by Jenna Brandt
Zach Turner. What is he doing here? Erica wondered with shock.
Apparently, she wasn’t the only one thinking the same thing. All of his fellow officers and their perspective significant others, greeted him with surprised looks.
Erica overheard Aiden lean towards Zach and say, “I’m glad you took me up on my offer and decided to come today.”
Before Zach could respond, the music started to play. Erica tried to focus on the music, but her attention kept drifting to Zach. Why had he decided to come today? What happened to prompt it? Was he serious or was it just a game to him?
As she watched him, though he seemed uncomfortable, he was paying attention throughout the service. Pastor Steve talked about allowing God into your life and the love He offers each person. By the end of the service, Erica would have sworn she saw a visible change in Zach, as if he was accepting a truth he never knew, for the first time.
The group made their way out of the sanctuary, stopping just outside to decide where they were going for lunch. True to form, Aiden suggested Domenico’s Italian restaurant, a favorite place of many of them. The group agreed and started to file out as couples. Aiden and Lindsay turned their attention to Zach and Erica, both of them eyeing them skeptically.
“Are you two going to be okay on your own?” Lindsay asked with apprehension.
“We’ll be fine,” Erica stated, knowing her curiosity about why he attended needed to be satisfied. She figured she had a better chance of that happening if they were on their own.
“All right, then, we’ll see you at the restaurant,” Aiden said, taking Lindsay by the arm and leading her out of the church.
Once alone, Erica turned to Zach and started rattling off questions. “Why did you decide to come today? What game are you playing? Did you hear about my inheritance from Aiden and figured it made it even more enticing to try to get close to me?”
Zach’s brows furrowed together as he shook his head. “No, I wasn’t even aware of your inheritance. Aiden never said anything. As for why I came here today, Aiden invited me earlier this week.”
“Well, he’s done that before. What changed this time?” Erica probed, still distrusting his motives.
“Something happened at work,” Zach said, pausing for a moment before continuing. “I nearly ended up dead when a man attacked me with a knife.”
Without being able to stop it, a gasp escaped Erica’s lips. “Oh my goodness, that’s awful. You seem all right. Did he hurt you?”
“He barely nicked me, but if Harley hadn’t pulled him off me, it could have been much worse. Afterward, Aiden suggested I come to church. To be honest, I debated whether or not to come today, but in the end, I decided I should check it out. After all, I’ve seen how happy Aiden is since he started going back to church, and I wondered if there was something to it.”
“And? Do you think there is something to it?” Erica inquired, anxiously waiting to hear what his answer was.
“Honestly, I came in here pretty jaded. I didn’t think any of this would be for me, but I have to admit—and let me be clear, this rarely happens—I was wrong. Pastor Steve gave me a lot to think about.”
“Well, I’m glad you came. I have to admit, I was surprised,” Erica confessed.
“Oh, that was obvious from the look on your face when you saw me. I thought you were going to faint right on the spot.”
She let out a small laugh, then nodded. “I’ve had a lot of crazy things happen this week, but you showing up here at church was at the top of the list.”
“Speaking of that, what inheritance were you talking about?”
Erica debated whether or not she should confide in him. Though she didn’t always get along with him, there was one thing she knew for certain about Zach; he was a loyal friend to Aiden. That fact made her believe she could tell him and he wouldn’t divulge the information to anyone else.
“It turns out, my father passed away recently.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Zach said, giving her a sympathetic look. “That must be difficult.”
“I wish I could say I knew how to feel about it, but I never met the man. It almost feels like it happened to someone else. It’s why I was surprised to find out he named me in his will, and even more shocking when I found out what he left me.”
“That doesn’t sound like he left you just a little bit of money,” Zach observed.
“He didn’t,” glancing around she whispered, “you have to promise not to say anything to anyone. The only people who know about this are Lindsay and Aiden. I haven’t told anyone because I’m not even sure what I’m going to do.”
“You have my word, I won’t say anything,” Zach promised.
Erica pressed her lips together as she gripped her hands in front of her. “You can’t freak out,” she ordered, “but he left me over two billion dollars.”
Zach’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as he rocked back on his heels. He crossed his arms as he shook his head. “Wow, I can’t believe I’m standing across from a billionaire,” he teased lightly. “Never thought I would have that happen, considering the company I keep.”
His easy-going treatment of the situation helped Erica relax. One of her biggest fears about the whole situation was telling people about it. She didn’t want people to start treating her differently because of it.
“Thank you,” she stated with a smile. “I wasn’t sure how to handle this, but you not taking it too serious makes it a little bit more bearable.”
“It’ll get easier the more time that passes. In the meantime, if you need anything, just ask,” Zach offered before adding, “We should probably go join the rest of the group at the restaurant.”
“Sure, I’ll see you there,” Erica said, as she watched Zach take off and head out of the church. For the first time, Erica was beginning to see Zach in a new light. She wondered if there was a chance they could be friends after all.
