Stealing someone’s money was quite a different thing.
“And if you are wondering, I had no idea this was going on, but apparently Robert had. He got arrested just a bit ago. This is so humiliating, and I can’t even begin to think where I need to start.”
“Nothing you can do. Do what the government says, and that is all you can do. Your father will be the one paying the consequences, not you.”
“I have to make a living, Mom. What do you expect me to do?”
“You can figure it out. I believe in you. Wyatt figured it out early and damn near got disowned by your father. You can do that now as an adult.”
“I never really thought about what I wanted to do. I just did what I was supposed to do when Dad brought me in.”
“Your father is not an easy person, a nightmare, actually, and…”
“I know that.”
“People who do wrong always get caught, Cash. It might take a while but they always get what they have coming to them. When I asked him how we had so much money at certain times, he lied to me. I told him it would affect more than just him if something was to happen, but he didn't listen to me, as usual.”
“I gotta go, Mom. I’ve got a lot to figure out.” And I did. I was lost and it wasn't the first time I had felt that way. Just the first time I had no idea on where to start.
“I just heard.” Wyatt’s voice was abrupt and short. It wasn’t lost on me that I called the two people who I always tried to push away, my mother and my brother.
“Yeah…” I said. At this point, I wasn't sure what I wanted to hear.
“From what I heard, they did find Dad and he is being held at Travison jail for now.”
“What do you mean, for now?”
“It is a federal charge so he won’t stay in a county jail. He will be moved to a federal prison.”
“That’s not something I thought I would ever hear about our father,” I said.
“I can’t say I agree. Or that I am shocked. His moral compass has always been off.”
“Damn it, Wyatt! Of course his moral compass has been off. Not everyone was born a saint like you.” The level of my voice reached a volume I hadn’t intended.
“Right… well, stealing from people who think you are investing their money is a bit more than knowing right from wrong, wouldn't you say?” He said.
“Yeah.”
“Another piece fits into the puzzle, just another reason why he tried to disown me when I told him I wanted to be in law enforcement. I guess he was afraid I would put my nose in where he didn't want it.”
“And you didn’t? You didn't know about all this, did you? Mom said she had an idea something had been up, but she wasn't sure what exactly.”
“I didn't know what he was doing exactly, but he was a crook. I knew that much. Then you became a working monkey for him, helping him bring in the money.”
I relented, “I admit I was a monkey, as much as I hate to, but I’m telling you right now, I had nothing to do with stealing from people. I thought I was doing my job, closing deals with clients and keeping them happy.”
“You got pretty wealthy doing nothing but having a good time.”
I snapped, “I am NOT a thief.”
Wyatt cleared his throat void of a response.
“Look, Wyatt, I gotta go. I don't have time to rehash what I did wrong and how you didn’t.” I hung up, not waiting for an answer because I knew whatever it was going to be it wasn't going to be something I wanted to hear.
I was played a fool by my own father, how pathetic was that? It was right under my nose and I didn't know it.
Talking about all this just made me realize how I had wasted so much of my life.
I needed a drink or to be hit over the head, I wasn't sure which, maybe both.
EMMA
Running late was not something I did often. I hated the rush in the day if I had gotten off my schedule. Maybe that was because of the tight ship my father had always run. I grew up in a scheduled house, and I still lived that way.
My third cup of coffee was brewing, since I had already downed what I had made before jumping in the shower when my phone dinged.
Breigh: Open the door. I’m here.
I immediately walked to my door to let her in, surprised by her presence, but nevertheless happy to see her.
“What are you doing here?” I gave her a hug while she moved the coffees she carried to the side so we wouldn’t spill them.
“You making coffee runs in the morning?” I smiled, noticing she was bringing me my favorite from Maxwell’s, which we had been attending since we were teens.
“Just for you, honey bun. I had an early doctor appointment and wanted to leave Olivia at home with Wyatt.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just annual… fun, fun.”
“You look great for going to the doctor,” I commented.
“You’ll see one day, when you try to pretty yourself up strictly because you are leaving the house without the diaper bag or your baby on your hip.”
“I’m already running late, but I have a few minutes. Come talk to me as I finish getting my hair ready.”
“You still spend far too much time on yourself. I literally wake up, brush my teeth, put on deodorant, and moisturizer.”
“Some things never change. And you can do that and look perfect,” I told her as a compliment. Breigh was a natural beauty.
She smiled at me and then winked.
“So…something interesting happened, and I’ve been dying to fill you in.”
She took a sip of her coffee and I watched. I wanted to tell her I had met with Cash too, but I didn’t. She would assume I was going to cave with my weakness for him and I didn’t want to explain myself. Maybe it was better kept to myself.
For now, anyway.
“And? It is so good that you came over, not that I mind.”
“Oh yes…apparently, Wyatt’s father’s company had been getting investigated and now, they’ve been shut down for illegal investing. Apparently, his father has been stealing money. Wyatt didn’t go into much more detail with me, although I know there are more details he knows. His dad was arrested, and they are seizing his business, and Lord knows what else.”
