The Holiday Inheritance (Naughty and Spice)

Prologue

Florence

“Ren?” I hear my roommate toss her keys down in the bowl next to the front door as she calls out my name. I’m still in shock, staring down at the letter, when she walks into the living room. “Hey, you okay?”

I finally look up from the paper, and I’m sure my face betrays that I am not, in fact, okay.

“What’s that?” She walks over to the couch and plops down next to me, her bright floral scent comforting me as it billows around us on the couch. When she grabs the letter out of my hands, I let her. Because I don’t think I have it in me right now to explain what’s going on. Is this what shock feels like?

“Florence Anne Donahue,” she begins, reading the letter I’ve been rereading for hours now. “We here at Smith & Jones Solicitors are reaching out on behalf of your late great-aunt Katharine Clemonte. Fancy name,” she says, nudging me with her elbow. I’m still unmoving as she continues. “As you are the last surviving member of her extended family, she has left her entire estate to you. This includes her country home in Yorkshire, all of her possessions, and a substantial amount of capital.”

When Amie looks up, I look over to meet her gaze. She looks just as shocked as I feel. I shrug, and she continues with the rest of the letter.

“Due to the laws around estates in the United Kingdom, we need to get in touch with you as soon as possible to make all of the proper arrangements for the transfer of ownership and funds. You have six months to respond and make plans to travel before the government will, unfortunately, take control of the estate. Please reach out to us at your earliest convenience. We are sorry for your loss and hope that this letter finds you well.”

Amie scoffs. “This has to be a scam. Right? This is like a new version of the Nigerian princes trying to get money from old people.”

“Actually,” I tell her, finally finding my voice, “it’s not.” I take it back from her hands, running my fingers over the typed font. “I looked them up on the internet, and they’re real. So I decided to reach out because I figured someone was using their business name to scam people. I got an email back within an hour explaining that it’s all true and that they need me to fly over as soon as I possibly can.”

Her jaw drops, and I can tell she’s trying to think of something to say. But this has clearly knocked her on her ass as well. How can it not? Who the hell gets letters about a deceased aunt who has left an entire fortune to you? Characters in movies, that’s who. Not broke-ass waitresses who can barely afford rent.

“This. Is. Amazing!” She squeals and jumps up off the couch, tugging me up off my ass with her. “You’re rich! Holy shit, Ren. You are fucking rich ! You have a whole estate! When can you move in? How does the citizenship thing work with this? Can you bring a friend? Asking for a friend. It’s me. I’m the friend.”

“Oh, my god, Amie!” I laugh as she continues to dance around the coffee table. “You’re going to piss off the downstairs neighbors again.”

“Who gives a fuck?” She runs back over to me, grabbing my hands as her blue eyes sparkle with all the joy she’s feeling right now. “We’re moving to England!”

“We?” I ask, raising an eyebrow in her direction. Of course I’m going to take her with me, but I have to give her some shit for it first. “Who said anything about we ?”

“Oh, shut up. You know you have to take me! I’m basically a sister!”

“You are a sister.” Amie and I have been friends since we were fifteen, and when my parents died six years ago, she officially took up the role of family, seeing as I didn’t have any left. We’ve been inseparable since. “Of course you have to come with me. I cannot do this alone.”

She bites her lip, holding back a huge smile I know she wants to let loose. “How much money do you think it is? Hundreds of thousands? Millions?”

“Not a clue. They weren’t super forthcoming on email just because of all the legal things that go along with it, I guess? God, I’m terrified.”

“Of? How can you be terrified? This is huge, Ren. This is everything you could’ve ever asked for. It sounds like you’re going to be set for life. Who cares if you have to move to England for it to happen?”

“Because this is insane. This shit happens in movies, not in real life.”

“It just hasn’t sunk in yet,” she tells me, looking far more confident than I feel. “You’ll get excited once we buy the tickets.”

“God, my credit card is going to weep.” I sink back down onto the couch and let the butterflies in my stomach flutter around.

“Not for long!” Amie sings, prancing around the room once again. “You’re rich, bitch!”