Mind Slide (10 page)

“You ready to go?” he asked Mason.

“Yeah, I'm ready.” He looked at Kelly. “I'll see you tomorrow at the funeral.”

Kelly said nothing. She simply nodded and watched the two men leave.

The funeral didn't go exactly as Kelly thought it would.

Mason and she were the only two that attended.

Barry warned her that might happen. A high attendance for a viewing didn't always translate to a big funeral. It was a little awkward. She didn't talk to Mason at all. It was all she could do to keep together behind her sunglasses as they lowered her father into the ground.

Afterward, alone in her car, she cried for at least a half hour.

Sadly, her day wasn't over yet.

She needed to drive downtown to meet with Barry at his office, for the reading of her father's will. She didn't have the slightest clue if he left her anything. She was his only living relative, but she imagined he would keep the few friends he had in mind. Plus there was Yingling, where he worked the later years of his life. He would probably leave something for them as well.

She almost cried again at the thought of the
later years of his life
.

Dad's life was over.

She barely got to know him.

She navigated the busy downtown streets and found a parking spot two blocks from Barry's office. She wished she would have went home and changed after the funeral. It was hard to jog across the street in her dress.

A cute secretary led Kelly to Barry's office. It was small and cozy. He gave Kelly a sad smile and offered her a seat.

“Can I get you anything to eat or drink?”

She sat and subconsciously hid her scarred foot. Normally she wore sneakers and socks, but that didn't go well with a black dress.

“No, thank you.”

“How was the funeral?”

A ridiculous question. “Very, very sad. Only me and that crazy guy were there. Mason.”

She almost laughed when she thought of Mason in the suit he wore to the funeral. It barely fit him, much too large. He must have borrowed it from Brian.

There was a knock at the door. Kelly turned in her chair to see Mason poking his head into the office.

“I'm sorry,” he said. “Should I come back?”

Barry smiled. “No, no, Mason. Come on in. We were just talking about you.”

“Good things, I hope.”

Kelly said nothing. She was stunned that her father included a patient in his will. She hated herself for it, but her jealousy was back in full force.

Unlike Kelly, he had changed clothes before driving downtown. He wore blue jeans and a short-sleeved tee shirt. There were three chairs across from Barry's desk. Mason sat on the far end, leaving a chair between him and Kelly. He gave her a shy smile.

“Okay.” Barry slipped on a pair of glasses. “I'm sure none of this will come as a surprise. Let's get started.”

“Wait,” Kelly said. “No one else is coming? It's just me and him?”

“Albert didn't discuss anything with you?”

Kelly and Mason both shook their heads.

“Well, I guess some of this
will
be a surprise. Kelly, he left me a note he wanted me to read. 'Dear Kelly. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to take care of you during my life. I was a terrible father, and believe me, I'm very sorry. I hope I'll be able to take care of you now that I'm gone.'”

Kelly inherited her father's house. She would have inherited his car as well, but that was totaled in a junkyard somewhere.

Tears ran down her face as Barry set the will down to give her a few minutes. She never dreamed of owning a house. Working as a waitress didn't exactly give her high hopes.

“He left me his house?” she finally asked.

Barry nodded. “Yes. The house is bought and paid for, and it's yours to do whatever you want with. There's property tax, of course, but the neighborhood is very nice.”

Kelly dabbed at her eyes with a napkin. She noticed Mason looking at her patiently. He looked sad for her, which she thought was sweet. She tried to hold onto her anger, but was tired of being angry.

She realized she didn't even know where her father lived. He switched houses right after she moved out a few years ago.

“And Mason,” Barry said. “This is for you.”

The lawyer reached under his desk and pulled out a plain brown box. It wasn't large or heavy. He set it in front of Mason.

“Thank you.”

Mason planned on opening it with Lucy back at the apartment. Barry and Kelly both kept their eyes on him, waiting for him to open it.

So much for privacy.

Kelly felt bad for him as he pulled the tape off the box to reveal packing peanuts. Her father left her a house. He left Mason a box.

Mason's eyes widened when he pulled out the picture in a wooden frame.

His parents, in the park, holding him in front of a swing set.

He ran his finger across the glass. He tried to hold in the tears, but wasn't successful. His breathing was under control, but he didn't know for how long. He had to leave soon, or he'd be bawling in full view for everyone to see.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over at Kelly, who actually had concern in her eyes. He touched her hand, only for a second, then rose to leave.

“Thank you,” he said. “Uh, is it okay to leave?”

Barry motioned for him to sit back down.

“There's just one more thing. Moving past the property, we've also got the financial assets. Savings accounts, his own inheritance. He wanted his accounts to be split evenly between the both of you. You'll both get a little over two million dollars.”

Mason and Kelly were quiet. There was silence in the room as Barry searched their faces. They both looked at each other, then back to Barry.

“I take it this is a surprise, too,” he said.

“Two million dollars?” Kelly said.

Mason shook his head. “That isn't right. I'm not a blood relative. It should all go to Kelly.”

Kelly looked at Mason. She could see he was serious. He would give her two million dollars.

Every preconceived notion she had about the man who spent so much time in the nuthouse was gone.

“My father was rich?”

Barry nodded. “He inherited from his family. And now he's passed it on to the both of you.”

