by Rimmy London
“So--” Abby stopped, listening. “No, I’m sorry. Yes, I believe you. I do. I’m just… yeah, a bit shocked. Okay, thank you so much for your help.”
Her arm dropped to her side, and she finally acknowledged Chase. But it was just a blank stare, as if he were a hologram and something was interesting behind him.
“Is everything all right?” Chase asked cautiously, turning around to glance into the street before twisting back to her again. She hadn’t moved. “Can I come in?”
“Oh, um…” Abby stepped back and held the door open for him. She was taking deep, silent breaths, and a strange look settled on her features. Chase couldn’t pinpoint the expression.
“Hey.” He touched her arms cautiously, not wanting to push her over whatever edge she was balanced on. He knew enough about human behavior to see she was overwhelmed. But his touch seemed to work. She flinched and came back to the present.
“Oh my gosh, Chase,” she breathed. Her eyes became shiny, and she swallowed hard with her lip shaking.
“What is it?” he asked again, feeling panicked now. But a smile had shown on her face, big enough to display her incredible set of dimples. He loved those.
“I still can’t believe it, but I’ve inherited…” She laughed suddenly, shaking her head. Her dark curls bounced around her. “Something.”
“You’ve inherited something?” he asked, thoroughly confused. Her dad had been out of the picture since she was a teenager, and her mother died a few years prior—complications from her many addictions. As for her other relatives, they were less than involved in her life.
But she nodded, confirming it. “I didn’t believe it, so I called the police. They checked in on the company and…” Her breath came out in a gust, and she swayed on her feet. But the dimples were still going strong. “Here,” she said, handing him the paper in her hand.
He read it quickly, flipping it over to discover the sum.
Two hundred million dollars.
“You don’t know who this is?” he asked, the question coming out in a whisper of shock. But his mind had already wrapped around the idea. People inherited large sums of money all the time—and then a year or two later they ended up in his office discussing the many repercussions of their bad decisions. He shook the thought off. This was Abigail he was talking about. She wouldn’t do anything like that.
He glanced up at her. The grin remained, wide and gloriously beautiful. His heart warmed at the sight.
“I’ve never heard of her.” She was speaking quickly. “I’m sure if my mother had known there were relatives left to swindle, she would have mentioned it. This aunt must have known as much and kept her fortune a secret. I don't know!”
“This is incredible,” Chase’s voice was quiet, and he’d begun to fight his natural tendency to analyze. He wanted to enjoy this moment and be happy for Abigail. “So what do you need to do? Did you call this number?” He pointed to the penciled-in note and watched Abigail’s cheeks flush ever so slightly.
“Well, yeah. I did.” She giggled. “I accused them of being a fraud.”
Chase’s lips finally stretched into a smile, and he laughed. He could easily imagine her conversation. She laughed with him and stepped into his arms, resting her head on his chest in the hug he loved best. The one where she surrendered, leaning against him like he was so very needed.
But in reality, if she had just inherited a fortune, did she need him anymore? Chase tried to brush the irritating thought away, but it stuck like a burr, tangled uncomfortably close to his skin.
“So, I guess I should call them back,” Abigail said, leaving his embrace and pressing a button on her phone. She pushed speaker and glanced up at Chase as they settled together on the couch.
The line connected and Chase notice a trembling in Abigail’s hand as her phone shook slightly.
“Well, good morning again,” the cheery gentleman said. “I thought you might be calling back.”
“Sorry about that,” Abigail bit her lip, smiling at the same time.
“Oh, no, no problem at all. We quite understand. You’d be amazed by the lengths we have to go to sometimes to get a client to believe us.” Some papers shuffled in the background. “Now, we’d like to meet with you as soon as possible. When would be a convenient time for you to travel? A few days should be fine.”
“I’m sorry?” Abigail asked, looking up at Chase again. He shrugged.
“We need to meet with you here in the office in London, ma’am. I apologize for not explaining that earlier—I thought you knew.”
“Oh.”
Chase could tell Abigail’s head was swimming. He rubbed her back.
