Sugar Rush (12 page)

“Oh my gawd, I’m so
stuffed,” Lexi groaned as she leaned back in the leather car seat. Jeff
chuckled, but continued to look ahead as he steered the car down the highway,
heading home.

“I can’t believe you
ate that entire porterhouse.”

“It was delicious. But
it was big, wasn’t it?” Lexi moaned.

“So, you won’t be
having a hot fudge sundae with me when we get home?”

“Please, you’re going
to make me throw up!”

“Does this mean you
won’t order the porterhouse the next time we go to Rods?”

“Hell no,” Lexi
snapped. “It just means I’ll eat less of the baked potato.”

“Are you sure about
that?” he teased.

“Well, maybe I won’t
eat the salad. That smoky baked potato was pretty good, too. Thanks for taking
me to dinner, Jeff. But really, you need to start letting me pay.”

They were quiet for a
few moments when Lexi asked, “Any luck at finding a new job, or are you just
going to stay where you are?”

“Well, I was
considering applying with this little start up business I came across.”

“Really? Doing what?”

“Production management.
I think I could be a valuable asset for the company.”

“Great, where’s it
located?” Lexi tried to sound upbeat, but she held her breath wondering where
this new job might take him.

“Currently Lake Havasu
City, Arizona, but I don’t think the owner of the company is committed to the
location.” It took Lexi a few seconds to register what he was saying, and once
she did, she wasn’t certain if he was sincere or joking around.

“Are you serious?”

“Very. It’s not going
to be long before you outgrow your swap meet operation. If this thing takes off,
it won’t be practical packaging and shipping the product out of your kitchen.
You are excellent at the marketing, and I believe I can develop an efficient
plan to package and ship the product.”

Jeff had just turned
the corner onto their street and was about ready to pull into his driveway when
he noticed lights on in his house.

“That’s strange. I
don’t remember leaving the lights on.” After pulling into the driveway he
turned off the engine.

“It wasn’t dark when we
left, you just didn’t notice. Now, come on. Let’s go inside. I want to
interview you.”

Both laughing, they
each got from the vehicle and shut their car doors, walking together to the
front entry. Lexi again asked Jeff if he was serious. She watched him unlock
the front door.  Jeff entered the house first, paying more attention to what Lexi
was asking than what might be waiting for him in the house.

Lexi followed Jeff
inside. He kept his eyes on her while they talked, not really paying attention to
where he was walking. When Lexi froze in her steps and stared blankly ahead, he
stopped talking and turned to see what had captured her attention.

“Grandfather,” Lexi
said at last.

Ethan Beaumont sat on
the living room recliner, observing the new arrivals with keen interest. With
his elbows propped on the chair’s arms, he held his hands together as he
absently tapped his knuckles against his chin. Overdressed for Havasu, he wore
a gray business suit.

“What are you doing in
Jeff’s house?”

“Hello, Granddaughter.
I see you’ve been a busy girl since you ran away from home.”

“Ran away? From what I
remember, I was kicked out. But you haven’t answered my question. What are you
doing in Jeff’s house?” The blood in her veins raced and her heart pounded. If
she didn’t know better, she would swear the top of her head was about to
explode.

“Jeff’s house? Actually,
it’s my house, considering I’m the one who’s been paying the rent.” Beaumont
shifted his gaze from Lexi to Jeff. “Barnett, I’m very disappointed in you. Imagine
my displeasure at having to hire someone to spy on the person I hired to spy on
Lexi. I was not paying you to seduce my granddaughter.”

“What are you talking
about?”

“Ask J.B. here. He’s
been watching you since you left my house. Amazingly, he was able to rent the
apartment right across the hall from yours.”

Lexi turned to look at
Jeff, waiting for him to deny the accusation.

“I can explain,” Jeff
began.

“Oh, I’m sure you can,”
Ethan interrupted. “Tell me again, J.B., because I can’t remember. Did you ever
install that surveillance equipment at the apartment, or did you wait and
install it at their house here?”

