Claiming Amelia

by Jessica Blake

  “Oh, and Ms. Dexter?” I said as she was leaving.

  “Yes?”

  “I just wanted to tell you, and I hope it doesn’t embarrass you… but when you walked in I was struck by how beautiful you are. You have such a sense of style. May I ask where you bought your dress?”

  “Oh… I bought it in New York, Ms. Langford. I’m sorry…”

  “No problem. Have a wonderful afternoon and thank you again.”

  She got no further than the door when I dialed Brandon and filled him in on the fact that the famous Ms. Dexter was calling him to begin architectural drawings. I knew this would go a long way toward getting the projects completed and still comply with the administrator’s concerns about excess noise and construction debris. “Don’t talk about Worth or me, Brandon. Not one word. Just deal with her. She’s donating all her services and she’s ready to get started today.”

  “How in the hell did you pull that off?” Brandon asked, utterly amazed. “Good thing I already applied and received the permits.”

  “It was Worth who made it possible,” I said dryly and hung up.

  I quietly sat and sipped my iced tea, watching the minutes flip by on my iPhone. I gave her ten and she beat me by one.

  My phone rang… and it was Worth.

  “Hello?” I answered sweetly.

  “Elizabeth Augusta…” was as far as he got before I hung up the phone, finished my tea and went shopping.

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

  Auggie

  The conference room was full. Brandon sat at the head of the table and Dad sat at the other end. Beverly Dexter, a few of Dad’s friends and some people Brandon had invited were also there, including the administrator from Sunset Village. I sat to Dad’s right.

  Architectural drawings covered the table as well as various sheaths of paperwork which were being circulated for the appropriate signatures.

  Everyone there, it seemed, had an ulterior motive for their participation, but the end result was that things were moving rapidly forward.

  Brandon’s eyes were on me. He suspected Worth and I had a falling out and when the beauteous Ms. Dexter showed up in his office, he figured he knew the reason why.

  Beverly Dexter, fresh from her life-saving warning from me, owed me a certain amount of loyalty but she also was there to court some clients from Dad’s friends. Much to her delight, she discovered that Brandon was single as well and knew that his family was well-received and he could be considered quite a catch. It was like Christmas for her.

  Dad was there to get away from Mother and to support me, just as he’d promised. The administrator from Sunset Village was amazed that someone would make it their mission to improve his property, and therefore his vacancy rate. The rest of Dad’s friends all had mothers or fathers in the age range where they were becoming caretakers and having an investment in Sunset Village could mean a solution to the vast commitment and interruption about to impede their lives. Therefore, I learned that no matter the reason, people must have some stake in order to participate.

  Worth had been neither notified nor invited. His check still sat in my purse and I was debating whether to turn it in. If I did, it meant he would have a seat on this board and in the decision making, and that sting had not yet worn off for me. I hadn’t spoken to him since the meeting with Ms. Dexter. I either refused his calls or texts and didn’t answer the door when he came to call. Dad and Mother had respectfully looked the other way and that left Worth standing outside the door like a foundling. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could do it, but he had to know that he couldn’t treat me like that and get away with it. The question was… how far could I push him?

  We had managed to put offers on the parcels of land all around Sunset Village. I hoped that when Dad’s friends left today, their donations would allow the actual purchase. We had architectural designs to show how the additions could be added without impacting the existing structure and how the entire plan with stables and other external buildings could be integrated into an interesting and accessible way. Ms. Dexter’s knowledge and expertise, luckily, had come in extremely handy. I kept my fingers crossed that she wouldn’t learn the truth of my lies until our project was completed.

  When the meeting concluded, we parted with more than a half million dollars in our coffer, promises of more participation, an approved plan and the intent to break ground the very next day. I was on top of the world… until, that is, I thought about Worth and his betrayal of me. I sighed. And my betrayal of him.

  It was my job to organize fundraisers and I thought the first one could be a bachelor auction. I had tons of friends from school, many of whom were considered excellent catches. We would hold it at the Galt House and their dates would be as exotic as the bachelor was willing to sponsor.

  I had been making calls and already had twenty bachelors lined up. A call to the local radio station garnered me an emcee for the evening and the Galt House was glad to donate the use of one of their ballrooms for the event. Word spread quickly and I expected almost a hundred eligible young ladies to show up.

  “Thank you for agreeing to be one of the bachelors, Brandon,” I told him over the phone when he called to discuss foundation business. “I know you’ll bring in a pretty penny.”

  “Really? How much are you willing to pay for me?” he teased, but somehow I knew he wasn’t really teasing. “What’s up with ol’ LaViere, by the way. I haven’t heard you mention him and not seen him around. You two have a falling out?”

  “Let’s stick to foundation business for now, Brandon, could we? I don’t know where we stand and right now, I’m taking a hiatus. Listen, I’ve got more calls to make. Catch you later!” I hung up quickly before he asked any more invasive questions.

  My next call would be a surprise, I was sure. “Todd? This is Auggie,” I said to my police officer friend.

  “Auggie? Wow! I never expected to hear from you. What’s up?”

  “We’re having a bachelor auction to raise funds for the Sunset Village Foundation,” I began.

