“The formal reading of the estate documents will take place in this office tomorrow morning at nine,” he said, his eyes meeting mine for the first time.
I stared at him, my fingers tightening around my gold wedding band until the metal dug into my skin. “Tomorrow? I haven’t even chosen the flowers for the chapel, Victor. Surely a few days cannot make a difference to the firm. We are talking about Graham’s life’s work.”
“Your husband’s instructions were very specific about the date, Alice,” he said, leaning back in his chair and adjusting his right cufflink.
“Graham would not want me rushed like this,” I said, my voice dropping an octave as I tried to hold his gaze. “He knew how much I dreaded these legal matters, and he always shielded me from them.”
“Graham understood the necessity of timing far better than you realize,” Victor said, his hand moving toward the telephone on his desk.
The gold cufflinks caught the light again as his fingers hovered over the plastic buttons. He looked at me with an expression that was completely unreadable, a wall of professional indifference.
“I am asking for one week,” I said, my voice trembling slightly despite my best efforts to keep it steady. “Just to get through the weekend, Victor. I have family coming from out of town, and I cannot face this alone.”
“Tomorrow morning, Alice,” Victor said, his face completely blank as his finger pressed the line. “Nine o’clock sharp. We cannot delay the execution of the estate.”
The cold click of Victor’s telephone receiver ending his brief instruction to his secretary cut off the conversation before I could protest.
The lobby of the Sterling building smelled of wet wool and floor wax when I arrived the next morning at ten minutes to nine.
I sat on the green leather sofa near the elevator, watching the heavy October rain smear against the wide glass window pane.
My fingers went to my left hand, twirling the plain gold wedding band around my knuckle over and over until the skin turned pink and tender.
A delivery man came in from the street, shaking his umbrella over the dark tile floor and leaving a trail of wet footprints toward the reception desk.