“Surveillance
equipment!” Lexi shrieked.

“No, Lexi, I never did
that,” Jeff said, panicky and uncertain how to explain while Beaumont sat
there, calmly taunting him.

 “It’s simple Lexi,”
Ethan interrupted, “Jeff Barnett has been in my employ for two years now. You’ve
heard me talk about J.B.”

Lexi looked from her
grandfather to Jeff. While she had never met Ethan Beaumont’s personal
assistant, her grandfather occasionally mentioned him, always referring to the
employee as J.B. She felt as if someone had just smashed an iron skillet across
the back of her head when she remembered the bearded neighbor. Now she knew why
she and Angie thought there was something familiar about Jeff. He was the
creepy neighbor who was always listening to them.

“You!” Lexi gasped,
suddenly feeling sick. She took a step back away from Jeff.

“Lexi, let’s leave and
let me explain,” Jeff said in a panic.

“I certainly hope you
don’t intend to leave in my car,” Beaumont interjected. “I’ve come to pick up
the car and take Lexi home.”

Wild eyed, Lexi looked
from Jeff to her grandfather. “I’m not going anywhere with you!” Lexi shouted.
“And you,” she went on, now looking at Jeff, her voice shaky, “I never want to see
you again!”

Lexi turned abruptly
and ran from the house. Pausing just a moment, Jeff ran after her. In his haste
he tripped when going down the front steps, sending him sprawling on the
ground. By the time he got back on his feet and started toward Lexi, she was
almost at her house. By the time he reached her driveway, she had gone inside
and slammed the door shut.

“Lexi, please. We have
to talk!” Jeff shouted a few moments later as he stood on her porch and pounded
on her front door.

“This is Angie,” said a
stern voice from inside the house. “Lexi is very upset. I want you to leave
now. If you keep pounding on the door, I’ll call the police. Do you
understand?”

Broken, Jeff turned
away and headed back to his house. He found Beaumont still sitting on the
recliner.

“I failed to mention it
earlier, but you’re fired,” Beaumont said dispassionately, when Jeff entered
the house.

“You can’t fire me, I
quit.”

“Good. I accept your
resignation. Makes it more difficult for you to collect unemployment.” With
measured calm, Beaumont stood and faced Jeff. The younger man struggled to
maintain his composure.

“I’ll be back in the
morning to make sure you’ve moved out. Leave my car in the garage. Don’t try to
rent the house for February; I’ve already paid for the month.”

Beaumont arrogantly
walked past Jeff, obviously not concerned the young man might get physical.
Their shoulders brushed, and Beaumont nudged Jeff aside. Standing in the
doorway, preparing to exit, he turned around one last time and faced Jeff.

“Stay away from my
granddaughter. You totally fucked this thing up. I don’t know what the hell you
thought you were doing encouraging her in this harebrained fudge business. If
you think you can get your hands on my company by screwing my granddaughter, you’re
even stupider than Lexi.”

Had Lexi’s grandfather
not been in his eighties, Jeff would have planted his fist in the man’s
arrogant mug. He didn’t care what Beaumont said about him, but the way he
talked about Lexi infuriated him. He silently watched as the elderly man made
his way down the walkway. It was then Jeff noticed Ethan’s car parked across
the street. He hadn’t noticed it when he’d come home from dinner.

Five minutes later, he
frantically paced the floor, the cell phone in his hand. He tried calling Lexi,
but her answer machine picked up. When he sent her a text message, he received
a response, but not from her.
This is Angie. I’ve been instructed to delete
your text messages. She doesn’t want to read them and neither do I. Delete.

Sickened, Jeff considered
his options. A few minutes later, he sat down at his computer and wrote Lexi a
letter. After printing it out, he began to pack his things. He doubted he would
be able to get a rental car this late in the evening, so he looked through the
phone book, searching for a taxi or shuttle service to take him to a hotel. He
stacked his suitcases by the front door, then went to the walk-in-closet and
stared at the boxes neatly stacked along the wall.

