The Successor

by Alina Jacobs

  “Oh my goodness. Nothing is happening. Or at least it was but no more.”

  “He’s a good man. And landing the only Holbrook heir would really set you for life.”

  “I can’t. He’s my boss’s son.”

  “Pishposh. How do you think a woman got a man back in my day? It was always secretaries and assistants marrying their bosses! How else are those men going to find a woman, considering how busy they are?”

  “I am not going to be that type of girl.” Not after what happened, she thought.

  Her grandmother looked at her sympathetically. “Why don’t we start planning that garden party?”

  “You don’t have to—”

  “I already told everyone I was cohosting. If my name’s on it, it has to be good.”

  Kate resisted the urge to bang her head on the table as her grandmother started rattling through her plans for the garden party in Grant’s honor.

  “Now, Denise had shrimp cocktails at her garden party last August. I want to do something else. I was thinking crab salad cups. No one wants to eat shrimp. It’s so messy, and it’s going to be warm.”

  “That’s the point. It’s cold fish,” Kate countered.

  “It’s off the list. I’ve found some lights that we need to string up on the internet. They are in fun shapes.”

  “There’s a budget.”

  “Nonsense,” her grandmother said. “Walter can spare a little for his only son’s party.”

  “It’s a small casual get-together.”

  “Oh, no, it’s not. The senior senator of Connecticut is going to be there. I already spoke to his wife, and he’s coming. The mayor of New Cardiff is going to be there, as well as the former vice president of the US.”

  “Gram, you didn’t!” Kate said. How had her grandmother blown this so out of proportion?

  “He and I went to school together. I was a bridesmaid at his wedding. We have to have a nice party now, of course. We don’t want to disappoint the vice president,” her grandmother said. “We’ll have several stations.”

  Kate took a deep breath and let it out, trying not to be so irritated. She decided to let her grandmother do the majority of the heavy lifting in planning the party. Kate would try to enjoy herself. It was warm enough that it would be a nice night for a garden party.

  Stop taking things so seriously, she told herself.

  Kate felt her phone buzz, and she looked at it, feeling herself tense up again. It was Alan.

  I need more money.

  Kate ignored it and tried to concentrate on what her grandmother was saying.

  “We’ll have several signature cocktails, a mashed-potato bar—”

  “A what? No.”

  “The vice president loves mashed-potato bars.”

  Her phone rang.

  “I have to take this,” she said to her grandmother.

  “Is it Walter?”

  “Yes,” she lied and hurried into the house. Alan answered as soon as she accepted the call.

  “What is it?” she hissed into the phone.

  “I need more money.”

  At least he wasn’t going on about all the disgusting things he wanted to do to her.

  “I just gave you money.”

  “I need more. My wife’s father cut us off.”

  As he should, she thought.

  “How much?”

  “Ten thousand dollars.”

  Kate felt her stomach drop. “That’s a lot.”

  “The Holbrooks have it.”

  “I’m paying you out of my personal bank account…” She heard steps come up behind her, and she jumped.

  “Sorry,” Grant said, looking at her suspiciously.

  “I have to go. Bye,” she said into the phone and hung up.

  “Who was that?” Grant asked. “Was that that dick-pic sender?”

  “No, it’s only a meeting I’m setting up for Walter. How can I help you?”

  “My EAS date got pushed back. I texted you, but you didn’t answer.”

  “Sorry,” she said. “My phone is blowing up lately.”

  “Also, I wanted to see you in person, and I had to take Gus on a walk. Stefan feeds him snacks all day.”

  Kate didn’t think she could handle this right now.

  “What do you want, Grant?” she said, pinching the bridge of her nose.

  “I wanted to know if you wanted to hang out tonight,” he said.

  “I’m busy.”

  “We could grab drinks,” he pressed.

  “Grant, I can’t. What don’t you understand about ‘No, this isn’t happening’?” she yelled at him.

  Gus barked, and Grant looked hurt. She was taking her frustration and fear of the Alan situation out on Grant, and it wasn’t fair.

  “Sorry, Grant. I’ll go have a drink with you, but only as friends. We can discuss your career. It won’t mean anything more than that. I’m serious.”

  He looked pleased, and he leaned over and kissed her then smiled.

  “I’ll let you finish your dinner,” he said. “I’ll pick you up a little later.”

  “You are too soft,” she growled to herself as she watched him leave.

  Chapter 42

  Grant

  Grant was excited that Kate had agreed to have a drink with him. He spent the walk home on his phone, looking for places to go, then finally settled on an upscale bar on the water’s edge.

  For their date, Grant decided to wear one of his new suits. It had a subtle pattern, and Stefan had insisted he wear a dark-green tie with another subtle pattern and a matching pocket square.

  “It’s dashing,” Stefan had said. “Kate will like it.”

  “You look stunning,” Grant said when he picked Kate up later that evening. She was wearing a slinky little black dress, and her hair was down around her shoulders.

  Grant leaned over and kissed her.

  “We’re just going as friends,” she reminded him.

  He gave her his best puppy-dog eyes. “But look… my pocket square has corgis on it!”

  She laughed as she noticed the fun pattern. “That’s adorable.”

