by Ivy Smoak
"Could you just do it for me? Just take your best guess on which to sell?"
"Miss Taylor, I'm not a financial advisor. I'm just the manager of the bank. And I don't have access to your stocks."
My phone buzzed and I looked down at the text that had just come through:
"James' broker's name is Bill O'Neill. I'm sure you have been added to that account as well. You have ten minutes, Penny."
My hands started shaking again. I looked over my shoulder. How did she know everything I was doing?
"Miss Taylor, if you'd like to call James to discuss..."
"No, that's okay. Do you have Bill O'Neill's phone number so I can call him real quick?"
"Of course." Ed stared at his computer for a second and then typed a number into his desk phone and handed it to me.
"Hey, Ed!" Bill O'Neill said when he picked up the phone. "Did you catch the game..."
"Hi, Bill. This is actually Penny Taylor, James Hunter's fiancée."
"Oh, hi, Miss Taylor. I've heard so much about you. Did you catch the Mets game last night?"
"No. Actually, I'm kind of in a rush, Bill. I need to liquidate some of my stocks."
Bill cleared his throat. "Let me get James on the other line."
"No! I mean, he wanted me to handle it." I dropped my voice slightly. "I need to transfer 20 million dollars for an investment opportunity that he doesn't want to miss out on."
"Great, great. What company is James investing in now?"
Um... "Uber." It was the first thing that popped into my head.
"I thought he already invested in that?"
"Well, just, more, you know. When he sees a good investment he likes to go hard." Go hard? I was so bad at lying. I could feel Ed staring at me. I had told him I needed to do this before the wedding. Investing in Uber had nothing to do with that. My stories were already losing substance. "So, if I sell some stocks, will we be able to get enough money in my bank account?"
"Sure. But the trading floor closes in just a few minutes..."
"Then we better hurry this along."
Bill cleared his throat. "What were you interested in selling?"
"Apple." Again, I just said the first thing that popped into my head.
"Are you sure? It's on an up and..."
"I'm sure."
"I'd really feel more comfortable if I got James in on this call. I know that he likes Apple and..."
"I'm marrying him on Saturday. If you don't assist me with this, the first thing I'll do as his wife is convince him to get a new stock broker."
"Right. Very well. Sorry, Miss Taylor." There was a pause on his end. "What else would you like to sell? That was only two million."
Two million in one stock? "How about GM?" I said. I didn't know enough about stocks to be having this conversation.
"He doesn't have investments in GM."
Crap. "Right, I forgot. How about Google then?"
"Okay. That's another 10 million."
"Great. What are some of the highest yielding stocks?"
"He's made a ton of money in oil."
Oil? James was very environmentally conscious. Why did he have oil stocks? "Sell all of those." Maybe he'd thank me later for that one.
"I only need to sell a few of them to get you the money you need. Do you have a preference?"
"No, just do it." I looked down at my phone. I only had 3 minutes left. Ed was already packing up his briefcase for the day. Shit!
"Okay, it'll take a few minutes for the funds to appear in your account."
I wasn't sure if that would cut it, but there was nothing else I could do. "Thank you for all your help, Bill. I'll make sure to let James know how accommodating you were."
"Very well. And congratulation on your upcoming nuptials."
"Thanks." I hung up the phone before I said anything else stupid. "Ed, can we set up the transfer now?"
He looked down at his watch. "The bank closes in a few minutes and it usually takes some time for the funds to appear..."
"Bill said it would just be a few minutes. I have the account number I need the money in right here." I pulled out my phone.
Ed looked even more uncomfortable than he had a minute ago as he sat down. "That's not the account number for Uber."
I laughed nervously. "No, it's not. I just needed Bill to sell the stocks for me. He was more likely to do it if he thought we were investing in something else profitable."
"I see." Ed tapped a few keys on his computer. "So, who's account is this?" He wasn't making eye contact with me.
"A last minute wedding venue expense."
"For 20 million dollars?"
"You know James. He's extravagant. Has the money transferred yet?"
"It'll be another minute. Just let me fill in the information for the transfer."
I looked down at my phone again. One minute.
"Here we are," Ed said. "Would you like me to print out a copy of your transaction or send an email copy to you?"
"A print out please." I didn't want him to accidentally send a copy to James. I needed to tell him about this without him finding out first. I knew how bad it looked.
A printer hummed to life in the corner. Ed stood up and grabbed the small slip that had printed out. "20 million to the account number you had listed." He handed me the slip of paper.
Hopefully we had gotten it done just in time. "Thank you so much, Ed." I stood up and grabbed the sheet of paper. My mother and Melissa were probably wondering where I was. But something made me stop before I walked out of the office. James added me to all his accounts and to his will a few years ago. But he had never told me. Why hadn't he told me? I turned around. "Who else is in the will?"
"Excuse me?" Ed had shut off his computer and snapped his briefcase closed.
"In James' will. Who else is a beneficiary?"
"Just you, Miss Taylor."
Just me? I swallowed hard. He couldn't leave me with all his money. "But if something happened to both of us..."
"There is a contingency where all the money goes to a dozen or so charities in case of an untimely death to both parties. And the businesses would be left to his brother and sister."
