“So, what are you going to do?”
“I thought maybe we could pack up, go out for an early dinner, and maybe catch a show or two.”
“You don’t want to go back to the house?”
“Nope. Not until after dark.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Do you need any money?” Jane Barnett asked her son. She sat in the kitchen of her Portland, Oregon, home, talking to Jeff on the telephone.
“No, I have some savings.” Jeff sat in his living room in Southern California. It was Monday morning, and he was preparing to return the rental car when his mother called. She hadn’t talked to him for several weeks, and had no idea what had been going on in his life. Needing to talk to someone, he told her everything.
“So what are your plans? You know, you can always come home and stay here and look for a job.”
“Thanks, Mom. I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet.”
“I imagine you could file something against your ex-boss, for wrongful termination. I don’t think what he pressured you to do is legal under California employment laws.”
“Probably not, but do I really want to sue my ex-employer? I can’t imagine that will look great to potential employers.”
“Now you sound like your father. You’re probably right. But it makes me so mad!”
Jeff smiled. There was something comforting about having parents that were always there for him with unconditional love and support. It was something Lexi hadn’t had in years.
“You would like her, Mom.”
“What about you? Sounds like you’re pretty crazy about her.”
“Lexi’s special. It’s not just that she’s beautiful—but she is. Beautiful, I mean. She is also smart and creative. I felt comfortable with her in a way I never felt with anyone else. She was completely different than I had imagined.”
“What do you mean?”
“The way Beaumont described his granddaughter—before I met her—was that she was rather simple, another spoiled society girl whose big accomplishment in life would be marrying the right man.”
“Not really someone I see you with.”
“Exactly. But she is nothing like that. There’s a portrait of her in the lobby of her grandfather’s office. At first, I naturally assumed it was there for the typical reasons you hang a picture of a family member: love, pride. But now, I suspect the portrait was simply another possession he was displaying. A work of art. The artist who painted the portrait is fairly renowned, so I suspect Beaumont was more impressed by the artist than the subject.”
“This former boss of yours doesn’t sound very nice.”
“No, he isn’t.”
“Jeff, that part about her inheritance. You said those friends of hers insisted her parents left her something, but she says her grandfather contradicts that. How does she know her grandfather was telling the truth, considering all his lies and manipulations?”
“Beaumont contested the guardianship in court, so I would imagine anything left to her in a will would come under the scrutiny of the court. If there was really any money from her parents, I don’t see how he could hide that.”
“He could hide it in clear sight.”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Jeff, remember how your father and I put money away each month into a tax-differed savings account for you?”
“Sure. I used that money to go to college.”
“With those kinds of accounts, once we put money into it, it belonged to you. Your father and I weren’t free to take the money out without a good reason.”
“I still don’t get what you’re saying.”
“When you turned eighteen, you could have spent the money however you wanted, and we wouldn’t have been able to do a thing about it.”
“Yeah, but I used it for college.”
“True. But had you wanted to spend it on something else, we couldn’t have stopped you.”
“I still don’t get your point.”
“What would have happened if your father and I never told you about the account? It would still be there; it would be your money to spend. But how would you spend it if you didn’t know it existed?”
“Are you saying there might be money out there that belongs to Lexi, but she simply doesn’t know about it?”
“Who’s been in her life to tell her? Her grandfather certainly wouldn’t, if he wants a way to control her. Considering the affairs of our social service these days, I don’t imagine there is some court clerk or judge waiting for the granddaughter of a wealthy and influential business man to come of age so they can tell her about her inheritance. Those people have probably moved on.”
“I didn’t really consider that. I just figured, if Lexi was so certain…”
“Just something to think about.”
When Jeff finally said goodbye to his mother, he found it difficult to think about anything else. Did Lexi have an inheritance she didn’t know about? Before he moved on with his own life, he needed to make some restitution to Lexi. If her grandfather had lied to her about her parent’s will, he was determined to find out.
* * *
Lexi experienced a hectic week. The store from which she normally purchased the Mason jars was out of stock. Apparently there wasn’t a big demand for canning jars in Lake Havasu City, Arizona—until Lexi’s arrival. She solved her jar dilemma and moved to the next fire.
On Tuesday, she met with the woman from the local gift shop and settled on a discount case price for resale. Tuesday afternoon she was contacted by another gift shop—this one located in Sedona, Arizona—who wanted to stock the mix. Apparently, the daughter of the Sedona shop owner had visited Havasu and brought a jar back to Sedona.
Facebook likes were growing hourly on the hot fudge page, and visitors were leaving positive comments. One person asked if Lexi planned to make a sugar-free version of the fudge. Lexi wasn’t sure how that would taste, so she stopped by the store and picked up some sugar substitute and made a small batch.
After a bit of experimenting, she discovered cooking the sugar free version in the microwave reacted like overcooked fudge, in that the powdered ingredients formed a hard clump in a pool of oily liquid. It wasn’t possible to cook the mix in the microwave for the amount of time required to make the hot fudge sauce without it becoming rock hard. She tried cooking it on the stove, in the traditional manner. It cooked quicker than the sugar version, and while it tasted okay, for sugar free, it never obtained the original recipe’s caramel consistency.
