"Girls, slow down a minute. This letter is clear that the new deed would be made out to the three of you, not just Rebecca. I suggest you make a few calls and get the details. Then decide from there."
"I don't care if it was a lake house in Charleston or a mansion on a hilltop somewhere. The fact that they've just abandoned the place and it's overgrown as Mom described is enough for me to wash my hands of it all. It sounds like too much of a headache for me. I have the kids and Wyatt to think about. I'm good." Abby pushed in her chair and left the kitchen.
"Does Dad know about this?" I wondered.
"I mentioned it to him, but he didn't have much to say about it,” Mom said.
You could tell that Rebecca had an attitude.
"Great. Whenever it seems like there's the slightest chance we can collectively get along, Abby starts her nonsense." Rebecca started gathering her things.
"Don't put this on Abby. You're missing the big picture. This is a joint decision. One that you seem very excited about without having much information."
"There you go defending her. This might be an excellent opportunity for us. And maybe it's not, but you'll never know if the two of you are going to dismiss it before we have a chance to check it out."
I shifted my focus back toward the barbecue and all that was good in my life. I didn't want any part of our great uncle's property, and I certainly didn't want sibling drama.
Lexi
Mom and I couldn't be more pleased with the arrangements for the fundraiser. We had a variety of auctions to bid on and games for the children to play. Local business owners and residents were arriving at the fairgrounds in droves. The only thing that would make this day even more special was seeing Cole. He confirmed he was coming, but I hadn't seen him since he finished my mother's kitchen.
"Lexi, don't look now. Cole is coming with Emmie and Payton." Mom warned.
"That's interesting. I don't recall extending an invitation to Payton."
"I didn't think you would. Just put on your game face and act as if you couldn’t care less."
"Will do."
Mom started walking over to greet them.
"Cole, it's so good to see you."
"Hi, Mrs. Donovan. You remember Emmie and Payton?" He placed his hand on Emmie's shoulder.
"Yes, sweet Emmie. It's been a while since we've seen each other. Your Dad talked about you all the time when he was working at my house."
"Hi.” Emmie spoke and then ran over to give me a hug.
"Payton."
"Hello, Carol."
"I decided to bring the whole crew with me. I figured since it's a fundraiser, the more, the merrier,” Cole said.
"Payton, how's business treating you these days? You must not have many customers if you have time to be here today."
"I have plenty of customers to keep me busy. Thankfully, my sister is looking after things so I could be here for a couple of hours."
She looked up at Cole, and he smiled back in a way that showed how much he cared for her. Maybe it was time that I let the whole thing go. My mother meant well, and I agreed with her for a long time. But today it was hitting me like a ton of bricks. Cole was making a choice to be with Payton. Who was I to stand in the way?
"There's no sense in all of us standing here. We have work to do if we're going to raise money for the children. Emmie, how would you like to help out at the cotton candy booth?" I said.
Emmie perked up. "That sounds awesome."
Mom continued to look as if she had a chip on her shoulder, as I tried to urge everybody to get going.
"Cole and Payton, feel free to take your pick about where you want to volunteer. I know the dunking booth is off-limits, but just about all the booths could use an extra hand."
"No problem. And before I forget, here's our donation."
Cole handed over a generous check which Mom gladly received. When they walked off, Mom approached me.
"You feeling okay? You seemed rather friendly and accepting of Payton's presence."
"Mom, you know I love you," I said.
"Lexi, I love you too. I just want what's best for you."
"Cole Miller is not what's best for me. I think we both know it. Look at him."
She glanced over at Cole, who was still walking hand in hand with Payton.
"He's head over heels in love with her. I want somebody who loves me that way. What we're doing… it's not right."
I walked away to give her time to think about what I said. When the time was right, I got Payton's attention to have a private conversation.
"Hey, Payton, do you have a minute to take a walk?"
"Lexi, I didn't come here for any drama. I'm just here to…"
"I know. I actually just wanted to say I'm sorry."
She looked at Cole, who encouraged her to come and hear me out. We strolled past some of the kids playing games and made our way to an area where we could talk.
"You deserve an apology from me. I've been giving you a hard time, and you don't deserve it. I'm sincere when I say that I'm sorry."
Admitting I was wrong was difficult, but it was time to correct the error of my ways.
"Thank you, Lexi. I have to admit I'm a bit surprised. You and your mother haven't been fond of me for a while now."
"Yeah, well, that stops today. Mom just wanted what she thought was best for me, and I went along with it. Who wouldn't want a good guy like Cole? For the longest time after Laura's passing, there was no one in his life. She thought we would be a good fit and I didn't disagree. Then you came along, and I didn't think it would last. It doesn't matter what I thought or what my mother thinks. What matters is that Cole is happy with you. "
"Wow, I don't know what to say, Lexi."
"It's okay. You don't have to say anything. It's not like I expected you would want to be friends or anything. I just wanted to do the right thing and apologize."
