The Inheritance (Forever Bound #1)

by Bree Callahan

  However, he smiled, and it was too late for that. “Hey, Charity.”

  Lily looked at Charity and then turned to Jesse. “You two know each other?” she asked.

  Charity wanted to crawl in a hole, but Jesse nodded and seemed eager to confess everything. “Yes, we met the other day. My girlfriend is Charity’s best friend.” He smiled, looking at Charity but directing the conversation to Lily.

  “Wow…small world!” Lily responded.

  “Hey, Jesse,” Charity quietly said.

  “I won’t keep you,” he stated. “See you around!” He continued past them, and Charity smiled awkwardly at her trainer.

  “That wasn’t awkward at all,” Charity replied softly.

  Lily laughed. “We live in a small town, where pretty much everyone knows one another. It’s bound to happen. Follow me! We have one more stop.”

  Charity was happy that Lily took it the way she did because the last thing she needed was someone saying that she got the job because of Jesse or Ana or anything else for the matter. She wanted to get the job because she was the best qualified candidate. They took the elevator to the basement and when they got off, Charity saw boxes and boxes of papers lying around on shelves and on the floor. “This is the records department or at least the archived records.” She led the way around the basement until they got to a room in the back. She knocked on the door, and an elderly woman looked up.

  “Hey, Hazel. This is Charity Parker. She’ll be replacing me once her training is up.”

  “Hello, dear.” Hazel stood up from her desk and shook Charity’s hand. She then looked at Lily. “I just heard you were leaving us. Going to bigger and better waters, I assume.”

  Lily smiled. “I hope so. My boyfriend is transferring and I’ll be moving with him to Idaho. It will be a different experience, but something I’m looking forward to.”

  “We’ll miss you,” Hazel responded.

  “Thanks, Hazel!” Lily replied with a smile. Lily then turned her attention to Charity. “Hazel is the supervisor of medical records. If she can’t find it in her handy dandy computer system, then she can hunt through boxes.”

  “Everything’s alphabetical, and I have yet to misplace anything.”

  “Impressive,” Charity replied with a slight chuckle.

  “If you need anything, just give me a call,” Hazel replied with a smile.

  “Thank you, Hazel.” Charity said, then she followed Lily back through the records and to the elevator. “I would think it would be kinda boring down here alone.”

  Lily nodded. “You would think so, but Hazel always has a smile on her face, and like she says…she’s never lost anything.” They took the elevator back up to their office, and Lily continued. “I’ll show you the online calendar and online Rolodex next.” They got off the elevator, and Charity had to quicken her steps to keep up with her. “You’ll find that many things have been put on the computer, so we can try to keep things paperless. Yet, we haven’t completely hit the mark, but it’s a start. Wait right here!”

  Charity stood at the desk, then Lily came back a short minute later and had another chair in tow. “Thank you!” Charity said as she started to sit down in the new chair.

  “Actually, you sit in the other chair. I’ll direct you where to go.” She smiled as Charity obliged. Charity sat at the computer and typed in each thing that Lily told her to do. When they got to the calendar, she was directed to enter a passcode. Charity stopped, and Lily slid a paper in front of her. “I got you set up this morning. Charity typed in the information and found the calendar opened with ease. Lily showed her where to go to get information on what was going on in Derek’s schedule and how to add events that were important. Charity jotted down the notes, as she was sure she’d forget something. They then went into the Rolodex, where again she had to put in a passcode that Lily already had for her. She didn’t know how she’d remember all the login information. Lily must’ve read her mind because she was quickly assuring her. “You can keep all the login information in the directory right there.

  She pointed to an icon and Charity pulled it up. There she was asked to set up another ID and password. Charity laughed. “I doubt I’ll ever remember all these passwords.”

  Lily laughed. “It’s overwhelming at first, but if you put it all in there, then you only have to remember one login and password and eventually it will all come to you.”

  “I suppose you’re right.” Charity made up the login information and then quickly added the two sets she already had.

  “At least you seem comfortable with computers,” Lily added.

  “I took an Advanced Computer class in my first year of college,” Charity replied.

  “Then this should all come rather easy to you,” Lily commented. They went back to the Rolodex and Lily showed her where all the contact information for anyone that she would ever need to contact was located. She then directed Charity to the email, where again login information was obtained. Before she forgot the steps, she went back to the icon and entered the login information for the email. “You will discover that, at times, you could receive twenty to thirty emails. Don’t be alarmed, as a good portion of them will just be general things discussing IT issues or things happening around the city. Most people if they have anything important will mark it as such, and you will get it at the top of your email, and those will be what you focus your attention on.”

  Lily guided Charity through the rest of the computer, showing her things that were necessary folders and ones that she probably would never use. As they were finishing the tutorial of the computer, the elevator door opened, and Derek walked back into the office. He glanced toward the desk but didn’t even stop as he advised Lily they needed to get ready for the meeting, then disappeared in his office.

  “Meeting?” Charity asked.

