The Inheritance (Forever Bound #1)

by Bree Callahan

  When she got to the office, she noticed Derek’s door open, and he was working in his office. He looked up when she stepped off the elevator. She waved to him and was surprised to see he at least made note of her gesture. He smiled and casually waved back. She got to her desk and started to prepare herself for the day when her phone rang. His number popped up on her screen. She answered it, while logging into her computer.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey…will you grab the calendar for next week and come in here when you get a chance?”

  “Sure! I’ll be there in a minute.”

  “No rush!” he replied, before disconnecting their call.

  She was genuinely pleased that maybe he did have an epiphany and decide she should be treated more like a human. She checked her emails and after finding none, she printed off his calendar. She went into his office, and he looked up, greeting her with a smile…an actual smile. She took a seat in front of him, and he pulled out his phone. When he got the calendar pulled up, he looked up.

  “I’ll need you to cancel all Mondays appointments,” he said.

  She looked up. “All of them?” she asked.

  He nodded, slightly smiling. “Going out of town and won’t be coming back until late on Monday. I should’ve told you as soon as I made the trip, but if it fell through I didn’t want to bother wasting your time.”

  She was pleased he even considered that. Not wanting to pry, she just marked a note next to each appointment she had down for Monday. “Alright. I’ll work on that.”

  “Thank you!” he replied quietly. There was a long pause, agonizingly long pause, until he spoke again. “I have some business in California,” he replied.

  She shrugged. “I wasn’t going to ask.”

  He laughed softly. “I noticed, but just thought you should know I was going to go on some sort of vacation, while giving more work to you.”

  She snickered. “Good to know.” She looked down at his schedule. “What about Tuesday?”

  “Should be back, so let’s compare our schedules. They went over the rest of the week, only making slight changes to what their schedules read. When they were done, she looked up at him. “Anything else?” she asked.

  “Not that I can think of.”

  She stood up, and he did the same. “This does mean that you can take Monday off. No need for you to be here, when I’m not.”

  “Thanks, Derek.” She smiled and turned around before she got out of the office, he had stopped her.

  “What are you doing for lunch?” he asked.

  She paused and turned around. “Eating at my desk probably,” she replied, chuckling.

  “Not today!” he said. “You’re going to Marco’s .” He sat down at his desk, and she frowned.

  “Marcos? Did I miss a lunch meeting that’s on the calendar?” She flipped back a page and shook her head; there was no mention of a meeting at Marcos.

  He laughed, interrupting her. “There’s no lunch meeting. You like Italian, don’t you?”

  “Well, yes, but…”

  “That’s settled…Marcos it is.” He looked back down at his computer, ignoring her confused expression.

  She slowly walked out of his office and went back to her own desk. If she didn’t know better, she would’ve said Mayor Derek Worthington just asked her out on a date. She laughed at the idea. It definitely wasn’t a date.

  ***

  Derek didn’t know what got into him to invite Charity to lunch, but it just felt right. He walked to her desk, and she had already grabbed her purse. “Ready?” he asked.

  She nodded, appearing nervous at the moment. He held back as she led the way and they both got onto the elevator. He didn’t want things to be awkward between them, but it was evident that it wouldn’t be easy. He had brought that on himself, he was positive about that. They got off the elevator, with neither one speaking a word. They walked through the lobby, and she started to reach for the door. He quickly rushed ahead so he could open the door for her. When their eyes met, he noticed redness had snuck up on her cheeks.

  “Thank you!” she softly said, breaking the silence.

  “You’re welcome!” he mumbled. “I’ll drive,” he said, continuing the conversation. As if that wasn’t a given, they walked to his car. Again, he nearly did flips to make sure he opened her car door. She seemed surprised by his quick actions. Again she thanked him, and he waited for her to get in the car, then closed the door on her.

  When he got into the driver’s seat, he started the car. Before pulling out of the parking garage, he said, “If you would prefer something besides Italian, then speak up or forever hold your peace.” He smiled, hoping she liked his light-hearted attitude.

  She smiled, relieving him. “Italian’s great, but thanks.”

  He nodded. “Italian it is.” He pulled out of the parking garage and headed in the direction of the restaurant. “We could’ve gone to Bill’s Diner,” he replied quietly, almost in a teasing tone.

  He heard her softly chuckle, but didn’t say a word as she looked out the window. He drove the two blocks to the restaurant and pulled into the parking lot. He would’ve gotten out and ran to open her door again, but she was quick to take the lead. He couldn’t understand why his sudden over eagerness to open doors for her and be nicer towards her, other than he could chalk it up as wanting to be a gentleman.

  They reached the door of the restaurant and already someone had the door held open. They approached the hostess, and she greeted them with a smile. “Good afternoon…two today?” she asked.

  “Yes, thank you,” he replied. She carried their menus to a table and glanced at him.

  “Will this do for you?” she asked.

  “Yes. It’s fine. Thanks!” He waited for Charity to take a seat, then sat down and reached for his menu. As he opened it up, he told her his recommendation, even though she didn’t ask. “Their lasagna is fabulous here, they sprinkle—.”