Kelly barely remembered signing what seemed like one hundred forms in Barry's office. Mason didn't have as much to sign and had already left. The whole thing felt like a dream.

It became real when Barry handed her an address and a set of house keys.

“If you need anything,” he said. “Don't hesitate to call.”

She thanked him and left the office. She stepped onto the sidewalk into the early afternoon sun, not bothering to move as people walked around her.

She didn't know what she was supposed to do. It felt like her life that she crafted over the past few years was gone. She had to start over.

She laughed at herself.

What life, exactly?

She had a dead end job and no friends. She didn't go out on Friday night. She didn't go to parties. She didn't invite anyone over to watch a movie. She didn't even have a pet to feed.

She was the most pathetic person she knew.

Maybe a fresh start was exactly what she needed.

Thanks to her father, that was possible.

She saw Mason near the curb, a few cars away from where she stood. He was folding the soft-top down on an old Jeep Wrangler. He looked up at her as she approached him.

The picture he cherished was on the passenger's seat.

“Look, I don't want your money,” she said, standing a little too close for comfort. Mason leaned back on his Jeep. “My father left that for you. He wanted to split everything, so that's what we'll do.”

He gave a small smile and nodded. They both stood awkwardly for a few seconds. Mason jumped when a car drove by and honked at someone.

“So,” Kelly said, wanting to fill the silence. “We're both millionaires. What are you going to buy first?”

It was a joke, but Mason thought seriously.

“Let's go get something to eat,” he said, pointing down the sidewalk. “There's a great Chinese place just around the corner.”

She laughed. “Uh, no. I don't eat lunch with people. Besides, I'm not exactly dressed for lunch.”

Mason looked at her dress, which made Kelly feel self conscious.

“You never eat lunch with anyone? Ever?”

Kelly felt foolish, but shook her head.

“Wow. That's weird. I figured guys would be asking you out all the time.” He shrugged, reached into the Jeep for his picture, then gave her another smile. “You have a nice day.”

He walked away and rounded the corner, the picture under his arm.

Kelly knew he was right.

It was weird.

She
was weird.

She had just done what she had been doing all her life. Pushed someone away.

Her kidnapping ruled too many parts of her life. She never left home without pepper spray, always walked in a crowd at night.

She never made any friends.

She hadn't even met Mason until recently, but she decided she wasn't going to like him a long time ago. She blamed her father, and Mason, for every bad thing in her life. But the truth was she was responsible. When her father tried to make amends, she pushed him away.

Now he was gone.

What possible harm could it do just to eat lunch with someone? What was she afraid of?

Out of habit, she checked for her pepper spray in her purse.

She followed in the direction Mason went.

*****

Mason carefully set the picture of his parents on the table as a young lady gave him a smile and a menu. The picture was gone for so long. He was taking no chances. There was no way he would leave it alone out in his open Jeep while he ate.

He stared at his parents, who stared back at him.

“Thank you, Doc,” he whispered.

Doc had come through for him.

The picture meant more to him than two million dollars.

He didn't plan on spending much of it anyway.

He heard the front door open, and looked up at the beautiful Kelly. He was surprised to see her. It was obvious she had very bad feelings for him. He fully expected her to turn down his lunch invitation.

He didn't expect her to change her mind.

The hostess tried to lead her to a seat, but she shook her head and pointed at Mason.

He felt himself clamming up already.

“Hi,” she said as she sat across from him. “Actually, I
am
hungry. You said this was a good place?”

He swallowed hard. “Yeah. Brian and I eat here all the time.”

Kelly ordered a soda and gave Mason a smile.

“Did Brian ever tell you how we met?” she asked casually, looking down at her menu.

“No, he didn't,” he answered honestly.

She didn't offer any information, and he didn't push for any.

It was going to be a very delicate dance.

Mason could almost visualize under the table. There was no doubt she was hiding her right foot, even while in a restaurant.

“Oh, and guys don't ask me out all the time.”

Mason simply nodded. “Whatever you say.”

She gestured to the picture off to the side. “Your parents?”

“Yeah. I lost this when I was staying at the mental health center.”

“Are you close with them?”

“I never knew them. They died when I was five.”

Kelly's eyes grew wide and her face turned a dark shade of red. Mason thought it was the cutest thing he'd ever seen.

“Oh my God, I am so sorry,” she said. “I don't even know you, and I'm asking stupid questions.”

He laughed. For some reason he was feeling more at ease. Maybe it was because she seemed as awkward and uncomfortable as he was.

“It's okay. Can't have a conversation without some talking.”

Kelly was thankful when their drinks arrived and they placed their order. She could nurse a soda for a few seconds and not feel like an idiot.

“So, at least we won't have to worry about money for a while,” she said.

She smiled at him, which caught him by surprise. Maybe it was just the circumstances of her father dying, but she treated him very badly up until now.

“Yeah, tell me about it,” he said. “I'll be able to find missing kids without almost getting sick each time.”

“What do you mean?”

“I'm a private investigator,” he explained. “I get the prove-my-spouse-is-cheating jobs every now and then. But what I really like to do is find missing children.”

Kelly stared at him intently. He actually turned his head for a moment, to see if she was staring at someone else behind him.