“Did they not get what they wanted?” Dawn knew it was none of her business, but her natural curiosity about all things drama took over.
“No,” Chris said. “Apparently, their grandmother left them nothing and everything to their father, who will sort the estate out as he sees fit. Daniel offered to fetch Tiger for his father and offered to look after the cat. You see, whoever takes care of Tiger gets the money. Paid out over a few years to ensure Tiger’s well-being.”
“So Daniel took Tiger and thought he could get rid of the cat and still claim the money,” Dawn guessed. “Lovely children he has.”
“Yes,” Chris said. “I warned my fiancée not to trust him, but she granted him custody and said she won’t have the wool pulled over her eyes again.”
“Not that I need it or want it,” Dawn made it clear. “Just how much is Tiger worth?”
“Three million dollars,” Chris told her, and Dawn’s jaw dropped.
“Mrs. Peters left three million dollars to her cat?” Dawn said in disbelief. “Now I know why Daniel and Kelly are after him.” She shook her head. “Don’t worry, we’ll keep him safe, and we don’t want the money.”
“I know,” Chris said. “Nor does Tom Peters, Mrs. Peters’s son, want or need the money. Although he did say he couldn’t keep Tiger because his wife was allergic to cats. He was going to find Tiger a new forever home.”
“I’m sure Tiger would find one very quickly with his small fortune,” Dawn stated. “But if Tom Peters wants to find Tiger a forever home, please tell him we will adopt him.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Chris said. “As soon as Tom gets back to me, as I’ve left messages for him on this development, I will let him know. If you don’t mind, I’ll put Tom in touch with you to make the arrangements?”
“Of course,” Dawn agreed, walking into the bathroom. “And I’ll make sure we bring Tiger to you tomorrow for his check-up.”
“Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Chris said goodbye, and they hung up.
Dawn stood staring at her phone. She still couldn’t believe how much Tiger was worth. It wasn’t that Dawn needed the money, but she knew of a worthy cause to which the money could be donated. But she’d wait and speak to Tom Peters when he calledher about adopting Tiger before talking about donating it. Dawn smiled as she set her phone down on the bathroom counter. The teenagers were going to be thrilled.
Dawn had just finished getting dressed and was pulling her hair back when Harper knocked on her room door and burst in.
“Aunt Dawn,” Harper said. “Lila has just called and wants to know if I can spend the night with her at her Aunt Betty’s house. We’re going to have a movie night.”
Dawn frowned as she looked at her niece. “What about pizza night at Liam’s?”
“Oh, you must still go,” Harper said. “I’ll give you the photos of the newspaper clippings. Liam has already ordered the pizza, so you can’t waste it.”
Dawn saw the excitement in Harper’s eyes and was so pleased with how happy her niece was that she knew she couldn’t say no. Her heart also did a flip at the thought of having dinner alone with Liam.
“Sure.” Dawn nodded and smiled. “How are you getting there?”
“Sam is fetching me in…” Harper looked at her wristwatch. “Oh shoot.” She looked at Dawn. “Now. Sam’s going to be here now.” She dashed out of the room and was back in a few seconds,handing Dawn an envelope. “Here’s the information we found on the hotel.”
“Thank you,” Dawn said, taking and starting to feel exhausted by her niece, who was bouncing around like Tigger.
“I’m all packed,” Harper said, patting her tote bag as a knock resounded on the door. “That will be Sam.”
She rushed to the door, Dawn chasing after her. Harper pulled the door open and stopped short.
“You’re not Sam,” Harper said, her voice laced with disappointment. “Who are you?”
“Harper!” Dawn said, walking to the door to find Daniel Peters. “Oh, hello.”
“Hi,” Daniel greeted as another man walked up behind him.
“Hi,” Sam greeted, looking around Daniel. “Is this a bad time?”
“No,” Harper said, looking at Sam. “I think this is the horrible man that threw Tiger out his car window.”
“Harper!” Dawn hissed and looked at Daniel. “Sorry about my blunt niece.”
“I understand she’s just being protective over Tiger,” Daniel said, smiling, but Dawn felt a cold chill creep up her spine at the look that flashed in his eyes. He addressed Harper. “But I didn’t throw Tiger out the car window. He jumped, and I only noticed when I reached Boston.”