Nine
Zach arrived at Domenico’s to find everyone seated at a long rectangular table inside. He took a seat next to Connor, patting his old friend on the back.
“Glad you decided to join us today,” Connor stated with a smile. “We haven’t gotten to spend a lot of time together since I moved back into town.”
“That’s true. Hayley’s kept you pretty busy,” Zach said with a wink. “But that’s understandable.”
“We’re going to be even more busy over the next few months,” Hayley said with a smile, raising her hand in the air to reveal a sparkling diamond ring on her finger. “We’re engaged,” she announced loud enough for the whole table to hear.
Everyone’s attention turned to Connor and Hayley as the group started to clap and cheer. The women jumped from their seats and rushed over to Hayley’s side, asking to see the ring. There were gasps and sighs as each took their turn admiring it and congratulating her.
Aiden glanced over at the ring and said, “Nice job, Connor. Looks like the large salary as the new SWAT Director has come in real handy.”
“It sure has, and Hayley is every bit worth it,” he said, leaning over and kissing his future bride.
“So, do you have plans to make a big engagement announcement in the Clear Mountain Gazette?” Deanna asked. “Shouldn’t be hard since you run the newspaper now.”
Hayley let out a laugh. “I hadn’t really thought about it, but I guess that would make sense.”
“And what about an engagement party? Any plans for that?” Lindsay asked with equal excitement.
“Hold on, ladies, he just barely asked me last night. I haven’t gotten that far yet.”
The women went back to jabbering about the proposal and the men about how good a job Connor did picking out the ring.
“What did I miss?” Erica asked, walking into the room.
“Hayley and Connor just announced their engagement,” said Brooke Patterson, the first female cop to be hired by the Clear Mountain police department. She was sitting next to her boyfriend, Liam Davis, who she met while on
vacation at Clear Mountain Resort last Christmas.
“How exciting,” she said, clasping her hands together in joy. “You have to let me help plan your wedding.”
“You really should. She did an excellent job with ours,” Lindsay stated with a smile.
“I think I’ll take you up on your offer, Erica. I’m horrible at the traditional girl stuff.”
“You got it,” Erica said as she pulled Hayley’s hand towards her and looked at the ring. “Connor you did great. The ring’s beautiful.”
“Thanks,” Connor said, as Erica took the empty seat next to Hayley.
Everyone placed their orders as they talked about the service, the engagement, and the police department. The meal passed pleasantly, everyone enjoying themselves.
Though he knew it was pointless, Zach kept watching Erica as she engaged with everyone around her. She had a way of making people comfortable with her kind and considerate disposition. The more time he spent around Erica, the more Zach realized he wanted to be the type of man she would want to be with. Not just for her, but because he was tired of living the life he had been the past few years. He didn’t want to move from woman to woman anymore, never having anything more than one night together.
He noticed several times throughout the meal, Erica glanced up and looked across the room with a worried look on her face. She was shifting in her seat uncomfortably and he could tell something was bothering her, though she was trying to hide it. The last time he caught her looking, he followed her gaze to where a thickly built man with long dark hair, wearing dark jeans, a black t-shirt and leather coat, was staring at her. Was he a guy Erica dated in the past? He seemed overly interested in her if that was the case.
Zach stood up and made his way over to Erica. “Is everything all right? I noticed that guy is watching you.”
“I’m not sure, but I swear I saw him at the lawyer’s office in Denver last week,” she whispered in apprehension. “Why would he end up here, watching me?”
“I don’t know, but I intend to find out,” Zach stated firmly. Without waiting for her to respond, Zach briskly walked over to the man. Zach made sure he was blocking his view as he asked, “What’s your problem, man? You keep staring at my friend, and you’re giving her the creeps.”
“You should mind your own business,” the other man said in a Dutch accent, standing up to reveal that not only was he thickly built, but also extremely tall.
He towered over Zach’s six-foot frame, but Zach refused to let that intimidate him. Instead, he stepped closer to the stranger and threatened, “You picked the wrong woman to bother. You see that table over there? It’s full of local police who won’t hesitate to make your life miserable if you don’t leave that woman alone.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” the man said, throwing down a twenty-dollar bill. “I was just here for dinner.”
“I hope for your sake, you’re telling the truth, because if I see you around my friend again, you won’t like what happens to you,” Zach growled out.
“You shouldn’t go around threatening people,” the other man stated through narrowed eyes. “You never know what type of person you’re dealing with.”
“Oh, I can size you up pretty quickly, don’t you worry. I have a good mind—” before Zach could finish explaining what he would do to the other man, Aiden came up behind him.
“Is there a problem here?” he asked, placing his hand on Zach’s shoulder.
“No, I was just leaving,” the other man stated, before turning around and leaving in a hurry.
“What was that all about?” Aiden inquired.
“Nothing, I took care of it,” Zach said, heading back towards the table with Aiden trailing behind him.
“You’re really not going to tell me?” Aiden probed.
