I watched Austin Spencer’s face and saw the briefest hint of chagrin. “I think, for now, it’s incumbent upon me to see to your father’s instructions to the letter. Would you kindly give me today to follow through and we can meet tomorrow and I’ll share what I can with you?”
“It will only take a second to tell me if you know if she’s alive or dead. Considering my father has just died, don’t you think I deserve that much?”
“Your sister is very much alive.”
Dylan paled and sank back into a chair. “Dear God.How could he have kept that from me?”
“I don’t think it was his intent to cause you harm.”
“The hell it wasn’t. That’s quite a tidbit to keep hidden for a dozen years.”
“Mr. Cruz, I didn’t know your father well.”
“Yeah, well maybe that’s a good thing.”
“But I’m sure he had reasons for what he did.”
“Reason one being that he was one sick bastard.”
“Please try to stay calm. You can’t change anything by getting upset.”
“Dylan,” I chimed in, “Let’s go back to El Loco. Give Mr. Spencer the time he asked for. Tomorrow you’ll be able to think clearer.”
“I hope you’re right, Rene. Because right now all I want to do is break something. How could he do this to me?” He was shouting in Spencer’s face and I felt bad for the lawyer. It wasn’t his fault Jackson Cruz had done what he’d done.
I took his hand as Spencer took a step backward. I couldn’t blame the attorney for being slightly afraid of Dylan. The storm raging inside him was frightening. “Mr. Spencer isn’t to blame. The person to blame is in there and he’s dead. Please. You have to calm down.”
“Calm down? Why the hell do I have to calm down? I’ve just been told the person I loved the most in the world, who disappeared from my life in an instant, has been alive and I’ve missed knowing her for twelve years! I’d say that qualifies as not calm at all.”
“Dylan, can you take a moment out of your anger to find some joy in knowing she’s still alive?” When I asked that question, everything on Dylan’s face changed. He looked at me and I could see the light switch flip on inside his eyes. Then he laughed and began to cry.
“Oh God. Oh God. You’re right, my angel. She’s alive. She. Is. Alive. She’s just a year older than you are. She was only ten when . . . now she’s all grown up. I’ll bet she’s so beautiful. She was the most beautiful little girl you’d ever want to see.”
I watched the emotions play over his handsome face. I loved how expressive his face was; how much he could say with those gorgeous blue eyes. I wanted to lick the tears of joy and taste his happiness on my tongue. I wanted to celebrate that beautiful smile with a kiss.
“Let’s leave Mr. Spencer to his grim business, shall we? Try to be thankful that your father had the sense to spare you that much.”
“You’re right.” Dylan balanced on his crutches and held out a hand for the solicitor. “Sorry to take it out on you, Mr. Spencer. I appreciate your help.”
“Not to worry, son.” He reached into his breast pocket and handed Dylan his card. “I understand that you’ve had quite the shock. I’ll expect you tomorrow morning and we’ll sort through it together.”
We were quiet on the ride back to El Loco.
Dylan stared vacantly out the car window. I knew he would be remembering Dawn, maybe wondering what she looked like now, what she’d been doing all the lost years and how great it would be to reconnect with her. At least, that’s what I hoped he was thinking about.
His happiness had become almost as important to me as my own. I knew that Jackson Cruz was a poisonous man and I wanted Dylan to push him out of his mind. It became important to me that Dylan close that ugly chapter. I wasn’t interested in him forgiving his father as much as I was in him forgetting the man who caused him so much pain. Hopefully, Dylan would have an easier time with that prospect than I.
A few minutes into the ride, I finally stopped thinking about Jackson and Dawn and Dylan and realized that for the second time in twenty-four hours, my life had once again changed dramatically. I doubted that Dylan would be taking some manager’s job in the hotel chain. That option didn’t seem too realistic.
The big question was the matter of Jackson’s will. There were a number of possibilities and most of them did not bode well for any future together. The old man could have left a fortune to his son or nothing. Or, he could have maintained the status quo and left him a trust to keep him in the same kind of limbo he’d been in for the past several years.
Part of me hoped he’d been left nothing. I could wrap my head around starting a life with Dylan just as poor as most other young couples I knew. We’d be on an equal footing. We could go forward and face all the adventures an ordinary life holds. That sounded so normal. So much of Dylan wasn’t ‘normal’ that the notion was kind of appealing. Yeah. Normal.
I was terrified that he’d been left everything. My little middle class self had no place in that world. I wasn’t even sure if he’d want me anymore if he became a gazillionaire. I turned to look at him and instantly felt rotten for even thinking that. Surely I thought better of him than to consider that he’d dump me when he had more dough. And, for a brief period of time when we first met I had thought he was filthy rich. It didn’t make him any less attractive.
And what about the status quo option? I reasoned we could live with that. We could have normal with a cushion. He had wanted to do something with his life before Jackson Cruz died. There was no reason to think that he had changed his mind about that.
Up in the air was a place I was starting to become way too familiar with.
Chapter 10—Dylan
“Mr. Spencer, I’d appreciate it if you’d just get to the point. I want to know where my sister is.”
