by Aubree Lane
“I have heard that the bulk of Alexander’s estate will not be going to Hannah, as we all expected. It will be used to pay off the debt he acquired. The stock market was not kind to him these last few years. I believe Hannah is hoping to use Erika as a means to recoup some of the fortune she lost when Alexander passed away.”
Annie instantly dismissed the idea. “She hasn’t asked for money. She hasn’t asked for anything. She didn’t even show up at the custody hearing.” Then as this new concept began to sink in and knowing how Hannah’s mind worked, Annie began to see the wisdom of Mrs. Barrington’s theory. Hannah was using Erika. She hadn’t shown up at the custody hearing because she believed Larry would be granted temporary guardianship. Hannah knew he would never allow Erika to be returned to her, and that he would do anything to keep that from happening, including paying her off.
The ploy was completely unnecessary, neither Larry nor Terence would ever give up their child, but the idea of unconditional love was not in Hannah’s wheelhouse.
“Is it your opinion that Hannah would be willing to give up custody of Erika if the price was right?” Annie asked tentatively.
“It most definitely is.”
Annie mulled this over a few moments until Mrs. Barrington interrupted her thoughts.
“I have also heard from Mr. Javier that you will be traveling to Hawaii in a few days.”
Mrs. Barrington was full of surprises and kept flinging them at Annie one right after the other. Annie wondered where it would end. “He calls you?”
“Yes, dear. We have become good friends.”
“Have you told him your suspicions about Hannah?”
“No. I felt you were the proper person to inform him. I also believe you should pass the information on for David Crandall to look into. He is exceptionally skilled at that sort of thing. Regardless of what you decide to do with this information, I believe everything will work out and Erika will grow up happy and secure.”
Annie had never seen this side of Mrs. Barrington. She realized she committed a cardinal sin as her design consultant. Annie failed to get to know the woman. This revelation explained why this project had been so difficult to accomplish. This caring and understanding person sitting in front of Annie today had to be the Mrs. Barrington that Terence saw, and Annie could see why he would enjoy her company.
“What else do you and Terence talk about?” Annie asked.
“Are you asking if we talk about you?” Mrs. Barrington said, getting straight to the point. “Of course we do. You are his favorite subject and to be perfectly honest, I am disappointed in you, Miss Harper.”
The only time Mrs. Barrington called her Miss Harper was when she was in trouble and Annie braced herself for another one of her reprimands.
Instead, Mrs. Barrington leaned forward and patted Annie’s knee. “He loves you. I’m disappointed you didn’t quit this job and follow your heart.” Then she sat up and looked around her room. “Although, I am quite pleased with the way my home looks. I couldn’t have done it without you and for that I’m grateful.” She reached behind the chair and brought out a bag with the Beautiful Bodies imprint on it, Mrs. Barrington’s new business venture. Together with her sister-in-law, she developed a line of organic beauty products that was just beginning to branch out onto the World Wide Web. “My gift to you, call it a bonus for your exceptional work.”
Annie began to salivate. She loved the products, especially the Citrus Scrub. It made her skin feel absolutely fabulous, and Mrs. Barrington was giving her an entire shopping bag’s worth of goodies. She peeked inside to see exactly what she scored when she noticed an envelope with her name on it. She picked it up and opened it. It was a one-way airline ticket to Honolulu.
“Your flight leaves tomorrow out of Lindberg Field with a connection in LAX. Use your time well, and if you decide not to come back, I will help convince your clients that Phoebe is perfectly capable of completing their projects without you.”
Annie was dumbfounded and blurted out, “Are you trying to put me out of business?”
Mrs. Barrington smiled sweetly. “Would that be so bad?”
Little did Mrs. Barrington know that if she decided to say in Hawaii, it would be up to Nathan, not Phoebe, to finish their long list of projects. In a few weeks, Phoebe would follow her to Hawaii. The designs Annie created, despite all her cost saving ideas, were still too expensive. It was time for Phoebe to stretch her wings. She was the one with the inside track on how to create cheap beautiful designs. Annie had called on Phoebe many times to work her magic in order to avoid cost overruns.
Larry had given Annie her chance to shine, and Annie was determined to give Phoebe hers. She had already discussed the idea with Phoebe, who didn’t have any problem spending several months working for peanuts in paradise. Now all Annie had to do was clear it with Lena.
Chapter 14
David walked into Marissa’s office grinning from ear to ear. “Annie hit pay dirt again. She’s making my job simple.”
It hadn’t really been all that easy. He’d spent hours at the library going over the city directory, then he waited in line at the DMV. He followed that up by going to the tax assessor, and the voter’s registrar office. Then he was off to the county courthouse, where he checked in with the county clerk, and the deed of records. He finished up the long tiresome day at the probate office as he meticulously tracked down most of Alexander Turner’s personal and public information.
David knew there was an abundance of information out there waiting for any poor schmuck willing to take the time to discover it. He had invested in a pair of comfy shoes for these long boring days. Not having to deal with sore feet helped make the task a little more palatable.