  “Oh, yeah, I heard that being talked about. People are saying you’ve bitten off quite a chunk, but it’s for a good cause. How can I help?”

  “I was hoping you might agree to be one of the eligible bachelors. Wear your uniform and all that? Would you, Todd?”

  He laughed, a quick barking sound. “Auggie, how much do you think I could bring? You’ve got some big names lined up from what I hear. Isn’t your boyfriend, the great Dr. LaViere, on the auction block?”

  “No, he isn’t. Todd, there are a ton of girls who would love to go out with you. Please help? It’s for a good cause,” I cajoled him.

  “Never could resist your pleas, Auggie. Okay, for you I will do it. But let’s get back to LaViere… are you two not an item anymore?”

  “It’s complicated, Todd. I’ll have a packet sent to you and really appreciate your participation. I’ll look forward to seeing you there that night.” I finished the conversation equally quickly and hung up. Worth had already put me in the gossip columns and I didn’t appreciate that in the least.

  ***

  The night of the bachelor auction came around and I’d spent the entire day at the Galt House, checking details and making sure everything was set up properly. Judging by the number of women in the lobby and waiting outside, I knew this was going to be highly successful and my goal was to raise another hundred thousand dollars or more.

  Curtain time came and the emcee was his usual charming self. Everyone began with playful bids on the lesser known individuals, local businessmen, college athletes, even a couple of jockeys. Todd had good-naturedly shown up and brought a couple of his officer friends with him. They went over a lot better than any of us expected, which just goes to prove the adage about a man in a uniform.

  Then came the moneyed set and here the stakes went up. Some of the biggest names in the state had young male studs who were available and there was no shortage of fillies willing to bid upon them. I waited until Bra
ndon came on the stage and just to get things going, I started the bidding myself at a thousand dollars. This drew some raised eyebrows and a babble of other females began throwing numbers at him. He was blushing, obviously embarrassed and continued to throw me hinting looks to bail him out.

  The bid was up to four thousand dollars when suddenly, amidst the havoc, a male voice rang out clearly above the audience.

  “A hundred thousand dollars,” called out the voice and I turned to see Worth standing tall and heads above the rest of the crowd at the back of the room. There was a hush and the emcee said, “Thank you, Dr. LaViere, I’m not sure we’ll have a bid higher than that — but sir, surely you don’t intend to go on a date with Mr. Knotts yourself?” This statement brought a titter through the crowd.

  “No, indeed. I believe Ms. Langford has my check already in her possession and I’m bidding on her behalf. Ms. Langford?” Worth was looking directly at me.

  I thought I would melt into the floor I was so embarrassed. I looked toward the emcee and saw the plea on Brandon’s face. He did not want to become a scandal. I had no choice. “Yes, Dr. LaViere arranged to donate the sizeable amount of one hundred thousand and asked that it be a surrogate bid for me on Mr. Knotts. There was a general groan from the remaining ladies as none of them could come close to that amount. The rumble of disappointment followed them as they left the auction. The emcee struck the gavel and the auction was over. My fiancé had just bought me a date with his arch nemesis and I wasn’t entirely certain whether I was in favor of it or not.

  I turned to catch up to Worth and only caught the back of his head just going down the stairway to leave the building. I trotted quickly in his direction and finally caught up to him just outdoors. “Worth!” I shouted.

  He stopped and turned, a sardonic look on his face. “Well, if it isn’t Ms. Langford. Hello, Auggie… ruin anyone’s future lately?”

  “You’re coming with me,” I said, running up to him and tugging on his sleeve.

  “Oh, and just where are we going?” he asked. “Don’t you have a date to set up inside?”

  “Forget that and come have a glass of wine or something with me.”

  “Well, now, I don’t know. I was just headed to Joe’s,” he put in, kicking the sidewalk with the toe of his shoe.

  “Joe’s? I can’t go in there, you know that.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Not funny, Worth. Come into the bar here and let’s talk.”

  “That’s odd, Ms. Langford. You’ve been gone several days, a couple of weeks, in fact, without speaking to me at all. Not only that, I seem to have lost an architect and that’s left me in quite a lurch. Wonder how that happened?” His scowl darkened. “I’m residing with a Mr. McLean who expects me to vacate in less than three months and I have no idea how I will do that. Would you like to talk about that, Ms. Langford?”

  I dragged him by the sleeve in the direction of the bar. “Stop your bullshit and let’s talk this out,” I told him, feeling the anger rising in my throat again. He was mad? Well, so was I. And he needed to learn early in our relationship what I would and wouldn’t tolerate.

  He said no more. I suppose he had tortured me enough by that point. We got drinks and settled at a quiet table in the furthest corner. Brandon walked into the bar and looked in my direction. I shook my head at him and he looked disappointed. I can’t say I blamed him as he was the prize steer at the auction and wanted to celebrate a bit — even if it was under odd circumstances.

  “Well, what have you to say for yourself, Auggie?” Worth wanted to know. He obviously hadn’t caught my exchange with Brandon.

  “Why did you give me the song and dance about needing my expertise and sense of responsibility and then undermine me to that woman… telling her I was responsible only for the… the ‘fripperies’ did you call it?”

