Sugar Rush

by McIntyre, Anna J.

  “Jeff, this doesn’t make any sense. If he wanted my money, why wouldn’t he just come to me and ask? Hell, he could have made up some cover story about why he concealed the inheritance, such as he wanted to surprise me.”

  “Do you even know your grandfather? Do you honestly think he wants to owe you a favor? I couldn’t get anyone at the bank to talk to me about your account, but I found out the general manager had been let go several weeks ago, so I tracked him down, and he was more than willing to talk for a price.”

  “You paid someone?”

  Jeff shrugged, then continued with his explanation. “A while back, your grandfather went to the bank, supposedly on your behalf. He told them you were getting married soon, and you wanted to put your husband on the account, and that he was going to be handling your money. He told them you wanted to know what needed to be done to set this up. When asked why you didn’t come in, he just laughed and said his granddaughter couldn’t be bothered with such mundane tasks.”

  “So, all this marrying Jerome business was so those two could get hold of my inheritance?” No longer making excuses for her grandfather, Lexi felt anger mount.

  “I think so.”

  “So, once I married Peters, it would be easier for them to extort my inheritance.”

  “I think that’s what they believed.”

  “But, why did my grandfather ever believe he could get me to marry his business partner?”

  “There is only one reason I can think of.”

  “What’s that?”

  “He has no idea who you are.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “I need you,” Lexi told Jeff an hour later. Nude, the two lay under the sheets in Lexi’s bed, exhausted after a vigorous lovemaking session. Jeff held Lexi in his arms and kissed the top of her head.”

  “I’m here for you, babe.”

  Lexi rolled out of his arms and looked at him. “No, I need you to help me with my hot fudge venture.”

  Jeff frowned at her statement, and she laughed.

  “Well, I need you here too.” She moved back in his arms. “But, you once offered to work with me long term, and Jeff, I could really use your help.”

  “I’m happy to see you’re moving forward with the hot fudge venture, in spite of the fact that you don’t really have to.”

  “I want to build something, Jeff.”

  “You’re your father’s daughter.” He chuckled.

  “What do you mean?”

  “When playing detective this past week, I learned a lot about your father. After he graduated from college, he brought your mother home to meet your grandfather. When your father wouldn’t break up with her, he was kicked out—like you were when you refused to marry Peters. Like you, your father didn’t sit around and moan about his change of fortune. With your mother, he built a nice little business. You’re doing the same thing.”

  Lexi smiled and snuggled into his embrace.

  “I’d like it to be a working partnership,” Jeff said.

  “I think that could be arranged.”

  “I’ve got some money I could invest in the company.”

  “Jeff, we don’t need your money, I have the inheritance.”

  “No, Lexi. Let’s keep the hot fudge venture separate and treat it like a real business—like it is. As for your inheritance, that’s your personal money. As for me, I love you, but I need you to know I’m here for you, not for your money.”

  Lexi rolled over and faced Jeff. Their noses were just a breath apart. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brushed a kiss over his lips.

  “I love you, too, Jeff.”

  “Hot damn!” Angie stood at the doorway looking into Lexi’s bedroom.

  “Oh, I guess we should’ve shut the door.” Lexi giggled as she pulled up the sheet to cover their bodies.

  “Hi, Angie,” Jeff waved from the bed.

  “I thought that was your car in the drive. You’re blocking me, you asshole.” Angie chuckled.

  “You still pissed at me?” Jeff asked.

  “Just for parking in the driveway. I’m cool with the rest. Glad to see you’re back. Does this mean I don’t have to wake up at five in the morning and go to that damned swap meet?”

  “Yeah, you’re off the hook. I’ll be taking Lexi.”

  “Great. Just for that, I’ll let you crash at the house until Lexi feels compelled to kick you out… if that ever happens.” Angie pulled the door shut, giving her friends privacy as she walked to the kitchen.

  It wasn’t until an hour later, after Lexi and Jeff dressed and went to the kitchen to get something to eat, that they told Angie about the inheritance. Angie displayed far more outward excitement over the news than Lexi had. She danced around the kitchen, first on her right foot and then her left, flapped her arms like a deranged bird and kept shouting hot damn!

  To celebrate, Angie offered to take them all out for dinner. Since it was Saturday, Angie called ahead and made a reservation at Angelina’s Italian Kitchen. When the bill came, both Jeff and Lexi offered to pay, but Angie refused.

  Sunday sales were even better than the previous week. Lexi was approached by another local merchant wanting to carry the hot fudge mix. By the time they got home Sunday, both were exhausted. It had been decided over dinner on Saturday night that Lexi and Jeff would be heading back to California on Monday, so they went to bed early.

