Jesse chuckled, pushing Derek’s hand away. “Fine, but the fact of the matter is…you need to make it your priority.”
“Why?” Derek asked.
Jesse stared at him like Derek had just said the craziest thing. “What do you mean why?”
“I guess I don’t understand what the big deal is. I’m happy, and I don’t see why I need to change that.”
“Let me get this straight.” Jesse moved closer so he was out of earshot. “You think you might want to forfeit the notion and simply accept the realization that you won’t get the rest of your dad’s inheritance?”
Derek thought about that and slowly nodded as the realization hit him. Since learning of the stipulation, he hadn’t given it much thought. Sure it threw him for a loop, but he didn’t want his father to dictate how he lived for the rest of his life, and he could possibly be prepared to refuse the rules he was given. “I’m just saying that I’m thinking about it. I don’t know what my future has in store for me, but I do know that I’m not prepared to get married just so I won’t lose his money.”
Jesse looked away from Derek and Derek wanted to question whether Jesse was alright. This didn’t concern him, as his friend or his lawyer, but it seemed to confuse him. “Just promise me one thing.”
Derek shrugged. “What?”
“Really think about it. Let me come over tonight and we can lay out all the pros and cons.”
Derek sighed. It wouldn’t make much difference, he was sure of that, but he would give his friend the benefit of the doubt and agree to it. “Fine. I’ll call Mary and ask her to set an extra plate for dinner. See you at seven o’clock?”
“I’ll be there.” Jesse paused at his door and chuckled. “I think I might actually be able to change your mind.”
Derek frowned. “Why do you say that?”
Jesse shook his head. “I’ll explain later. Bye.”
“Goodbye.” Derek watched him as he got in the elevator, then the doors closed. There were times he didn’t understand Jesse, and this was one of those times. He glanced at his watch. He only had a few minutes to get to his next meeting, so he needed to hurry.
***
Charity reached the time clock, just as Jamie clocked out. “Been busy today?” Charity asked.
“Not really. It’s been sort of dead, actually, but you’re the only one here until one thirty so it might get nuts later.”
Charity groaned. “Figures. Do you have plans this afternoon?”
Jamie shrugged. “Only if you call grocery shopping plans.” She laughed as she followed Charity out of the backroom. “Doug works until six, and we might catch a movie tonight. What time do you get off?” she asked.
“Six thirty. Short day. Have fun grocery shopping!” Charity replied with a chuckle as she opened up the cash register and started calculating her starting balance.
“See ya!” Jamie called.
“Bye!” Charity mumbled as she tallied up the money and put the piece of paper under the drawer. She turned around to grab a pad of order forms to slip into her apron pocket when she heard Jamie’s voice.
“Charity…” she hissed. “Guess who just walked into the diner?”
Charity looked up at Jamie’s excited voice. “Wh“ her words fell off when she spotted Derek Worthington taking a seat. Her jaw dropped. She didn’t recall ever seeing him inside the diner unless it was for some charity that the city was sponsoring. “What’s he doing here?” she asked in a choked whisper.
“If I were a betting woman, I’d say he’s here to eat.” Charity gave Jamie an annoyed look.
“I gather that, but why?” Charity asked.
Jamie shrugged. “Perhaps he’s seeing how the little people eat.”
Charity rolled her eyes. He seemed nice in the times she found herself watching him on the news or seeing him speak out about what’s important in the city, but his social status was different from theirs. It was common nature to expect that. He had money, and not everyone was as fortunate. She stood in place, frozen and unsure of herself. She’d never spoken two words to him and even though they lived in a small city, she had never really paid much attention to him.
“He’s awfully handsome, don’t you think?” Jamie asked.
Jamie’s words interrupted her thoughts. Charity snickered, ready to say something sarcastic to downsize how she felt, but she couldn’t even gain her own thoughts. Jamie was right. He was handsome. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed it before. “Haven’t noticed,” she lied. “I better go see what the highness wants.”