She hesitated for a moment. I probably would too if I were in her shoes.
"I accept your apology,” she said.
Payton extended her hand to me. It was a start to a civil existence, which is all I could ever ask for. I didn't know if I'd ever find my happily ever after, but if I did, it definitely wouldn't be by sowing seeds of discord.
We returned to the booth where Cole was working.
"Everything okay?" he said.
"Couldn't be better. Thank you again for coming out and being a part of the fundraiser. I hope you two have fun and don't forget to help yourself to something to eat."
"Thank you," Payton said.
"Absolutely. I'm going to check on the other volunteers. I'll see you later."
I blended into the crowd feeling good about the choice I made. Sometimes a change in attitude was all you needed to help set you on the right course.
Rebecca
The case I was working on with Ethan was short-lived. The charges were dropped due to tampering with evidence. This created a no-win situation, and my client was set free. Thankfully this also meant that I didn't have to work with Ethan anymore.
When the court was adjourned, he followed me to the elevator.
"Rebecca. Rebecca, slow down."
I kept walking, hoping the elevator doors would open in time.
"Hey, slow down."
I pressed the lobby button and turned toward him.
"Let me guess. You're disappointed the case was dismissed because you didn't get to do a victory lap."
"We all know the odds were in my favor with this case, but that's beside the point."
"Whatever, Ethan."
"I'm just kidding with you. Come on, lighten up. Why are you being so hard-nosed with me?"
I'm not sure I had an answer to that question. I mean, how ridiculous would it sound if I confessed I was still annoyed at something he did over twelve years ago?
"I'm not being hard-nosed with you. I just don't think we have much to say after all these years."
"How would you know that if you don't give it a try? I, for
one, would sincerely like to know how you're doing,” he said.
"That's funny. You didn't seem to care about that while you were at UCLA, or while you were starting your big-time law career." I lowered my voice, so I didn't draw attention.
"What do you mean, big-time law career? Last time I checked, we both work at the same place."
"Yeah, well, at least I remained loyal and dedicated my time to giving back to our home town."
"So, now I'm to blame because of where I chose to go to school? Come on, Becca. What's this really all about?"
The bell signaled for the elevator to open. I didn't say anything until the doors closed behind us, and we were alone.
"You're not to be blamed for anything, Ethan. The past is water under the bridge. You should just leave it where it belongs."
"You still have feelings for me, don't you?" he said.
"The nerve! Aren't you full of arrogance and pride? I oughta…"
"You oughta what?" he said.
"Oooooh!"
I could feel the steam coming out of my pores. How dare he talk to me that way.
"Some things haven't changed, Becca."
"Call me Becca one more time and see what happens."
"Rebecca. Some things haven't changed. You still get angry as ever when somebody is telling you something you don't want to hear. "
The elevator opened, and someone joined us from the second floor. I was relieved because it temporarily silenced Ethan. When we reached the main lobby, I had the pleasure of being followed out to the parking lot.
"Rebecca, hear me out once and for all. If you don't ever want to speak to me again afterward, I'll respect your wishes."
I stopped at the car door.
"You have sixty seconds."
"Okay… I was caught between a rock and a hard place. What was I to do? I was eighteen years old and received a full ride to a school that could help open doors for my future."
"I wasn't upset with you for choosing to go to UCLA, Ethan. Look at you. Still clueless after all these years. I was upset with you for losing touch with me. I know we were young, but I loved you. I checked my email and even my voicemail to see if I had a message from you. But eventually, you just stopped reaching out. That said a lot about how much you cared."
I felt as if I was reliving the sadness all over again.
"Not so. I stopped because I didn't want to hold you back from meeting someone who could be there for you."
"What? All you needed to do was keep the lines of communication open. I would've waited for you,” I said.
"How could I expect you to wait for me? You were smart and beautiful and one of the most popular girls out of our senior class. I knew you were going places with your life. Was I really supposed to expect that you would wait around for me?"
"It doesn't matter, Ethan. I feel like we're beating a dead horse at this point."
"It does matter. I admit I was wrong for the way I handled things. I see that now. But please don't hold that against me forever. I swear on everything I have that I wanted what was best for you. You can even ask my parents. My mom used to send me care packages because she knew how upset I was about being apart from you. She used to beg me to call you, but I knew that wouldn't change the fact that I couldn't be with you. I genuinely felt that you were better off without me."
For the first time, I realized there was another side to the story. Back then, I always felt as if I was the only one who cared.
He continued explaining. "I used to ask mom about you all the time. Occasionally when she ran into you, she would update me. After a while, I think she stopped on purpose because she could tell it brought back painful memories."
His words knocked the wind out of me. "I didn't realize you were impacted."
"Well, I was. I know that was a long time ago and you've moved on with your life. But as I stand here looking at you, it feels like it was just yesterday that we hugged goodbye for the last time. Some wounds take longer to heal more than others, and some never heal."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"You were my high school sweetheart. Most high school sweethearts get married. That's what should've happened with us. If I wasn't so young and dumb about how I handled things, we'd probably be married today,” he said.
