Love Finds the One (Sully Point Book 2) (22 page)

* * * *

Cody stretched out on the couch with a glass of scotch in
his hands. He planned on getting very drunk. What he'd learned had him
re-thinking his life. When Mrs. Tremaine, and he had to agree she was the
Mother from Hell, had talked about Julia's millions, he'd frozen inside. He'd
known about the trust fund, but not that it was so much freaking money!

How could he and Julia be together with such a huge amount
of money between them? Mrs. Tremaine was right about one thing, at least--he
and Julia were on very different financial levels. Sure, he did okay for
himself with the two businesses. He wasn't rich but he had the things he needed
and wanted. He wasn't in much debt and his businesses showed nice profits every
year.

But this--Julia came from real money. And she would have
access to mountains of it in a few years. Why would she even bother with having
a business? Hell, if they were married, why should he? And then where would
meaning come from for him...what reason would he have to get up every morning?

He knew, in this day and age, the fact she had more money
than him should not be an issue. But he was, in many ways, old fashioned. In
his world, the man supported the woman, not the other way around. Even as he
felt it was true, he knew on some level he was wrong. Sighing heavily, he made
another drink.

* * * *

A night and day went by. Julia heard nothing from him, and
she felt devastated. She couldn't sleep, and fluctuated between eating
everything in sight to eating nothing at all. It didn't seem possible she and
Cody could go from being so close to being so separate.

After a day of waiting to hear something, Julia arrived at
the bakery with red-rimmed eyes and her hair up in a sloppy bun. She was
miserable. To walk into the bakery and see Cody standing there with his father,
almost made her walk out the door.
At least he looks as bad as I feel,
she
thought. Frank was looking with disapproval at his son, while Cody put on
sunglasses over bloodshot eyes and drank coffee. There was surprise on both
their faces when they saw Julia walk in.

"Hello, Julia," Frank said. "Out for some
food?"

"Uh...yeah. Hello." She was waiting for some sign
from Cody that everything would be fine. But he just stood there and stared at
her through his dark glasses. She felt herself becoming more and more angry.
Just as she was about to say something to him, he pushed past his father and
walked out the door.

Julia felt stunned all over again. He didn't even want to
stay in the same building she was in? A tiny voice in her head whispered,
"Maybe it's really over."

Frank reached out to pat her on the back, but Julia turned
away and walked stiffly to the counter. "I'll have a dozen of the
donuts--just a mix, whatever you've got. And an extra-large coffee."

"Planning on having donuts at the office today?"
Frank asked, noticing how her hands were shaking.

"No, I just happen to want to eat a lot of
donuts."

"Oh," he said. "You guys need to talk."

She turned quickly to face him. "You need to tell that
to your son, Frank," she said in an angry tone.

"Believe me, I told him." Then Frank cringed, as
if knowing he'd just said the wrong thing.

"Really? Fine. That's just...fine." She paid for
her food and marched out of the bakery.

* * * *

Frank walked into his store from the bakery determined to do
something about Julia and Cody.
Those two,
he thought irritably,
are
both being idiots.
He decided to call Betsy. He needed a place to get the
two of them together. A meeting at the bank's conference room might be just the
thing. But, first he'd need to make an alteration to the conference room's door
lock. He headed down the aisle with the locks, a devilish grin on his face.

Later in the day he was sitting in Betsy's office. He had
convinced her that his radical plan was the way to go. She was on the phone to Julia.

Mrs. Gilchrest was adamant. "Julia, I'm sorry, but you
must come down to the bank to sign these papers. Somehow we left this out on
the day of the closing and without it, well, you don't want to know the trouble
it could cause."

Frank watched her nodding, and smiled.

"That would be fine, I'll see you at six o'clock. I'll
be here when you arrive." She hung up the phone. "Okay, one down. How
do we get Cody here?"

"Leave it to me," Frank said. "I'll go get
him and say it's about my estate planning and that he needs to sign some
papers. That way his Corvette won't be sitting here when Julia walks over.
Wouldn't want to scare her off."