  He rolled his eyes to the heavens. “Auggie, you don’t understand.”

  “Then why not explain it to me, Worth? Tell me why I thought you had my back and then you flushed me down the toilet.” I was fuming again and aware that my voice had risen and people were beginning to look at us. Coupled with the fact that Worth had just spent a hundred grand renting me a date for the night was bound to be the topic of gossip over many a breakfast table the next morning.

  “Look, Auggie, the woman is brilliant at what she does. Not only that, she has the connections and the crews to get our house done on schedule. We needed her. So, I had to charm her into accomplishing the impossible. She was flirting with me and rather than flirt back, which I knew you’d have a fit over, I decided to throw a challenge her way. If she thought you and I were an item, I couldn’t get her to pander to my needs if she thought it was a lost cause. You see now?” He seemed quite satisfied with his own explanation, not seeing the ethical downside of what he’d done.

  “Worth, first of all, the only person you are to be pandering to, is me. I’m to be your wife, damn it! That is, if we’re still on.”

  “Of course,” he said tersely, as if there had never been a question about that fact.

  I exhaled the breath I’d been holding. “Secondly, you have to stop manipulating people. It doesn’t work like that. I told you to stop it before, that it would come back to bite you because you’re not as good at it as you think you are. I believe I proved that little fact to you over this whole mess. Third, I’d like to know why a project that was to be decided by you and me, together, has suddenly turned into Worth’s project that Auggie is supposed to take second seat to. What else am I to be left out of? Do you think I have nothing to contribute?”

  “Auggie, that’s not true. There are just certain situations that call for techniques, shall we call them, that may not be all out on the table. It’s business and that’s something I learned well from my father. The point is, we’re hoping for the impossible, and she’s the only woman capable of delivering it.” He sat back, convinced that his rationale was the only one that made sense and that I should see the sense in his words immediately. He was wrong… so, so wrong.

  “Worth, we’re going to start over. You’re going to tell me, right here and now, which of the oars in this boat are to be my responsibility. Now and for the next eighty years. If you’re lucky enough to have me agree to them, which means that we’re still going to get married, then you cannot deviate from them… ever… at all. I’m a team player but I have equal say. Do we understand one another?”

  There really was nothing he could find fault with in what I was saying. He had to admit that I had a point and my requests were only fair. Just because it didn’t fall in line with his power-hungry play on the world didn’t mean he couldn’t concede, at least to me. He decided, wisely enough for him, to let me make my point.

  “Okay, Auggie, in this case, you’re right. I should not have overlooked your contributions or undermined your responsibilities. I should not have approached the architect without you at my side, but we had agreed to keep things quiet for now so that was hardly possible.”

  “Agreed,” I contributed.

  “I will not do it again, but you have to stop this high-handed willfulness of yours. I can’t always be wondering whether you’re pissed at something I’ve said or done and are taking it out on me with a dagger in my back.” He was a bit out of breath and I could hear his thoughts were very complete, if not even a bit rehearsed.

  “Very well,” I nodded. “Let’s agree from now on that we keep nothing back from one another. We are stronger together than if pitted against one another. God knows, we’re going to need to be strong when Mother finds out about this.”

  “You have yet to meet my father.” Worth grinned sardonically.

  “What would your father have against me?” I asked, puzzled.

  “Primarily, that you weren’t his idea. Add to that the facts that I moved out without his permission, bought out the clinic and got rid of one of his cronies, but most of all, that he’s getting older and losing his touch. He wants respect and he’s being overlooked.
He’s blaming it on you and me, I’m quite sure.”

  I looked at Worth with a question on my face.

  “No, he doesn’t know.” Worth read the look and I nodded in relief. We could only deal with one battle at a time.

  “Okay, peace?” I asked.

  “Peace,” he echoed. “Now, what the hell do we do about getting our house built?” he asked. “After all, I understand you have started a rumor that I’m ruined and unable to pay my debts. That’s pretty serious in our set, Auggie.”

  “I’ll spread it around that I was jealous and just said that to get back at you,” I suggested.

  “Well, that’s pretty much true, don’t you think?” He looked at me as if I was a naughty child. He caught himself at my frown and neutralized the look immediately. That was good. He was learning.

  I reached for his hand. “Let me see what I can do to fix this, okay? It may not happen in three months, but it will be soon, I promise.” He nodded.

  He was going to let me handle it, after all. He really didn’t have any choice in the matter.

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

  Auggie

  I suddenly had more on my plate than I could ever remember in my entire life. In fact, if anything, I could feel something building inside my stomach I’d never experienced — panic.

  I had a building project going on at Sunset Village that affected dozens of people in several different ways. I had given my word that the residents would not be affected during construction. I decided to go and visit Mrs. Jessup.

  Before I went there, however, I had some business to clear up. I called her number. “Hello?” answered Beverly Dexter.

  “Beverly, it’s Auggie.”

  “How are you? I have some quotes for you to look over. I thought we might meet at Brandon’s office when you’re both free.”

  I had so much on my mind, including the phrasing of what I was about to say, that I readily agreed. “That’s fine. But listen, Beverly, I have a confession to make.”