The Inheritance (Forever Bound #1) (21 page)

“I think so!” She looked around her living room and grabbed her phone. She slipped it into her pocket and started to reach down for her suitcase. He quickly went to it and grabbed it from her. “Thank you!” she softly replied.

He smiled. He led the way out of her apartment, and she followed after him. She locked the door behind them, and they headed down her stairs. He loaded her suitcase into the back of his car, and he noticed her pause and stare up to the office. “He won’t be bothering you anymore. I’ve made sure of that.”

She gave him a mystified look. “Derek, I still owe him money to catch up on the rent. He’s not going to drop it.”

He smiled. “Don’t worry about it. He’s not going to bother you. Trust me.”

He couldn’t tell her that he covered the money she was behind and then some. She opened up the passenger door and slid in. He walked around and got into the car, then started it and turned to her before pulling out of the parking lot. “Ever been to California before?” he asked.

She shook her head. “You?” she asked.

“Once when I was five.” He smiled. “Don’t recall it.”

“With your parents?” she asked.

He nodded. They put on their seatbelts, and he pulled out of the parking lot. He didn’t want to talk about it. It was one of the last trips his parents and him went on. They didn’t bring up any more uneasy conversations during the drive to the airport, but periodically her phone rang, and he mentioned it after the third time she received a call and ignored it.

“You can answer that,” he stated.

She shook her head. “I’ll call them back,” she quietly replied and went back to looking out the window. He kept driving and let it go. She obviously didn’t want to talk to whoever was on the phone, and he wouldn’t meddle.

***

Derek and Charity grabbed their boarding passes from the man at the desk. They stepped away from the desk and headed off to a quiet group of benches. “We have fifteen minutes until they’ll start boarding. “She heard her phone ringing again, interrupting his words, and she couldn’t push him off anymore. Derek glanced at her, and his eyes fell to her pocket, where her phone was hidden.

She grabbed it out of her pocket. “I’ll be right back.” She mumbled.

She answered it as she hurried away from him, far enough that he wouldn’t hear her conversation. “Hello?” she quickly answered.

“Charity? Where the hell you’ve been? I’ve been scared to death something happened. You said you were taking a shower and coming right over. That was two hours ago.”

She rolled her eyes and found herself watching Derek. “Something came up. I’m going to be busy all weekend.”

“What happened?” he asked.

“Nothing,” she replied. “I just have some things I need to do.” All she had to do was tell him the truth, but she couldn’t bring herself to mention Derek’s name.

“Forgive me if I’m confused, but earlier this evening you seemed all for getting together tonight and now…you’re acting completely different.”

“Something came up. Not to mention, we stated that both of the parties had to be committed to being together. I’m no longer available. I’ll call you later.”

Derek got up and started to head towards her, as Damian argued on the phone. “Just tell me what’s going on. One minute you’re all excited about coming over and the next…” his words dropped off. “If you don’t want to continue this, then just tell me. I’m completely fine if that’s the case.”

“Charity…it’s time,” Derek said.

Charity held up her finger and mouthed she would be right there. “Is that a guy? Is that it? You’re screwing some other guy, and you decided you don’t need me anymore?”

Charity felt her blood pressure rising. Derek had turned away and was walking back to the bench, leaving her the space to speak her mind. “This isn’t about you, Damian. I have to take care of something this weekend. I’m not screwing some other guy, but even if I was…you’d have no say in it. We’re not in a relationship.” Derek turned around and beckoned her with his eyes. “I have to go.” She disconnected the call, not giving Damian the chance to give his rebuttal.

“Everything alright?” Derek asked, appearing concerned.

She nodded. “Everything’s fine.” She plastered a smile on her lips, but he didn’t seem to believe her. He started to say something, and she quickly continued. “Everything’s fine…promise.”

“Alright then!” They headed away from the seating area and got in line to board the plane. Damian’s words still echoed in her mind, but she couldn’t let them get to her. Even though she was sure it wasn’t the last time she’d hear from him that weekend, she couldn’t worry about him. She had a job to do in California, even if she didn’t know what that job was.

They walked up the steps into the plane, and she followed Derek to the area where she never dreamed of going. She was surprised music didn’t play as they crossed the threshold. Her eyes widened, and she followed him to their seats. Extra leg room and comfortable chairs greeted them. “Holy cow!” she mumbled.

