Lawfully Devoted

by Jenna Brandt

  Zach wished he could have said anything to lighten the mood between them, but it seemed anything he did just made it worse. He wasn’t sure why, but she managed to get him to do and say things he couldn’t explain. It was better just to stay quiet.

  They spent the rest of the time in silence, both of them clicking on their phones until the bell rang.

  He debated about saying anything before he left. After a moment’s hesitation, he plucked off his name tag, crossed out the nickname and added, “Harley’s best friend” before putting it back on his chest.

  Erica glanced at it for a moment, then took in the meaning of the name change and the gesture behind it. Her eyes grew round with surprise. “That’s a lot better, Zach. Being a good officer and how you treat Harley is the best part about you. If you lead with that, you might actually get a girl to give you real consideration tonight.”

  “There’s only one woman here this evening that I want to do that. I’m looking at her,” he said with a sad grin. “Have a good night, Erica.”

  As Zach moved on to the next table, he realized it didn’t matter what else happened tonight, he wouldn’t be able to get Erica off his mind. Somehow, every time he saw her, she took up a little more room in his thoughts, and he wasn’t sure what to do about that.

  Six

  Erica’s ringing cell phone caused her to pause from prepping the cleaning tray for the next patient. She pulled it out of the pocket of her scrubs and looked at the screen. It had an unknown number, which made Erica wonder if it was a telemarketer.

  She hesitated for a moment, then decided to let it go to voicemail. She was at work anyway and didn’t want to make her boss mad. Placing her mask back over her face, she turned and buzzed the front desk, saying, “I’m ready for the next patient. You can send them in, Trudy.”

  Over the next couple of hours, she cleaned three sets of teeth, took two sets of X-rays, and assisted the doctor with two cavity fills. By lunch time, she was ready for a break. She made her way into the employee breakroom; a comfy chair, a cup of coffee, and her peanut butter and jelly sandwich calling to her.

  As she grabbed her lunch from the refrigerator, her phone buzzed, reminding her that she had a voicemail waiting for her. She pulled it out and clicked the button, then placed it to her ear.

  “Good morning, Miss Cruz. This is Theodore Braxton. I’m the attorney in charge of your father, Dominic Paulis’ estate. Please call me back at your earliest convenience so we can go over the details.” The man left a number where he could be reached before ending the message.

  She listened to the call three more times before she let the information sink in. Her mother never talked about her father. If it had been up to her mother, Erica would have never known anything about him; however, Erica had overheard her talking once to a friend and she had said her father’s first name. It had indeed been Dominic. Did this mean the man was actually talking about her long-lost father? If that was the case, did she even want to make contact? Had he decided to finally acknowledge her after all these years and wrote her into his will? What would she say to him if that was the case?

  When she couldn’t find the answers to the questions plaguing her, she decided she needed to get more information. Erica dialed the number, by the second ring, a friendly female voice said on the other end, “Good afternoon, this is Theodore Braxton’s office. How may I help you?”

  “This is Erica Cruz, returning Mr. Braxton’s phone call from earlier today.”

  “Oh, yes, Mr. Braxton has anxiously been awaiting your phone call. Please hold one moment while I transfer your call to his line.”

  There was a brief moment while the phone clicked and then there was a buzz before the same, deep male voice from the earlier message came booming through the phone.

  “Good afternoon, Miss Cruz. Thank you for calling me back.”

  “What’s this about, Mr. Braxton? Are you sure you even have the right person? I’ve never met my father. I’m not close enough to be put in his will. Shouldn’t he have contacted me directly to let me know rather than have you do it for him?”

  “There are extenuating circumstances, Miss Cruz. If you’re willing to meet with me, I can go over all of it with you. I’m based out of Amsterdam, but I’ve flown into Denver hoping we could meet as soon as possible.”

  Erica thought about it for a moment, wondering what she should do. It was times like this, she wished her mother was still alive. What she wouldn’t give to ask her for advice and see what she thought she should do. Her mother’s death had been hard four years ago. If it hadn’t been for Lindsay, she wasn’t sure if she would have ever recovered. Erica supposed she could talk with Lindsay about the situation, but her friend was at work. Erica didn’t want to disrupt whatever she might be doing.

  “I suppose I can meet you after work today,” Erica stated. “Where would you like me to meet you?”

  “I’ve arranged for us to meet at the office of a friend of mine. I’ll have my assistant email the information over.”

  Erica ended the phone call and reclined back in her chair. She wasn’t sure what to make of the situation, but she knew one thing for certain, she needed to pray about it.

  Silently, she bent her head and started to pray. Dear Lord, please help me today. Show me how to handle all of this. Prepare my heart for whatever I’m about to find out about my father. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.

  Erica finished her lunch, then went back to work. Five patients later, she was finishing up the last of the paperwork before she was free to head out.

  On the drive over to Denver, she couldn’t help but let her mind drift back to her childhood. How different it would have been if she had had a father growing up. Granted, they had not wanted for anything financially. Her mother did a great job of taking care of Erica, but it was the events he missed that stung. All the father/daughter dances he never took her to, the Halloween costumes he never saw, the birthday wishes he never asked her to tell, and the cheers he never screamed when she did well at a school event. What she wouldn’t have given to have a father like her friends did.