  “Nothing major. Every Monday morning we have a meeting to go over anything that anyone wants to talk about. It contains a few councilmen, city clerks, Derek, myself, and maybe a smattering of people that work in the offices below.” She glanced at her watch. “It starts at 9:30 sharp every Monday morning.” She smiled. “Trust me…nothing to get worked up over, but let’s go.”

  Charity grabbed a notebook, just like Lily had, and they headed to the conference room. She wasn’t worked up over it, but she was already drained and hoped this would prove to be less taxing and give her time to gain her thoughts.

  ***

  Derek attempted not to look toward Charity as he ran his meeting, but today it seemed exceptionally hard. Only five people, besides Derek, Lily, and Charity made an effort to show up, and he didn’t really have much business to go over. In fact, he had no intention of mentioning the development project, but because he didn’t want a meeting to last only five minutes and everyone complain that they wasted their time coming, he chose to bring it up.

  “So, I wanted to let you know that we have hit a snag with the development project.”

  There was a moment of silence, then a few people shuffling in their seats, before Simon, the County Commissioner spoke up. “Snag? What kind of snag?”

  “Well, apparently there’s a building located on the lot that has been overlooked in the past. So, we weren’t able to get the building purchased so we could demolish it. A few people chatted away with others, while Derek just watched on. He spotted Charity taking notes, and he was impressed she was taking notice.

  “Does that mean the project won’t break ground in two months, as previously planned?” Jared, a council member, asked.

  It was a question, Derek anticipated answering, but he didn’t really want to focus negativity on the situation. “Honestly, we can’t be sure what the timeframe will be. I have a man working on locating the party associated with the building, but currently, we’ve only hit dead ends. I don’t want to worry about it too much. Anything can happen, and I am hopeful that this won’t delay the project.” The room went quiet, with everyone casually giving knowing looks to one another, but no one else
voicing their concern. “Are there any more questions about anything we’ve discussed, or does anyone have new information?” No one seemed eager to voice a question, so he continued. “Before we dismiss, I did want to introduce my new assistant to everyone.” He pointed to Charity, who seemed alarmed by his announcement. “This is Charity Parker. She started just today, and I expect everyone will be genuinely nice to her.” He smiled at Charity, and her face was tinged with a hint of red. “Charity this...” He pointed to each one, calling out their names as if it was a roll call.

  She nodded as each one waved to her and then quietly replied, “It’s nice to meet all of you.”

  “Likewise,” they said, almost in unison.

  “Okay. Then we are adjourned until next week. Have a great day!”

  Everyone stood to their feet and started dismissing. He stopped Lily and Charity before they could leave the conference room. In a way, he felt awkward talking to Charity for the first time after giving her not such a nice greeting. He wasn’t as strict as he seemed at that moment. Things happened, and people were late beyond their control, but he also didn’t want Charity to think that there weren’t consequences for unacceptable behavior.

  “How are things going this morning?” he asked, directing the question to Charity.

  Charity nodded. “Great! Lily is giving me the guided tour of where everything is so I can lay of the land. We even took a tour of the building and I got to meet everyone.”

  He chuckled. “So, in other words you met everyone I just introduced you to?” She sheepishly nodded. He didn’t know why no one told him, but he figured it was out of courtesy. It didn’t matter anyway. “I’m glad your morning is going well. I know I’m leaving you in good hands with Lily, and she’ll teach you everything you need to know, but if you need anything don’t hesitate to ask.”

  “Thank you!” she replied. Lily and Charity left the conference room, and his eyes followed them. He would talk to Lily separate to find out how the training was going over the course of time, and they would decide when she was ready to be on her own. He didn’t want to rush her, but he also felt he couldn’t hold back Lily from leaving when she wanted to take off. Her replacement was there, and it was only a matter of time.

  ***

  “Do you have any questions before you leave?” Lily asked. There was uncertainty in her voice and Charity knew why. So much information was thrown at her, that Charity was exhausted from overusing her brain.

  “Can I get back to you on that?” Charity asked with a light chuckle.

  Lily nodded and smiled. “I know it’s a lot of information and I’m pumping it into you like my last day is tomorrow, but really I want you to feel comfortable.”

  “Well, now that you mention it…when is your last day?” Charity asked.

  Lily shrugged. “Whenever you’re comfortable. Ideally, I would like to be gone by the end of next week.” Charity opened her mouth, and Lily held up her hand to stop her from speaking. “Ideally…realistically, it might be a month.” She shrugged again and smiled. “I’ll be fine with that.”

  Charity breathed a sigh of relief, before saying her goodbyes and heading out of the office. She kept her notebook tucked in her purse so she could go over the notes about various tasks Derek might request of her. She made it to the car before her phone signaled the text message. She opened her door and rummaged through her purse, retrieving her cell phone.

  Damian: Hope your first day went well. Thinking of you!

  It was a simple enough text, but there were a ton of hidden messages she could read through. It was sweet of him to voice concern, but did he expect her to fall all over his tenderness? She put her phone back in her purse and completely ignored it until she pulled into the parking lot of the apartment and she got up into her apartment and was behind closed doors.

