Page 9 of Moose

I took the envelope and shook my head.

“What account?”

“Inheritance. She had put quite a bit of money aside for you as well as the money from when she passed.”

I stood there in disbelief. Nobody had ever told me about this…

The man smiled again before heading to the door.

“Your grandmother loved you and always wanted to see you blossom. Don’t disappoint her. Happy birthday, Lilith.”

He walked out, leaving me alone in my shitty studio apartment. I ripped open the envelope and held the creamy cardstock paper in my hand.

As I read, I was shocked to read the amount of money in the account. I sat on the ratty couch and my hands shook.

I would never have to work another day in my life... but then the cold hard facts hit me.

This was blood money. There was no way I could live off of this and be okay with it all. Taking a deep breath, I knew what I was going to do.

I would take this money and only do good with it. Starting with going to college to help kids who grew up like me. Nobody could save me, but maybe I could save them…

Chapter One

Lily

Irubbedmyeyesas I read the same line over and over. Reaching for my fifth cup of coffee, I took a huge gulp, hoping that caffeine would hit and I would get a burst of energy.

God, I was so exhausted.

I was working here in my new office and at home... well, the hotel I called home for now. All I did was work so I could save these women. Every single one was pro bono, so I could show them a new life, help them see their true potential.

Then there were my normal clients; the small-town divorces fighting over who gets the dog, the drunk on his fifth DUI in a month begging me to save his license, the elderly woman on a fixed income who couldn’t figure out her late husband's will.

They were the ones who were paying my bills, making sure the lights stayed on in my office. But they all meant something to me. I treated all my clients with respect because I knew I was all they had to help them through their tough situation.

My door flew open, and I looked up to see the one client I felt differently about. I wanted to treat him with kindness, but his brash attitude made me act irrational.

I rolled my eyes as he stalked toward my desk, his stormy dark green eyes zeroed in on me as he pushed back his long brown and blonde hair out of his face.

As he reached my desk, I took another sip of coffee, readying myself to deal with his demands.

“I don’t have any more information for you, Moose.”

He slammed his hands on my desk and leaned over to glare at me. He didn’t have to do much seeing how tall he was. The muscles on his arm rippled as he growled and got closer to my face.

I could see specks of gold that popped out in his dark green eyes. Oil and dirt were smeared on his face and into his thick beard.If he wasn’t such a pain in my ass and if he wasn’t my client…

I shook my head and glared back up at Moose.

“Can I help you?”

He stood back up, towering over my desk.

“Work fucking harder. I need more info. I need to know what’s going to happen, Lily.”

I slammed my hands on my desk and stood up, pointing my finger right in Moose’s stupid, gorgeous face.

“Listen here, asshole. I’m working as hard as I can. You are not my only client! Not only do I have normal paying clients, everything I do for Hope Hearted is pro bono. So I’m working my fucking ass off and you can sit down and wait for your turn.”

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