Jamie reached out and grabbed her hand to stop her. “He’s the Mayor…not a prince.” She laughed, then released Charity’s hand. Charity walked over to the two men and put on her most genuine smile. “Hello, and welcome to Bill’s Diner. My name is Charity, and I’ll be your server today. Can I start you off with drinks?”
She first looked at Mayor Worthington, and he looked away from the menu to gaze at her. There was a light in his eyes, and as he looked at her, she felt a bit weak in the knees. Forcing herself to keep eye contact and not sway, she kept her smile. “I’ll just take a coffee…black. Thank you!”
She nodded and turned to the other guy, a little older than the Mayor and a bulkier build. He nodded. “Same. Thank you!”
Charity nodded. “I will be right back with you.” She left the table and went back to the counter, where Jamie still stood.
“What’d he order?” Jamie asked.
Charity tilted an eyebrow in her direction. “Coffee. I thought you had grocery shopping to do.”
Jamie shrugged. “I’m intrigued. What can I say?”
Charity poured two cups of coffee and turned to her co-worker. “He’s just like any other man.”
Jamie smiled. “Right and Brad Pitt is just like any other man.”
Charity smiled and left Jamie standing there to take the two mugs back to their table. She placed one down in front of each man, then removed her pad from her pocket. “Ready to order?”
“Um…” Derek replied, still looking down at his menu. “Frank, you can order first.”
Charity slid her eyes to the other guy. “I’ll take the Spaghetti platter with garlic toast.”
She jotted the order down and looked up at Mayor Worthington. “And for you, Mayor?” she asked.
He looked up and smiled, then closed the menu in front of him. “What do you suggest?”
Her eyes remained locked on his. “Excuse me?” she asked, her pen poised in her hand.
His eyes brightened. “I thought you could make a suggestion. I don’t get the opportunity to eat here very often, and I’m not accustomed to knowing what tastes good.”
She looked down at the pad of paper. No one came into the diner expecting the waitress to make a suggestion. She couldn’t tell whether he was just cocky, annoying, or just simply wanted her help. He was even on the borderline of flirting. She opened up his menu and pointed to the Fish. “The fish sells well.”
He grinned and said, “Then the fish it is.”
“What side would you like? We have cole slaw, side salad, baked beans, fries, mashed potatoes, and mac and cheese.”
“I’ll take Cole Slaw. Thanks!”
“My pleasure.” She finished writing up the order and turned from his table. She chuckled when she saw Jamie sitting there. “Stay much longer and I’ll put you to work.”
“Well…” she asked.
Charity shook her head. “He ordered the fish and slaw at my suggestion.”
Jamie’s mouth opened. “Your suggestion? Did he ask for it, or did you offer it up as a suggestion?”
Charity handed the order to the kitchen staff and turned back to Jamie. “He asked what I would suggest. It’s all so strange. I can’t tell if he was genuine or an ass,” Charity whispered.
Jamie slyly looked towards the table, then looked back at Charity. “He’s always seemed genuine to me, maybe a little too much of a workaholic, but as a Mayor of our city that’s a good thing, ri
ght?”
“Right,” Charity mumbled. She looked over to the table.
“He’s dedicated to what is best for our community.” She paused, and her voice went down a notch. “I wonder why he never married.”
Charity shrugged. “Maybe it’s because he’s so dedicated to the community and can’t find a woman that will put up with that.” The door opened, and another set of customers walked in. “I have other customers, so maybe you want to take off.”
Jamie nodded. “I should. I’ll text you later to see how the rest of your shift went.“ She winked at Charity, then left the counter. Charity watched her leave the Diner, then walked over to the other table. She had other customers to take care of, and Mayor Derek Worthington was just another man.
***
Frank put his portfolio back in his briefcase. “I’ll run the numbers and get back to you.”
