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and Evan will at least come back for the reading of the will.”
    David looked at him. “Are you hoping to cut and run the second their plane touches down?”
    “It crossed my mind. I have a law practice to get back to.”
    “Maybe you’ll appreciate your career more if you have to suffer a little here,” his uncle told him.
    Jack narrowed his gaze. “If you start talking about Zen centering, I’m going to have to punch you.”
    David laughed. “You know what I mean. You shouldn’t take things for granted.”
    “I don’t. I’m not here to learn a life lesson. My father convinced the board that I was the only possible heir and now they’re pressuring me to take over. It’s all about self-interest. His, theirs, mine. My father didn’t give a damn about what I wanted. He’s doing his best to control me from the grave.”
    “George loved you,” David said. “In his own way.”
    “That’s like saying the black widow spider doesn’t mean it personally when she kills her mate.” He took another drink of coffee. “You’ve always defended him, even as you stepped in to take his place as our father.”
    David shrugged. “I wanted to help.”
    “You should have had a family of your own.”
    “So should you. Speaking of which, I put out a press release about the new people you’ve hired. One of the names was familiar.”
    “Samantha was the best person for the job,” Jack said, refusing to get defensive.
    “I don’t doubt that. I’m simply saying it was interesting to see her name again. I remember her from your time in grad school. The one who got away.”
    “She was never that,” Jack told him.
    “You talked about her as if she were.”
    “That was a long time ago. Things are different now.”
    “Is she married?”
    “No.”
    “Then maybe fate is giving you a second chance.”
    Jack looked at his uncle. “If you start drinking herbal tea next, we’re going to have to have a talk.”
    David chuckled. “I’m just saying maybe you’re getting a second chance.”
    “I don’t believe in them.”
    David’s humor faded and he gave Jack a serious look. “Not every woman is Shelby.”
    “I know that.” He put down his coffee and stood. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. As for Samantha, she’s a co-worker, nothing more.”
    David grinned. “You’re lying. But we’ll play your game and pretend you’re not.”
    “Gee, thanks. And if you hear anything on the whereabouts of my brothers, let me know.”
    “You’ll be the first.”
    * * *
    “Oh, my,” Helen said as she looked around the condo. “It’s very…”
    “Plain? Beige? Boring?” Samantha asked with a grin.
    “I was going to say very ‘not you.’ But those will work as well.” She stepped forward and hugged Samantha again. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
    “Me, too. Getting out of New York was number one on my to-do list. You made that happen.”
    Helen sank onto the sofa and dismissed Samantha with a flick of her wrist. “Oh, please. I got you an interview. I certainly didn’t get you hired. It’s not as if Jack would ever think to ask my opinion of anything. You got the job on your own.”
    Samantha settled next to her friend and touched her arm. “You look tired. How do you feel?”
    “Exhausted. Shell-shocked. It’s been two months. I guess I should be used to it by now, but I’m not.” Tears filled her eyes, but Helen blinked them away. “Damn. I promised myself I was done with crying.”
    “There’s no time limit on grief.”
    “I know.” Helen squeezed her fingers. “You’re sweet to worry about me. I’m fine.”
    “No, you’re not.”
    “Okay. I’m pretending to be fine and that should count for something. Most of the time I do okay. I can now go for an hour or two without falling apart. In the beginning I was only able to survive minutes. So that’s an improvement. It’s just I miss him so much and I feel so alone.”
    Samantha didn’t know what to say. Helen really was alone in all