  She only asked her mother once why her father was gone. She had seen the pain in her mother’s eyes as she told Erica that he was gone and he was never going to be in their lives because of choices he made before Erica was born. The conversation had been so difficult, Erica never brought him up again.

  As she arrived at the downtown office, she parked her car just outside. She tightly clutched the steering wheel, taking a deep breath to steady herself before she went inside. Whatever she found out in there, it was going to change her life in one way or another. Perhaps, it wasn’t too late for her to establish a relationship with her father. If he wanted her to be in his will, maybe this was his way of letting her know he cared.

  Erica exited her car, slung her purse over her shoulder, and made her way up the steps and through the double glass doors of the office building. She looked for the elevator, and found it towards the middle of the entryway. She punched the up button and a few moments later, the car arrived. She stepped inside and pushed the tenth floor, just as a man rushed up behind her and slid between the doors before they closed.

  He turned and faced the front, standing closer to her than was necessary in the oversized elevator. He glanced over at her several times, but didn’t say anything. Each look was a little longer than the last, making Erica nervous. Finally, she inquired, “Is there something I can help you with?”

  “No, I didn’t mean to bother you. I’m just watching the floors as we go up,” the man said in a thick Dutch accent.

  Though his answer seemed plausible, she wondered if he was telling the truth. The thickly built man was wearing dark jeans, a black t-shirt, and leather coat. His long dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail. His attire didn’t seem to fit the type of people she assumed would be doing business in the swanky office building.

  Chastising herself for being so judgmental, Erica told herself not to worry about what he was doing
there. Before anything else was said, the elevator stopped, chiming their arrival. “If you’ll excuse me, this is my floor,” she said as the elevator’s door slid open and she stepped off.

  As she started to move away, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the man still staring at her as if he was indeed interested in her. Just before the doors closed and the elevator continued up, a cold chill shot up her back. What was wrong with that guy?

  Pushing the thought aside, she made her way down the end of the hall until she reached the designated suite. She turned the knob and entered.

  A young brunette woman sat at a reception desk just inside. She smiled as Erica approached. “You must be Erica Cruz. Mr. Braxton has been waiting for you. Why don’t you follow me?” she directed, standing up and gesturing for Erica to walk behind her. “Can I get you something to drink? A cup of coffee or a bottle of water, perhaps?”

  “Coffee would be great,” Erica stated with gratitude.

  They arrived outside a giant conference room lined with glass windows. Through them, she saw a man sitting at the large table, reading documents. The woman tapped on the door and then cracked it open. “Miss Cruz is here to see you, Mr. Braxton.”

  “Thank you, Tara,” the older man with grey hair, a ruddy complexion, and glasses stated as he stood up and gestured for Erica to come to a chair next to him. “Why don’t you come join me?”

  Erica did as he requested, pushing back all the questions that were threatening to come flooding out if she opened her mouth.

  “As I mentioned before, I called on behalf of your father, Dominic Paulis.”

  “Yes, I was wondering if he set all this up, do you happen to have his contact information?”

  Mr. Braxton shook his head as a troubled look crossed his face. “Oh no, oh no, I think there’s been a misunderstanding, or I didn’t make things clear. I’m calling to settle your father’s estate.”

  “Wait, what does ‘settle’ mean?” Erica asked in confusion. “I don’t understand what’s going on.”

  The man let out a heavy sigh, as he took off his glasses and leaned back in his chair. “I regret to inform you, Miss Cruz, but your father passed away a little over a month ago. It happened in the Bahamas, and they had to ship the body back to Amsterdam before he was cremated.” Mr. Braxton pulled out a gold urn from behind his chair and placed it on the desk. “He wanted you to be in charge of his remains.”

  “He didn’t give any instructions?” Erica asked with apprehension. “I don’t want to do the wrong thing.”

  Mr. Braxton shook his head. “No, he said it was up to you.”

  Erica reached out and hesitantly took the urn. “Thank you for getting this to me. I’ll make sure he’s taken care of.” She rose to her feet, getting ready to head out of the conference room.

  “Wait, that’s not everything,” the lawyer said, stopping her with his voice. “I have the rest of his will here, and I need to go over it with you.”

  “Oh, all right,” Erica said sitting back in her seat.

  “Miss Cruz, your father had a sizable estate when he passed away. He had several properties in the United States as well as in Europe and the Bahamas along with multiple vehicles at each location and household contents. Additionally, he had several large bank accounts he left for you.”

  “He did?” Erica asked with incredulousness. “I can’t quite figure out why he would. He never met me.”

  “Not for lack of wanting to,” the lawyer stated defensively. “He was honoring your mother’s wishes. He wanted you to understand, so he wrote you this letter, to be given to you upon his death.”

