Suddenly Last Summer

MA (for MATURE ADULTS ONLY)

The characters in this fiction are owned by Charlaine Harris and Allan Ball. I just like to take them out of the box to play with them a while.

Sorry in advance for any mistakes. They are all my own.

Chapter 2

SPOV Cont.

Now where was I…?

There was a lot of things Jason and I needed to talk about but it seemed we both needed our own space, so when we found ourselves out on the footpath we just hugged and kissed each other goodbye and went our separate ways. Jason made his way to the local branch of our bank but I decided to head out to Munroe. I wasn't ready to head home just yet.

After I deposited the cheque from Grans estate, I found myself a quiet bookstore café. There was soft jazz music playin' and the walls were lined with books, new and second hand and instead of dining tables and chairs there were large lounge chairs and comfy couches with coffee tables. I ordered myself some pecan pie with a fancy cappuccino coffee and made myself at home in a large winged-back leather chair and pulled out the letter from my biological Grandpa.

I looked at the unopened envelope for a little while. It may have just been a trick of the light in Sid Matt's office but I was pretty sure my envelope had been thicker than Jason's or Hadley's. I carefully open the large document envelope and pulled out the papers from inside and noticed the hand written letter, sealed in its own business sized envelope. I only gave the loose documents a cursory glance. I was only interested in what this stranger… This Fintan Brigant… My biological Grandfather… had to say to me now, that he couldn't say while he was still alive. I turned over the envelope to find a wax seal holding the envelope closed. I didn't know people still used those. Nervously I cracked the seal and pulled out the letter. The paper was heavy parchment and the hand writing in proper ink was the most beautiful I had ever seen.

To

My dearest Grand-daughter Sookie,

I hope you don't mind me taking the liberty in addressing you in such a familiar manor. I know you don't know me from Adam but I know you well. I have followed your life and all its tribulations closely. From swaddling babe to beautiful woman I have watched you blossom and I am so very proud.

You are probably asking – Why then in all these years have I never made myself known to you?

Well my sweet girl it was in honor of your Gran (I believe that is how you refer to her) and my love for her. Adel asked me not to confuse the family with our story and kept me to my word even after your Grand-daddy Mitchell passed away.

If you take the time to peruse the photographs I have enclosed with this letter you will see that I was never far from you, your brother Jason (and Hadley in the early years). Needless to say I am as proud of you both and the efforts you have made to make the best of your lives as any Grand-parent could be. My only wish would have been to have been able to use my considerable wealth to have made things easier for you but again Adele would have none of it. The only time I was given permission to assist was with your Aunt Linda's (my daughters) hospital bills and that was only because your cousin had absconded with thousands from Adele's bank account not long before that.

I won't bore you within this letter with the ins and outs of mine and Adele's love affair. I would rather you contact my dear friend and Attorney Mr Desmond Cataliades. I have asked him to answer any question about me that you may have without censure and can assure you I did not have many secrets from him. He has been my confidant, my brother in all but blood for many, many years. You can trust him in all matters – If my word means anything to you.

Down to business –

Along with some photographs I have had included certificates of stocks and bonds that are now yours. You will need to contact Desmond to have them signed over to you.

I also own some businesses in my own right and I have bequeathed all but one to you. The other I have given to Jason. I would advise that you use a Business manager for these (as I did, for the most part) again Desmond can advise you on this.

All my personal bank accounts will be closed and all monies will be divided between my three Grandchildren. You, Jason and Hadley.

Here is my one stipulation for you my dear -

You may not disclose to anyone how much you have been left or how you are to have access to your bequest. Each of you has been gifted very different amounts and stipulations regarding access to those amounts. This is not negotiable.

My interests in my Family's business and monies directly pertaining to it have been left to my Step-niece Claudine Crane and her brother Claude. I advise you Do Not Deal With These People At All along with a man called Niall Brigant (my Father). If they somehow find you and contact you refer them to Desmond and contact Desmond yourself immediately. I have also warned Jason to do the same.

I wish you only the best for your future and I hope this small bequest will help you along the way. Just know that I have always loved you. Never doubt that or yourself. You have the Brigant blood, my blood running in your veins. I have seen you persevere in spite of overwhelming obstacles with a courage and tenacity that many would envy. You have your Grand-mother Adele's blood in you. Not only are you beautiful but you are loving and loyal to all those you hold dear.

You are a beautiful woman both inside and out and I am so very proud of you. In my illness I fantasize about you, Adele and Jason coming to visit me and it fills me with a peace I haven't felt since I last held your Gran in my arms. There has never been anyone else for me, only Adele.

