And then everyone started talking at once.
“The addition could be turned into an apartment for me…”
“We need to think about adding another bathroom or two…”
“The nursery here in town doesn’t offer enough inventory for me to do what needs to be done with the yard. Although I guess I could talk with them about special ordering stuff for me…”
“The wallpaper needs to be the first thing to go…”
“What about putting in commercial-grade appliances in the kitchen?”
Jake had a feeling this conversation was going to go on for a while and he opted to stand and excuse himself. Susannah and Sam both waved to him, but Mallory came over and kissed him goodbye and promised to see him later. And as he walked out of the house and looked at the construction equipment strewn all over the property, the enormity of what had been given to him today hit hard.
Walking quickly, he made his way back to his house and had his phone in his hand as soon as he walked through the door. He needed to talk to someone, and his father always had a way of helping him through some of life’s harder moments.
“Jake! What a surprise! I figured you’d be busy for at least the next month or so before you’d have time to talk mid-day!” his father said with a small laugh. “Everything okay?”
God, where did he even begin?
Walking into the living room, he sat down on the sofa and let out a long breath. “We met with Zeke’s attorney today for the reading of his will.”
“Oh, Son, I’m sorry. I’m sure that was hard. How’s everyone holding up? How’s Mallory?”
Jake couldn’t help but smile at the sound of her name. “She’s hanging in there. Honestly, it’s been hard on all of us. Between the storm and Zeke dying, it feels like the entire world is upside down.”
“Well, in some respects, it is.” Jonah Summerford was almost always the voice of reason. He had a way of speaking plainly that Jake always appreciated. “Zeke has been a constant in Magnolia Sound for almost a century. He’s been the one holding his family together for most of that time.” He paused. “You know, it was so sad when we watched as he buried his wife and then his own children, but through it all, he was a rock for everyone. I imagine it’s going to be a big adjustment for Susannah, Georgia, and all the great-grandkids.”
“You have no idea…”
“What happened?”
Jake told him about the contents of the will and the argument between Susannah and Georgia and wasn’t surprised when his father laughed.
“If you ask me, that’s exactly as it should be. Georgia doesn’t deserve the house. Susannah may have been gone for a long time, but she was always good to Zeke and I know he adored her–just like he does Sam and Mallory.”
Then Jake told him about their inheritance.
“You know what, that makes total sense. Good for them!”
“I think Mallory’s excited at the prospect, but Sam’s not particularly thrilled.”
“Sounds about right,” Jonah responded thoughtfully. “Sam has never wanted to do what anyone tells him to do. No doubt he’s fighting this simply because he’s seeing it as Zeke telling him what to do one last time. I think in time he’ll settle into it.”
“I don’t think Zeke gave him a choice.” He explained the stipulations and his father laughed heartily and Jake couldn’t help but join him. “I’ll tell you something, Dad, Zeke was always crafty, but this whole will really proved it.”
“Any other surprises?”
And that’s when he told him about his own inheritance.
“Jake! That is incredible! You’ve always wanted to be the one running Coleman Construction and Zeke knew it too. Congratulations!”
Yeah, it had been something they had all talked about ever since Jake was eighteen. He just never thought it would happen quite like this.
“It’s a big responsibility, Dad. We’re super busy right now and there’s so much going on and…I don’t know…I’m a little overwhelmed.”
“Nonsense. We both know you were already running the business. Nothing is going to change except a new title.”
“Dad, you’re over-simplifying. Of course things are going to change,” he countered.
“I disagree. Your staff is still in place, Jake. Zeke wasn’t running the day-to-day operations and you’ve been the one signing the paychecks for the last year ever since Darrel Johnson retired. So why do you think anything’s going to change?”
“Because Zeke’s not here for me to go to for advice on things related to the business,” he said quietly. Closing his eyes, he rested his head back against the cushions and fought the urge to cry even as the sting of tears was already there. “Everyone looked at Zeke as an old man who was out of touch with what was going on with his businesses, but it’s not true. He was still as sharp as a tack. He loved talking about the jobs we were working on and offering advice on where to get materials or who was the right choice to be the foremen on different jobs. Without him here…”
“You’ll still know what to do, Son. Zeke has been training you and prepping you for this for ten years. You need to believe in yourself. Zeke did.”
And damn if that didn’t make him want to break down even more. “I don’t want to let him down…”
“You couldn’t. It’s not possible. What does Mallory say about all of this?”
Jake paused for a moment and realized he hadn’t told his father–or anyone for that matter–about the change in his and Mallory’s relationship. “Why do you ask?” he asked suspiciously.
“You know I’ve always adored that girl,” Jonah explained. “Things didn’t end well for the two of you way back when, but I would imagine you’ve had to spend some time together since Zeke’s passing. And I would also imagine you were both able to put the past aside during this time.”
He nodded even though no one could see.
“I know how close Mallory was to Zeke, and I just thought she would have said something when you found out about inheriting the business.”
“We haven’t really talked about it. As far as I can tell, no one’s upset with it, but they were all a little distracted by the whole Georgia and Susannah thing.” He still couldn’t believe there had almost been a catfight in the lawyer’s office. “I don’t think anyone else wanted the business, but knowing how greedy Georgia is, maybe once the dust settles, she’ll realize she could have sold the business for a lot of money.”
Jonah laughed. “Let’s hope she doesn’t.”
He shrugged. “I still feel a little out of my element, Dad.”
“It’s only natural. Your mentor is gone and you’re now taking on a position that was his for a very long time. You’ve got some pretty big shoes to fill, but if anyone can do it, it’s you.”
That one statement had Jake starting to relax. “Thanks, Dad.”
“I’m proud of you, Jake. You’re the most hard-working man I’ve ever known–next to Zeke. You’ve always said how much you admired him and what a smart businessman he was. And if he thought to leave his biggest business to you, then you need to trust that you can handle it.”