Introduction

When Hollywood agent Fritz Hudson passes away suddenly, two families who never knew the other existed get a big shock. Allie and Des Hudson were born to Fritz and his first wife, Honora. As that marriage unraveled, Fritz fell in love with Susa, and a daughter, Cara, was born. Somehow, Fritz never got around to coming clean to either family about the other.

With Fritz gone, his three unsuspecting daughters are brought together for the reading of his will. A large inheritance will be theirs if they comply with the terms of their father’s will: move to Fritz’s family home in Pennsylvania’s Pocono mountains, and work together to restore a run-down Art Deco theater built by their great-grandfather. Can they put their differences aside and rise to the challenge, and in the end, become at the very least, friends, if not sisters?

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Excerpt

“Your father left a large estate. The sum you’re each going to inherit will be significant. Assuming that you meet the rest of the conditions.”

“What conditions?” Cara asked warily.

Now came the hard part. Pete cleared his throat again, and launched into the part of the disclosure that he’d rehearsed over and over.

“Your father loved all of you very much. I know he didn’t always go out of his way to show it.” He directed these remarks to Allie and Des.

“That’s an understatement,” grumbled Allie. “If you call an occasional phone call proof of how much he loved us.” She tossed a dagger at Cara. “Of course, now we know why he was so preoccupied.”

Cara started to protest, but Pete raised a hand. “Trust me, there will be plenty of time to snipe at each other later.”

“That sounds ominous,” Des said.

Pete continued with his speech. “As I said, your father loved you all. He wanted more than anything for you to know and love each other.”

“Which is why he kept her a secret.” Allie pointed in Cara’s direction.

“He didn’t tell me about you, either,” Cara countered.

“Ladies. Please.” Pete placed a hand on the top of his head, a habit once intended to smooth back his hair, which was now pretty much gone.

“If it was so important to him that we know each other, why didn’t he tell us himself?” Cara asked.

“Because at his core, he was a coward.” There. He’d said it. “He just couldn’t face you. I think he believed it didn’t matter so much because Nora was gone. Cara, after Susa died, he couldn’t face you with the truth. So he let it go and was convinced that the right time would present itself. As you know, it never did.”

“So what comes next?” Des asked softly.

“Your father wanted you all to share in not only his wealth, but in his life.”

“A little late on that score,” Allie scoffed.

“Something he came to very much regret at the end, believe me. He became obsessed with wanting you to know each other. Which is why he left a challenge for the three of you. If you’re successful, you inherit his entire estate. If you fail, you get nothing.”

The pronouncement was met with silence and blank stares.

Finally, Allie said, “Please tell us you’re kidding.”

“I assure you, I’m not. Nor was this my idea, by the way,” Pete told them. “Believe me. I did everything I could to talk him out of this. But he’d gotten it into his head that this was the way to...”

“What kind of challenge?” Cara blurted.

“Something along the lines of the twelve labors of Hercules would be my guess.” Allie folded her arms over her chest.

“Close, Allie. He wants the three of you to restore an old theater in his hometown. Together.”

“Wait, what?”

“Say that again?”

“Restore a theater? Had he lost his mind?”

Pete let the three of them vent for several minutes.

“If you’ve finished with your rantings, I’d like to continue.” He glanced from Allie to Des to Cara and back again. When it appeared they’d settled down, he continued. “The theater was built by your great-grandfather, Reynolds Hudson. It’s an Art Deco treasure and belongs on the National Register of Historic Places.”

“What if the owner doesn’t want it restored?” Cara asked.

“Fritz owned it. It’s now part of the estate you stand to inherit. As I said, his grandfather built it, and the family still owned it up until about twenty years ago. The new owner had plans to completely renovate it, but grossly underestimated the cost and he ran out of money before he could finish,” Pete explained. “When it was slated for demolition about a year ago, Fritz bought it back. The fact that the building itself has fallen into its present state bothered him right to the end because it’s part of his family legacy.”

“Why did he sell it in the first place, then, if it’s so important?” Des asked. “All I ever heard was that when he was young, he worked in a theater and he met Mom there.”

“I never heard about it at all,” Cara added. “And he never mentioned his family to me.”

“Me either, come to think of it,” Des said. “Allie?”

“Nothing.”

“Understand where your father was coming from. He really did have all intentions of restoring the theater himself, went so far as to begin to solicit a few estimates for the work that would need to be done. I don’t know how far he actually got with that because it soon became apparent that he wasn’t going to live to see the project through.” Pete hesitated, remembering the last days with his friend. He waited for the lump in his throat to ease a bit before continuing. “So perhaps you’ll understand why he made it a condition of your inheritance that the building be restored and returned to use as a theater again.”