  Charity: Thank you! It went well, but my brain is fried. Off to bed early tonight.

  She dropped her phone back into her purse and pushed it aside. The previous night when they started sexting each other, she found it to be enjoyable, and it didn’t give her a care in the world. Now, a day later…she was a bit hesitant. It was one thing to go to one another whenever they needed a pick-me-up, and it was quite another to rely on that experience. She wasn’t ready to go full force. When she heard a message ding on her cellphone, she didn’t bother looking. Instead, she went to the kitchen and made an easy supper to pass the time.

  She kept her phone in her purse, while she took a relaxing bath, and while she looked over the notebook once she was dressed and in bed. She did exactly as she planned…fell asleep and didn’t look back. The message could wait.

  Chapter 13

  Derek walked down the stairs and headed to the kitchen. Once in the kitchen, he glanced around the empty room. “Mary?” he called out. She didn’t respond, but he noticed a note on the counter and went to it.

  Derek

  I’m sorry to run this morning. I got a call from my son, and his wife went into labor. I put your breakfast together, and it’s in the microwave. Warm it up for two minutes and you should be good to go. I’ll call you later!

  Mary

  He smiled as he silently read the letter and put it back on the counter. He walked over to the microwave and typed two into the appliance and leaned back against the counter. He got lost in watching the numbers count backward. When the timer dinged on the microwave, he removed the plate of eggs, sausage, and hash browns and carried it to the table.

  When he sat down, he took a moment to look around the kitchen. There were very few times in his life where he felt his life had little meaning because after all he was the mayor, and that meant something. However, he sometimes sat back and observed the way things were. Especially when he was alone and sitting in an empty house, things seemed so futile, and he had to shake himself out of his melancholy state.

  He picked up the fork and started to eat, drowning out the thoughts in his head. He finished off his breakfast and grabbed a small cup of milk, quickly downing it, before taking his briefcase and keys and heading out to work.

  Traffic was nonexistent on his way to work, so he made excellent time. He pulled into the parking garage and spotted Lily’s vehicle right away, but despite looking around for the car he recalled Charity had been driving, he didn’t spot her car. He got out of his car and went to the entrance of the building. He casually waved to a few people that bypassed him. He took the elevator up to his office, and when he got off, he found Lily sitting at her computer.

  He approached her, and she looked up. “Good Morning!”

  “Good Morning, Lily.” He glanced around to make sure he just didn’t miss Charity’s car. He didn’t want to appear that he was checking up on her, even if that’s exactly what he was doing. “How’d yesterday go?” he asked.

  She smiled. “Well, I filled her head with a lot of information, but she asked questions.” He frowned, not getting the meaning. She laughed. “It’s a good thing when a person asks questions.”

  “It is?” he asked.

  She snickered and rolled her eyes. “Of course. At least she acts interested. I think she’s going to work out. I have a good feeling about her.”

  This time, he snickered at Lily’s conversation. “You get that feeling after just one day?”

  She smiled. “I’m a woman. It doesn’t take us much time.”

  He laughed and shook his head. “What was I thinking?” He was about to tell her that he hoped she was right, and he would be in his office for a good portion of the day when the elevator opened. He casually looked at his watch, as he turned around and saw Charity coming off the elevator.

  She seemed to take note of his action, and she smirked as she approached him. “I’m right on time. Wouldn’t want to have two strikes against me.” Her eyes shone as she looked at him.

  He found himself chuckling, which was a surprising reaction, especially when she so confidently teased with him. He wasn’t used to a reaction like that around him, and he enjoyed th
e soft lilt in her voice. “Glad to see you do know how to tell time.” He nodded, focusing his eyes on her. “Ladies…” he softly muttered and turned away from the desk, then briskly walked to his office. No one had ever gotten him to soften the way she did, and he couldn’t tell if he liked it or would rather build the walls back up.

  ***

  Charity snickered as she put her purse in the drawer designated for her. She then spotted Lily’s eyes on her, and she shrugged. “What?” she asked.

  Lily laughed. “What? Oh nothing, but I think you confuse him.”

  “Confuse him?” Charity asked, laughing and simply looking toward his office where he had his back to them. Her eyes stayed on him until he walked around to the other side of his desk and she almost got caught being a voyeur. “Confuse him, how?” she asked, bringing her eyes back to Lily.

  Lily looked up and smiled. Charity liked Lily, and she almost hated she was taking her job. She wanted to keep Lily around. “Derek doesn’t usually falter when someone speaks to him. He has a job where he’s faced with many different types of people, and he can handle everything thrown at him. However, with you…it’s like he almost doesn’t know how to be around you.”

  Charity laughed. It didn’t make sense. Derek was the Mayor of the town, and she was just a woman that had never had much say in anything. Why would he not be able to handle what she threw at him? “With all due respect, I think you’re crazy.” She shook her head and took a seat at the desk.

  Lily shrugged. “Maybe you’re right. Go ahead and pull up the calendar.”