Mrs. Gilchrest looked at him skeptically. "Are you sure
this is going to work? Maybe it's irreconcilable between them."

"No, they love each other. They've let the poison her
mother spewed out infect them. We get them in the room together. And then we lock
the door. I've got the lock we'll need right here. Let's go change it out for
the one that's there."

She sighed. "Hasn't this been part of the plot of
several movies and books?"

He said, "That's what made me think of it. It always
works in those stories."

"The things I do for love."

* * * *

Cody had spent the day trying to get over yet another
hangover, and still felt rather ghastly in late afternoon. When Frank showed up
after closing time saying they had to go to the bank, Cody just shook his head.
"Look, Dad, we can do this some other time. I need to go get some food
into me and take some more aspirin. And pour out whatever scotch is still left
on the boat."

"Son, I'm sorry, but I don't feel right letting this
hang on. You never know when something could happen to me."

Cody frowned. It was unusual for his father to bring up
death in any aspect. He supposed it was better to go and get it over with.
"All right, I'll go with you. Will the bank even be open at this
hour?"

"Mrs. Gilchrest said she'd stay open for you to sign
the papers," Frank said.

"Fine, fine, let's go."

They took Frank's car, which Cody was happy enough to do
since he didn't feel like driving. He knew how he felt was not all about having
a hangover. His head was in turmoil and his heart felt like he'd taken it out
and stabbed it a few times. He honestly didn't know what to do about Julia. And
what killed him was knowing he'd been a jerk.

When they arrived inside the bank, Mrs. Gilchrest was
shutting the door to the conference saying, "I'll be right back with the
papers."

"Huh," Cody grunted. "Guess we aren't the
only ones she stayed open for."

Frank called Mrs. Gilchrest over and asked where they should
wait to sign the papers.

"Why don't you go right into the conference room...both
of you are here for similar reasons. It won't take but a minute." She
rushed off and Frank led the way to the conference room. Opening the door he
almost shoved Cody into the room, even as Cody started to resist.

"Hey, what's going on?" he asked. But then the door
to the conference room closed and he heard a key in the lock. When he looked
down to unlock the door, he saw there was no way to do that from inside the
room.

"Dad! What the hell?" A gasp of surprise caused
him to turn around, only to find Julia sitting at the conference table.
"Julia? What is this?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea. Mrs. Gilchrest told me
to come in to sign some papers."

Cody banged on the door. "Dad, open this door right
now!"

The phone on the desk rang. Julia answered it, putting it on
speaker. "Yes?"

Cody heard his father's voice. "Okay, here's the deal.
You two have been acting like idiots. It's time you talked all this out. I
don't know what your problems are, although I can make some guesses. The only
way any relationship ever really works, is when the two people talk. Shutting
each other out isn't the answer. Now, we've," they heard a protest and
then Frank said, "rather, I, have locked you into the conference room.
When you reach some kind of agreement, or meeting of the minds, you dial the
number five on the phone."

"Dad--wait, you can't do this."

"Frank," Julia said, "this isn't going to
help."

Frank hung up on them.

Cody flopped into a chair at the table. "Of all the
ridiculous ideas..."

Julia said coolly, "Oh, I don't know, it's a novel
idea, talking, that is."

"You know, Julia, you need to watch that sarcasm. It
might be an inherited trait."

"Damn you, Cody!"

He raised his hands, palms out. "Sorry. It reminded me
of her."

"Yeah, well, I'm not my mother. Why haven't you talked
to me since you walked out?"

"I haven't known what to say to you," Cody
replied, looking down at the table.

"Haven't known what to say...how about 'Sorry your
mother's a bitch, but let's move on from this' or something to that effect. I
don't understand what is going on with you--why you left, why you aren't
talking to me--"

"I think you know."

"You don't want to be with me anymore? Because of my
mother, worrying I'll end up like her? Or are you going to tell me it's about
the money?"