He already knew what he
was going to do. It came to him when he was writing the letter. He couldn’t
take the boxes with him; they belonged to Lexi. He couldn’t leave them in the
house, because her grandfather would throw them away and then the old son of a
bitch would go home and fire his housekeeper.

One by one, Jeff
carried the boxes to Lexi and Angie’s and set them by the front door. It took
him twenty minutes before he finished delivering all the boxes, stacking them
in neat piles. On the drive to Lake Havasu City, they had filled the back seat
and trunk of the car, yet now it didn’t seem like there were that many, not
when one considered they supposedly held everything Lexi owned when she left
the estate.  He wondered what that said about her life with her wealthy
grandfather.

After leaving the boxes,
he brought over the items Lexi had left in his garage, including the EZ-UP,
folding table, ice chest, and camp chairs.

Jeff knocked on the
door and waited.

“I told you I would
call the police. I mean it,” came Angie’s terse voice.

“I understand, but I
brought over Lexi’s things, and they’re here by the front door. I don’t want to
just leave them. Someone might take them before morning.”

Assuming he was talking
about the items Lexi used at the swap meet, Angie told him to leave and promised
she would bring in the things after he was gone. Jeff tucked the letter he’d
written to Lexi in one of the boxes, then turned and headed back to his house. The
boxes were still sitting outside when the shuttle service arrived to take him
to the hotel.

Angie peeked out the
front window. She’d turned off the outside light forty minutes earlier and
couldn’t see what Jeff had left on the porch. Lexi was in her bedroom, still
sobbing inconsolably. Angie thought it was probably a good thing she didn’t own
a firearm or she might have blown Jeff’s head off when he came pounding on the
front door. He was gone now, and she figured it was probably safe going outside
to bring in Lexi’s things. It wasn’t just Jeff she wanted to avoid; there was
Ethan Beaumont to consider. Angie didn’t know if Lexi’s grandfather was one
door down. Perhaps he was outside, waiting to bully his way into the house.

Still peeking out the
window, she flipped on the outside light, illuminating the front porch. To her
surprise, a number of boxes were stacked on the pavers. She knew Lexi didn’t
have that much stuff over at Jeff’s house. Cautiously, she unlocked the front
door and opened it slightly, sticking her head outside.

The moon illuminated
the street and yard, and there didn’t seem to be anyone lurking in the shadows.
Stepping on the porch, she walked to the stack of boxes and removed a lid from
one. Frowning, she looked inside. It contained Lexi’s clothes; she recognized
them. They weren’t clothes her friend had purchased at the thrift store after being
exiled from the mansion. They were clothes Lexi had worn when she was still in
college. Hastily, Angie removed some of the other lids, and saw the boxes
contained Lexi’s belongings; things Ethan Beaumont confiscated when Lexi
refused to marry Jerome Peters.

Looking around
nervously, Angie placed the lids back on the boxes, and then began bringing
them into the house. She moved quickly, jittery that Jeff or Ethan might suddenly
appear.

After bringing in the
boxes, she dragged in the EZ-UP, and then the folding table, ice chest and camp
chairs. Before coming into the house, Angie ran to the end of the driveway and
looked down the street, to the house Jeff had been renting. The lights were all
out, and there was no car in the driveway. It looked as if no one was home.
Running back to her house, Angie closed the door behind her and locked it.

“Lexi?” Angie called
out softly a few minutes later. She stood outside her friend’s bedroom, tapping
her knuckles against the paneled door. There was no sound coming from the room.
Lexi either had stopped crying, or had fallen asleep. Angie stopped knocking.
She wondered if she should wait until the morning to tell Lexi about the boxes,
and let her sleep. In the next moment, the door opened.

