"Oh!"
"And he had not recently passed away; he had been dead for twenty-two years."
Kathy raised her eyebrows in that unique and meaningful way Jesse was starting to find adorable.
"Never trust gossipy neighbors as fully reliable sources," he pointed out. "Anyway, Mrs. Sloan was shocked, of course, but she only let it show for about two seconds, after which she showed me the house, heaps of photographs and gave me all the information she thought might be of interest to me. It was an enlightening afternoon."
"Then your father never got to know he had a son."
"No, he didn't. So imagine Mrs. Sloan's face when I introduced myself. But she was really nice to me. And she offered me a job. I had never worked as an assistant before, but, with Mrs. Steel's help, I must acknowledge, things worked out."
"And she made you her heir to compensate in some measure what your father couldn't do for you?"
"I wasn't looking for money when I went to that house."
"I didn't mean to imply that."
"However, I believe you may be right… to a certain extent. I'd like to think she also valued my work and loyalty these eight years."
"Of course."
They held each other's gaze for some seconds.
"That just leaves me out of the equation."
"Why can't you admit that she liked you?" Jesse burst out, almost angry. "That she truly cared for you? You've been trying to find excuses for not accepting this inheritance from the beginning!"
"Because she'd known me for so little," her voice was soft, barely audible.
"Sometimes little is enough to know… what you need to know."