“Thanks, Frank. I’ll let you know as soon as I find the owner of that property. Hopefully, we can still proceed without any more distractions.”
“Would you care for a refill?” The waitress asked them as she approached the table. He caught himself staring a little longer than he intended to. He looked down at the table. “We’ll be leaving soon.”
“Okay.” She placed two bills down on the table. “Have a nice day!” He looked up to find her smiling at him. He smiled back and nodded, then turned to look at Frank as she walked away.
“I’ll cover the meal today,” Derek said, pulling his wallet from his back pocket as he stood up.
“Thanks, Derek.” Frank stood up from the table. “I’ll look forward to hearing from you soon.” He put out his hand and Derek shook it.
“Bye!” Derek replied, turning from the table and heading to the cashier. Charity approached him, still keeping a smile on her lips. He’d noticed the smile a couple of times before, as she stood at their table and as he found her gawking at him from afar. He wasn’t uncomfortable with it, which astounded him even more.
“Did everything suit you today, Mayor Worthington.” He always cringed when someone called him that outside of the political realm.
“The Fish was a great suggestion!” he replied quietly.
“Great!” She added the two bills together and told him his total.
When he handed her the money, he said, “Keep the change.”
She looked down at the money in her hands. “I can’t keep that much as a tip, Sir.” She put the money in the drawer and tried to hand him the change.
“Please. The service was impeccable, and it’s well worth it.”
She tilted her head. “Really…it’s too much.”
He held up his hands. “You deserve it. Have a good day.” He smiled at her and turned around, leaving her to stare at his back. When he reached outside, he felt an overwhelming satisfaction wash over him. He passed a woman as she headed into the Diner and he smiled at her. “Hello,” he coolly stated.
“H…hello…” she slowly answered back. He reached his car and got into the driver’s seat, then glanced at the clock radio. He had to get to the ribbon cutting, but suddenly the busy day didn’t seem to bother him.
***
Charity stared at the money, still clutched in her hand. Instead of being grateful for the money, she was angered. She slid the money into her pocket and walked over to his table to clean it off. “Who does he think she is?” she mumbled under her breath. “I’m not some charity case that needs a handout.” She walked back to the counter and spotted Tina coming into work. “Hey!” Charity mumbled.
“Hey!” Tina replied. “Um…did I just see Mayor Worthington?”
“Yeah, you saw Mayor Jackass.” Charity threw the towel down on the counter and looked at Tina’s surprised expression.
“Jackass? What did he do?”
“He tried to bribe me with over fifty dollars in tips.”
Tina tilted her head. “Bribe you? What did he want you to do?”
Charity frowned. It was true; he didn’t exactly ask for anything in return, but that was beside the point. She didn’t need him to act all arrogant and thrust his money upon her. She didn’t want or need his pity for having to work in the food and hospitality industry. It was a job, after all. “The point is, he thinks he’s better than everyone else. I told him I didn’t want this tip, and you know what he had the audacity to say to me?”
Tina chuckled. “No, but I’m sure you’ll tell me.”
“He told me I deserved it. He doesn’t know me, so how in the world can he possibly know I deserve it?” Her voice raised slightly over the normal speaking level, and Tina glanced past her to the table of two teenagers seated in the corner. Charity took a deep breath and slowly released it, before lowering her voice. “I’m offended, can you tell?”
Tina slowly nodded. “It appears that way, but frankly I think you’re making more out of it than you need to. He probably felt you gave him excellent service. He can afford to hand out extra money. Instead of trying to figure out how to be mad about it, just enjoy it.” She moved past Charity and went to the backroom so she could clock in and Charity turned around and stared at the table where the two men were seated earlier. Tina had a point, but it didn’t make her feel any better.
Chapter 3
Jesse wiped his mouth with his napkin and tossed it down onto his plate. “The meal was great, as always, Mary.”
“Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Mary replied, clearing the dinner table.
“Want to go to the den?” Derek asked.