  Score! he thought.

  He draped his arm around her on the car ride over. She seemed as if she approved of his choice of establishments. It was warm enough for them to sit by the water on the deck, and they followed the waiter outside.

  “So you seem like you’re getting acclimated,” she said after he helped her into her chair.

  “I think so,” he replied.

  “You don’t want to go run off and reenlist?”

  He shook his head.

  The waiter brought them their drinks, and Kate raised her glass and said, “Here’s to you. Done with the military but still kicking butt.”

  “No, to you. I wouldn’t have been able to survive this long without you.”

  After a few drinks, the car dropped Kate off at her grandmother’s house. Grant opened the door for her, and Kate looked at him seriously and said, “This was just a friendly evening.”

  He ignored her and leaned down and kissed her.

  “Goodnight, Kate.”

  He felt elated. The evening had gone really well. He gave Stefan a thumbs-up when he got back. “Do not tell my father,” he warned.

  Stefan mimed zipping his lips.

  Grant saw Kate sporadically the next few days. She was constantly on the phone or yelling at her grandmother or talking to the party planners.

  The yard was filled with people tacking up lights and setting up tables. They were installing several custom wood bars that were brought out of storage.

  Grant flew out to his base the day before the party. Just as he had thought, the military was cutting it close to the wire on his paperwork. He spent the night in a hotel then arrived on base for processing very early in the morning. After Grant had spent the entire day trying to have his final paperwork processed, the staff sergeant handling it handed him the final stamped and signed papers.

  “You’re sure you don
’t want to reenlist?” she asked jokingly.

  Grant shook his head.

  She laughed. “I can’t blame you. I heard you are inheriting a fortune.”

  “I’m not counting on it,” Grant said.

  “Well, you can always come back to the Marine Corps if it doesn’t work out,” she quipped.

  After shaking her hand, Grant left the building, sat down in his rental car, and numbly drove off the base. He’d been in the Marines for eight years, and what did he have to show for it? Nothing.

  The Gulfstream jet was waiting for him on the runway when he arrived.

  “All good?” the captain asked.

  “I think so,” Grant replied.

  “Cheer up!” the captain said, clasping him on the shoulder. “You’re out! It’s a bright new sunshiny day outside of the military.”

  The setup for the party was well underway when Grant returned. Kate was directing the musicians and caterers on where to set up.

  “Can I help with anything?” he asked her.

  “Go shower and change,” she said brusquely. He had hoped that the near-death experience at the clubhouse would have warmed whatever chill she harbored toward him, but she wasn’t melt-in-his-arms happy to see him.

  “You’re all mine now,” his father said when he ran into him in the foyer. “I have the lawyers drawing up paperwork so you can change your name.”

  “Excuse me?” Grant said, stopping short.

  “You’re a Holbrook,” his father explained. “You can’t be Jones. It’s confusing to people.”

  Changing his name—Grant wasn’t sure about that.

  “I’ll have to think about it,” he said cautiously.

  “It would be a few months before you would have to go in front of a judge,” his father said, checking his phone. “There’s a process. The paperwork has to pass through the various departments. You know, bureaucracy.”

  “I need to go shower and change for the party,” Grant said, and his father waved him away. He walked up to his room, set down his things, and stripped off his clothes.

  After showering, he reached into the dresser, looking for a clean undershirt, and his hand hit the letter from his birth mother. He hadn’t opened it yet, and now he took it out to look at it. He thought maybe he should just ignore his birth mother and trust his father. Walter seemed as if he was changing for the better, but maybe not. He wished he could ask Kate about it, but she was being so distant. She seemed as if she was angry with him. He didn’t know why; he had thought their date had gone well.

  As he held the letter in his hand, his curiosity got the better of him. He took out his knife and sliced open the envelope then took a deep breath and took out the letter.

  My dearest son,

  I’m so happy that you have finally been found. I never wanted to give you up. It was the Holbrooks. They made me do it. Your grandfather didn’t want a bastard child. You should have seen the look on his face when I married your father. Priceless.

  I had nothing to do with the fire; don’t believe a word Walter says. I tried to rescue the children. I really did. It was the worst day of my life, the second being when I had to give you up. Bad things just keep happening to me, but with the success of the reality TV show and the fact that you have come back in my life, I believe that my life is turning around.

  I do so want to meet you. I want to get to know you. I miss my children, and I need to have you around. I have an apartment in Manhattan. You can come stay with me. We can help each other. We can make each other stronger. I have connections

  Grant stopped reading the letter—it was too much to handle. It reminded him a bit of his adoptive parents and how they would try to guilt trip him and manipulate him. Maybe his father was right about her after all. He wished he knew what to believe.

  Chapter 43

  Kate

  “Where is Grant?” Kate asked Stefan. “The guests are arriving for the party. Grant needs to be here to greet them.”

  Stefan headed upstairs to look for him.

  “Perhaps he needs help dressing… oh, there you are! You look very handsome,” Stefan said to Grant.

  He was wearing one of Mr. Lee’s well-tailored suits.

  “No more uniform?” Kate asked him.

