Marrying the Millionaire (3 page)

CJ put the tip of his finger in his
mouth. “Here.” He extended the telephone to her. “Ah, uh, Papa want
you, Mommy.”

Holding the phone to her ear, Kayla
rubbed the frontal lobe of her throbbing forehead.
“Hello?”

“
Kayla! Thank God you’re
home!” A worrisome tone coated her grandfather’s voice.

Kayla swallowed. “What’s wrong,
Grandpa?”

He cleared his throat. “I have
something I need to tell you in person, and it can’t wait. Pack
your things and come home first thing tomorrow morning.”

This sounds serious.
Wiping her nose with her backhand, Kayla sniffed.
“Can’t you just tell me now?”

“
No!” Her grandfather’s
voice was firm. “Come home. Tomorrow.”

Oh, God. I hope you’re not
ill, Grandpa.

CJ plopped down in his mother’s lap.
Sitting in her lap, belly-to-belly, CJ placed his tiny hands on her
cheeks. “What’s wrong, Mommy? Why are you crying?” His bottom lip
curled under.

Kayla put her index finger to her
mouth to silence CJ. “I’ll be home tomorrow.”

“
Good. Good.”

Giving her a worrisome stare, CJ wiped
his mother’s tears with his little fingers, then kissed her lips.
“Luv you, Mommy.”

Kayla mouthed
love you
back
and smiled. “Where are you, Grandpa?” she
asked.

“
I’m in the car, driving
home.”

“
Grandpa, it’s not good to
talk on the cell phone while driving.”

“
You’re right,
but—”

Eeeerrr!
Kayla heard the sound of loud, screeching brakes,
then she heard a loud boom.

Anxiety gripped her. “Grandpa!
Grandpa!” A static sound buzzed in her eardrum, then the line
completely silenced. “Hello?! Hello?!”

FIVE DAYS LATER,
MID-WEDNESDAY MORNING, the gloomy grey sky crackled with a streak
of white flash lightning. Thunder rumbled over the Earth, vibrating
the drenched grounds of the
Low Country
Memorial Cemetery
on Hilton Head Island.
Rain dropped in floods over the green tent shielding Richmond
Spaulding as he stood over his deceased wife, his darling Salina’s
casket.

Richmond’s soul burned with
grief. He transfixed his gaze from the sheets of rain pouring from
the sky down to the white glossy casket. Just as Salina had
adamantly requested before her demise, he’d put a lavender tulip
spread sprouting white baby breaths on her casket.
Salina loved tulips, she loved life. She loved
our daughter, Isabelle, and she loved me.

“
Let’s please bow our
heads,” the Pastor requested.

Listening to the Pastor pray a few
feet away from where he stood, Richmond kept his head bowed and his
eyes sealed. Broken-hearted, he was determined not to cry. His
steely determination to keep his raw emotions buried didn’t mean he
didn’t love his wife, because Lord knows he loved Salina with every
fiber in his being. It was just that, well, he had to be strong for
his precious three-year-old daughter, Isabelle.

I should be in that
casket, not my darling wife, Salina. The love of my life. Dear God,
taking my wife…You got this so wrong.

Continuing to listen to the blessed
words the Pastor recited, Richmond’s eyes peeled open, but his head
remained hung. Listening to the tinkering sounds of the pelting
rain, he gazed down at his shined black leather shoes.

I already miss you,
Salina. So, very, much. God, You got this wrong. How could You be
so cruel?

A loud pop of thunder boomed overhead,
and Richmond’s head snapped up from between his shoulders. Isabelle
jumped, standing next to him. Just as her tiny fingers circled
around his, he hefted her in his arms and kissed her honey-tanned
cheek.

Pressing his lips to
Isabelle’s ear, Richmond whispered, “It’s okay, baby. It’s okay.
Daddy’s got you.”
You’re all I have
now.

Isabelle nodded, looking every bit
like her mother. From her silky, black ringlets hair flowing past
her shoulders to her brown honey complexion and natural
mauve-colored lips, Isabelle was the spitting image of his Salina.
Staring into his daughter’s delicate chestnut brown eyes, pain
pricked his heart.

Dear God
.
She’s gone. Your mother’s gone,
Isabelle.

Richmond placed a gentle hand to the
side of his daughter’s hair, eased her head to his chest, then
kissed the soft, spiraling curls covering her cute round head.
Inhaling the profound mixture of wet grass and mud, he squeezed his
eyes together.

I’m going to make sure
nothing ever happens to you. And I promise you, Pumpkin, come hell
or high water, I’m going to find out who poisoned your mother. When
I do, I’m going to kill him with my own bare hands. Break his damn
neck in half. That’s a promise,
he
thought, his eyes fluttering open
.
Grief-stricken by Salina’s murder, Richmond
shuddered.

“
Amen,” the Pastor
stated.

“
Amen,” the crowd of people
encircling him pronounced on the lift of their bowed
heads.

Grief pierced Richmond’s father’s,
Russell Spaulding’s, eyes. “I’m going to go thank the guests for
coming. Then I’m going to head to the Equestrian to check on the
business.”

“
Are you coming to the
repass?” Richmond asked.

Russell nodded. “If time permits, I’ll
come by.”

Damn his workaholic father, Russell,
who claimed he was retired but never acted like it. Even on one of
the worst days of Richmond’s life, all he cared about was his damn
business—Spaulding Equestrian Center. The least he could do was
make an appearance at the repass. When he wasn’t thinking about
work, all Russell did was indulge in the many gold-digging women
running around town.