“Cash?” I raised my eyebrow in question, looking at her through the mirror. Of course, Breigh knew that would be the first thing I would ask about. Looking at our reflections in the mirror, we couldn't be more different. She was dark blonde to my brunette, her blue eyes to my dark brown. I wore makeup perfectly placed and she was void of it. I spent more time than I cared to admit on my hair, her… not so much. A brush through and a ponytail was her usual.
“He’s fine… I don't think he will be charged with anything or put in jail, but he might lose a lot of what he has. He might be ‘poor’ or to him poor.”
I laughed a little… and so did Breigh in unison.
“What did I tell you about karma? It’ll always bite you in the ass. Grammy has always said that.”
“Honestly, I don't and won’t wish ill will on Cash, but to say I’m not a little amused by him paying for some of his…”
“I don’t know what he will pay for exactly, but he will pay. No telling what they will seize. He will definitely have some lifestyle adjustments.”
I stood up and walked over to my closet to pick out my heels. I had a slight shopping problem when it came to buying heels, and clothes for that matter, but it was how I spoiled myself. Not to mention I was the head of the marketing department at a leading tech company in the nation. Clients expected me to dress to the nines representing my position.
There was something about looking good on the outside that made me feel great on the inside though.
I stopped in front of my floor-to-ceiling, modern-designed mirror to examine how I looked, “I do feel a little bad. What if he didn't know what was going on and now he will have to pay for it?”
“He had to know something was amiss. Wyatt didn’t think he knew
the details or that he was in on it though, because their father was secretive with everything.”
“Well, that might benefit Cash.” I stood by the bedroom door and Breigh followed behind.
Once out in the living room, Breigh stopped and turned to me. “Do you think you’ll ever move on from him?”
“I have moved on from him,” I snapped back with irritation. I felt the sting of the lie as it left my tongue.
“Bullshit. You wouldn't be still thinking like that if you were.”
“I can’t help but think that maybe…”
“No… I think you are a bad judge of character when it comes to men. Cash will hopefully, eventually, become a good man, and I know Wyatt really wants to help him now…”
Breigh paused, judging my reaction on how I was going to respond. I knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't say anything to hurt me. And let’s face it, sometimes words hurt.
I took a deep breath then released it. “I am a bad judge of character in men. You are right… I’m so good at judging everything else, but NOT men.” I reached for my purse and my coffee cup. “Come on… I’ve got to get to the office.”
“You’re not mad, right?” Breigh said, as she followed me out the door. Typical Breigh, always concerned about hurting someone’s feelings.
“Of course not.” I leaned into her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Love you, Breigh… I could get used to coffee in the morning like this…”
“Yeah, me too. Me too, my friend.”
We both had gone our separate ways, her getting into her mommy mobile and me, my Mercedes. Before putting on my Prada sunglasses, I took a quick look in the mirror, making a quick promise to myself that I would not be thinking about this today. It had nothing to do with me, and I would do better by staying out of it.
No, I would not let myself reach out to Cash. No matter how badly I wanted to.
6
CASH
I think a man came to a point in his life when he realized changes had to be made, time to grow up in a sense. For me, the world did that for me because apparently, I wasn’t seeing it. I thought I was career
fulfilled, working an easy job, which I pretended was hard, getting paid like I was important. Realistically, I was important but only because of what my last name was, Galloway. Galloway Investors no longer existed.
I basically wined and dined our clients of the firm, securing them, or persuading others to leave their current firms. Not a day had gone by that I had actually done anything I didn't actually enjoy doing. Nothing was ever done for kindness or for anyone else. Always about me, what was good for me, Cash.
To say I followed in my father’s footsteps was putting it mildly. I knew he ran around on my mother, chasing skirts, but I turned my cheek. I knew if I acknowledged it I would have to face it. He was a playboy even at his age of sixty-five.
When the federal government came in seizing and shutting down my father’s company, I wasn’t naïve enough to think he was innocent. And I wasn’t stupid enough to think I wasn’t going to have to pay for some of my mistakes, misdealings, if I was responsible.
A rodent only stays a rodent for so long without being caught in a trap. It was bound to happen.
And happen it did.
I just wished I would have known what he was doing was illegal, immensely so, and what exactly he was doing. I kept rethinking over the conversation I had with Wyatt and our mother.
“Did you really think what Dad was doing all these years was legal?” Wyatt asked me with a roll of the eyes.
“I guess I never thought about it.”
“No, you didn’t care. You enjoyed having a ‘job’ and being rewarded for what you did.”
“Not everyone was born with a moral compass like you, Wyatt.”
“You both were taught what was right and wrong, Cash. Don’t you dare try to act like you weren’t,” Mom spoke up, seemingly annoyed by my comment.