While standing in a multitude of different lines was tedious, it didn’t smell nearly as bad as scrounging through someone’s trash, as long as you didn’t count a couple of the public restrooms he found himself having to use during the course of the day.
David placed a file in front of Marissa and spelled out his findings. “Alexander was close to bankruptcy. Hannah isn’t going to get much, except for what was set aside years ago in a trust fund. She’s not destitute, but I bet she’s feeling the pinch. The house is going up for auction in order to pay Alexander’s debt. In a few months, Hannah will be homeless.”
“What about the law firm? Will she receive any money from that?”
“Would you if your father passed away?”
Marissa leaned back in her chair and frowned. “I don’t know.”
David smiled. That wasn’t a phrase he heard often from his wife. “Most of what you’ll get will come from Larry’s personal estate. The firm is not part of that. It never has been. Your father draws a hefty salary and will continue to draw a portion of the firm’s proceeds upon his retirement. When your father passes away, those proceeds will pass on to you, but the current head honcho, whoever that might be at the time, has the option of paying you off in a one lump sum. Knowing this,” he continued. “It’s conceivable that Hannah is in for a windfall, but the actual stipulations of Alexander’s Last Will and Testament have not been made public. Either way, I’m relatively certain the State of California will be making out far better than Hannah Turner.”
Marissa scowled. “I don’t appreciate you lumping Alexander and my father in the same category, even if it’s only for the purpose of comparison.”
Alexander and Larry started out as partners, and Larry’s recent actions showed David just how close to the cloth the two men were cut, but Marissa didn’t need or want his opinion on that subject, so he chose not to reply.
Marissa tapped an impatient pencil on her desk. “So if we pay off Alexander’s debt and let Hannah keep the house, she might relinquish custody.”
David didn’t think so. “She might, but your father won’t go for it. He wants to win this in court.”
Marissa shook her head. “That’s risky. Daddy is in excellent health, but his age is a detriment. I don’t like the odds.�
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“Could Terence win? That would be the best thing for Erika.”
Marissa sucked in an angry breath and pursed her lips, making it clear she did not care for that option. “The odds of that happening are even longer. The best he can realistically hope for is some kind of visitation, and even that would be extremely limited.”
David had been mulling over another alternative but had been hesitant to bring it up. Now seemed like the right time, if nothing else, it would get him out of hot water with his wife for having the gall to compare her father to Alexander Turner. “What about us? We are young and healthy. We could give Erika a stable environment to grow up in. She’s your sister. She could be happy with us.”
Marissa took in another breath, but this time her eyes softened, and a smile played upon her lips. “I love you more every day. Thank you, but we are way down the totem pole. Our best bet is to get daddy to fork over some cash.”
Chapter 15
“Erika, will you please settle down,” Miss Murphy scolded. “You haven’t finished a single assignment. I know you’re anxious to play with all your new things, but your math comes first!”
Erika couldn’t concentrate. She kept hopping from foot to foot as if she needed to use the bathroom. Miss Murphy didn’t know what to make of it. Perhaps Mr. Javier knew what was behind Erika’s inability to focus. She smiled to herself knowing this presented the perfect opportunity for her to speak with the young lady’s father. It wasn’t even an excuse. Erika’s behavior was unacceptable.
Miss Murphy rose from the table. “Erika, for the last time, will you please sit down and work on this problem. I need to speak with your father. Try to finish at least one row of problems while I’m gone.”
• • •
Terence had the door to his office open as was his habit. Typically, he liked hearing what was going on in the house. He didn’t want Erika feeling cut off from him, even while he was working. With the door open, he could easily ask Erika a question as she walked by or be on hand to referee any arguments between her and one of the uncountable number of friends she had over almost every afternoon.
Today he wished he’d kept the door closed. Knowing Miss Murphy was headed his way did not make him happy. Ever since Lena pointed out the crush the girl had on him he began to feel uncomfortable in her presence. Now he was able to see her flirtatious behavior for what it was, and he didn’t have a clue how to deal with it. Part of him wanted to let her go, and hire a different, more grandmotherly type of tutor, but Erika was performing well under her tutelage, and he couldn’t justify disrupting Erika’s routine.
So far, he’d been able to put off Miss Murphy’s advances by simply playing dumb, but she was becoming increasingly obvious and aggressive. He hoped to maintain the status quo until after Annie’s arrival later tonight. Once she was here, he was certain Miss Murphy would get the message and stick to tutoring Erika and keep her unwanted overtures to herself.
Miss Murphy’s blonde head peeked in the doorway. She tilted her head and seductively twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “Terence, may I speak with you a moment?”
He couldn’t see a way to refuse her request graciously, so he tried to appear as busy and as distracted as possible. “I’m pretty swamped right now. Can it wait?”
Miss Murphy stepped into his office and moved right in. She slipped into the chair Annie once slept in. He remembered how beautiful and relaxed Annie looked that day, and a small smile crossed his face.
Miss Murphy’s eyes widened and her smile suddenly beamed brightly in his direction. Terence realized she must have thought he was smiling at her. He dropped his gaze and shuffled some papers around on his desk. Terence looked at the mess he made of his work and told himself to get it together. “Is there a problem?” he asked gruffly.