  “A pinch of parmesan and garlic is just the right touch of flavor,” she finished for him.

  He looked up, and they laughed in unison. “My sentiments exactly.”

  She nodded. My mom’s favorite meal and it kind of stuck with me.” There was a slight distance in her expression, but her smile took away the pain she had.

  He didn’t want to bring up bad memories with her, but he felt compelled to say something. “I heard you lost them suddenly, and I’m sorry for your loss.”

  She smiled, keeping her eyes locked on his. He didn’t know how long they’d been in the position, but when the waitress came to their table, they were interrupted. “What can I get you to drink?”

  Derek cleared his throat and pointed to Charity to make her choice first. “I’ll have tea with two sugars.”

  “Sure thing, Miss.” The woman then glanced at Derek. “For you, Mayor Worthington?”

  “Coffee…black, please.” The woman nodded and left their table.

  He figured their conversation from earlier had passed, but she didn’t think so. “It isn’t easy losing your parents at any age. I’m sorry for the loss of your dad.”

  He nodded, looking down at his menu. “Thank you, but things had been distant for a long time.” He didn’t want to focus the meal around him and his father, so he kept his eyes on the menu. He hoped she would do the same. To his relief, she did.

  When the waitress came back with their drinks, they placed their orders. They both got the lasagna, and once the waitress was away from their table, Derek kept the conversation going. “So, how have things been going with the job so far?” he asked.

  She didn’t answer right away, then she chuckled, and her eyes shone in that restaurant. “Truth?” she asked. His eyes widened. For a moment, he questioned whether he did want the truth. It could be a loaded question, but holding back his worries of what she’d say, he nodded. She scrunched up her nose. “I don’t think you want the truth.”

  That worried him even more. He laughed. “Come on! I know your boss can be a bear, but
I’m a big boy, and I can take the cold hard truth.””

  She took a drink of her tea, then sighed, releasing the glass from her lips. “I suppose there are times when I’m a tad confused.”

  “How so?” he asked.

  “Well, it’s like you have an alter ego.”

  He laughed. “What? Me?” He took a sip of his coffee.

  She nodded. “Yep, it’s true. Last week I was seconds…okay, maybe minutes…from turning in my notice. You were the bear that you said you could be.” He took another sip, hoping to hide his embarrassment from her. “Then, today…you asked me to join you for lunch…the alter ego comes out.”

  He held up his hand. “Wait a minute…an alter ego is a different personality that comes out from your normal personality, so perhaps today is my normal personality and last week was my alter-ego.” He smiled, intently staring at her. Even he was confused by his statement, but he hoped she understood the meaning.

  She shrugged. “Maybe, but there’s definitely two of you.” She smiled and took a drink from her glass.

  He laughed. “Which one do you prefer?” he asked.

  She tilted her head. “Do you even have to ask? I’ll take calm and normal Derek over crazy and yelling Derek any day.”

  The waitress brought them their food, causing him to pause and not reply to her comment. “Need anything else?” she asked.

  “No, thanks!” They both said. He turned his attention back to Charity, whom already started eating her lasagna. The excitement on her face as she took her first bite was a delight to watch. She eagerly enjoyed it in the way a woman would enjoy more sexual things. He was fixated on that moment until he had to comment on her previous statement.

  “I didn’t yell too badly, did I?”

  She looked up from her food, and there was a slight smirk on her lips. “Let’s just say it wasn’t loud enough to make me run.”

  He laughed. “Good. Besides, you did put me in my place, just as I told you to do. I’” He started eating his food, and they started a flow of easy conversation. He spent lunch, glad he invited her to eat with him. It wasn’t as difficult as he expected to get to know her.

  Chapter 17

  Derek looked up from his desk, where he was writing up a planned itinerary he expected to do once he reached California. He had to plan for any obstacles that would get in his way. He smiled. “I’m getting ready to leave, and I just wanted to say have a nice business trip.”

  He sighed, smiling her way. “Thank you, Charity. I hope it goes as planned.” He hadn’t told her what he planned on doing, but he did have to admit it was nice talking to her at the restaurant the previous day. He almost forgot that he didn’t want a relationship with a woman…especially Charity. “Have a nice weekend and I’ll see you on Tuesday.”

  “I will. Thanks.” She turned away from him, and he watched her go to her desk, grab her purse and leave the office. He looked back down at his itinerary and made note that he would go to Jenna immediately so he didn’t lose his nerve. His hope was to get Jenna on board and then they both could talk to Victoria. He was about to make note that he would stay at her house until she agreed to talk to him. He reached in his desk and grabbed a contract for Victoria to sign once she agreed to sell the land. He had no doubt he would get her to agree.

  His cell phone signaled a text message. He glanced down and found the name to read anonymous. He pulled up the message and sat staring at a picture of Jenna, as she looked now, and a guy. They were kissing in front of a water fountain. He frowned. Another message came through, and he opened it up.

  Anonymous: She’s moved on. Why don’t you? LEAVE HER ALONE!

  Derek didn’t usually stoop to someone else’s immature level, but at that moment, he needed to speak his mind.