“It must’ve been the meds he was on. They made him delusional,” Allie said. “He obviously wasn’t thinking straight.”

“Oh, believe me, he knew exactly what he was doing. We talked it through, every which way,” Pete assured her.

“Then why didn’t you talk him out of it?” Allie demanded.

“What can I say? You know your father, he was never going to be talked out of this. He thought this was the way to kill two birds with one stone. You get to know each other and the Sugarhouse gets restored. It was win-win.”

“Ignoring the obvious problems with that, how did he expect us to accomplish this?” Allie asked. “Surely he didn’t expect...where is this place again?”

“Hidden Falls, Pennsylvania,” Pete replied. “You know your dad and I grew up together in Pennsylvania, right?

“I knew he was from somewhere in Pennsylvania, but Dad never wanted to talk about his childhood. Is Hidden Falls anywhere near Philadelphia? Or Pittsburgh?” Des inquired.

“Or any civilized city?” Allie held up crossed fingers.

“It’s in the Poconos. Population...” Pete paused. “Actually, I have no idea what the population is these days but it probably isn’t much.”

“The Poconos? Aren’t they mountains?” Allie wrinkled her nose in obvious distaste. “Wait. Not the place with all those tacky heart-shaped bathtubs?”

“That’s right.” Pete smiled. “The honeymoon capital of the world.”

“Well, I have no intention of playing this silly game,” Allie turned to the other two women. “Either or both of you can play along, but I for one...”

“...will inherit nothing.” Pete cut in. “As a matter of fact, none of you will inherit anything. The money will then go to charities of my choosing.”

Allie wheeled around, ready to explode. Before she could speak, Pete said, “If any one of you refuses, or leaves before the theater is restored, none of you will inherit a dime.”

“All for one and one for all,” Des muttered.

“You said ‘leaves’,” Cara said cautiously. “Leaves where?”

“While you’re working on this project, you’ll live together in your father’s family home, the house your great-grandfather built?”

“No way.”

“Not gonna’ happen.”

“You cannot be serious.”

“Couldn’t be more serious,” Pete told them.

“Live with her? You can’t mean it.” A clearly horrified Allie glared at Cara.

“Which means I would have to live with the two of you,” Cara replied. “Frankly, I think I’m getting the worst of the deal.”

“Okay, let’s say we agreed to do this.” Des pondered aloud. “How are we supposed to pay for this renovation? I’m assuming, if the building had been on someone’s demo list, it must need a lot of work. Where’s the money coming from?”

“From the estate. Your dad put money aside for the project in a special account. Might be a good idea to choose one of you to be in charge of the checkbook, because if you go over what he projected, it’ll be up to you to come up with the rest of the funds.” He pointed his pen in Des’s direction. “Des, that might be a good job for you. Your dad told me many times how well you’ve handled the money you made from your TV series. How wisely you invested.”

Cara frowned. “What TV series?”

“Long story,” Des told her. “Apparently we’ll have lots of time to catch up.”

“So Dad just expected us to waltz out of our lives to do a job he should’ve done.” Allie voiced what the other two clearly were thinking. “We have lives, you know. What about my daughter? This is outrageously inconvenient and thoughtless of him.”

“Your daughter is living with her father and can continue to do so until school is out.” Pete’s patience was nearing its end. “As for you, you’re unemployed with no immediate prospects and on the verge of losing your house. So if you ask me, it’s a plenty convenient time for you.” Allie started to object, but Pete cut her off.

“Des, you’re living off your investments and don’t have to work, and you won’t be leaving much behind this time of the year except the Montana winter.”

He turned to Cara. “You own your business and have a remarkably qualified assistant who’s been begging to buy in for the past year. Now’s a good time to see how she’d do as a potential partner.” He looked around at the three of them. “There’s no real hardship involved for any of you, when you get right down to it. This is your father’s last wish. Complying is all that stands between you and your inheritance.”

“I still don’t understand why he did this,” Cara said.

“Well, I’ve tried to explain it all as best I could.” Pete opened a desk drawer and took out a small device. “Now it’s time you hear directly from your dad.”

“What?” Cara asked.

“Your father left an audio letter for you. He wanted me to play it after I’d gone over the terms of his will.” He clicked a switch and sat back. A moment later, the women heard their father’s voice.

“Is this thing on? Pete, is it on?”

“It’s on, Fritz. Go ahead.”

“Okay. Well, girls, if you’re listening to this – and if old Pete here has done his duty to me – I’m ashes in a jar and the three of you have just been hit with a bombshell. I owe each of you an apology, for things I did and didn’t do. There isn’t time enough for me to go into every way I’ve failed you, but please know that I am sorry to my soul for not being the father you all deserve. Know that I love the three of you more than anything in this world...this world, the next world. Whichever world I land in.” He chuckled at his attempt to make a joke, then coughed.