I didn't know what to say. James had left all his money to me even before we got married. He was even leaving me responsible for running his businesses. He trusted me. More than anyone else in the world. What had I just done?
Chapter 28
Thursday
I stared at my reflection in the mirror as the woman clipped another veil into my hair.
"Penny..." my mom said. "Sweetie, you look so beautiful."
I immediately burst into tears. Oh God. I had made a mistake. I needed to talk to James. My dress felt tight and uncomfortable. I didn't want any of this. I never wanted a fancy wedding. James had told me he didn't either. He said he had already done all that. He wanted to get married in Vegas. But I had said no. I had told him I wanted my family and friends to be there. Why were we doing this? Why was I making him do something he didn't want to do? I didn't need any of this.
Melissa grabbed a tissue and handed it to me. "Penny, that one's perfect. The diamonds match the straps on the dress. It's absolutely gorgeous."
I nodded. They thought I was crying because I liked the veil. I blotted my eyes. "Let's get this one," I said and pulled it out of my hair.
My hands wouldn't stop shaking. I pushed the veil into the sales associates' hands so that no one would notice. Isabella still hadn't contacted me. I didn't know whether or not she had gotten the money in time. The pictures could be all over the internet already.
"Can you help me get out of this?" I asked the woman who was helping me.
She nodded and we went back into the changing room. As soon as I was back in my normal clothes, I grabbed my cell phone. Still nothing.
"Do you girls want to go get some dinner?" my mom asked. "My treat."
"I can't, Mom. I told James I'd have dinner with just him tonight."
"Of course." My mom
gave me a smile. "Melissa, do you and Tyler want to join Peter and me for dinner?"
"We'd love to, Mrs. Taylor."
The sales associate handed me my dress in a bag. "You're all set."
"Thank you," I said and took the dress from her.
"Penny, your hands are shaking." My mom stood up and took the dress from me. "Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm just nervous."
"Sweetie." My mom embraced me with a huge hug. "I was nervous before my wedding too. But you have nothing to worry about. You and James have such a strong connection. And you've already been through so much together. The two of you can face anything. Everyone can see the love that you share. I'm so happy for you." She squeezed me once more and then released me from her embrace.
"You two were made for each other," Melissa said with a smile. "There is no other way to describe what you guys have."
"How are you and Tyler doing?"
Melissa's smile got even bigger. "So good. And I think I owe you a thank you for that. He told me that he talked to you about it."
"I'm so happy that it all worked out."
Melissa threw her arms around me. "I'm so sorry about everything, Penny. I don't know why..."
"It's okay." She had already apologized a dozen times.
"I just...I love you so much and I'm so happy for you. I'm sorry if my attitude ruined anything leading up to your wedding."
"It didn't." At least, it didn't matter now. I was just happy that we were friends again. She was back just in time to be my maid of honor.
She unwrapped her arms from around me and squeezed my shoulders. "And you're going to be the most beautiful bride. Why are you crying again?"
"I'm sorry." I laughed and quickly wiped my tears away before they could stream down my cheeks. "I don't know what's wrong with me." But I did. I had this awful feeling in my stomach that this wedding wasn't going to happen. I had just stolen money from James. My reasoning didn't matter. I had probably just lost his trust. Isabella was a better villain than I had given her credit for this morning. She had played this whole thing just right.
"You're just nervous," my mom said. "Try to get some sleep tonight. You'll just be excited tomorrow when the celebrations start. And I can't wait to meet James' parents at the rehearsal dinner."
I hadn't told my parents about the disaster at the engagement party. I wasn't sure why. They would probably never meet James' parents. But I didn't want them to think that reflected poorly on James. He'd be better at explaining it to them than I would. I still had so many unanswered questions about his childhood.
Melissa was staring at me with a funny look on her face.
When my mom turned away to grab her purse, I shook my head at Melissa.
She just shrugged and pretended to zip her mouth shut.
"Thank you," I mouthed silently.
We all made our way outside. It was still hot out. I gave my mom and Melissa both a hug goodbye. "Have fun at dinner."
"Thanks again, Penny. I really owe you one," Melissa said. "We'll see you tomorrow night."
"Mhm. Bye, Mom."
"Don't be nervous, Penny. James is one of the good ones."
I tried not to start crying again as I nodded my head. He was. But I didn't feel like I was. "See you tomorrow!" I turned away from them and walked toward the car where Ian was waiting.
Ian smiled at me. "Are you excited for the wedding?" he asked as he took the dress out of my hands.
"Yes." My voice sounded small as I hurried into the car. I just needed to get home and tell James. Everything would be fine. I'd tell him about all the pictures Isabella had sent me, and the texts. Maybe he could figure out how she seemed to know my every move. We could figure this out together.
"What kind of dress did you get?" Ian asked as he pulled away from the curb.
I laughed. "I don't really know the style. It's really pretty though."
I could see Ian's smile in the rearview mirror. "I'm sure you'll look beautiful."
"Thanks, Ian."
"Do you know when Jen is coming in?"
