a time period of no longer than six complete calendar months.”

“Tasks?”

William Evans nodded and passed an envelope to Steven, who crossed the room and handed it to Kat.

“May I suggest that you read through the tasks privately?”

“Privately?” Kat looked to Craig and then turned to meet Charli’s gaze before accepting the envelope. “Are the tasks a secret?”

“The terms of the will don’t specify if the tasks are to be kept secret or not,” William said.

“But there are a few things that might be more personal in nature,” Steven added.

“You’ve looked at the list?”

Steven nodded.

“Steven has been appointed to act as an adjudicator as there might be a situation or two where the completion of a task isn’t necessarily straightforward.”

“What kind of list are we talking about here?” Asher sat up in his seat. “This sounds a little wishy-washy, if you ask me.”

“I have to agree with him,” Chase added. “Everyone else had very clear terms they had to meet. This doesn’t feel quite so official.”

“I’m sure William wouldn’t allow this if it weren’t completely legal,” Charli chimed in.

“Itislegal,” Craig said. “Isn’t it?”

Kat stared at the envelope in her hand while her siblings argued around her. She knew with complete certainty that it didn’t matter what was written on the list; she’d complete every single last item.

No matter what.

Chapter Thirteen

Andy had spentmost of his teenage years at the big house with Craig and the rest of the Carlson clan. He’d felt just as much at home there as at his own house, maybe more some days. It had been years since he’d walked through the doors but the moment he did, it felt just like old times. Especially because the sound of the Carlson siblings’ raised voices coming from the kitchen was the first thing he heard.

He hesitated, but only for a moment before making his way down the hall.

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