He laughed. “I’ll take that as a good thing.”

She glanced at him and nodded. “Never been on this side of the plane before.”

He smiled. “It has its perks. In fact, if you’d like a tour of the cockpit, I’m sure we could get you a set of wings,” he teased.

She chuckled. “I’ll pass, but maybe next time.”

“Suit yourself,” he replied softly. He undid the buttons of his jacket and sunk back into the seat. Charity made herself comfortable, and it wasn’t long before she saw what those perks were. A stewardess greeted them and offered them champagne, wine, lobster, steak, or whatever else they wanted. Charity settled on just a red wine to take away the nerves she had about flying. Derek seemed to notice right away. “Don’t like flying?” he asked.

She laughed. “Not particularly. Maybe if I was acclimated to it, but only been on one plane before and there was lots of turbulence.”

“Don’t worry!” he whispered. “I’ll make sure you’re safe.” He winked at her and then looked down at a magazine he had grabbed from the stewardess.

I’m sure you will,
she thought. After all, she couldn’t brush away the part where he busted into her apartment and took Richard out. Well, he didn’t exactly bust in, as the door was wide open, but he did hit Richard, and that was something she wanted to do from the beginning. She took a drink of her wine, and things started to fall into place. Damian, Richard, and her life in Maine was put on hold, and she could only think about California and making the best out of a strange situation. What she didn’t know, was it was about to get stranger.

Derek went on the trip thinking that things were going to be awkward between them, but what he discovered was that Charity was nice to talk to. Along with the obvious attraction he felt, he found admiration. Jesse was right in the fact that she had a lot to overcome and their flight they spent time talking about it. It caused him to want to open up to her. He expected her to want to sleep the entire flight, but outside of a total of an hour, they didn’t spend any time sleeping. When they got off on their layover, they went to the restaurant in the airport and grabbed a cup of coffee. They never ran out of conversation, and it felt right.

When they arrived at LAX, he had an array of emotions. On one hand, he was thankful to finally be that much closer to talking to Jenna. However, on the other hand, he worried that things would slowly fade away from the easy time he had with Charity. They got off the plane and once inside, he suggested going to get a rental. They reached the counter and were informed they only had one car available. It was a Camaro, and he quickly took it.

With the keys in hand, he walked over to where Charity stood. “I hope you like the top down.”

She laughed. “I don’t know, I’ve never had the opportunity.”

He snickered. “Now, we do.” He led the way to the luggage carousel where they located their suitcases, then went to the front of the airport and exited the building.

“Where do we get this car?” she asked.

He glanced around the parking lot and pointed to a small lot to the side of the airport. They walked through a gate and went to the yellow Camaro parked in the front of the lot. He unlocked the doors with the fob and then walked to the passenger side door. He opened up the door and put the suitcases in the backseat. He then held the door open to allow her to get inside.

“Thank you!” she replied with more confidence than he’d seen since they first met.

“You’re welcome.” He closed the door behind her and then hurried to the driver’s side. “Let me see if I can figure out this contraption,” he stated quietly. He turned the car on, then pushed some buttons until the top of the Camaro finally went down. He smiled at her, and she leaned back in her chair. A few more wisps of hair had fallen out of her ponytail, and they were blowing in the wind. He looked away from her, determined not to get lost in the beauty. The GPS that had come with the car was easy to use and before long he had entered the address of the hotel. They pulled out of the parking lot and followed the directions to the hotel. After a few moments of silence, he turned on the radio. “Good sound system!” he yelled over the radio.

She nodded but didn’t reply back. A Luke Bryan song played in the background and not even thinking about it, he started to hum along. The hotel was only half an hour away from the hotel, so they didn’t have too long in the car. Periodically one of them pointed to something outside the window, but they pretty much kept quiet during the ride. They were both tired and also mesmerized by the beauty of the state.

They turned into the hotel, with palm trees gracing the landscape of the outside of the hotel. Charity seemed eagerly enthralled with looking at the view. “Do you want me to drop you off at the door?” he asked.

“Not necessary! I can walk.” She smiled at him, and he nodded his willingness to comply.