“Yeah?” Lexi said
wearily. Disheveled, Lexi looked at Angie through red-rimmed eyes. Her hair
desperately needed combing, but neither girl cared.

“You need to come see
what is in the living room.”

“It isn’t Jeff or my
grandfather?” Lexi stepped backwards, into the bedroom.

“No.” Angie reached out
and took one of Lexi’s hands. “It isn’t a person. Come, you need to see this.”

Lifelessly, Lexi let
Angie lead her out into the living room, where she was confronted with a stack
of boxes. “What’s this?” she asked with a frown.

Angie let go of Lexi’s
hand and walked around to the other side of the boxes, still facing her friend.
“I think it’s all your stuff you left at your grandfather’s house.”

“I don’t understand.” Lexi
walked to the boxes and started removing the lids. “I still don’t understand;
where did all this stuff come from?”

 “Jeff brought them
over. Do you think your grandfather brought them to Havasu?”

Lexi was considering
that possibility when she froze, and started shaking her head. “No, Jeff’s had
them all along.”

“How do you know?”

“I saw these boxes
stacked in the master closet in Jeff’s bedroom.”

“What did he say they
were?”

“I never asked. They
were shoved to the back of the closet, and I just assumed they belonged to the
owner of the house.”

Lexi sat on the floor
and started going through the boxes, one by one.

“Wow. I never thought
I’d see any of this again. I wonder why Grandfather gave this to Jeff.”

“You think he did?”

“I don’t see how else Jeff
got my things.”

“Would you like some
green tea?”

“Sure. That sounds
great.”

Angie went to make some
tea while Lexi sorted through the boxes. It didn’t take long to go through the
first three; they contained clothes. The fourth box held some of her mementos
that she’d stored in her closet back at her grandfather’s house. She wondered
who had transferred her things from the boxes in her closet into these new ones.
Shoes filled the fifth box. On top of the shoes was a folded piece of paper.

Her first impulse was
to toss the paper aside, believing it was trash, but then she paused and
unfolded it. It was a typed letter. Her eyes flashed to the bottom of the page;
it was from Jeff. A half an hour earlier, she would have torn it up and refused
to read it. Since she’d stopped crying, she had started asking questions. Alone
in her bedroom, there was no one to give her answers. Perhaps this letter would
tell her what she needed to know.

Dear Lexi, I am not
asking you to forgive me, but I think you have the right to know what all of
this is about. I hope you don’t tear up the letter before reading it, because I
feel you need to know some things about your grandfather, and about me.

Most of what I told you
about me was not a lie. I’m from Portland. I have my master’s in business, and
I did start working with my current employer right after college. What I didn’t
tell you was that the company I work for belongs to your grandfather. Actually,
he is no longer my current employer. Your grandfather fired me tonight, right
before I was about to quit.

When he kicked you out
of the house, he gave me an unusual assignment. I was to keep an eye on you.
His story at the time was that you were vulnerable, and he did not want someone
taking advantage of you. I tried to tell him that was not within my job
description—but I imagine you know how that went.

I suspect there are
several reasons he picked me. One, I was his personal assistant and had signed
a confidentiality agreement, so he knew he could trust me to keep quiet. The
second reason, when I was in college I worked for an electronic store, and I
know my way around surveillance equipment.

I was instructed to
install surveillance equipment in your apartment to keep closer tabs on you. I
confess I purchased the equipment, but I never installed it. When it came time
to do so, I couldn’t. I didn’t know you and Angie at the time, but it felt too
much like an invasion of your privacy, so I stalled your grandfather.

I rented the apartment
across the hall from you. I then realized I could no longer work for your
grandfather under these conditions, so I started looking for another job. By
the time you decided to go to Havasu, I knew your grandfather would send
someone else if I refused to go and just quit.

I need you to know; I
never told your grandfather about your hot fudge venture. I was serious when I
said I thought it was a great idea.

