“We’d better get up. I have to take a shower, get cleaned up. What time is the lawyer supposed to be here again?” she questioned me as she unraveled her arms and legs from my embrace and sat up.
“Ten.” I glanced at the clock. The glowing red numbers told me I had less than twenty-five minutes to get ready and head downstairs. Instantly, the muscles across my shoulders and down through my lower back tightened. I inhaled a huge breath and stretched my arms up under my neck and I lay there watching her twist and move.
“Yeah, well, then we’d better get ready, like right now!” She adjusted and swerved as she looked at the clock.
“Well, we have a couple of minutes…I was thinking—” I reached for her.
“Max, we don’t have time to do that,” she interrupted me, batting my hands away. I was able to catch her wrist and pull her down against my chest. Her face was close to mine, her lips ready to tell me everything I had to do, while her eyes tried to decipher every thought in my head.
“Not that I wouldn’t mind doing that again. But, sweetheart, I was thinking you should really listen to the message you got last night. Find out what’s going on back home.”
Now it was Wilson’s turn to get that gut-wrenching, muscle-tightening angst. I watched her face drop white and her eyes narrow as she bit her bottom lip. I knew she didn’t want to do it; but then again she knew I didn’t want to go down and face my shit, either. She slid off me and stood next to the bed. My eyes slowly dragged up her legs and across entire body, lingering at her breasts then her pouting lips, before locking on her unsettled expression.
“Where’s my phone?” She pushed her hands into her hair, pulling it away from her face as she circled, looking haphazardly around the room before she started collecting her clothes.
“I put it in my front pocket last night,” I said as she took a deep breath and retrieved my pants from the floor. Hastily she rummaged through my pockets until she found her phone. When looked up at me I knew she wasn’t ready to deal with all the shit that came along with handling her grandparents’ estate. I reached out and she came over. I wrapped my top sheet around her as she sat on the edge of the bed, opened her antiquated phone, and pressed the play button before putting it on speakerphone.
Chapter Nineteen
~ Wilson ~
“Good evening, Miss Mooney, this is Dax Fuller from Fuller, Karts and Associates. I’ve been trying to reach you for a couple of days. I’m calling because we have discovered a sizable discrepancy in your grandparents’ estate. Unfortunately, if it isn’t addressed before the end of this year, it may push the estate into probate and it could cost you a considerable portion in taxes. I really need you to return my call ASAP. My number at the office is….”
But I didn’t hear anything he said after that. All I could hear was a buzzing in my ears, something that was self-induced by the pressure in my head. What did he just say? What does it mean? The whole messed-up idea that I was going to have to become that responsible girl really twisted the pain in my gut. I just wanted to have a little while longer where nothing mattered but the here and now. But the look on Max’s face told me I couldn’t. He didn’t even have to utter a word. I knew what he was going to say. So I scrolled though the numbers and called Mr. Fuller back.
Max pushed his lips to the side of my head as the ringing from the speaker on my phone filled the room. Three long rings before a high-pitched, singsong ladies voice answered with her long-ass welcoming spiel.
“Hi, this is Wilson Mooney, Mr. Fuller called—”
“Oh, yes, Miss Mooney, Mr. Fuller is expecting your call. Please hold while I connect you,” the woman’s extra perky voice interrupted, spinning me back out of my head. I had barely worked out my whole long opening before she put me on hold. Suddenly there were a couple of clicks on the line before the speaker on my phone struggled and became distorted with the classical “hold” music blaring, filling the room.
I felt my body vibrate. My cheeks flushed and my hands perspired, making holding the phone a chore. Max noticed, and slipped around behind me. He cleared my hair off my shoulders, adjusting the strands so his hands were massaging the bend of my neck, right where all the stress of the phone call seemed to migrate.
“Oh, babe, your muscles are so tight,” Max mumbled before he pressed his strong, thick thumbs on either side of my spine just above my shoulder blades. His fingers curved around the top of my shoulders and splayed across my clavicles. It felt like his fingers were pushing release buttons across my shoulders. I dropped my head and moaned. Even though it hurt, it was a good pain; a pain with purpose.