He grabbed a spot close to the entrance and parked. They both got out of the car, and he reached in the back and removed the suitcases. He carried them away from the car, and they headed into the hotel. Again her words of excitement spilled out. He chuckled. “My sentiments exactly.

Her face turned red. “You probably think I’ve never been on vacation before. I’ve just never been on such a nice vacation before…no matter how short.”

He smiled. “I understand.” They approached the desk, and he mentioned the reservations he had.

“Yes…I have you down for the deluxe suite.” The woman told him his total, and he stared at her.

“I have two rooms,” he replied.

The woman frowned and looked down at the computer. “I’m sorry, sir, but I only show the one room.” He groaned and dug out his wallet. He handed her the confirmation that he was glad he brought along. She entered the confirmation into the computer and nodded. “I’m sorry, sir, but there must be some mistake. We are completely booked this weekend.”

“I have the confirmation number,” he replied.

“Yes, I see that, but unfortunately, it appears to have been canceled. There’s nothing I can do. We’re completely full, but I assure you…the suite has more than enough room.”

He turned to Charity. “What do you want to do? We can cancel the room and go somewhere else.”

“There’s a $100 cancellation fee,” the woman insisted.

He shrugged. “That doesn’t matter. What do you want to do?”

“If the room is big enough…it’s only for two nights, right?”

He turned back to the desk. “I guess we’ll take it.”

“Good choice,” the woman sarcastically said. The woman finished the transaction and handed them two keys, then smiled. “Have a good day and enjoy your stay.”

“Thanks.” He took the keys and handed one to Charity. He grabbed the bags, and they headed to the elevator. “If you change your mind once you see the room, then we’ll cancel out the reservation and go somewhere else. I don’t care if I lose all the money.”

She seemed astounded by his words, but frankly he was concerned more about whether he could handle it, than whether she could. “I’m sure it will be fine,” she replied softly. He hoped she was right. They took the elevator to the seventh floor and got off when the doors opened. He led the way to their room and glanced at the room key to make sure he had it right. He dropped the suitcases down on the floor, to open up the door. When he did, he slowly walked into the room, and she followed.

His jaw dropped. They were transported to a room that wasn’t too much smaller than a smaller home. “Wow. This is larger than my apartment,” she replied, staring around the room.

He had to admit, it was lavish. He put the suitcases down and glanced around the large living room. “Want to look around?” he asked. She nodded without answering. They went to a room, and when they opened the door, they found a king size bed in the shape of a heart. He felt his face turning red as she walked around the room. The room was filled with several flameless candles. She walked around the room and stopped at a fruit basket.

Charity read the card. “To the happy couple on your honeymoon. Hope you enjoy! The hotel staff.” She turned around and glanced at him, and he mentally tried to plan an escape route, but Charity didn’t seem fazed. “Honeymoon suite? Derek if you wanted to get me alone you didn’t need to go through such great measures.”

He laughed. “Completely innocent here.” He put his hands in his pocket, looking nervously around. “I mean it if you want to bail…we can.”

She smiled. “It could be fun!” She turned away from the bed and entered a room that was adjoined to the bedroom.

Fun?
That wasn’t the response he expected. He followed her into the room, and his heart skipped a beat. The room had a fireplace, another TV, a couch, and in the corner was a hot tub that would be big enough for just one couple. “Crazy,” he mumbled.

She looked up at him and smiled. “If I was on a honeymoon, then this is where I’d want to be.”

He laughed. “I guess it is impressive.”

“To say the least.” She walked around the room and stopped at the hot tub. “Impressive and romantic,” she replied with a sigh.

They left the room and then walked back to the room that held the bed. They got back into the kitchen nook and spotted another door along the other wall. They went to it and opened it up to find another bed. This time, the bed was only a full, but the size of the room was about the size of a master bedroom. “I guess this would be my room.”

He tilted his head. “You’re the hopeless romantic. You should get the larger room. I’ll be perfectly happy in here. Besides, it was a mix-up, and you shouldn’t have to sacrifice.” He meant every word. He was fine with switching her.

“Are you sure? You paid for this.”

He shrugged. “No biggie. I’m positive.” He smiled, and she seemed pleased. He didn’t care where he slept, but he did care if Charity was happy and by the looks of things…she was, so that’s all that mattered to him.