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that. As I explained, your father has made some complicated provisions in his will.”
“Let me make this crystal clear. I don’t care about the money, the company or my father’s provisions. I just want to find Dawn.”
“I can’t give you any information about your sister other than what I’ve already told you.”
“You’ve told me only that she’s alive.”
“Precisely. That’s the only information I can give you at this time.”
“But you do know where she is, correct? Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to inform her that she’s now a very wealthy woman.”
“Three years is not a long time, Mr. Cruz.”
“Three years is forever. I don’t know what perverse thought process went into this bizarre scheme, but I hold you partially responsible.”
“I am following my client’s wishes to the letter. If you persist in trying to violate the provisions of the will, the net result will be that you will deprive not only yourself, but your sister as well. It’s very clear.”
“Can you give me any rational reason why my father would will us his estate and make it contingent on my having no contact with my sister until she’s thirty?”
“You’ve been amply provided for until that time. And, you and you alone have control of the company. Your sister inherits half of your father’s assets when she reaches thirty, but you have the opportunity to step into a powerful position in a successful organization.”
“That didn’t answer my question. WHY?”
“I base my answer on what your father told me when we drafted this will several years ago. It was his thought that he wanted to give both of you a chance to mature before you reunited. I think he thought you both needed to heal independently.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
“Be that as it may, that’s the gist of it.”
“I’m pretty sure we could sue the estate. The courts would find this travesty as arbitrary and insane as I do.”
“Mr. Cruz, your father did not have to leave you a penny. Nor your sister. I assure you that I am a very competent attorney. If you insist on breaki
ng the terms of the will, both of you will wind up with nothing. Are you willing to jeopardize your sister’s future for the sake of thirty six months?”
“But it’s been twelve years already!”
“I know it’s hard on you. But you and Dawn are both young. You have many, many years to enjoy one another after you reunite.”
“Why hasn’t she tried to find me? I haven’t been hiding. Haven’t changed my name. She could easily have looked me up. Why didn’t she?”
“I haven’t got an answer for you. I’m sorry.”
“I’m sailing tomorrow,” I said finally. I was frustrated and afraid I was going to do or say something I’d really regret. The lawyer was intractable. Nothing short of water boarding was going to squeeze the information I wanted out of him.
“Is that wise? The company will be looking to you for guidance.”
“Well, I can’t give them any. I don’t know jack about running a chain of hotels. The company is going to have to run itself while I figure my life out.”
“If that’s the case, you’re going to need to transfer certain powers of attorney to someone else. Decisions continue to have to be made.”
“I’ll leave that up to you and the Board of Directors to sort out. I’ll sign whatever you need me to sign. Surely the Board will recognize that I need time to get it together. No one walks into a multi-billion dollar organization and starts running it just because they can. I’m not stupid enough or egotistical enough to think that a business degree and sailing around on a yacht are sufficient qualifications to do my father’s job.”
“But you could stay and acclimate yourself. I’m sure the board will be patient.”
“I don’t want to stay and acclimate myself. I want to get on my boat and get away from here fast. My mother may be a nut case, but you have to admit my father was pretty Looney Tunes himself. And, Mr. Spencer, I hold you responsible for not talking him out of this disaster of a ‘will’.”
“My job is to do what my clients ask. I’m not a judge, I’m an attorney.”
I got up to leave. I had nothing left to say to the man.
“Your father’s ashes will be ready this afternoon. Shall I have them delivered to the boat?”
“Sure. It will give me great pleasure to chum some sharks with them.”
“Very well. I’ll draw up a short form for you to sign as well.”
“Swell.”
“Mr. Cruz?” Spencer came around his desk to say good-bye. “Do have patience. I’m confident that everything will work out for you and your sister.”
“I’m glad you are, Mr. Spencer, because at this point I’m not sure of anything.”
As the elevator took me down to the street, I realized that I was sure of one thing. I needed Rene. I needed to download the entire bizarre conversation and trust that she’d help me make sense of it. She might not consider herself sensible or down to earth but I learned long ago that what a girl thinks of herself is not always the way the rest of the world sees her.
Rene didn’t know how beautiful she was. She didn’t have a sense of how capable she was, either. The way she handled my accident was all I needed to show me there was a strong, level head under all that prettiness. If I was stranded on an island, she’d most definitely be on my survival team.
I was getting desperate for a little exercise. I needed to stretch my legs and my wounded thigh was not hurting nearly as badly as it had just days before. I’d soon be able to ditch the crutches. I decided I’d go for a little walk and give the good leg and my armpits a workout.
Spencer’s offices were in a swank business district and the street level shops were full of expensive merchandise. The idea of getting Rene a nice gift seemed like a good one. I was a rich man, assuming I didn’t decide to violate the absurd caveats my father had attached to my fortune. That seemed unlikely. My father had carefully included blackmail in his scheme. How could I put Dawn’s future at risk?