The classical music was still blasting through the phone when I decided I should just hang up. At this point I’d been on hold for a couple of minutes—too long in my mind.
“I think I’m gonna hang up,” I posited as Max continued to work the knots out of my shoulders. I heard him take a massive breath before the screeching violin music abruptly stopped and the scuffle of the phone receiver being picked up took over.
“Hello, Miss Mooney, so glad you decided to call me back. Basically, the nuts and bolts of the situation—oh, wait, let me back up. You’ve gotten my previous messages right?” he huffed.
“Yeah, I did. I wasn’t able to call you back right away,” I said as I swallowed hard. Guilt flooded my mind and I felt like the biggest ass-hat for not calling him sooner.
“Well, when your grandfather expired over six months ago, he was in the process of transferring all of his possessions into your name. But because he failed to file a quick claim or transfer of ownership on the house, it’s created a sticky situation, to say the least. The good thing is, it’s not like we are dealing with a multi-million dollar estate or anything; but what we are facing are certain tax ramifications and a threat of probate if we don’t get the proper papers signed and recorded by December 31st, midnight…”
In a matter of a couple of words, I could feel my head fill with pressure and I just wanted to crawl into a hole. How dare he say my grandfather was expired! This guy was talking about my grandpa like he was a gallon of milk or yogurt. This is my gramps, for God’s sake! The man who stepped into being my father when I didn’t have one. The man who did everything in his power to give me everything he and my grandma couldn’t give Candi.
Max pulled me back into his chest and nestled his head next to my ear as he folded his arms across my stomach. The lawyer never stopped talking, he just kept rambling phrases that danced around my head with every couple of them making sense to me. I couldn’t say a word. It was like my throat sealed shut and my mind wasn’t going to allow any thought to escape.
“Miss Mooney, are you there?” Dax Fuller asked, giving an ample pause for me to answer him.
“Yeah, I am,” I whispered.
“Good, now, I’ve made an appointment for you at 2:30 on the 31st in my office. You must be there. I will give you a chance to ask any questions you have and enough time for you to sign the deed and get it recorded in your name. Make sure you bring the original signed copy of the quick claim to the house, and your photo ID.”
Again, silence became a force between us. I just didn’t know what to say to him. He had no idea I wasn’t even in California.
“Listen, Miss Mooney, I know this whole process has been overwhelming to you; but you must be here in my office on the 31st at 2:30 p.m. You don’t want the house to go into probate. You’d lose everything your grandparents saved for their whole lives,” Dax Fuller’s tone dripped with condescension.
My stomach twisted with every word I wanted to yell at him. My voice conveniently clung to the ledge in the back of my throat, and my palms perspired so profusely that the phone began to slip out of my hand.
“Tell him you’ll be there,” Max whispered across my ear as he held his hand across the mouthpiece on the phone.
“How?” I beseeched him.
“Don’t worry. Just tell him you’ll see him Friday at 2:30,” he came back as he cleared my hair away from my
shoulders and began to press and knead his strong thumbs into the muscles across my neck. His fingers found the knots of stress wreaking havoc, and mercifully, I could feel the tension begin to drain away.
I cleared my throat and told Mr. Fuller, “I’ll be in your office Friday at 2:30.”
“Great, let’s take care of this once and for all.” Dax Fuller’s voice was lighter now. “See you Friday.”
I didn’t bother saying good-bye. I was too preoccupied with how we were going to get back to California without it costing an arm and a leg.
“Damn, Wilson, you are so tense,” Max mumbled as he continued to massage my shoulders. I lowered my head, dropping my chin to my chest, and welcomed the lengthy pull down my neck and into my spine.
“Max, I don’t even know what the deed looks like. I don’t have any clue where it could even be.”
“Well, maybe it’s in your room, at Wesley. In that folder you took from your grandparents’ house?”