  He smiled at her. “I’m not a marine anymore. It’s so strange.”

  Kate pushed Grant out to the back terrace overlooking the garden. Waiters hovered with trays of drinks for the attendees. Grant and his father fielded congratulations and handshakes from the various important guests. Satisfied that they were able to handle themselves, Kate grabbed her own drink and went to talk to her grandmother.

  “We pulled it off!” Margaret said, clinking her glass with Kate’s.

  Ginny Fitzhugh and Eric Davenport arrived at that moment. Eric stayed to chat with Grant, and Ginny grabbed a drink and set off in Kate’s direction.

  “How’s wedding planning?” Kate asked her.

  “My planner is doing most of the work. I don’t really care about the wedding. I just want to be married.”

  “That’s because you are a nice young woman who knows her priorities,” Margaret said.

  “You know I’m not a big party person,” Ginny said with a giggle. “That’s Brandy.”

  “I heard you’re franchising the dog-grooming business.”

  “I just keep collecting her castoff projects,” Ginny said with an eye roll. “And then she gets mad at me. Now she’s trying to be an assistant. Be forewarned. Brandy is making moves on Grant. You better lock him down,” she said to Kate.

  “I’m not—there’s nothing…” Kate sputtered.

  “I heard you two went to that new place on the water,” Ginny said, taking one of the appetizers the waiter offered.

  “It was a few friendly drinks.”

  “That’s not where you take someone for friendly drinks,” Ginny said, coyly sipping her drink.

  “I work for his family,” Kate said, trading out her empty glass for another cocktail from the server’s tray.

  “You work for his father,” Ginny corrected, “and it hardly counts, considering we all went to the same schools. You aren’t some upstart gold digger.”

  “I don’t know,” Kate said. “My life is complicated right now.”

  “I can’t believe you,” Ginny said, wrinkling her nose. “Between us, I don’t want Brandy to sink her claws in Grant. You know how she is. She’ll chew him up and spit him out.”

  “I think he has more sense than to become involved with her,” Kate said then took a big gulp of her drink. She really needed to slow down. She hadn’t even eaten that day.

  “If you break his heart, he might be so bereft that he’ll fall into the first waiting bosom.”

  Her grandmother cackled. “That the first time I’ve heard that word in a while!”

  “I don’t know,” Kate said. She looked at Grant wistfully. He had taken her on a date. Maybe she could give him a chance. Her phone buzzed, and her eye twitched. She finished her drink then made the rounds at the party, giving hugs and answering questions.

  Kate tried to ignore her phone. She didn’t want to put it on silent in case one of the caterers was trying to contact her. It was starting to grow dark, and several fire pits were burning a sweet-smelling wood. The fairy lights in the garden came on, making the grounds look enchanted. Kate sipped on her cocktail, hoping for courage, and finally checked her messages. There were twenty from Alan, the last one being:

  I’m outside the Holbrook estate.

  Panicked, she half ran, half stumbled down the drive as Alan was walking up.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked furiously. An underdressed couple walked past her. She thought it was odd, but she couldn’t spend any time thinking about them because Alan was here at the Holbrooks’.

  “I told you I need that money.” He looked slightly disheveled, as if he hadn’t slept lately.

  “Right now?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s at my gr
andmother’s house.”

  “Wonderful. I’ll drive you over there.”

  She didn’t want to sit in his car, but she felt as if she had no choice.

  “Don’t try anything,” she said when they got to her grandmother’s house. “The maid is still here. She’s paranoid and will call the police if she sees you.” She breathed a sigh of relief as Alan waited in the car. Sneaking past Maria, Kate tiptoed upstairs, grabbed the envelope with the ten thousand dollars in cash, and hurried outside.

  Alan briefly looked in the envelope then drove her back to the Holbrook estate driveway.

  “Don’t take me all the way up,” she ordered.

  He leered at her, and she felt his hand go up under her dress. She slapped him, but he got on top of her, pushing her back into her seat.

  “Stop it!” she yelled, trying to struggle. Why had she drunk so much?

  “You owe me!” he hissed.

  Headlights shone into the car, and he let her push him off. She flung herself out of the car while he made a kissy face after her.

  “Until next time, Kate,” he called then sped away.

  Shaken, she hobbled up the drive back to the party, trying not to cry and ruin her makeup.

  Chapter 44

  Grant

  Grant was trying his best to be a gracious host. When the stream of arriving guests had slowed to a trickle then stopped, he grabbed a drink and joined his father in mingling with the well-wishers.

  He talked with several senators, the governors of Connecticut and New York, and even the former vice president.

  “Elections are next year,” his father told him under his breath. “They are here for a handout.”

  “I see,” Grant said. He wanted to eat some of the amazing food that was going around. The tables were loaded with thousands of dollars of food that looked as if it had hardly been touched. Was everyone drinking and not eating? Grant didn’t think he would ever understand his father’s world.

  Your world now, he thought. Especially since Kate was in it. Where is Kate? he wondered. He looked around. It was getting dark, and he was a little worried when he couldn’t find her. She must be around here somewhere, he tried to reassure himself. What if Luigi was creeping in the woods? He could snatch her.