Page 12 of Forbidden Firefighter

“For protecting this house,” he said. “You need to learn some real-life skills, Lyndsey. Responsibility, hard work, dedication. All things you would learn from working at a job, even if you don’t love it.”

This was insanity. There was no way I could be held responsible for the fire. The whole job thing, sure. I could do it. But the lecture behind it all was unnecessary. Hell, it could have even been a text message. Hadn’t I been through enough as it was already?

“You’re telling me you and Mama don’t love being lawyers?” I asked.

“No, we love it. But we had ambition,” Daddy said, irritation on his face giving his words a note of disbelief. “We had direction. You don’t. Which, again, is our fault, honey. We coddled you too much. Gave you everything you ever wanted. Well, we’re going to fix that now.”

My blood ran cold. “What do you mean?”

“This is the notice for your inheritance,” Mama said, calmly passing me a sheet of paper from her briefcase.

I read it over quickly. The thudding in my chest erupted into a powerful explosion, deafening all thoughts until only silence remained. There was no way they could do this. Could they?

“What?” I lifted my gaze upward, into their smiling faces. It turned my stomach instantly.

“We’re contesting it,” Daddy exclaimed, the slanted grin on his face saying more than his words. This gave them greater pleasure than it should.

Why? Because grandma had left the house to me and not them? Did they resent me as much as my cousins? Was this what this whole thing was really about?

“You can’t do that,” I said, heat lapping up my cheeks. My eyes stung. “It’s my inheritance.”

“Oh, we know, silly,” Mama said. “But we’re still able to contest it on the grounds of fraud and undue influence.”

I shook my head. “Undue influence? From who? Me?”

“It doesn’t really matter.” She waved an airy gesture, as if they were remarking on a minor detail from an episode they’d watched the night before. “What’s going to happen is, the case will go to court, then we’ll have to fight for discovery of information that doesn’t really exist.”

“And you know how long some of these court cases can be,” Daddy added. “I’ve got one that’s been three years now, without the client receiving a dime from the company that owes him money.”

Mama tapped Daddy on the arm. “Let’s not even talk about the legal fees associated with that.”

“Exactly.” Daddy laughed, a wicked sound that stole into my insides. “So, you’ll get your money...eventually.”

“And definitely not all of it once we’re done,” Mama added.

“Or…” Daddy paused. “You can get a job and prove to us you’re responsible enough to have this house and your inheritance.”

“You two are insane.” I pressed my hand into my stomach. I felt sick.

They had to leave. Now.

“Ambitious, honey.” My mother patted my hand gently. “Get it right.”

“We just want what’s best for you.”

“And that involves blackmailing me?” I snapped. Because this was a normal conversation families had.

“Think of it more like tough love,” Mama said.

I shook my head, appalled.

How could they do this? How could they sit there, laughing and exchanging smiles as if this were the most natural thing in the world? “It doesn’t matter what you want me to think of it as. It’s despicable.”

“Darling, you’re getting those little lines around your eyes.” Mama gestured to the tiny crow’s feet at the corners of her own eyes. “Don’t squint like that.”

I’d had enough. I stood, unable to withstand sitting at the same table as them for another moment.

“It’s a job or this,” Daddy said, rising to his feet across from me. “Take it or leave it. We’ll even start you off at the place.”

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