My phone buzzed and I pulled it out of my purse. There was a new text:
"Thank you for your assistance, Penny. There is one more thing, though. You can never tell James that you transferred the money to me. Or that I was the one that asked you to do it. If I find out that you told him I was involved in this in any way, the photos will be leaked. So keep my name out of it. I'm officially out of your life. Good luck getting to know the man you're marrying. You're going to need it."
I swallowed hard. I wasn't allowed to tell him? My chest started hurting again. I pressed my hand against it and tried to take a deep breath. What if James found out on his own? What was I supposed to say? I couldn't lie to him. He'd be able to tell. Not that Ed and Bill didn't realize I was lying. But James knew me better than anyone. He always knew if something was bothering me.
"Penny?" Ian said.
"What?"
"Do you know when Jen is coming in?"
I tried to focus on what he was saying. "Um, she's coming in tomorrow morning."
"Would you like me to pick her up from the airport and take her to the hotel?"
"That would be great, Ian. Thanks."
I couldn't even get joy out of how excited he looked. Ian had a crush on Jen for as long as I knew him. Maybe he'd finally tell her that he liked her this weekend. Weddings were romantic.
Ian turned into the parking garage beneath our apartment building. I grabbed my dress off the hook in the back seat.
"Thanks for the ride, Ian."
"Would you like me to carry that up for you?" he asked.
"No, that's okay. Thanks." I got out of the car and walked slowly toward the elevator. Please don't know. Please don't know. Please don't know.
I leaned against the side of the elevator and closed my eyes. Even if he did know, I could just tell him I couldn't tell him what had really happened. He had to believe me. He trusted me.
I unlocked the door and walked into our apartment. James wasn't in the living room or in the kitchen. "James?" I called as I walked upstairs and into our bedroom. There was no answer as I hung up the dress. Maybe he was picking up dinner somewhere. I walked over to our bed and grabbed the box full of notes and pictures that Isabella had sent me. I didn't want to talk about any of this. It was time to let all of this go. I walked out of our bedroom and back down the stairs, with the box under my arm. If I could believe James hadn't cheated on me after seeing these pictures, then he could believe me when I told him whatever ended up coming out of my mouth about his missing 20 million dollars.
God. I was so screwed. Maybe I could tell him I made an investment. Or that the dress cost a lot of money. Or just tell him the truth. But I couldn't risk it. Isabella was watching me somehow. She knew what I was doing. I didn't know how, but she did. She had eyes and ears everywhere.
"How did it go?"
I almost jumped when I heard James' voice. I put the box on the kitchen counter and turned around, shielding it from his view. "Good. I think you're going to like the dress."
James had a glass of scotch in his hand. He sat down on the couch and took a sip. He looked tired. "You look beautiful in everything, Penny." He said it without looking up at me.
I glanced down at the box and then back at him. I'd throw it away in a minute. I walked over to the couch and sat down next to James. "Are you okay?" He must already know. I could tell something was bothering him. He never drank alone unless he was upset.
"I got a few interesting phone calls tonight."
"Yeah?"
He took another sip of scotch and set it down on the coffee table. He wanted me to say something, but when I stayed silent, he said, "My parents called."
"They did?" I couldn't help the excitement in my voice.
"Apparently Isabella actually talked to them. They want to come to the wedding. They want...well, I don't know what they want. Another chance, I guess? They said they were sorry."
"James,
that's great."
He shrugged. "I guess. Isabella really came through." He shook his head. "She's changed. She's actually changed."
No. She hadn't changed at all. I bit my tongue. Maybe she was being nice to him to his face but she had just stolen his money. I needed to tell him. Were the photos leaking worse than him thinking I stole money from him? My hands were shaking so badly that I had to tuck them under my thighs so he wouldn't notice. "What did you tell your parents?"
"That I needed to talk to you first."
"James, I think they should come."
"I knew you'd say that. That's not what we need to talk about. What were you doing tonight?"
"Getting my dress." My throat felt dry.
He looked back down at his half empty glass of scotch. It didn't seem like it was his first glass. He seemed distant and spaced out. "I got an email from my stock broker, Bill O'Neill, today. A memo for the stocks I sold after work today. You can jump in any time, Penny."
Shit. I had forgotten to tell Bill to not send any emails. I bit my lip. I didn't know how much James knew. Offering any information would just make it worse.
James downed the rest of his scotch. "So, I called him. Apparently I'm investing in Uber? Again?" The more he talked the angrier he looked.
I still stayed silent.
"So I called my bank to see what account the money had been transferred to. But it was gone. Once the money came through, it was transferred to an account that wasn't mine. Why aren't you saying anything?" He looked so mad.
"You don't understand."
"I know I don't understand. That's why I'm trying to talk to you. Why did you liquidate 20 million dollars worth of stocks?"
"I'm sorry. I can't tell you." Please believe me.
He laughed. "Penny." He stood up. "When you turned my parents down for money, I was so sure. I was so sure that what we had was real. That you weren't after me for my money."
"I'm not. And the fact that you weren't sure about me until I turned down your parents' money..." I tried to swallow my tears. "How could you not be sure? When I gave up everything to be with you? When I said yes to your proposal? James..."