“Would this week be okay? If you’re able to, I’d love to have you here on Thursday. Everything is paid for through your aunt’s estate, so there’s no concern there.”
Now Chase’s head was swimming. He stared back at Abigail, awaiting her response.
“Yes, I guess that would be fine,” she finally answered. Her eyes jumped back to Chase. “Could I bring someone with me?”
“Of course, no problem at all. I’ll send you some papers to fill out, and we’ll get these tickets arranged. Thank you so much, Ms. Tanner.”
“You’re welcome.”
The line disconnected, and they sat quietly for a moment with Chase already mentally clearing his schedule. He’d have to take on double the patient load next week. But that was hardly anything to consider.
They were going to London.
Silence stretched on as they both battled to grasp the sudden change in their lives.
Abigail stood slowly, gazing out across her tiny apartment. “I don’t believe this,” she whispered, trance-like and dull.
“It’s a lot to take in Abby,” Chase said, standing next to her and studying her face. But when her dimples appeared again, deep and joyful, he couldn’t help but grin with her. A cheek-aching, eye-reaching, all-teeth-showing grin.
Laughter broke through his skepticism, and she joined loudly, drowning him out and squealing when he wrapped her up and lifted her off the floor. He spun her around, amazed and overwhelmed and blissfully happy for this incredible woman, who’d never had more than a few dollars as a child. He loved her beyond words, and she’d just been granted every wish she’d never dared to hope for. Everything he’d ever wanted for her.
He set her down and held her, breathing hard. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest as she sighed, and laughed, and sighed again. Chase leaned away just enough to look into her widened eyes.
“Buy the house,” he said.
Her face sobered, and her gaze searched their dingy surroundings before returning to him. “Do you think I should?” she asked, her eyebrows pressing together in thought.
“I’ve never seen someone fall so instantly in love before,” he said, winking. Her lips pressed together in a sly grin. “You should go for it.”
Slowly, she clasped her hands with each of his, leaning against him and looking deeply into his eyes. He relished the warmth that spread through his chest and delightfully scattered his thoughts. “I’ll only do it if you’re with me,” she answered. Clear, thought out. Sensible.
A rush of love for this woman filled him as she gazed up at him and waited. Like his opinion was worth everything to her. Like she needed him.
“I’m with you, Abigail,” he whispered, releasing her hands to settle his own on her honey-cream face. He trailed his hands slowly along her delicate jawline, smiling as her eyes closed and the tension between her brows smoothed away. He closed the distance between them, watching her beautiful face until his own eyes closed and their lips met.
She was tonic to his soul, and he couldn’t remember ever kissing her this way before. The cares of the world were no longer theirs. It left him with every sense and thought focused on this moment.
When she leaned away and placed her hand on his face, he leaned back too. It was like stopping himself mid-fall. Like fighting gravity. He smiled back at her with the dizzy fe
eling of being intoxicated but hoped it didn’t show.
“When do you need to get back to the office?” she asked. “I’m sorry if it’ll be hard clearing your schedule, but…” A grin appeared on her face again.
“It’s no problem,” he assured. He glanced at the small circular clock above the stove, hardly able to believe it’d been over an hour. “I do need to get back though.”
“Okay.” She looked down at her phone again. “Come over later and we’ll get these papers filled out.”
“London,” he said.
Her eyes lit up. “London.”
Chapter 5
Hardly one week later and the first-class flight had been more luxury than Abby had experienced before, with seats wide and soft enough to fall comfortably to sleep. And the food! Rich and delicious, served with gleaming silverware and fresh-squeezed orange juice.
Stepping out of the airport and into the busy heart of London, however, was vaguely like a Harry Potter movie. Accents, fog, and trendy scarves abounded. The history of the city was revealed in the many lavish stone and brick buildings, aged but still so much more beautiful than their hastily erected, modern neighbors.
She’d given Chase the task of a navigator, and he took to it like the naturally centered being he was. In one hand, he held his phone with the image of a map on the screen, and in the other, the handle to his luggage.
“Let’s head this direction.” He tilted his head down the sidewalk to their right. “If you don’t mind towing your luggage for a bit.”