A moment passed before he resumed. “I want you to understand that I loved your mothers, both of them, in my own way, and in their own time. Don’t think for a minute that any of my actions were the result of anything you did. Allie, I’m talking to you especially here. You just remember that last conversation we had and remember what I told you.” He paused and coughed again. When he resumed speaking, his voice was a bit weaker. “Des, I’m sorry for not standing up to your mother when you needed me to. I shouldn’t have let her bully you into doing things you didn’t want to do.” More coughing. “Cara Mia, I’m sorry for the lies. Sorry that I let you and Susa live a lie for all these years. Sorry that I...” Cough cough. “That I left all this in Pete’s lap.” The voice grew faint, as if Fritz had turned from the recorder. “Pete, you’re the best friend a guy ever had. I love you like a brother...” Again a cough, longer, harsher this time.

Then, Pete’s voice. “Fritz, that’s enough.”

“No. I need to tell them about the theater. Why it matters.”

“I’ll tell them.”

“But...”

“I promise. I’ll tell them.” A heavy sigh from Pete. “Say goodbye, Fritz.”

An even heavier sigh from Fritz. “Goodbye, girls. Be good to each other. Trust each other and yourselves. Do what I’ve ask you to do, and all will be well in the end. I promise. Love you. Always.”

Pete wiped his eyes and turned off the recorder. The only sound in the room was the sniffling of the three women as tears ran down their faces. He handed Cara a box of tissues. She took several and passed the box on to Des, who shared it with Allie.

When they finally all composed themselves, Cara pointed to the now-silent recorder. “When did he make that?”

“The afternoon before he died,” Pete replied.

“When did he tell you that he was sick?” Des asked.

“The same day he found out,” Pete admitted. “He had very little time to put his house in order.”

“What happened to his ashes?” Cara asked.

Pete pointed to a large, shiny silver urn on the top shelf of the bookcase across the room.

“You mean, he’s here?” Allie’s eyes widened. “He’s been here this entire time?”

“In a sense, yes.” Pete watched in amusement as all three women turned and stared at the urn. “I know this has all come as a huge shock to you, and I know that what your dad asked of you is...well, unusual, to say the least. But once the theater is up and running again, you’ll bury his cremains in his family’s cemetery next to his parents. Then you’ll all be free to go about your lives and you never have to see each other again.”

He waited for someone to comment. When no one did, he continued.

“Okay. Also inside your envelopes, you’ll find directions to the house in Hidden Falls. Your father gave you each one month from today to arrive at that address. I remind you that all three of you must arrive on that date, or none of you will get a dime. If any one of you leaves before the theater is finished, the money goes to charity. I hope I made that clear.” He stood, feeling satisfied. He’d kept his final promises to his old friend. “Any last questions?”

No one spoke.

“Good. Well, don’t hesitate to call if you think of anything. Otherwise, I expect you’ll all comply with your dad’s wishes.”

Again, silence.

“All righty, then.” Pete walked to the door and opened it. “Keep in touch, girls. Let me know how it goes.”

Pete hugged each of the three women and planted a kiss on their foreheads as they wordlessly filed out of the office. Pete walked them to the elevator, pushed the button for down, and stood aside as the three silently entered the car together. When the door slid closed, he walked back to his office, relieved that his part in Fritz’s mess was, for the time being, over.

“How’d it go?” Marjorie asked as he passed her desk.

Pete rolled his eyes.

“As we suspected,” she replied. “Well, it’s certainly going to be interesting to watch this play out.”

“Oh, yeah.”

“You think they’ll be able to do it?”

“Once they come around to the idea, sure. Whether or not they can without killing each other...” Pete shrugged.

“Did you tell them about Barney?”

“Nope. Left that part out.” Pete entered his office, adding over his shoulder, “There should be something for them to discover on their own.” view abbreviated excerpt only...

Discussion Questions

1. How do you think you’d react if you discovered one of your (deceased) parents had a secret family?

2. How would such a discovery affect your memories of that parent?

3. How accepting would you be of your half-siblings? How willing would you be to get to know your half-siblings under such circumstances?

4. Discuss the different ways Allie and Cara are handling the aftermaths of their divorces.

5. Why do you think Des has never had a deeply serious love relationship?

6. Barney is beloved by just about everyone in Hidden Falls. What do you think is her most outstanding trait?

7. There seems to be some mystery surrounding the death of Gil Wheeler. What do you think might have caused him to fall from the rock into the falls?

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