After being disowned by his father, Emery Halloran relocates from Haydon Cliff to Sutter’s Bay, whereupon after a small inheritance he opens his dream business, Glad Tidings bakery. It’s his first holiday season in Sutter’s Bay when he receives a visit from his high school crush, Matthias Constantine, who is now acting as Emery’s great uncle’s lawyer.
Great Uncle Sherman is all alone in Haydon Cliff now that his husband is gone and he wants to connect with his last remaining relative, Emery. With the Christmas holiday approaching, Sherman wants to get to know Emery so that he can leave his estate to his great nephew someday. And it’s also a great chance to reconnect with Matthias, who is now divorced and anxious to get to know Emery again.
Is it time for Emery to return to his home town of Haydon Cliff for the holidays and beyond?
They’d been seated and ordered before Emery asked once more why Matthias was in Sutter’s Bay again.
Emery had ordered coffee and Charlie’s holiday time special of roast turkey with all the fixings. Matthias had ordered a burger and iced tea.
“Why are you here?”
Matthias smiled faintly. “One would get the impression you aren’t glad to see me.”
He’d removed his sunglasses once they’d been seated so Emery had a very good look at his dark chocolate eyes. They were still as gorgeous and smoldering as they were when he’d last seen Matthias. What ... ten years ago?
Emery shook his head. “You seem to be evading the question.
Matthis sighed then. “No, I still live in Haydon Cliff. I came here looking for you specifically.”
“Me? Why?”
“I’m an attorney now.”
He said that as though that explained everything. It certainly didn’t.
“I know. Well, I’d guessed. I knew you were going to law school. Heard you got married and have two kids.”
“Right. Your parents?”
“Mm. When I was talking to them. Mom mostly. I didn’t talk to Dad once he disowned me.”
Water under the bridge. Emery had left Haydon Cliff after the estrangement from his parents. They’d had no other children, just him. At one time Eugene Halloran had been mayor. The Hallorans came from old money, so when his dad told Emery to leave, he’d disinherited him too. But his mom had taken out a small insurance policy naming Emery the beneficiary so when their car had flown off a cliff not far from their home, Emery had enough money to open his bakery. It was the only evidence he’d ever received that Marjorie Halloran had not agreed entirely with her husband.
“I’m sorry about your folks.”
“Yeah. Well.” He shrugged. He didn’t want to seem callous, because of course he loved his parents and at one point they meant the world to them, but they had chosen not to have him in their life because of the embarrassment. And hearing about their accident had been a shock. His dad had always been a good driver. But there had been test results done after that indicated his father had too much to drink. “Me too,” he finally said, neutrally.
“So, your dad disowned you?”
“They both did,” Emery explained. He smiled at the waitress who put his plate of roast turkey in front of him. “Thanks, Eleanor.”
“You want more coffee, honey?” she asked, pouring it for him without bothering to wait for his answer. She looked at Matthias. “Ketchup or tabasco for you?”
“Ranch dressing.”
“Coming right up.”
Emery contemplated his coffee for a moment before adding another container of half and half. “I mean Dad was the driving force, but she went along with it. Once they kicked me out of the house, I left Haydon Cliff. I talked to her maybe twice after that. Mostly to tell her where I was living, that kind of thing.”
Eleanor returned with the ranch dressing and plopped another iced tea down in front of Matthias before moving on to another table.
“When they were killed, I wasn’t surprised that Dad had left all his money to one of his favorite charities. But I was pretty surprised to get money from a separate life insurance from my mother. I was able to open Glad Tidings with that money. Forget about that. What’s with the visit?”
Matthias had taken a bite of his burger, which he chewed and swallowed. “Besides being a lawyer, I’m also a private investigator.”
“Yeah? Those things go hand in hand do they?”
He appeared amused. “They do for me. I specialize in estate law. Which is why I tracked you down.”
“Huh? Don’t tell me this is about Dad’s will. I already know I got nothing and I don’t want to fight it.”
“This isn’t about Mayor Halloran’s estate. This is about your uncle’s.”
“Uncle? What uncle?”
“Specifically your great uncle. Sherman Halloran.”
Emery snorted. “Dad’s uncle? He was estranged from my parents for years. I think the last time I saw him I was five years old. I thought he’d been dead for years.”
“He’s alive, Emery. And living in Haydon Cliff.”
“What?” He was honestly dumbfounded.
“And he wants to meet you.”
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