Abby agreed wholeheartedly, excited to tread the streets of London. The thrill of being in a new country filled her with unlimited energy, even though she should have been exhausted from traveling. She was nearly giddy.
“I can’t believe we’re here,” she huffed, walking as quickly as she could. She trailed behind Chase briefly to let passing pedestrians by, then skipped up to a jog until they were side-by-side again. “And two days ago, we had no idea our lives would change course. Just like that. Bang. And now we’re in London!”
Chase looked up from his phone and laughed lightly. “I guess I hadn’t thought of it like that.” He shrugged. “But you’re right. It’s pretty amazing.” He looked back at his phone and slowed. “Should be right here.”
They stood at the base of one of those aged buildings Abby had admired. It was tall and made of white stone, flecked with sandy brown throughout. The gargoyles and curled edges were mesmerizing.
“Wow,” Abby murmured. Her heart had begun to thump in her chest as she wondered just what this meeting would entail. It was an incredible fortune, and she couldn’t imagine them just handing her a paper to sign. Would she need to prove her identity? Would they ask her personal questions?
Her smile wavered.
“Bee?” Chase stood holding the door open, waiting, and Abby shook herself from her thoughts.
Everything will be fine. Don’t panic.
And yet, even with her self-warning, Abby couldn’t help but continue the speculations as they read the gold-etched sign on the wall and rode the elevator up to the twentieth floor. What if there had been some terrible mistake, and she wasn’t the right person? What then? She’d never seen this aunt or even heard of her. Maybe Sharalyn had contacted the wrong girl. Maybe they weren’t even related!
“It’ll be fine,” Chase said in the quiet of the elevator.
Abby’s eyes flicked up to meet his. They felt a little dry, as if they’d been open too wide for too long. She blinked, but couldn’t get herself to respond.
He reached for her hand, and she was finally able to release a deep breath. She pulled in another and blew it out just as the elevator door slid open.
The reception room was classy and pristine, with all the usual pieces of furniture you’d expect, although a higher caliber. The reception desk gleamed their silhouettes back at them, and a chandelier cascaded down in long threads of light, secured by a polished silver chain nearly twenty feet above their heads. A quick appraisal of the creamy-white chairs, and a whiff of the pleasant fragrance of leather, had Abby convinced they were calfskin.
“May I help you?” A woman with perfectly smooth hair and skin looked back at them with the glimmer of a smile on her lips.
Chase glanced at Abby.
“Yes,” she said, and even though she’d spoken quietly, it echoed in the open space. “I have an appointment, Abby Tanner?”
The woman’s perfect eyebrows lifted. “Ah, yes. Abigail. You may have a seat.”
“Thank you,” Abby said, feeling some of her jitters lessen from the small bit of conversation. But it didn’t last long. In the next minute, they were called forward and directed through a door, down a hall, and into a small office. Part library, the room held a myriad of books along one wall, and a fire crackled warmly along the wall opposite.
Left alone to wait, Chase sat in a chair and Abby was browsing the titles when the door opened again. The man who joined them had dark, wavy hair and slender lips that seemed to stretch into nothingness when he smiled.
“Hello there, you must be Abigail.” He shook her hand. “My name is Alan Jeffreys, and it’s so nice to meet you. And this is?” His eyebrows rose in Chase’s direction.
“My boyfriend, Chase,” Abby answered.
“Hello,” Chase smiled, looking completely at ease while shaking the man’s hand.
“Please, have a seat,” Mr. Jeffrey’s said, motioning to the chair next to Chase. Abby sat obediently, but her heart began to pound again.
“I do have some paperwork for you, although not as much as you’d think.” He winked. “Since you’ve asked for your boyfriend to be present, we’ll require a signature of confidentiality to include him. And these”—he handed them each a piece of paper—“are used to verify your identities. Go ahead and fill them out, and I’ll hand them to my secretary while we discuss the particulars.”
Abby filled out the top portion quickly but stopped when she got to the question of the closest relative. She fidgeted a little in her seat, feeling uncomfortable.