***

Charity was relieved when Derek suggested taking a nap. She was drained, and they had only had the flight to get there. They didn’t sleep long, but even the two hours allowed her to refuel her energy. When she woke up, she left her room and found him sitting in front of the television. He looked up and smiled at her. He turned the television off and stood up.

“Have a nice rest?” he asked.

She nodded. “Just what I needed.” She yawned. “What time is it?”

“It’s almost eleven thirty,” he answered. “So, I thought we could head out and go to Jenna’s house to see if we can get that signature.” He picked up some papers from the coffee table, but she stayed motionless.

“Jenna?” she asked. The name sounded familiar, but she couldn’t place it. She didn’t even know why they were in California.

“Yes…Jenna Bradshaw. I have to get her mom to sign these papers. She’s my best hope, so we can tear down the house on the Elm property. I told you.”

She shook her head. “Um…no, no you didn’t. I didn’t know why you were coming to California. I know the name from somewhere, but I can’t place it.”

He shrugged. “You probably heard it at the office. I’ve been looking for the Bradshaw’s for a while now.”

Charity figured that was it. “Okay, then let’s go.”

He smiled and they headed to the hotel room door. He held the door open for her and they left the room. They took the elevator down to the lobby and exited the hotel. They got to the car and were headed to Jenna Bradshaw’s house before she could question why Derek felt the need for her to be there. She didn’t want to point it out, especially when taking the trip was the highlight of her life, but it didn’t make any sense. Getting one contract signed was something he could easily have done by himself. The GPS directed them to the house and most of the roads they used were full of life and activity, until they got closer to the house and were driving down a few country roads.

Finally after driving for forty minutes, they were pulling up to a large house, with a white picket fence. Derek parked along the curb. Both Charity and Derek stared up at the house. Nothing happened, including anyone looking outside while the two of them stalked the house. Although, at one point Charity was left with no choice but to inquire if Derek was going to get out of the car, or just stare up at the house.

He glanced at her. “Let’s go!” They both got out of the car and headed up a long and winding sidewalk. He firmly knocked on the front door, when they reached the porch. When no one came after several minutes of standing there, he heaved a sigh. “No one’s probably home. Let’s leave.”

She couldn’t imagine why he would want to leave after taking the time to go to California. She wasn’t going to let him give up that quickly. She went ahead and knocked again. Almost immediately the door opened. An older woman, probably in her mid-sixties was standing in the doorway. Charity didn’t know if that was Jenna, because she knew nothing about the woman they were about to see. When Derek didn’t make an effort to speak, Charity started out the conversation. “Hello, Ma’am. We’re sorry for bothering you…” her words trailed off when the woman interrupted.

“Derek? What on green’s earth are you doing here?” Her eyes snapped to Derek’s, then she slowly stared at Charity. “You brought a friend? How wonderful!”

Her sarcastic words were thick, but Charity was still stuck on how the conversation first started. “Hello, Victoria. I thought you were still in rehab.”

Charity frowned, still watching the interaction between the two of them. The woman, known as Victoria, just laughed. “Just got out! Does Jenna know you’re here?”

Charity seemed to disappear all at once. Derek answered the question, Victoria asked. “She doesn’t. Is she home?”

The woman shook her head. “Nope, but it’s a good thing she doesn’t know you’re here. She doesn’t want to see you, Derek and frankly…you’ve already wasted my time.”

The woman started to close the door in their face, but he quickly reached out and stopped the door from closing. “We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. I have business to tend here and I can talk to you…or I can talk to her. You choose.” She let the door swing back open. “I’ll give you five minutes,” she replied, glaring at him.

Derek glanced at Charity, but Charity couldn’t even make eye contact. Slowly things were started to fall into place. He turned back to Victoria. He started to open the envelope, when he hesitated and his voice softened. “First of all, Victoria, I want to tell you how sorry I am for your loss.”

Her eyes widened. “My loss?”

He nodded. “Marcus. I heard he died.”

Victoria’s mouth opened, before she started laughing. “That son of a bitch…you’re calling him my loss? He’s an asshole that will rot in HELL.”

“I don’t understand. The obituary said surviving was his wife, Victoria.”

She shrugged. “I guess he died, living with lies.”