If you are reading this my Sookie then I have moved on to the next plain but know I passed with my last thoughts being of my Adele and my small family in Bon Temps.

With Love

Grandpa Fintan

XO XO XO XO

Well needless to say, I was a real mess after I read Granpa's letter. I could feel his love lifting off the pages and filling me up. The owner of the café was kind enough to hand me a box of tissues and leave me be, once I had my coffee and pecan pie.

After I pulled myself together with the help of a great piece of pie and fancy cup of coffee I realized I would have to make time ASAP to see Mr 'C' again.

Not a week passed before I had my meeting with Mr 'C'. We decided to have a lunch date on the other side of Shreveport from his offices, it seems that my Grandpa Fintan's family aren't beyond bugging one of their attorneys' offices and Mr 'C' wanted to keep our dealing strictly confidential as per his dealings with Grandpa and he also wanted me to know that he would be there for me, like some type of Uncle. As for me I was happy to have more family. My Grandmother trusted him (with more than her life) and so did Grandpa Fintan, so who was I to question something that also felt really right to me as well.

At that first meeting Mr 'C' told me all about my Grand-parents including as much about Grand-daddy Mitchell as he could but that's a story for another time. We went through a lot of my portfolio and it seems my Grandpa had his fingers in a lot of pies. I decided to go the same way as Grandpa Fintan and have my money managed by a company that was owned by Mr 'C' but was managed by his nieces Diantha and Gladiola. Mr 'C' advised me that my money was secure and he would personally back my money against embezzlement.

I also found out that as part of my portfolio I had inherited a building in Shreveport that housed a shopping mall, offices and apartments. Apparently Grandpa lived in the Penthouse and that was now mine along with all the furniture and personal effects. Mr 'C' gave me some information about Jasons' bequest and he got a house in Munroe as well as shares in a construction company called Herveaux and Son. Apparently Mr Herveaux's son didn't want to go into construction and when my Grandpa heard about it he bought in hoping one day he could somehow give his share to Jase.

There were many business's my Grandpa owned, apparently the Brigant's were very big in the pharmaceutical industry but all his shares or property to do with that side of things went to his Step-brother Dermott's children Claude and Claudine. Mr 'C' didn't have much to say about the Brigant's and Cranes except to say "stay right away from them" and from what he told me about their dealings with Gran, I knew I didn't want to have anything to do with them.

I had noticed one of the business's Fintan owned was a franchise called 'Read'n Feed'. There was a branch of 'Read'n Feed' in the mall on the ground floor of the building I now owned and Grandpa had actually owned and run it himself, sort of like a hobby job. Mr 'C' said he liked to keep in contact with the everyday Joe. Grandpa never wanted to live knowing he couldn't relate to the real world of the average person and the café gave him a great opportunity, not only to meet people but to sometimes even help out the deserving.

The reason 'Read'n Feed' grabbed my notice was that that was the name of the café I had stopped at in Munroe and I really liked it. Maybe this was something I could take over myself. I made the decision I would look into it when I came back to check out my new apartment.

We had a lovely lunch and decided that we would make it a weekly date so Mr 'C' could help me with any problems I may have in the future and also just to keep in close touch. He often brought one or both of his nieces with him and we have all become close. Jason also joins us on the odd occasion, when he's not too busy with his company.

Before we parted ways Mr 'C' gave me the keys to my apartment and Grandpa's car which was also now mine and parked in the tenants' carpark of the high-rise. I asked if there was any way we could organize for him to be at the buildin' to give me a bit of an introduction to the place but he himself was unavailable, however he organized his nieces to collect me from home the next day so I could drive my new car home.

When I arrived home that afternoon the first thing I did was call Lafayette. He was still feelin' low and I thought we could cheer each other up by spending the next day together. His arm was still in a sling so he wasn't workin' and I knew he needed some new scenery because he'd been climbing the walls of his tiny cabin with boredom and guilt.

As it turned out we all had a great day. Lafayette and Mr 'C's nieces found they had quite a bit in common. We found Diantha and Gladiola to be just as colorful and fashion smart as Lafayette and the girls wanted to give me a makeover just as much as he did too. To team in with the theme of the day – fun, fun and more fun, I went along with them. There is some very nice boutiques in my building so after we checked out the apartment we headed for the Mall.

