When I opened my eyes again, Lily was stirring in the bassinet nearby.
Her face tightened into a tiny frown before relaxing.
I lowered my voice.
“Why didn’t you?”
Naomi swallowed audibly.
“Because Luca told me he was planning something for you.”
My heart sank.
“He said your father had left unfinished instructions concerning the property. He said he wanted to resolve it before Lily was born so you wouldn’t have to deal with more legal work.”
Phoebe muttered something under her breath.
I almost smiled.
Almost.
Naomi went on.
“He said it was supposed to be a surprise.”
Evelyn gave me a look.
A tired, sad look.
So many terrible decisions began as something we wanted to believe.
“He showed me part of the letter,” Naomi said.
I sat straighter.
“What part?”
“A paragraph.”
“Do you remember it?”
“Not word for word.”
“Try.”
Naomi hesitated.
“It said something about the house not being the true inheritance.”
The room went very quiet.
“What else?”
“I remember a phrase.”
“What phrase?”
“‘What lies beneath the ridge.’”
Evelyn’s eyebrows lifted.
“That sounds like something from a mystery novel.”
“My father hated mystery novels.”
“He also hated vague instructions.”
Exactly.
Dad was many things.
Sentimental was not one of them.
If he wanted to leave someone a message, he left a message.