  Before leaving Monday morning, Jeff called an old friend of his, who was an attorney in Los Angeles. Calling in a favor, Jeff convinced his friend to squeeze Lexi in Monday afternoon. She wanted to discuss the best way to go about claiming her inheritance, and needed advice on how to manage the funds. She also wanted him to draw up a will.

  When they got into Los Angeles Monday afternoon, they had just enough time to grab a hamburger at a fast food restaurant, before making the appointment. By Tuesday, Lexi had access to her funds. She wanted to buy a car, but decided to wait until they got back to Lake Havasu City. If she purchased one in California, they would have to drive back in separate cars.

  They spent Wednesday visiting the malls, clothes shopping for Lexi. Although she’d gotten her old clothes back when Jeff brought the boxes, it had been over a year since she’d purchased anything new for her wardrobe, aside from the thrift shop.

  On the way back to Jeff’s apartment, they stopped and picked up Chinese food. Both were exhausted and planned to leave for Havasu in the morning, on Valentine’s Day.

  “What are you going to do about this apartment?” Lexi asked as she opened the cartons of Chinese food.

  “I haven’t really thought about it.”

  “I’d like to stay in Havasu, at least until the swap meet ends for the season, which is sometime in May.”

  “I sort of figured that.” Jeff helped himself to some cashew chicken and chow mien. They each took a plate of food and a set of chopsticks with them into the living room and sat together on the couch.

  “I really like your apartment, and it’s nice to have someplace to stay when we come into town. Why don’t you let me pay the rent?”

  “I can’t have you do that.”

  “Why not? Consider it a business expense.”

  “I’m okay for now. But you’re probably right. It would be nice to have someplace to crash when we come into town. At least until we figure out where we plan to go in May.”

  “You know, maybe instead of a car, I should buy a motor home.”

  “Motor home?”

  “Sure, we could travel around the country, promote the hot fudge mix. I’d love to see more of the country. I never did much traveling after my parents died.”

  “Seriously? You’ve gone to Europe, haven’t you?”

  “Nope. I’ve never been out of the country. And the only time I went to Hawaii was with my parents.”

  “I guess that surprises me, considering the number of times I had to travel abroad for your grandfather’s company.”

  “Do you really think he is that broke?”

&n
bsp; “From what I learned last week, I think he’s running on fumes. He even took out a loan on his estate.”

  “You mean his house?”

  “Yes, and considering the amount he borrowed, he has little if any equity left in the property. He’s liquidated most of his assets in the last twelve months. It’s funny how people see just what they want to see, or expect to see. Now that I look back at certain events that went on over the last couple of years, I should have known the company had serious problems. I knew there were some issues, but I just assumed it was the economy. I figured liquidating some of the properties was a strategy to weed out the dead wood, make the corporation lean and more able to sustain any bumps in the road. ”

  “Well, in your defense, you were fresh out of college.”

  Jeff was about to tell her she was sweet when the doorbell rang.

  “I wonder who that is?” Jeff sat his plate on the coffee table and stood up. “I bet it’s one of the neighbors. I’ve pretty much been M.I.A. for weeks.”

  When Jeff opened the front door he was surprised to find Ethan Beaumont in the doorway.

  “Is my granddaughter here?” he demanded. Before Jeff could answer, Ethan pushed his way into the apartment and started shouting, “Lexi! Lexi!”

  “What are you doing here?” Lexi asked, standing up from the couch.

  “Why are you here with Barnett? He’s just using you to get to your money.”

  “Gee, Grandfather, about that money. Nice of you to tell me I had an inheritance.”

  “It was for your own good! I was afraid you would do something irresponsible, and look, I was right! Here you are in this man’s apartment, and he’s cleaned out your bank account!”

  “He hasn’t touched my bank account, or even tried. Too bad I can’t say the same about you.”

  “I didn’t touch a dime of that money.”

  “No, but you told the bank I was getting married, and you wanted to put my husband in charge of my inheritance.”

  “I just thought Peters would be better equipped to manage your inheritance. You have no experience handling that kind of money. It wasn’t as if we planned to touch it before you were married.”

  “I think you should worry more about managing your own finances, rather than mine.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “I know about the house.” It always felt odd to Lexi to call it a house. In reality, it was a mansion. “I understand it’s mortgaged to the hilt. You’ve been selling off your assets. Your company is drowning, and you thought my inheritance might bail you out.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. In the scheme of things, your inheritance is a drop in the bucket.”

  “I believe that, Grandfather. I also believe you were fully prepared to drain every last drop for the remote possibility it might save your company.”

  Ethan Beaumont said nothing. In that moment, he reminded Lexi of a statue that was about to crumble. Without saying another word, Ethan Beaumont turned and walked from the apartment, closing the door behind him.

  Lexi and Jeff silently stared at the closed door. Finally Jeff spoke.