“Besides, Max, it’s going to be too expensive to change our tickets last minute.”
“Don’t worry about it, babe. I’ll make sure we get to California tomorrow. That way we’ll have plenty of time to look for the deed. If we don’t find in your room at school, we’ll head up to your grandparents’ house and look there. We will find the papers you need in time for the appointment on Friday.”
“I just don’t think—”
“Wilson, I’ve got access to the company’s jet. I’ll call GP and order a car for tomorrow morning and make sure the plane is fueled and ready to go. That will save a bunch of time.” Max pushed me off the bed and turned me around.
I slowly looked up at him. “You sure?”
“Please don’t worry. I will take care of it,” he said as he kissed my forehead, then tip of my nose, and finally my lips. I love it when he does that.
“Maybe you should call Joanie and tell her what we’re doing,” Max said as he drew his hands around my back and pulled me closer.
“Yeah, I probably should,” I answered as I dropped my head against his chest. “But for right now, I just want one more minute in your arms,” I said.
Thoughts of our limo ride when we first arrived in Aspen started flooding my mind—how sexy he made me feel and how happy I was to be celebrating my birthday with him, how his eyes traced every inch of my body while his hands followed suit. I thought about the tug of my hair under my shoulders once he lowered my body against the leather seat. How my hips swayed automatically against his hot, wicked tongue as he tempted and tickled me into euphoria.
Then, just as fast, like a switch had suddenly been flipped in my head, the memory of Frank and Nancy blasted across my thoughts. The moment Frank and Nancy talked to Max about bringing me here in Ol’ Tweety. The enduring memory and the looks on their faces were locked forever in my mind as recollections were embroiled on my spirit. My heart thundered in my chest as my stomach somersaulted a couple of times.
“Max, Wilson?” Camille whispered through the door as she knocked. Suddenly we weren’t alone.
Max cleared his throat, “Yeah?”
“I just wanted to tell you that Gary just called. He’s running a little behind and will be here in about fifteen minutes.”
“Thanks, we’ll be right down,” Max answered before he lowered his voice and whispered against the side of my head, “I’m going to take a shower. Why don’t you try and get a hold of Joanie?” He leaned down and kissed me before turning and indulging me with the lovely view of him walking away.
Max got into the shower, and yeah, every inch of me—from my body deep into my soul—craved the thought of sneaking in there and being with him. But I had to call J and tell her what the heck was going on. God, it feels like I haven’t talked to her in days, even though it was just yesterday. I wonder what she’s been doing with Nick? I felt a small pang of jealousy vibrate through my chest. Wait, what the hell is this?
I flipped open the phone and pressed the number one on my pre-dial. The phone rang three times before Joanie answered it.
“Good Morning, Wilson,” Joanie sang. Her tone was happy, almost electrifying. It caught me off guard, making me lose my train of thought.
“Ahhh, goooood morning?” I dragged my words out questioningly.
“Did you and Max get a chance to talk?”
“Yeah, but I called you yesterday…why didn’t you call me back?” I snapped. I didn’t mean to sound pissed off, even though it probably came off that way.
“I’m totally sorry I didn’t call you last night. My phone…died, aaaannnd I didn’t really have my charger…with me,” Joanie suddenly sounded cautious with her words as they came out slow and spacey. “I would have called you sooner, but we didn’t get back until late and I didn’t want to call and interrupt anything…just in case.”
I immediately picked up on her words. “We.” Where did she go? And was it with Nick? My heart fell into my stomach.
“Where did you go?” I tried to ask casually.
“Well, I was at the hospital last night—”
“What? Are you okay? What happened?” I demanded without giving her a chance to answer.
“I’m fine. It wasn’t me; it was Nick. After you and Max left yesterday I went back up to check on him. Cindy was standing over him, screaming and yelling to call 911. She went ballistic, hollering about calling the cops and pressing charges against Max. She was totally out of control. Nick told her to shut the fuck up and that it was his choice to press charges or not.”
My heart pounded in my chest and beads of sweat started to push from every pore of my skin.