  My Dear Daughter, Erica,

  I know I’m the last person you expected to receive a letter from. If you’re reading this, it means I’m no longer here. I wish things could have been different. I wish I had made different choices when I was young, but I was stupid, and my stupidity cost me dearly. Most notably, in the form of having any known presence in your life; however, I want you to know, not a day went by that I didn’t think about you. I kept up with your achievements over the years, and I was so proud of your accomplishments in high school, at your church, and at work as a dental assistant. You’ve turned into a fine young lady. Though I didn’t have anything to do with that directly, I would like to think the checks I sent your mother over the years made life a little bit easier for the both of you.

  Erica stopped reading for a moment as she processed what she read so far. Not only did her father keep tabs on her, he had been sending money to them. She had always wondered how they lived so comfortably on her mother’s small salary, and now she had the answer.

  When I found out your mother died, I wanted to reach out to you, but I thought it best if I didn’t. The choices I made couldn’t be undone. I also thought about sending you money, but was worried you wouldn’t want it after what I can only imagine your mother told you about me. I’m not denying any of it, because she had every right to hate me and what I did. I never deserved either of you, though I loved you both dearly and made the decisions I did to keep you both free from the consequences of my choices. I love you, Erica, and hope that you make a great life for yourself. Now that I’m gone, I hope what I leave you, can in some way, make up for all that you didn’t have because of my absence growing up.

  Your Father,

  Dominic

  Erica folded the letter and put it next to the urn. She pressed her lips together, blinking several times before asking, “What if I don’t accept whatever he left me?”

  “It doesn’t work that way, Miss Cruz. You have to take your inheritance; however, whatever you chose to do with it after you receive it is completely up to you.”

  “I can give it all away then?” she confirmed. “I’m not required to keep any of it?”

  The man shook his head. “No, but honestly, before you make any rash decisions, you should take some time and consider your options before you do anything. Perhaps take a vacation and visit a few of his properties.”

  “Where exactly are they?” Erica asked out of curiosity.

  “Here is an itemized account of his assets at the time of his death,” Mr. Braxton said, pushing a massive list over to her. “The total value of the estate is at the top.”

  Erica pulled the papers towards her. As her eyes fell on the total with nine zeros behind it, she gasped. “This can’t be right.”

  “I assure you, Miss Cruz, it is. You’ve joined the most elite club in the world.”

  “I can’t believe this,” she whispered in shocked skepticism. “Is this some kind of joke? Is there a camera somewhere?”

  Glancing around the room, she waited for people to pop out and tell her she was on a practical joke show of some sort. This just couldn’t be happening.

  “Miss Cruz, this is real. Your father was a billionaire and he left you everything he had, which in turn, makes you one of the youngest billionaires in the world.”

  The rest of the meeting passed in a blur as Mr. Braxton went over what she needed to know and how she needed to handle her end of things. She walked out of the lawyer’s office with her father’s urn in one arm and a stack of papers declaring her a billionaire in the other.

  As she got in her car, she went on autopilot and drove to the only place she could think to go. An hour later, she was knocking on Lindsay’s front door.

  Her best friend opened it, already wearing her pajamas. Erica glanced at them. A blush creeped across her face as she said, “I’m sorry. I know it’s late. I just didn’t know where else to go.”

  “Another bad date?” Lindsay asked with sympathy as she stepped back so Erica could enter. “Come on in.”

  “I wish it was just that. I can’t believe that’s what I used to complain about. Is Aiden home?”

  “No, he got called out. He’s probably going to be gone most of the night. What’s going on with you?” Lindsay asked with concern as they made their way into the living room and sat on the couch next to each other.

  “I just
came from meeting a lawyer in Denver,” Erica started.

  “What are you talking about? What happened?” Lindsay probed, her voice raising in both volume and pitch.

  “It turns out, my father passed away.”

  “All right. I’m not sure what that has to do with you, since you never knew the man.”

  “Right, but I guess that was only one-sided. Apparently, he was watching me from a distance my whole life. He even sent checks to my mother to help take care of me.”

  “Really? Why didn’t he try to reach out to you?”

  “He left me a letter, though it’s rather vague in nature,” Erica said, pulling the paper from her purse and handing it to her friend. “It does make one aspect clear though, he didn’t just stop caring all of a sudden. Something made him stay away, whether it was something he did or something he was involved with.”

  “Maybe he had a second family,” Lindsay said. “You hear stories about that all the time.”

  “No, I don’t think so. Not after what I found out he left me in his will.”

  “What did he leave you?”

  Erica took a breath, unsure if she was ready to say it out loud. Once she did, it would make it real and she would have to figure out what to do next. “Just over two billion dollars’ worth of assets and money.”

  “What?” Lindsay shrieked, her eyes growing wide in astonishment. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Nope,” Erica said shaking her head. “And I’m his sole heir. Nobody else was named, which debunks that whole second family theory of yours.”

  “I can’t believe this,” Lindsay whispered. “My best friend’s a billionaire.”

  “Whoa, hold on there. I haven’t even decided if I’m going to keep it.”

  “What do you mean, you don’t know if you will? Of course you are. Think of all the good things you can do with it, not to mention, the massive shopping spree you could have with it.”