“How much does she have?” Roger asked, “Well, I don’t have an exact number but…”
“No!” Jen shouted, cutting him off. “How much do you owe?”
“Well,” Roger began, “it’s…” he fumbled his words.
“How much?” Jen repeated her tone curt and unfeeling.
Roger, knowing he was defeated finally answered her, “Eight point three, give or take.”
Jen was momentarily confused. “Thousand? Dad is that eight hundred thousand and three hundred?”
“No,” Roger answered simply, “eight point three million.”
Jen squeezed her eyes shut and clutched her stomach. “Oh Daddy, what have you done?” she cried.
“We can get out of this Jenny, we can. We can fix this; you have the power to make all of this go away. All we need is a little inheritance money from your aunt.”
“Eight million dollars is not a little inheritance, Roger!” she yelled as loudly as she dared. She always used his first name when she was mad at him. It helped her break the emotional ties and stay focused.
“She has at least that,” was the dim response.
“Are you kidding me? I’ve seen the way she lives. There is no way she has that much money.”
“I told you, she made some very smart investments in her lifetime. From my estimations she has closer to twelve.”
“Your estimations?” Jen asked, incredulous. “How the hell would you know?”
“I have connections Jen. You know that.”
“From trickery and manipulation to spying and bribery; the plot thickens.” Jen’s voice was thick with disgust.
“Don’t use that attitude with me,” Roger was putting on his daddy face. “I told you I would do whatever it took to take care of us and I have.”
“I won’t do it. I’m packing my bags and leaving tomorrow. I will not be a part of this.” Jen was reaching for her suit case but what Roger said next stopped her cold in her tracks.
“Oh come on Jenny, would you rather she leave it to some country bum out there that isn’t even her relative?”
Jen couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, she felt paralyzed as memories of conversations over the last few weeks flooded her brain. She felt another rise of nausea as Zack’s words came back to her, “I don’t want her getting hurt… You’re not here for any material reason?... Whatever you want you won’t get it from her… I’m the closest thing to family she has…”
Zack wanted in on the money! Her heart sank and she mentally slapped herself for not seeing it sooner. Zack wanted to be included in Aunt Gabby’s will!
“Holy shit!” Jen cursed under her breath. Of course! It all made sense now. He took care of her, helped around her house, took her places, cooked for her and even did her grocery shopping when she asked him to. She knew he was too good to be true. He was after an inheritance the same way she was. They were slime the both of them, competing for the affections of an elderly woman for no other reason than the money she possessed. Jen sat on the bed, all strength had left her and she suddenly felt cold.
“Jenny! Jenny!”
Jen came back to reality, realizing her father was still on the phone. She put it back to her ear.
“I’m here,” she almost whispered.
“Are you alright?” Roger asked, concerned.
“I have to go.”
“Don’t hang up on me Jenny.” Roger’s voice was stern.
“I just realized something Daddy. I have to go. I’ll call you later,” and without waiting for a response she hung up the phone.
She felt like she’d been punched in the stomach. Memories of dancing with Zack the night before came back to her. Were his perceived affections for her fake as well? Oh he was good. And she had fallen for it. Then another thought struck: did Zack really even care about Aunt Gabby or were his actions solely based on his greed? Clearly he felt entitled to the inheritance since he was the one that had been taking care of her. Jen began putting all the pieces together. Zack viewed her as a threat, which explained his being so suspicious of her when she first arrived. Were his rude comments a ploy to try and make her leave? If so, why had he apologized? Maybe it was a ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer’ type of mentality. But she wasn’t enemies with Zack, was she?
Her thoughts turned to her father and the firm. Would they really lose everything? The thought of the firm going under racked her soul with torment; it was everything her father had ever worked for. Jen felt a sadness overtake her. How could he have done this to her? Roger had made a terrible mistake, had lied to her, and was in a lot of trouble; however, he was right about one thing; her feelings toward Aunt Gabby were genuine. Could she say the same about Zack’s? Could she leave and let a person who didn’t actually care for her aunt swindle her out of her hard earned money? Did Zack deserve the money any more than she did? No! Absolutely not! Aunt Gabby needed her now more than ever. She would stay. She would make sure to protect Aunt Gabby. Zack wanted to play favorites? Well, two could play at that game.
Twenty minutes later Jen had cleaned up and was at the kitchen table with Aunt Gabby.
“I’m so happy that you’ve decided to come out here for the holidays!” Aunt Gabby said with glee. “Nothing could make me happier. I’ve gotten used to having you around.” She smiled and Jen returned it.
“I’ve gotten used to being here too, and I really enjoy it. So my plan is to head back to New York at the end of the summer and get some of my affairs in order. Then I’ll be back the middle of November and stay until the New Year if that sounds alright?”
Aunt Gabby reached for Jen’s hand. “That sounds perfect. I’m delighted to know you’ve found a place in your heart for your dear old aunt.”
“Oh Aunt Gabby,” she said, squeezing her hand, “I’m afraid you’re stuck with me now. I couldn’t stay away if I wanted to.”
About the Author
Ivy Alexander enjoys reading and baking, but writing is her true love and she’s found a home within the confines of her imagination, which is constantly coming up with new and exciting things! She has a love of complex characters which developed while in college as she studied historical figures. She lives in Arizona with her family.
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Thank you for purchasing this book! I am constantly coming up with new ideas for my writing, and I love feedback! Please connect with me via my Facebook Fanpage to comment, share ideas, and hang out!
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One Last Thing…
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
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Love is Thicker Than Blood (Country Romance Series) Page 8