“What if I don’t have a close relative?” she finally asked.
Mr. Jeffreys glanced up from the open briefcase on his desk. “No one?” he asked. Abby shrugged, not wanting to get into an explanation, but also knowing she’d have to be very honest with him. She caught Chase’s eye briefly, and his quick smile was full of sympathy and understanding.
“Not even an aunt or uncle somewhere?”
“Well…” She shook her head. “I guess my father’s brother would be the only one left. But he’s so much older than my father, he has to be nearly ninety-five. I’ve only met him once when I was very young, so I’m not sure that’s what you’re looking for.”
“No, that will be fine, I assure you.” He nodded kindly. “Just write his name in, and we’ll track down his information.”
Abby nodded and finished filling out the paper.
“Thank you.” Mr. Jeffreys opened a file and placed their two papers inside before pushing a button on his desk. They waited in silence while he pulled a few more papers and a book from the briefcase and closed it, shuffling the lock.
The office door opened, and he handed his secretary their file.
“Now.” Mr. Jeffreys glanced at the door and waited until it had closed. “I am very confident in your identities. Those papers are just a formality, so what we’re going to do is, start with the good stuff. When she comes back in, we can all act appropriately excited by the news that you are you.” His eyes twinkled with mischief, and Abby couldn’t help but laugh at his obvious enjoyment. She was beginning to like him very much.
He sobered when he looked down at the paper in his hands. “I’m sure you must have so many questions. I can’t imagine the shock you must’ve felt at having received Sharalyn’s letter. First, you need to understand, Sharalyn hired me to manage her final affairs, so I’m under contract to follow her wishes.” He glanced back and forth between Chase and Abby. “It’s not the way I would’ve handle
d it, I assure you. I gave her my advice, but in the end, it was her decision.”
Abby nodded. “I understand.”
“Okay, good.” He straightened the paper with a flick. “Also, understand that while I wish she was here in person to have what, in my opinion, seems like a very necessary conversation, all I have is this letter that she wished me to read to you once you arrived in London.” He glanced up briefly to see Abby nod again. “Well, here we go then. My dearest niece.” He glanced up, training his eyes on her pointedly.
Suddenly, Abby felt a reaching from the past into her heart. A communication with someone who cared deeply. A blood-relation who genuinely desired the best for her. It was a completely foreign feeling, and one she’d never known before. Warm and significant.
I know you have questions, but be pacified in knowing I have always wanted the very best for you. Your life has been difficult, and yet you’ve become a beautiful soul. I admire and love you for that.” Mr. Jeffreys cleared his throat and read on. “My relationship with your mother Ellen was a difficult one. I’m sure you guessed as much. But instead of leaving you to dig for information as to why, I have chosen to simply tell you myself. I hope beyond measure that you will find this information a comfort instead of a burden, my dear niece.
Abby’s heart was pounding again. She hadn’t expected this. Her past was something she’d worked tremendously hard to rise above, and it wasn’t a conversation easily shared with associates or even friends. Chase was the only person she’d openly trusted with it, and now he was looking back at her like he was afraid of what they would hear next. And if Abby was honest, she was afraid too.
But Mr. Jeffreys had only paused a moment before seeming to delve in.
When we were younger, we were very close, but the teenage years were hard on Ellen. Something happened inside her that became a crux in her life. She was hurting, but in those days, no one spoke of mental instability. It manifested in so many unpleasant ways, the least of which was the severing of our relationship. She blamed me for her struggles, and instead of allowing me to be of comfort, she shut me out of her life. As soon as she was able, she left our home and buried her problems deeper inside, hoping to leave her old self behind. But instead, her illness grew and strengthened, feeding on her fear and self-loathing. She managed to keep it at bay long enough to marry, but by the time she was blessed with you, it was clear there was a battle going on that she could no longer control. When she turned to addiction, I’m sure she had no other means of escape. I tell you this because it’s something you should know. The mother you knew was a stranger to the real girl inside. The girl she was as a child. Warm and caring, giving to everyone. Indeed, she was a lot like you.