  Derek: I’m not going after her because I want her back. I have business that is between her and me.

  He waited there, staring back at his message. He never received a response back. For all he knew, it could’ve been a message from her, but he had a feeling it wasn’t. He pulled the picture back up, and he wondered who the guy was. “What does it matter?” he asked himself. He put his cellphone down and tried to ignore it, but it was easier said than done. He couldn’t get the image out of his mind. It intermixed with years he spent with her. He snuck another peek. Their arms were all over one another and he expected to feel jealousy, but it wasn’t that kind of reaction. He felt anger that she had moved on, when he spent so much time wishing she would come back.

  He picked up his phone and without looking back, he dialed up the airport. “Hello, this is Zack with US Air. How may I help you?”

  “Hello Zack, this is Mayor Derek Worthington, and I have a flight for tonight to Los Angeles. I’m wondering if you have any seats left?”

  “Sure…let me check.”

  The guy put him on hold and Derek stood up and started straightening up his office. When he came back, he confirmed that there were a couple of seats left in First Class. “Great! Will you cancel out mine and order me two seats together.”

  “Of course. Give me a second and I can get you a confirmation number.” Derek waited, and when he came back, he rattled off a number that Derek quickly jotted down on a scrap sheet of paper. He said goodbye and then called the hotel up. He placed a request for another room and was confirmed that there was only one room left. It was a level above his, but that didn’t matter to him. He hung up and hurried up finishing up what he was doing in his office. He had to get home and get his suitcase because he would have a lot of explaining to do to convince her to come with him, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

  ***

  Charity carried a bag of groceries into her apartment and took it into her kitchen. She dropped the mail onto the table and unloaded the bag of groceries into the cabinets. When she walked back over to the table, she picked up the pile of mail and leafed through them. As she expected, it was bill after bill. She opened each one and placed them in a pile. She would have to pay what she could over the weekend.

  She left the kitchen, and her cell phone rang. She grabbed it out of her pocket and saw Damian’s number on the phone. She quickly opened it up. “I’m going to jump in the shower, and I’ll head your way.”

  “Before or after you put clothes on?” he teased.

  “Well, it would be quicker if I came naked…save the time of undressing,” she replied with a chuckle.

  He laughed. “Now, I won’t be able to get that image out of my head.”

  “That’s the whole idea,” she joked. “I…” her words broke off when there was a knock at her door. “Someone’s at the door. I’ll let you go, but picture me all you want and I’ll be there soon to fulfill that fantasy.”

  “Hmm…sounds good. See ya!”

  She hung up the phone and went to her door, as another knock sounded. “Coming!” Keep your pants on, she thought. She opened the door to find Richard there. “Richard? What are you doing here? Didn’t you get my check?”

  He snickered. “Yes, but you’re still short, and I came to get my payment.”

  She backed up from him. “Well, good luck with that. I’m tapped out.”

  “That’s not what I’m talking about, Charity. You have what I want, and right now…that’s not money.” He pushed his way in and started to go in for a kiss. She pressed her hands to his chest.

  “Stop it, Richard!” she ordered. He didn’t stop. He grabbed her waist and pulled her to him. Her hips bumped against him, and his mouth went to hers. “Richard!” she squeaked. She felt him gaining more urgency by grabbing her shirt. She attempted to push him away, but his hold was too hard on her and she couldn’t. “Richard…stop!” she yelled, trying to use her strength to overcome him, but it was no use. She lifted her knee to hit him in the groin when she felt him being pulled away from her.

  She stared in disbelief. “She told you to stop!” Derek lifted his fist and hit Richard in the face.

  Charity covered her mouth, unable to move. Richard cove
red his nose. “You both will be sorry,” he replied between the fingers covering his face. He turned around and hurried out of the apartment.

  Before Richard had even left the apartment, Derek had turned to her. “Are you alright?” He placed his hand on her arm, and she nodded. “He didn’t hurt you?” She slowly shook her head, still too stunned to believe what had happened in front of her. “Who is that?” he asked gently.

  “My…my…my landlord,” she stuttered.

  “You should consider looking for a new place to live.”

  She laughed. “That, unfortunately, takes money up front…the money I don’t particularly have right now.” She straightened up. She’d already said too much, more than she’d ever told anyone that wasn’t her best friend. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “I came to see you, of course.” His hand slowly fell away from her arm.

  She stood there with more confusion building up. “You. Came. Here. To. See. Me?” she asked, trying to process the information.

  He nodded. “You have two hours to pack and be ready for me to pick you up.”

  She tilted her head. “Pack? What do you mean?”

  “Turns out I need your help this weekend and for that…you’ll need to come with me.” He turned around to leave, but she laughed, still trying to calm her racing heart. He turned back around. “Why could you possibly need me to come with you to California?” she asked.

  He didn’t come out and tell her the truth, or at least she could see it wasn’t the truth. “I have a lot of business that needs to be done and having you there will keep me on track. After all, that’s part of your job you know.”

  She lifted an eyebrow up at him, slowly getting back to where her heart wasn’t racing as fast. “I think you’ll be just fine without me there.”