She smoothed her short skirt and crossed her ankles. He had to admit, she had lovely legs, which were entirely too womanly for his daughter’s tutor to have. He wished he could think of the young woman as a teenager again, but Lena had ruined that image forever.
Miss Murphy coyly cocked her head and batted her long black eyelashes. “Erika seems distracted. I think I should stay late to help her get her work done.”
Terence turned his back to the flirtatious schoolteacher and stuck his head in a filing cabinet. “We are both distracted today,” he explained. “My girlfriend is arriving tonight, and it’s been too long since we’ve seen her.” He cringed at how childish his description of Annie sounded. She was much more than a mere girlfriend and he rushed to rectify his blunder. “Actually, girlfriend is not the correct―”
“I understand,” Miss Murphy jumped in, “but I don’t mind staying, and if we get hungry, I can always whip us up something for dinner.”
Terence had enough. He slammed the drawer to the filing cabinet shut, and faced her. “No! Miss Murphy, you will not stay late today or any other day. As I just tried to explain, a very special person is arriving this evening, and she will be staying with us for as long as possible, hopefully forever. Erika is simply too excited, and I’m not doing much better. I think a better idea would be for you to take the rest of the week off and we’ll pick school up again on Monday.”
For a moment the young educator seemed flustered, and Terence was optimistic that she finally realized how far she had crossed the line.
Miss Murphy rose out of her seat. “Maybe that would be best.” Her eyes were filled with sympathy as she rounded his desk. She reached out and squeezed his shoulder. “I see how hard this is for you. Of course I’ll give you a few days to work things out.”
Terence watched her glide out of the door and understood exactly why Lena had been so upset. The girl was insane! What was with the sympathetic eyes and giving him time to work things out? Did she think he planned on breaking up with Annie so he could be with her?
Miss Murphy was not the twelve-year-old he had pictured in his mind, and her actions had a distinct Hannah quality about them. He was going to have to watch his step. Terence was not going to let Miss Murphy or anyone else mess up his relationship with Annie. At the first hint of trouble, Miss Murphy would be gone, and he and Erika would be in the market for a new tutor.
• • •
Annie’s flight arrived at Honolulu International Airport at eleven-fifteen. Forty-two minutes behind schedule. For the past six hours and twenty-two minutes she had been envisioning her and Terence’s glorious reunion and was totally deflated when he was not there to meet her.
Mrs. Barrington’s gift had been kind, but the headwinds her flight encountered were not. Annie was exhausted and she silently cursed Mrs. Barrington for booking such a late arriving flight, then she cursed the headwinds for ruining her fairytale airport moment.
She glanced anxiously around for Terence’s face, hoping she had simply missed him in the crowd. Once she was convinced he truly hadn’t arrived, she turned towards the baggage claim area to retrieve her luggage. The light above the conveyor belt flashed her flight number, and a cluster of people moved in ahead of her. Deciding not to fight the traffic jam of travelers, she plopped down on a concrete barrier to idle the time away before she and Terence were together again.
The crowd around the baggage claim area thinned, and Annie easily found her bags. She proceeded towards the nearest exit and hoped her ride would be arriving soon.
“Going my way?” A familiar voice hummed behind her. She felt Terence’s arms slip around her waist and his lips brush against the back of her neck.
Her luggage tumble to the floor. Annie spun around in his arms and covered his face with a mass of small quick kisses. “I’m so happy you’re here!”
He leaned down and grabbed her belongings. “I hate to ruin the moment, but I left my car in front of the terminal. It will get towed if we don’t hurry.”
Annie fell in behind him. If this was Los Angeles, his car would already be gone and he would be facing a steep fine. She hoped, in this instance only, that security was as laid back as the rest
of the island. Spending what was left of the night getting Terence’s car released from the impound lot was not her idea of a good time.
They rounded the corner and saw a security guard reporting the unattended vehicle into his walkie-talkie. Terence tossed Annie’s bags into the backseat and jumped behind the wheel as he shouted his apologies to the guard.
Terence hadn’t even taken the time to lock his car, also unheard of in LA.
Annie dodged the back of the guard’s arm, which was definitely not raised in the Shaka friendly island hand gesture, and slipped into the passenger seat an instant before Terence squealed away from the curb.
“That was close,” Annie said when they were safely on the road and out of the airport. She realized it was just the two of them. Someone was missing. “Where is Erika? I thought she’d be with you.”
He flashed her a sly smile. “It’s past her bedtime. She’s spending the night at Lena’s.”
“What? I thought we decided not to ship her off while I was here.”
“You decided that, I didn’t,” Terence laughed. “Don’t worry, it’s only for one night.” He reached over and took her hand. “It’s good to have you back.”
Mrs. Barrington’s words about following her heart rang in her ears. Annie had covered her bases back home and didn’t need to return for quite some time. Staying with him forever was even a possibility, but that was something they had not discussed. Annie thought it would be prudent to play it by ear for a few days before bringing up the subject, but needing a read on where their relationship was headed, she blurted out, “It’s going to be hard to leave.”