Cody sat up in the chair and leaned forward, arms on the
table. "No, Julia, I know you are separate from your mother, and I don't
think you could ever be like her, and yes, she is a bitch."

"That leaves the money."

"Why didn't you ever say just how much money was coming
to you in the trust fund?"

Julia stared at him. "I do not believe this is about the
money."

"You never said you'd be coming into millions of
dollars. Everyone is going to think I only want to marry you for your
money."

"Cody, no--"

"Yes, they will. I've been trying to figure out if I'm
okay with that, if I can live with it and not become resentful."

"I don't understand this. You're telling me because
there is a bunch of money, you don't want to be with me? That you're afraid of
what people will say?"

Cody pushed away from the table, stood up, and began pacing.

* * * *

Frank peered at his watch and then said, "I think we
should order a pizza, Betsy. If they didn't settle it right away, it may take a
while."

She was sitting on a loveseat against the wall of her
office. "You and your bright ideas. Okay, yes to the pizza. I still think
it will be a miracle if this gets them back together. Do you even know what
started it?"

Frank slowly nodded his head. "I think I do. After what
the mother said, and then after meeting Julia's father. I think I know what's
eating at my son. I'm not saying it's legit, or progressive, but I think I'm
right."

"Well, tell me! But, order the pizza first."

* * * *

Julia watched Cody pace up and down the long room. She felt
confused and angry and on some level betrayed. Realizing she was twisting her
ring around on her finger over and over, she stopped and placed both hands flat
on the table.

Cody stopped and looked at her. "Take your engagement
ring for instance."

"What about it?"

"That ring took a huge chunk out of my savings, but I
was more than willing to spend it on something for you, something beautiful that
would last forever. Then, I hear about your money and realize you could buy
yourself a dozen rings, or more, and not even worry about the money. It's like
we live in different spheres, different versions of the world."

She held up a hand when he was going to continue. "Hold
on. This ring means everything to me. The fact you cared enough to have
something special made for me, and used up so much money to do it, just makes
it more special. Nothing I will ever buy for myself will compare to what I feel
for this ring."

He sighed. "You don't get it. Here I am trying to make
a good living with my businesses, and you--with all that money--"

"Okay now, let me ask you something. Do you think I'm
going to stop working when I come into the money?"

"Aren't you?"

"No! Of course not. Money doesn't give meaning to our
lives, it just makes some stuff a little easier is all. My father could have
retired years ago. Why does he still go in every day to do battle in the
financial world? Because he loves what he does at his work. He gets a kick out
of it. It gives him a reason to get up in the morning."

Cody recalled thinking about that last night. "Maybe, but
everyone, and I do mean everyone, is going to think I only wanted your
money."

"Cody, if you were the one with the money, would you
expect me to have a hard time about it?"

"Well, no. I mean, a man is supposed to provide
for--"

"Argh!"

"Did you just make a pirate noise?"

"Yes! You are not telling me, are you, that this is
about me being a woman with money versus you being a man without the money,
don't tell me that."

"Well, kind of, if I am following what you just said.
Look--I know it's old fashioned."

"Old fashioned. Try antiquated. Neanderthal."

"No name calling."

She gave him a brief smile.

"I realize it's not the best way to look at things. I
know I would have to accept that it's your money to do with as you will."

"Do you want me to give up the money?" Julia asked
quietly.

"What--no, of course not. It's yours and you should
keep it."

"But if we were married it would be
ours
. Ours
to decide how to spend."

He shook his head.

"Let's see...if it was you who had all the money, and I
didn't want to touch it, how would you feel then?"

"That's different," he said and then looked at her
sheepishly.

"Right. You need to get over this. I love you, and I
think you love me. That means you get all of me, all my good points and all of
my faults, including the money. Just like I get all of you, including your boat
and the Bait and Tackle Shop and the charter business. We bring all of
ourselves into the relationship."