The jewelry store window glittered with tempting creations. Rene didn’t wear any jewelry—not even a chain around her neck—so I was clueless as to what she would like. I wanted something out of the ordinary but not something that looked like a commitment. No rings. It was tempting, but I had seen how easily she could back away from any corner she found herself in. Even a cocktail type ring might be too much too soon.
Most of the jewelry looked like it belonged on someone wearing a ball gown. I’d never seen Rene dressed in anything more formal than a sundress; not that she wasn’t stunning in that dress.
I briefly considered a monkey pendant that was encrusted with jewels. It was very nicely done and looked a lot like Lady D.’s face, but I decided against it as being too juvenile. I wanted something more serious. We could always do ‘fun’ gifts later.
The sales girl asked me what I was looking for. I told her I wanted something that could be worn casually. “Something understated but elegant. Something unique,” I told her. I’d never bought a woman a piece of jewelry and I felt out of my league. The sales girl was a cute, classy looking brunette. I hoped she could steer me to just the right thing.
“What’s her coloring?”
Brown hair and brown eyes did not cut it. I thought for a moment before I spoke. “Her hair is the color of maple syrup and her eyes are sort of a warm cognac color. She has very soft, pale peaches and cream skin.”
“Wow, you make her sound edible. I’d kill to have my boyfriend describe me like that.”
“She’s incredible. It’s like she has her own light inside. She sparkles like these diamonds.” I surprised myself by putting words to what I felt about Rene. But when I did, it felt perfectly comfortable.
“I’ve got some ideas. You make it easy to visualize her. Price range?”
“Any.”
“Are you sure you’re taken?” She laughed. “Give me a moment. You can have a seat in the second showroom on the left.” I hadn’t noticed the private rooms. They were discreetly covered in dark smoked glass and lined one side of the public space. Obviously my first trip into jewelry land was going to be an eye opener.
The sales girl joined me in the plush little salon and offered me something to drink. “We have a full bar, if you’d care for a cocktail.”
“No thanks, let’s just have a look at what you’ve got for me.”
She spread out a half dozen pendants, each with a sparkling jewel ranging in color from dark amber to almost chocolate brown. They were dazzling under the flattering lights. Fire was a term I knew applied to gemstones but up until that point I’d never really appreciated the meaning of the term.
“I don’t know much about stones,” I told her. “Are these topaz?”
“Not at these prices. These are cognac diamonds. Your description of your girl did the trick.”
“Excellent choice. This one reminds me of her eyes.”
“All of our cognacs come from the Argyle Mine in Australia. They’re the most affordable of the natural fancy colored diamonds. I think they’re lovely.”
Most of the settings were still a bit on the fussy side for something I wanted her to be able to wear, if not every day, at least frequently. One pendant stood out in its simplicity. The simple gold setting curled around the pear shaped gem rather like a musical cleft. The top piece that the chain would thread through had three small round stones in it. They were a lighter shade than the larger stone.
“I like this one with the three little stones on top.”
“We call these champagne diamonds,” she said and pointed to them with her little wand. “They’re actually on the same color scale, with cognac just being a darker tone. The main stone in this piece is almost three carats, making it very rare indeed.” She examined the tag on the pendant. “The small stones are .35, .54 and 1.02 carats. The setting is 18 carat rose gold.” Then she quoted a quite respectable six-figure price. I did a quick conversion from pounds to dollars. Yep, very respectable.
I whipped out the credit card Spencer had given me to “meet my immedi
ate needs”. It would be embarrassing if I was denied, but I figured there was no time like the present to put it to the test. I handed the girl the card and said, “I’ll need a nice chain to put it on, too.”
“How long?”
“I have no idea. I want it to rest right about here.” When I pointed between the girl’s breasts, she chuckled. “It will be noticed more if you put it about here.” She pointed to a spot on her chest about two inches above her cleavage.
“I don’t care who else notices it. I want to see it there.”
“You’re the buyer. I can get a chain that’ll hang down to her navel if you want it.”
“Nope, nestled right there is the perfect spot.”
“Right you are, then. I’ll be right back with a few choices of chains.”
“I’ll trust your judgment. Pick something nice.”
“Would you like me to include a description of the stones, weights, etc.?”
“Sure. I’m sure she knows about as much about jewelry as I do. Which is to say almost nothing.”
“Trust me, sir. There’s not a girl alive who doesn’t understand the word ‘diamond’. And this particular color is quite popular with the Hollywood crowd. Cameron Diaz wore them to a red carpet event just recently. Your lady will appreciate them more than you think.”
I was actually a little surprised when she came back with the card, a slip for me to sign and a black velvet box. I had to assume I had a sweet credit limit on that card. I opened the box and the necklace gleamed back at me like one of Rene’s smiles.
“Would you like a bag?”
“Um . . . no,” I said as I tucked the box into my coat pocket. Somehow, carrying something that expensive around in a paper bag seemed, I don’t know, frivolous. Getting used to funny money was going to take me a while. I hadn’t been exactly poor before, but even the limited three year trust was far more than I could imagine spending in a lifetime.
Tempest Tossed: A Love Unexpected Novel Page 23