Richmond’s mother, Leslie, rubbed
circles on her son’s back. “I’ll be there. In fact, I’m going to
get a jump start to make sure everything runs smoothly.”

STRAIN PULLED RICHMOND’S FACE TIGHT.
“Thanks, Mom.”

Leslie rolled her eyes at her
ex-husband, Russell. “Unlike some people, you can always count on
your mother.”

Russell’s eyes narrowed at Leslie.
“Now is not the time, Leslie.”

Leslie’s jaw muscle flickered. “It’s
never the time, Russell. Is it?” Leslie kissed her granddaughter
Isabelle’s cheek, then walked off.

One by one, attendees at the funeral
made their way up to him and Isabelle, expressing their deepest
condolences. As the many people approached him and his daughter,
Richmond carefully studied their faces, their body language, and
most importantly their eyes. Any one of these people speaking to
him, shaking his hand, kissing his daughter, could have possibly
poisoned his wife and be the murderer. Wondering if the killer was
amongst him, he grimaced.

Richmond’s good friend Braylon Wexler,
along with his beautiful wife, Sandella, and their baby, Logan,
approached him. “I’m sorry for your loss,” Sandella uttered sadly
as Logan sat perched on her hip.

Admiring Braylon’s beautiful family,
Richmond’s burning nose flared. Stressed, he nodded at his friends.
“Sandella, Braylon, thanks for coming.”

Deep, gut-wrenching hurt penetrated
Braylon’s pupils. “Don’t thank us. You know we’d do anything to
support you. We loved Salina.” Braylon threw his arms around
Richmond and Isabelle. “Salina was a good woman. She’s with God
now.”

Glancing up at him, Sandella placed a
gentle hand to his arm. “Let us know if there’s anything we can do.
After things settle down a little, maybe we can get the girls
together for a playdate.”

Drool slithered from baby Logan’s
mouth down her chin. As if she understood the word “playdate”, she
gave Richmond a big smile, revealing a single tooth perking out
from her bottom gum.

Playdate? I don’t know
where to begin with a playdate. God, I’m a single father at the age
of thirty.
“I think Isabelle would like
that.”

Braylon patted Richmond’s shoulder,
then let his hand fall to his side. “Sandella has an employee out
today, so we’re not going to make the repass. But we’ll stop by
tomorrow to check on you.”

Seeing Braylon and Sandella
as husband and wife reminded him of what he’ll never have again—a
great marriage. Overwhelmed, his knees threatened to buckle.
This is how Salina and I used to look before she
got sick. So happy, and vibrant, and in love.
Dread almost choked him.

“
Don’t feel obligated to
stop by. I’m good, man,” Richmond outright lied.
I’m a big ball of fucked up.

“
We’ll see you tomorrow,”
Braylon said flatly. He placed his hand in the small of Sandella’s
back, opened the umbrella, and the two of them walked across the
emerald lawn toward their car parked on the curb of the
road.

Richmond’s estate manager of Spaulding
Equestrian Center began heading in his direction and paused when
she reached him. “I’ll take Isabelle for you.” Chelsey reached for
Isabelle, but Richmond declined her gracious offer.

“
Thanks, Chelsey. She’s
going to stay with me for now.”

Chelsey rubbed circles on Isabelle’s
back. “I understand. I’ll meet you back at the house for the
repass.”

Richmond nodded.

The heavy raindrops turned to a soft,
slow drizzle. Grey clouds disintegrated into white puffs. Family
and friends headed for their vehicles off in the distance, leaving
Richmond alone with just his daughter and the funeral
director.

The funeral director began
lowering Salina’s casket into the depths of the murky earth.
Richmond’s whole body stiffened as he peered down into the ground
and watched on in despair.
Goodbye, my
darling Salina. I’ll always love you. I can’t take this,
he thought, hastening away with Isabelle cradled
in his arms.

He stalked across thick
patches of dewy emerald grass, drew open the door of the black
sleek limo, then climbed inside. After he strapped Isabelle in her
seatbelt, he buckled his.
This is the
worst day of my life. Haven’t slept in days.

Rows of cars piled inside the cemetery
in remembrance of Salina shined their bright headlights. As the
limo drove slowly along the curve of the slick asphalt, Richmond
glanced out the window and spotted a small graveside procession
near the pond ending. It couldn’t have been more than five people
in attendance.

A brown-complexioned woman wearing an
off-white dress stood beneath a tent, dabbing at the corners of her
eyes with a handkerchief. Her brunette straight hair blew in the
wind, brushing her face. She took a few steps, and her knees
buckled. In an effort to keep her from falling, the two women
walking beside her clutched her arms and tried to balance her.
Fright rounded the little boy’s eyes standing behind the upset
female.

She looks like she’s about
to hit the ground. I know exactly how she feels.
“Stop the car!”

The limo rolled to a halt. Without
thinking, Richmond flung open the door and stepped into a puddle of
water drenching the concrete. As he jogged across the soaked lawn
toward the upset lady, water squished beneath the soles of his
shoes. Reaching the distraught woman, he paused, his heart thudding
harshly in his chest from running.

Crying her eyes out, the distressed
woman kept her head bowed as the two women standing beside her
clutched her arms to keep her from falling to the ground. “Do you
need any help carrying her?” Tempted to grab her, he instinctively
extended his arms, but didn’t touch her.

The weeping woman slowly lifted her
head from between her sagging shoulders to meet his gaze. Hurt
stained her red, puffy eyes. Specks of thin snot dampened the
openings of her nostrils.

She sniffled. “I’ll be fine.” Her soft
voice was barely audible. “I just need to get some rest, to
sleep.”