"That's a little presumptuous, don't you think?"
"Is it? Ask anybody, and I bet you they'd say the same."
He was probably right. I dated after Ethan but never loved anyone the way I loved him.
"I guess we'll never know," I said.
"Never say never. I followed you out here to see if there's any chance you'd be open to a fresh start at getting to know each other again?"
"Ethan, we're a little too old to play high school sweethearts, don't you think?"
"I'm not proposing that we play anything. The least that can come out of it is the chance to catch up on old times. The best that could come from it is an opportunity to finish what we started. Either option is much better than how we left off. Wouldn't you agree?"
He always had a way of making me crack a smile even when I didn't want to.
"Agreed."
I caved in. Let's face it, spending time with Ethan couldn't be any worse than hanging out with the guys I'd met over the years. At least I was more familiar with this one.
"Alright. Now we're talking. If you would be so kind as to write your number on this…"
He rummaged through his briefcase, looking for something to write on.
"What kind of lawyer doesn't have paper in his briefcase?" I teased.
"Oh, this whole briefcase and fancy suit thing is just for show. After all, I do have an image to uphold as a hotshot lawyer. I think that's what you called me, right?"
"Ha... ha... ha. Now I'm going to call you Ethan, the comedian."
"I'm just teasing ya."
"Good. Besides, you don't need a pen. I have the same cell phone number that I've had since senior year."
"Are you serious?"
"I guess there's only one way to find out."
I winked at him before sitting in my car and turning over the ignition. When I put my window down, he leaned over to share a few parting words.
"I hope you're telling me the truth. If not, I know where your parents live."
"Like I said… there's only one way to find out."
I put my sunglasses on, reversed out of the space, and waved. I didn't foresee this conversation with Ethan turning out the way it did. His desire to reconnect definitely slipped under my radar.
Payton
"Picture Perfect, how may I help you?" Abby answered.
Abby helped to keep the store afloat while I conducted my last interview for the day. Having her around as things started to pick up had been a lifesaver. However, she needed to get back to the kids, and I needed extra help, pronto.
I brought my interviewee over to the couch to have an informal chat.
"Natalie, thank you for joining me today."
"Thank you for having me, Ms. Matthews."
"Why don't we start off by you telling me a little about yourself."
"Sure, I'm in my junior year of college. My major is in marketing, and I currently have a 4.0 GPA. Since I have a pretty flexible schedule, my plan is to work part-time to start gaining some experience."
Natalie had golden-brown hair that was elbow length and a smile that lit up the room. She wore a very professional looking outfit, and I could tell she was taking the interview very seriously.
"That's fantastic. So technically, this would be your first job?"
"My first job working for someone other than a family member or a neighbor. I used to babysit, and during the summer, I worked at my uncle's hardware store before he retired. It was at the hardware store that I learned the basics of customer service and how to operate a cash register. I can provide references for you if you'd like."
"Wonderful. Natalie, that's just the kind of experience I'm looking for. As you know, my photography store
is still rather new. The busiest time of the day for me is afternoons and Saturdays. I need someone who can work the cash register, answer phone calls, and book appointments. Does that sound like something you'd be interested in doing?"
"Yes, that would be perfect. If you hire me, you won't be disappointed. "
I really liked her confidence. So far, out of all the other candidates, she was definitely a strong consideration.
""I love your enthusiasm. I have one last question for you before we conclude. Tell me about a time when you were challenged by a situation at work and how you decided to respond."
"That's a good question. It would have to be the time a customer yelled at me for not finding what he needed fast enough. He was asking for a specific kind of nail that was impossible to locate. I tried my best, and even apologized. Needless to say, he still left the store without his nails."
"That's exactly what I'm looking for. You can't always please everyone. You tried your best, and that's all you can ever do."
"Thankfully, my uncle thought the same thing. I thought for sure he would be mad at me, but he wasn't."
"Natalie, I'm impressed with our interview today. I'm going to reach out to your references and if everything pans out, you should hear back from me by the beginning of next week. How does that sound?"
"It sounds great. Thank you for allowing me to interview,” she said.
"The pleasure was all mine."
When Natalie left, I waited to hear feedback from Abby.
"Well, what do you think? I know you could hear us talking from across the room."
Abby didn't seem as enthusiastic.
"She seems sweet and all but, meh,” she said.
"Seriously? I think she's a great fit. She's in school, she gets good grades, which tells me she's responsible, and she has experience with customer service. What more could I ask for in a part-time assistant?"
"I wouldn't discount her. But you will have to start this process all over again as soon as she graduates."
"Abby, if that's your only reason, I can live with it. I could say the same for any part-timer. I'm not offering a full-time career. If that were the case, then I'd have to consider someone else."
Sunsets At Pelican Beach (Pelican Beach Book 2) Page 6