Diantha and Gladiola were very tactful and never let slip that I owned more than the apartment and car which I found to be very considerate of them as well as smart as we hadn't been able to discuss Lafayette's security clearance beforehand. Maybe Mr 'C' gave them the lowdown before we met up? Anyway it made me feel that I could trust them. I would have liked to have told Laf but I just wanted to get used to the idea myself before I talked about it to anyone else.

After we'd done some shopping we found ourselves at 'Read'n Feed'. Diantha and Gladiola already had a working knowledge of the place but Lafayette was as taken with it as I was. The walls were lined with books old and new and the comfy furniture and tables gave it a relaxed library kind of feel. They served sandwiches and pastries just like the one in Munroe but bein' a tad we bit more up market in this area the café also served small plates of hot savories, wine and beer. We also the caf a calendar of events linked with the local arts community and colleges so as the aspiring authors and playwrights could present their work to the greater community.

We sat there a while and talked about the potential of the place and eventually I told Laf I owned it. When I could finally get a word in I got Diantha to introduce me to the staff, by then I had decided to work there. I knew there would be a position for me 'cause Grandpa had a hands on role there but I wanted to test the waters with the staff. They were very friendly and made me feel very welcome and even commented that they felt like they knew me already 'cause Grandpa was always showin' them photos and talkin' 'bout Jase and me. It made me feel extremely overwhelmed to know how much he had loved us, even though we didn't know him at all.

After a while talkin' things thru the new management of Read'n Feed was sorted. I didn't want to upset the apple cart so to speak, so I decided to work the hours that Fintan used to work, sort'a part-time casual. One… because I was thinkin' I could finally go to College now I had the money - Two… 'cause I just didn't need the money so didn't need the hours but I still wanted to be busy (plus I didn't want Lafayette to cotton on to the fact that I may not even take a paycheck) and three… I wanted Lafayette to work there and the business could not, by the books, support all of us.

So by the time we left Shreveport Lafayette and I were already making plans to move into my new apartment by the weekend and start work at Read'n Feed the followin' week. We didn't have to move much because the apartment was already beautifully furnished and fitted out. There were three bedrooms each a different theme and a large ensuite bathroom. Lafayette chose the bedroom with the shabby chic decor and I chose the very feminine yet modern room. We left Grandpa Fintan's room be. It just didn't feel right to trespass in there. I knew one day I would but I wasn't ready to go there yet. The communal rooms were decorated in a way that was simple and modern yet it still felt very homey and comfortable. I just knew we were goin' to be very happy there and we have been for the most part.

Lafayette has met the love of his life, his name is Godric. He's young for the business he's in but it's a family business. His father has been training him to work alongside of him since he was a small boy. They buy and sell art and antiques (the very old and expensive kind).

Godric's folks just love Laf and have made him feel very much a part of their family and they have extended that affection to me as well. Godric practically lives with us now, I say practically because he still travels a lot in order to procure only the best artifacts for their Shreveport gallery and auction rooms. He has picked up a few nice items for me too.

Well now we are getting' 'round to the reason for me bein' half a world away from home. Godric wanted to take Laf on a tour of Europe. Sort of make it a business come pleasure trip. He wanted to show him some of his favorite places that he has visited over the years and introduce him to people he has met over here. Well that was all well and good but Laf hasn't driven since the accident and he didn't want to start again over here, so I was invited to be the back-up driver. All expenses paid – even though that wasn't necessary but I still haven't told Laf about my net worth (the opportunity just hasn't come up). Anyways the guys thought the trip would be good for me 'cause I'm studying history and anthropology through the college in Shreveport. They also thought coming over here just might get me laid…

So as you can see I took Godric up on his offer and here I am on a beach in Monaco studyin' man… and man oh man, will you just look at the ass on him? I slide my fashionably large sunglasses down my nose, to watch an extremely well shaped butt (all snugged up in lycra swimmers that look like tight boxer shorts), walkin' on by, until the owner of said butt must have felt my heated stare burnin' a hole through his shorts 'cause he stopped and turned around lookin' for someone with a pained expression on his face.

I laid myself back down, slid my glasses back up pronto and tried to look relaxed and nonchalant but my heart was beating like it wanted to jump right out of my chest. The man was an Adonis… He was built like a muscular mountain. He had to have been at least six and a half feet tall, blonde, blue eyes, shoulders, abs, butt, thighs… The man had it all including what looked to be a gracious plenty of a package in the front of his shorts. My, Oh, my, where's a fan when you need one.

Oh, cheese and rice, he's coming back this way.