“Sure!” Jesse stood up, and they headed towards the den. They barely got settled in one of the chairs, before Jesse started talking. “I brought a copy of your father’s will.” He pulled it out of the folder and held it up like it was a trophy.
Derek snickered. “Why? Do you think I forgot what it said?”
Jesse grinned at his remark. “No, but I thought it would finally sink in if you looked it over.”
Derek stared at the papers in Jesse’s hand, then finally reached for it and read through it. When he got to the last line, he looked up and nodded. “Yep…that’s pretty much how I remember it.” He kept the will in his hand as all the thoughts ran through his head of what he wanted to say. He wanted to express how he didn’t need a paper to dictate his life for the future or the present. He didn’t need to follow a stupid guideline when he was happy with the life he led. He especially wanted to point out that marriage was supposed to be about love, and it had been a long time since he felt that way with any woman and he couldn’t rush it now. Instead, he just looked at Jesse and froze. Everything he wanted to say just slipped from his mind, and he thought about what the will was truly saying. He snickered softly and threw the papers down on the coffee table. “My father was elected as Mayor when I was only five years old. A few years later…my mom’s gone, and it’s just the two of us. I missed so much growing up because I was my father’s son. I wanted to play baseball, but he never got around to signing me up for little league. When I got to high school and could make my own decisions, none of it really seemed to matter because no one would be there to watch. I threw up my hands and figured why bother? Every election year no one ran against him because they figured the same thing…why bother? My dad had a lot of backing in this city. He was powerful, and he got things done. When he decided to retire, it just sort of became my mission to follow in his footsteps.” He swallowed the lump in his throat and continued. “Growing up, did I expect to become Mayor? No. Not at all, but that didn’t change the way my life wound up. I’m not about to bring a family into a lifestyle that I grew up in. It wouldn’t do anyone any good.”
Jesse listened intently to every word Derek said, and when Derek hesitated long enough to show he was finished, Jesse replied. “I’m not following. The only thing you have in common with your father is your last name. You’re not your father, and you’ve learned from his mistakes.”
Derek sighed. He wanted to believe those words, but he couldn’t. Not when he spent all his life living his f
ather’s shadow. “I’ve spent my whole life listening to what my father said. I did everything I thought he would want for me, and I longed to make him proud.” He looked down at the floor, thinking about his next words. The only option he had was to speak from his heart and hope that his best friend would understand. “After my mom left us my dad put his whole self into what would benefit Belfast. He didn’t worry about not having a woman by his side.” Jesse tilted his head and stared at him, reading Derek’s mind. “I have thought about it, and right after the will was read I even considered looking for someone to be my wife, but I figured...why?”
Jesse chuckled. “The money could be one reason.”
Derek looked away from Jesse’s eyes. “Money isn’t a good enough reason. The money will go to this town, and frankly I’m alright with that.”
“You do realize that if the money went to you, you wouldn’t have to worry about winning the next election. You could retire and travel the world. You’ll be given all that up. Are you prepared for that?”
Derek didn’t even have to consider it. He nodded. “No one can be too sure of what the future holds. I could go out next week and meet the woman of my dreams, and we could marry on our own terms. Maybe we would meet the deadline and maybe we wouldn’t, but the point is it would be for all the right reasons.
“Are you open to that?” Jesse asked.
Derek nodded. “Of course. I’m not saying that if the right woman walked into my life, I would turn away from it. I’m not a hermit for heaven’s sake.“ He laughed. “I just don’t know why you’re so vested in it. You act like you have a stake in the money.” He picked up the will and looked over it. “Did I miss the fine print?” He laughed as he looked up.
Jesse snatched the papers from Derek’s hand. “No, but I want you to be happy. Besides, I did meet someone that I think would be perfect for you.” He grinned and Derek covered his face and shook his head.
“You are unbelievable. So, who is this wonderful woman I should meet?”
The Inheritance (Forever Bound #1) Page 3
