Page 38 of Sunset Cove
“They must not be paying you very well if you’re staying in a place like this,” Lucy said, shaking her head. “I mean, it’s cute, but it’s so small. How are we supposed to visit you here?”
Claire shrugged. “I was thinking you’d stay at the hotel.”
“That’d be way too expensive.”
Marty let out a laugh and Lucy shot him a look.
“What?” she said. “I’m a littlebit broke, but I can always find ways to make money when I need to.”
“That’s not why I’m laughing,” Marty said.
Lucy crossed her arms. “Then what is it?”
Claire let out a sigh. Whether the timing was right or not, Lucy needed to know the truth. “Do you think you can take another surprise?” she asked.
“Uh, I think so.” Lucy shrugged. “Honestly, I thought the DNA test was going to be a super lame gift. It was Lillian’s idea. This is actually pretty cool. Marty seems cool, except for the whole outlaw thing. But it kind of works for him.”
Marty tilted his head. “It does?”
“Yeah.”
Marty seemed pleased with that, though he was shaking his head.
“Does the hotel have a staff dorm?” asked Lucy. “Or servant quarters? Is it like Downton Abbey?”
“You could say it’s kind of like Downton Abbey,” Marty said.
Lucy narrowed her eyes. “I feel like I’m not in on the joke here, and I don’t like it.”
Claire knew that she needed to tell her the story of Uncle Robert’s inheritance, but she was so tired, it felt like she was melting into the chair. “No, honey, it’s not a joke.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been trying to find a good way to tell you this,” Claire said slowly. “I’m not sure that there is a good way.”
“That’s okay. Just blurt it out,” Lucy said.
Marty leaned forward. “I’ll tell her.”
That was one way to do it. Claire nodded. “Okay. Go for it.”
Marty retold the story of Claire’s inheritance the best that he could. He forgot Uncle Robert’s name, but Lucy got the gist of the story.
By the end, Lucy had her jaw hanging open again. “How much money are we talking, Claire?”
“A lot,” Claire said with a wince.
Lucy nodded. “Hm. I mean, I thought it was pretty crazy when you offered to pay off my student loans. I thought that was why I was getting some weird text messages from Bertie.”
“Who’s Bertie?” asked Marty.
“She’s my cousin – one of Uncle Robert’s kids. She was pretty salty, and now I get why.”
Claire hadn’t known about that. “I’m not working at the hotel, Lucy. I bought it.”
Her eyes widened. “Youboughtit? Why?”
Claire covered her mouth, unsuccessfully fighting a yawn. “I don’t know. I got laid off from work and it seemed silly to go back and try to find another job as a paralegal. Uncle Robert didn’t want me to tell you girls about the money, and I didn’t know what to do.”