I think I know why your
grandfather wants you to marry Jerome Peters. Peters is the only person he
trusts to take over his business. Since they are partners, Peters will continue
to own a large share of the company when your grandfather dies. I believe the
thought of the company being torn apart at that time, divided between the
interests of his heirs and Peters’, troubles your grandfather. The only way he
can feel secure that won’t happen is if Peter’s children are his
great-grandchildren. To do that, Peters must marry you.

 Your grandfather’s
behavior in all of this has not been rational, and I have to wonder if he is
suffering from some age-related dementia. In his efforts to manipulate you, he
even went so far as to instruct me to get hold of your checkbook, so he could
find a way to drain your bank account. My response to him was that you had
little money.

My biggest regret is
not coming to you sooner with what was going on. Ironically, I intended to tell
you everything after dinner tonight, but then your grandfather showed up.

After I finish this
letter, I will bring over the boxes. If you are reading this, then you
obviously have them. Your grandfather instructed the housekeeper to pack up
your belongings and throw them out. She couldn’t bring herself to do that, but
did not want to lose her job. I offered to take the boxes, and keep her secret.
So please, no matter how much you hate me now, please don’t let your
grandfather know you have them. If you do, she will undoubtedly lose her job.

I am sorry I hurt you.
I never wanted to do that. I think I first fell in love with you when I saw
your portrait at your grandfather’s office. Maybe that is why I didn’t put up
much of an argument when first given the assignment. It gave me the opportunity
to get close to you.

Please hold onto your
dream. Don’t let your grandfather’s actions and my part in all this paralyze
you.

You have one secret
weapon against the manipulations of your grandfather—and that is that he
doesn’t know you. He really has no idea how bright, special, and creative you
are.

I’m leaving the house,
and staying at a hotel tonight. I’ll have to rent a car to go back to
California, because the one I was using belongs to the company. You need to
know your grandfather has rented the Havasu house for February. I don’t know if
he intends to use it, or install someone in it to watch you.

If you need to contact
me, you have my cell number. Please know, I am on your side, Lexi. I’ve always
been.

With love, Jeff

Lexi sat frozen,
holding the letter in her hands, staring at the words. She didn’t quite know
what to think. Silent tears slid down her face.

“Here’s your tea.”
Angie walked into the living room carrying two cups of hot tea. She set Lexi’s
cup on the glass coffee table. Lexi quickly wiped away the tears, using the
back of her hand.

“What are you reading?”
Angie asked as she sat on the recliner.

“It’s a letter from
Jeff. It was in one of the boxes.”

“Well, that was pretty
sneaky of him, the jerk.”

“Angie, I want you to
read it and tell me what you think.”

“Okay.” Angie set her
tea on the side table and reached over, taking the sheet of paper from Lexi.
Settling back in the chair, she read the letter while Lexi silently watched.

“Wow,” Angie whispered
when she finished. “He doesn’t sound like such a jerk.”

“I don’t know what to
think. I’m still numb.”

“What do you want to do
about your grandfather? Do you want to leave Havasu?”

“No! Absolutely not. I
refuse to spend the rest of my life running away from him. Eventually, he’ll
get the message I won’t be forced into an arranged marriage. If he starts
bothering me, I’ll go down to the police department and see about getting a
restraining order.”

“You think you can get
one?”

“I don’t know, but I’m
willing to try.”

“Are you going to call
Jeff?’

“I don’t think so. I
feel a little better about him. I suppose he was just another person my
grandfather manipulated. I can understand he was trying to keep his job until
he found something else. But the lies. If he had just been upfront with me,
told me what my grandfather was up to… Instead, he chose to lie to me. I really
can’t get beyond that.”

“I understand,” Angie
said sadly. “It was just that I really did like the guy.”

“Yeah, me, too.”

Neither one mentioned
the fact that Jeff had professed his love in the letter. Yet, they both thought
about it.