Lexi remembered what Jeff had told her about responsible growth, and warning her against trying to grow the business too fast. She missed talking to him about the hot fudge venture and sharing ideas. Asking herself what Jeff would say about producing sugar-free hot fudge mix at this time, she intuitively knew the answer. For the moment, she was busy enough producing and marketing the original recipe. There would be time later to expand and bring a sugar-free version to her customers.
By Saturday morning, she was in a panic. Her email box was full with requests for the mix, each one asking her to reserve a jar for Sunday. It had been a challenge packing 48 jars of the mix, along with the folding table, two camp chairs and EZ-UP into Angie’s Volkswagen the previous Sunday. As it was, Angie had a photo shoot Sunday afternoon, so she would have to drop Lexi off at the swap meet in the morning, and pick her up later in the afternoon. If the photo shoot went on too long, Lexi might end up sitting alone in the London Bridge Shopping Center parking lot, waiting for her ride, after the rest of the vendors left for the day. It also meant it would be impossible to go to the restroom without leaving the booth unattended. She was beginning to feel overwhelmed.
Lexi was alone at the house, pacing back and forth in the living room, and trying to decide how to deal with the email requests. Can I fit that many jars in the car? If I reserve the jars I have, what happens if no one picks them up, and I lose sales? Lexi wished Angie was home so she would have someone to talk to, but her fr
iend had gone to the store.
Had Angie been home, Lexi might not have asked her opinion anyway. While Angie had been extremely supportive, she made it clear the hot fudge venture was Lexi’s baby and passion—it was not Angie’s. Lexi told herself she needed to stop imposing on Angie, and learn to manage her new business on her own.
In the midst of her pacing, a knock came at the door. Before opening it, Lexi looked out the peep hole. To her surprise, it was Jeff. Standing on the front porch wearing denims and a black jacket, he held a large manila envelope in his hands. His fingers fidgeted nervously with the edge of the envelope.
Her heart swelled and pulse accelerated. Instead of the anger she once felt, she was elated to see him again. Although she wanted nothing more than to open the door and leap into his arms, she took a deep breath and calmly opened the door.
“Jeff,” Lexi greeted in an even and steady tone.
Since turning off Highway 40 onto Highway 95 en route to Lake Havasu City, Jeff’s own heart began beating faster. Standing in Lexi’s doorway, he wondered briefly if she could hear its rapid pounding. Jeff’s gaze swept over Lexi. She looked even more beautiful than he remembered. Grateful she wasn’t slamming the door in his face, he smiled softly.
“Hi, Lexi. I need to talk to you. It’s very important.”
“I thought you left Havasu.”
“I did. I just drove in now.”
Lexi glanced over his shoulder and noticed the car parked in the driveway. It was the vehicle he’d driven when he’d first started spying on her at the Hillcrest Apartments.
“Sure. Come in.” Lexi opened the door wider and stood to the side. Jeff followed Lexi into the house. They were both nervous.
“Can we sit down?” Jeff asked.
“Sure.” Lexi led him into the living room. She sat on the couch. Nervous and anxious, wondering what he had to say to her and why he’d driven so far to say it, she felt as if a hundred butterflies were fluttering about in her stomach.
He placed the envelope on the coffee table and sat on the love seat. “Lexi, I know you can’t forgive me,” he began.
“Who said I can’t forgive you?” Lexi blurted out.
Stunned, Jeff said nothing but just stared for a moment. “I just assumed…” he finally stammered.
“Did you mean what you wrote in your note?”
“Yes, every word.”
“I’ve missed you Jeff,” Lexi confessed. Folding her hands together, she tapped her feet nervously against the floor and desperately attempted to contain her emotions.
“I’ve missed you, too.” Jeff smiled. He hadn’t expected this, but he certainly wasn’t going to complain.
Unable to contain herself, she leapt from the couch and rushed at Jeff. She barely gave him time to open his arms, yet he managed to in spite of her eagerness. Falling together on the small loveseat, Jeff welcomed her kisses, holding her tight.
When the kissing stopped, they lay together on the loveseat, Jeff holding her in his arms.
“This isn’t why I came,” Jeff murmured, without considering how the words might sound. Lexi tried to pull away, but he refused to let her go.
“You aren’t getting away from me,” Jeff growled. “I didn’t think you’d forgive me. Had I any idea you’d give me this greeting, I would have driven faster to get here.” He hugged her tighter, and she stopped struggling.
“Then, why did you come?” Lexi asked, snuggling into his embrace.
“I thought you needed to know. You are a rich woman, Lexi Beaumont.”
Letting the words sink in, Lexi frowned and then pulled away slightly, looking down at Jeff.
“What are you talking about?”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“I don’t understand.” Lexi sat up, as did Jeff. They sat side by side on the loveseat.