“Nope, not my story to tell,” Zach said, taking his seat once more. He glanced over at Erica who mouthed the words “thank you” to him. Zach nodded ever-so-slightly, grateful he could intervene on Erica’s behalf. He wasn’t sure when it happened, but he found himself wanting to make sure Erica was taken care of. Though he didn’t understand why that was, he knew it meant he cared for her in a way he never had for another woman. He wondered how he was going to handle it.
Ten
The constant buzzing of Erica’s phone woke her far before her alarm went off. She rolled over, reached out, and searched for her phone on her nightstand. Once she had it in her grasp, she pulled it to her face to scan the contents. The screen was bright with five missed calls and ten text messages. What in the world was going on?
She swiped open the locked screen, then scrolled through the messages. Three co-workers, five women from church, her hair stylist, and her yoga instructor all sent texts asking her if the article was true, and if it was, what she planned to do with the money.
What article? Erica had no idea what any of them were talking about. She sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed while going through the missed call logs. Lindsay, Deanna, Hayley, Brooke, and her boss all called.
Erica decided to call Lindsay back since she would ask the least questions. The phone rang twice before her friend picked up.
“How you holding up? No one’s bothering you at your home, are they?” Lindsay asked before Erica had a chance to say a word.
“What? I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Erica said, throwing on her robe and padding through her apartment.
“You mean you haven’t seen the article in the newspaper?” Lindsay probed, the note of worry in her voice not lost on Erica.
“No, what’s it about?” Erica asked, turning on the coffee pot and setting it to brew. She had a feeling it was going to be a full pot day.
“I hate to break it to you Erica, but the news is out. The Clear Mountain Gazette featured an article about you and your inheritance this morning, and it’s already getting picked up by other news outlets. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are news vans already waiting outside your apartment.”
She moved over to the blinds and glanced out the window, wondering if anyone was there. Sure enough, there were three news vans in the parking lot.
As Erica waited for the caffeine beverage she so desperately needed, she sat down at the kitchen table opening her laptop. She went to the newspaper’s website, and sure enough a massive picture of her along with the headline, Local woman inherits billions; already donated $100,000 to her local church. What will she do next? The article was filled with information about Erica’s interests, job, and personal life, but focused most prominently on her inheritance.
“How did this happen?” Erica asked with confusion. “I only told three people.”
“You may have only told three people, Erica, but that doesn’t mean only three people knew. Your lawyer and his assistant, not to mention the banks and the title companies all have your information. Any one of them could have gone to the media about this.”
“How did they find out about the donation? I didn’t want anyone to know about it.”
“Did you get a cashier’s check, or did you use a personal check with your information on it?” Lindsay probed.
“A personal one,” Erica stated with regret. “I never even thought about the fact that someone at the church would tell the media about it.”
“I wouldn’t jump to that conclusion. It’s possible they called asking about you. They told them about it, hoping to give you credit for doing such a nice thing.”
“But I didn’t want credit for it. I just wanted to do something good with the money,” she said, standing up and moving over to the coffee pot where she poured herself a cup. She added some creamer and a bit of sugar before heading back to the table.
“Well, you have, and that doesn’t mean you can’t do more down the road. Look at it this way, with the truth out, you don’t have to walk on eggshells anymore worrying someone is going to find out.”
“I know, but I wasn’t ready,” Erica objected. “I’m not even sure if I’m
going to keep the money.” Frustrated at the situation, she said before hanging up, “I need to call Hayley and find out how this story got out. I’ll talk to you later.”
She pressed Hayley’s name and the phone lit up. Her friend picked up on the second ring. Before Erica could get a word out, Hayley was apologizing, “I’m so sorry, Erica. I’m out of town at an editor’s convention and my mom’s running the paper while I’m away. I had no idea she was running the story about you until I saw it online today.”
“Well, that explains a lot,” Erica said, taking a sip of her coffee. “I wondered why you wouldn’t call me first.”
“Of course I would. I would have never published something like this without talking with you and making sure it was alright.” There was a small pause before she asked hesitantly, “Is it really bad? Are people bothering you?”
“It’s not awful, but there are news vans outside. I’m worried it’s going to get worse though as the day moves on.”
“When I saw the article, I was worried about that. This type of story is like a feeding frenzy. It’s got all the juicy tidbits people love. Local-girl-turned-billionaire, rags-to-riches, that sort of thing.”
Erica didn’t like either of those ideas being attached to her. Though the money was technically hers, it still didn’t feel real so how could she deal with anyone asking her about it. She didn’t feel like she was rich or a billionaire.
“Thanks for clearing it up. I’ll see you when you get back into town.”
“Sure thing, Erica, call me if you need anything.”
What was she going to do? She couldn’t just sit around here and brood about the situation. She needed to go do something. Maybe if she went to the gym, she could run some of this irritated energy off.
Erica went into her room and got dressed to work out. She grabbed her gym bag by the door and headed out. She didn’t even make it to her car, however, before she was bombarded by reporters. Since the last time she looked, another two vans had shown up.