I turned to her irritated. “You turned a blind eye too, Mom. You could have stopped some of it. You knew the company was doing illegal investing.”
“I acknowledge your father did dirty business. I will agree I was aware of his misdealing and sneakiness. But I will not listen to you tell me I knew he was illegally investing, or stealing money from people.”
“You need to leave Mom out of it,” Wyatt spoke up, not surprisingly.
“What I want to know is how Wyatt was able to step away from everything, and see the wrongdoings.”
“Because I’m not blind. I know Dad’s character; he always looks out for himself and never put us in front of him. Not even Mom. And it was our grandfather’s company, Mom’s dad, not our father’s.” He paused. “I refuse to hurt others to get to the top.”
“I…”
“Yeah, you did. You hurt others when you took the money they had been saving. You can’t honestly look me in the eye and tell me that every transaction, or business deal you made, you felt good about. Deep down you have a moral compass too. You just refused to use it.” Wyatt said the words like he had been waiting to speak them for far longer than I had planned to hear them.
“I don’t know about that,” I said with a lump in my throat.
“I think Wyatt is right, sweetie. Anyway, nothing can be done about it now. He is going to jail, and he will pay for what he did. You will make it, and we will work with the lawyers to see what we need to do. If we have to sell stuff we will. Living with less won’t kill you, but you will have to learn that work is work, and what you have been doing with Dad doesn't qualify as that.”
“I’m not afraid of work,” I said meaning it, wondering if either of them believed me.
“We’ll see,” Wyatt said.
Now I just had to prove it to them and myself.
“Things change, honey. If you can’t change with them then you’re going to have a lot of struggles through the rest of your life,” my mother said sweetly as I rolled my eyes.
“I have lived a certain way my entire life,” I commented matter-of-factly.
“Don’t say that like you are proud of it,” she snarled. She certainly was pleased with my previous actions.
I stood up after knowing I had only been at her place for less than ten minutes. “Mom, I love you but I don’t have the energy to deal with this right now. I’m more concerned about how my life is falling apart.”
“I love you too, Cash, but maybe this is a sign you have some changes that need to be made in your life. This could be a good thing.”
I replayed the last of her statements as I made my way to the front door, slamming it shut in frustration.
My body hit the fresh air and I stopped, taking a deep breath, inhaling the countryside rather than the stuffiness of her house and the judgment she was having on me.
After I admitted to myself what had happened, I dreaded driving my car down her driveway. I hated the very thought of facing my mother, and was able to predict what she was going to say.
It goes without saying Wyatt, my brother, and my mother were going to give me grief. I expected it. They had hated the way I had worked with my father, and thought the evil my father had would rub off on me.
They weren’t wrong either.
I was sorry to tell them, that ship had sailed a very long time ago. As if they hadn't recognized it.
The real question was, could I make myself a hardworking man, and change my focus to what I should have cared about first as a priority. When I was honest with myself, I had to realize the possibility of me failing at that miserably. And I didn't like the thought of that.
And Emma. The woman who I hadn't been able to get out of mind since I saw her at the concert and after dinner. The very woman I had treated like shit and played games with, ignoring my feelings for her like the jackass I was.
Denial or stupidity?
I found myself wondering what she would think of me now, if she knew I was going to lose everything I had earned.
Or was given, depending on who you asked.<
br />
7
EMMA
I smiled as I pulled up to Wyatt and Breigh’s house, excited to see my goddaughter. Today was Olivia’s third birthday and I was thrilled to be here to celebrate with them. She always had a way of bringing a smile to my face, although there was a little part of me that wished I had a little girl myself. Olivia was sunshine, just like Breigh, and I couldn't get enough of her cuteness.
Wyatt was in the front yard, not sure what he was trying to do, but the look of frustration decorated his face. Breigh had said Thursday, when we talked, they were both at their wit’s end trying to get everything together and prepared for Olivia’s party. Breigh had invited Olivia’s entire Mother’s Day Out class apparently. Crazy, right?
Wyatt had been working more than he expected with his new job with the state police, and I couldn’t help to think that perhaps he regretted his decision. He was the very definition of a family man and it was taking his time away from them.
I checked my Louboutin lipstick one last time, before taking a deep breath, and grabbing Olivia’s presents covering the passenger seat and the floor in front of it. I spoiled her rotten and loved every single minute of it.
I had prayed since Breigh had announced they were having Olivia’s birthday party at their home, I would get lucky enough that Cash wouldn't show up. I had been able to avoid seeing him or talking to him, with the exception of the call after the concert.
He was my weakness and I was determined to change that.
“Look who’s here!” Breigh said with her Texas accent twanging off her tongue, as Olivia came running straight for me with a squeal.
As I bent down to pick her up, her arms reached around my neck. I bathed her with kisses under her chubby neck. She brought her two little hands to my cheeks, holding me steady while placing a kiss on my lips.
Our Season (Lifetime Love Series) Page 3