“Your grandfather lied about there being no inheritance. Carolyn was right; there was life insurance, plus the proceeds from your family home. There was also the sale of your parents’ business and other assets.”
“I don’t understand. Grandfather said that went to pay off my father’s loan.”
“Lexi, I don’t know about any loan from your grandfather; there’s no record of it. And frankly, I seriously doubt there ever was one. You were right; your parents were having financial problems and your dad did have to borrow some money, but it wasn’t from your grandfather.”
“I still don’t understand.”
“Your father had key man insurance, which basically paid off any outstanding debts of his business when he died, and made it possible to sell the business at a profit. Plus, they had life insurance on both of them, with you as the benefactor.”
“Grandfather said there was no money.”
“I did considerable sleuthing this past week. I talked to one person who worked for the courts back then and is retired now. He remembered the case and told me one of your grandfather’s arguments for custody was that he would financially support you and promised to give you an education if he was guardian. He also promised the courts he wouldn’t touch your inheritance to do so, something the Mannings probably wouldn’t have been able to do.”
“So, where’s the money now?”
“It’s in a bank account, waiting for you.”
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?’
“I imagine they all assumed it was your grandfather’s place to explain it all to you. They had no reason to believe he would lie. Plus, the way it’s set up, you couldn’t touch it until your twenty-first birthday, anyway.”
“That was just a few months ago.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, how much are we talking?” Lexi never considered there was actually an inheritance. For years, her grandfather had told her the opposite. She would have never investigated on her own.
“Are you sitting down?”
Lexi rolled her eyes at his silly question, considering they were both sitting on the loveseat together.
“Almost five million.”
“No.” Lexi shook her head in disbelief.
“Yes.” Jeff nodded.
“How is that even possible?”
“Your parents had a big life insurance policy, both of them. The house sold for even more than what Joe estimated. After your father borrowed that money, his business took a turn for the better and it sold for some major cash after he died. There were also some stocks, minor assets, and over the years, interest earned.” Jeff reached to the coffee table and picked up the envelope and handed it to her. “It’s all in here. All the details.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Lexi held the large envelope yet made no attempt to look inside.
“I guess I was wrong about my grandfather.”
“Excuse me?”
“I know my grandfather isn’t good with personal relationships, and I wondered why he even bothered taking me in, considering how he’s treated me over the years. But I guess, in his own way, he must have cared, since he made sure my inheritance stayed intact, and he paid for my education and supported me all these years.”
Jeff closed his eyes for a moment, reminding himself to maintain his cool. Opening them again, he reached out and took Lexi’s free hand in his.
“I wish I could agree with you, Lexi. But remember, he lied to you about it all these years.”
“I know, but there must be a reason he did all this.” She sounded like a little girl.
“Lexi, I need to tell you the rest.” He continued to hold her hand, his expression solemn.
“What?”
“I can’t say for certain why your grandfather initially took you in, or why he exploited the angle of preserving your inheritance as a reason for granting him custody.”
“Exploited? I don’t know what you mean?”
“Lexi, while he may have done what he promised—gave you support and education without touching your inheritance—you can’t ignore the fact he’s done his best to keep you from knowing about that inheritance.”
“I know. But that doesn’t make sense. Maybe, in his own strange way, he was protecting me?”
“From what? You?”
“Well, he doesn’t think I’m very smart.” She sounded embarrassed at the admission.
“And he’s an idiot,” Jeff snapped. “Lexi, you need to understand that your grandfather’s behavior is not a reflection on you. A normal person would be proud to have you as a granddaughter.”
“There is more, isn’t there?”
“Yes. Like I said, I have no idea what his original motivations were when he fought for custody. I spent a lot of time with him the last two years, and probably know him better than most. He is very possessive. I wish I could say grandfatherly love inspired him to fight for you, but I suspect it had more to do with stubborn pride. There was no way Ethan Beaumont was going to let strangers raise his granddaughter.”
Lexi said nothing, but knew what he was saying was true.
“Lexi, I also made a call to one of my close friends who still works at your grandfather’s company. When I told him what happened, why I was let go, he was pretty pissed. It didn’t take much to convince him to do a little snooping for me. I took the information he gave me, pieced it together with a few things I already knew, and called in a few favors from someone who works at one of the banks your grandfather uses. His company is in serious financial difficulty.”
“That is impossible.”
“I’m afraid not. A few things happened on that last Europe trip that had me wondering, but he’s good at making the world see what he wants them to see.”
“How serious?”
“At the moment, you have about five million more dollars than he does.”
“Grandfather, broke?”
“Unless he can pull some rabbit out of the hat. And frankly, I think you were that rabbit.”
“You think he was trying to get his hands on my money to save his company?”
“I’m not really sure if that would be enough to bail him out, but knowing your grandfather, he would go down spending your last dime if he thought there was a chance to save his precious company.”
Sugar Rush (Sensual Romance Series) Page 15