“Are you serious? Oh my God, is…he—is Nick—okay?” I asked, struggling to say his name out loud.
“He’s fine. And don’t worry, Nick isn’t pressing charges against Max,” she sounded snappy as she continued. “And Cindy. God, she was out of her mind. And, of course, she won’t drive in the snow. No matter if her brother needs to go to the hospital or not. And Nick was just as stubborn and wouldn’t let me call an ambulance. Sooo, I drove him and Cindy to the hospital.”
Holy crap, I can’t believe what Joanie is telling me. I can’t imagine Max doing that to anyone. Max isn’t the violent type. What the hell did he do to Nick?
“Of course, once Cindy knew he was okay, she went back to being herself and called some friends to pick her up,” Joanie continued as she took a deep breath.
“God, I am so sorry, J. I never meant for anything like this to happen.”
“I know, honey, don’t blame yourself. As a matter of fact, Nick feels terrible about this whole situation. He wanted me to call you last night.”
“What? Why?” I asked. What the hell would he call me for? Really, after what happened…
“He wanted me to tell you how sorry he was for keeping you away from Max. Wilson, he told me everything last night. He explained why he didn’t tell you about Max calling.” Joanie’s voice lowered to a rumble.
“Well, maybe you can enlighten me, J.” The words passed my lips without a moment’s thought. There was a definite slice of time that grew larger with every breath I took waiting for Joanie to tell me why Nick had been so devious.
“Wilson, you’ve never realized how alluring you are. You’re so different than most girls Nick knows. Hell, Wilson, you’re different than any girl. I’m not trying to make excuses for him, but Nick’s been surrounded by self-centered, fake people for so long. You were like a breath of fresh air to him. So he got caught up in the idea that you’d want to be with him. He really feels bad about everything he did, especially for hurting you. He told me it was like something clicked inside him and he just wanted to protect you.”
“Protect me…from what?” I blurted out as I tried to process everything she was saying.
“From your broken heart. Honey, we all want to protect you, even Nick.”
I wanted to tell her I didn’t need protecting, but that wasn’t true. If I didn’t need to be protected, I wouldn’t have called Nick or her to c
ome “save” me when my heart was shattered.
“Nick told me that he really liked you from the moment you introduced yourself to him,” Joanie said lightly. The edge to her words gave me the notion that she was feeling something for Nick.
“J, you don’t have to convince me that Nick can be a nice guy…I know he is…was. I liked Nick…as a friend. I’m hurt…that’s all…confused,” I choked, wanting to change the topic of conversation from me to someone else. “When did you get back from the hospital last night?” I asked quickly. Joanie took the hint and moved on in our conversation.
“Around midnight. The doctors were concerned with him having a concussion but Nick insisted that he was fine. He kept telling them that he wanted to go home. The docs wouldn’t release him if he was going home alone, so I told them that I’d stay with him. I guess the fact that he needed to be woken up every three hours was pretty important.”
I knew she wasn’t telling me all this to make me feel bad or sorry for him. She was quite aware of the fact that I am not one to hold grudges, so she knew all she had to do was buy a little time and I’d forget the sting of betrayal soon enough. When I didn’t respond, she just kept talking.
“Well, come to find out, I didn’t have to worry about waking him up because he never went to sleep. We stayed up most of the night, talking. We talked about his family and how different he is from them. I told him about how I really don’t fit in with my family much either. God, we pretty much talked about everything,” her voice softened and excitement bubbled in her words. The type of excitement only a best friend would recognize as something more than friendship.
Even though, in my heart, I knew Nick was a good guy, I wanted to warn her about getting hurt. He’d been pretty deceitful with me.
“J—” I started.
“And he told me about kissing you and how Cindy found you guys,” she continued, not hearing me say her name. “He knew he let down several people by his actions. He wasn’t there for Cal…he kept you from being with Max…he realizes what he did was totally fucked up. Wilson, he wants to apologize.”
Beyond Eighteen Page 13