  “Are you alright, babe?”

  “I wanted to love that man. I wanted him to love me. But I don’t see it ever happening, and he is the only family I have left in the world.”

  Jeff gathered Lexi up in his arms and held her tightly. Closing her eyes, she leaned into his chest and wrapped her arms around him.

  “You have me, and Angie. And when you meet my family you can have them, too. They will love you, Lexi.”

  “I love you, Jeff Barnett.”

  Epilogue

  The housekeeper was beginning to worry about her employer. Ethan Beaumont had been sitting in his study for over an hour, staring blankly across the room. Sitting in one of the two wingback chairs, his elbows propped on the chair’s arms, he tapped his chin with his knuckles, his fingers laced together.

  She couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. After all, he was an old man and alone. It had been almost three years since he’d seen his granddaughter, but the housekeeper couldn’t really fault the girl. He had driven her away.

  He should be proud of the young woman, considering what she’d accomplished in the last few years. Thinking he’d want to read the article about Lexi that appeared in the recent People Magazine, she brought it to him. His eyes only skimmed the article before he tossed the magazine aside as if it held no interest to him.

  Lexi and her husband’s Walt’s Hot Fudge on Demand had become a phenomenal success. They were no longer manufacturing the product in her kitchen, but had opened a plant in Lake Havasu City, and were distributing the hot fudge mix throughout the country. According to the article, they had recently turned down a lucrative buyout by a major food corporation.

  Ethan Beaumont’s year had not gone so well. There was virtually nothing left of his company; it had gone so quickly. Things accelerated when Jerome Peters embezzled what was left of any liquid assets and disappeared.

  All that he had left was the house, which really was not his. The bank had foreclosed on the property weeks earlier and had already sold it to an investor. They informed him the new owner was willing to let him stay in the mansion temporarily, and offered to pay for the household staff, since they wanted the estate properly maintained. It was an offer he couldn’t afford to refuse.

  They were letting him keep his personal belongings, but the things of real value, such as art, had been sold months ago. That morning, a representative from the bank had called and told him they were coming over that afternoon and bringing the new owner. He assumed they were coming over with the eviction notice.

  He had social security, which was a pittance, considering what he was used to. Selling what remained of the household furniture would net him a little cash, but not much. If he was a younger man, he would see this as a challenge and make another fortune. But, he was eighty-four, and no longer possessed the necessary youth required for rebuilding dynasties. For the first time in Ethan Beaumont’s life he was afraid.

  “You have visitors,” the housekeeper said, interrupting his thoughts. Ethan glanced up.

  “Show them in,” he told her, wondering why she seemed so cheerful with the news of visitors, as if she thought it was someone he would actually be happy to see.

  A few minutes later, the housekeeper showed the new arrivals to the study, then hastily departed the room. When Beaumont glanced up to see who had walked in, he visibly tensed. It was Lexi and the representative from the bank. The man was grinning, as if he, like the housekeeper, thought Ethan should be thrilled with their company.

  “What are you doing here?” Ethan asked, his voice gruff.

  “She’s the one who bought the property,” the banker explained.

  “What kind of trick is this?”

  A flicker of confusion crossed the banker’s face. He assumed Beaumont would be thrilled to know Lexi bought the house, and he wouldn’t have to move.

  “Can you please leave my grandfather and I alone? We need to talk.”

  The banker gave a little nod and hastily departed, not wanting to stick around for longer than necessary, considering the surly nature of the elderly man.

  With measured calm, Lexi walked to her grandfather and gave him a perfunctory kiss on the forehead, then sat on the empty wingback chair next to his.

  “You look well, Grandfather. I understand Peters has disappeared.”

  “Did you come here to gloat?”

  “No. I guess that was cruel of me. Sorry. No, I came here to tell you I’ve bought this house, and you don’t have to move. I’ll continue to pay all the household expenses, such as the utilities, insurance, and household staff. I’ll give you a monthly allowance to cover your food and other expenses.”

  “Why would you do that?” he snapped.

  “You did it for me.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “When my parents were killed, you gave me a safe place to live. You paid for my
room, board, all of my expenses. You paid for my education. Now it’s my turn to repay the favor.”

  “I don’t want your charity,” he snapped.

  “It isn’t charity, Grandfather. It’s what family is supposed to do. Family is supposed to take care of each other.”

  “What do you want in exchange?” he asked suspiciously.

  “I don’t want anything at all. Tell me grandfather, what did you want when you took me in after my parents died?”

  “What do you mean, what did I want? You had nothing I wanted; you were just a child.”

  “What about my inheritance?”

  “I didn’t need your money back then, and even if I had, I couldn’t touch it.” He sounded insulted.

  “So, you took me in because I was family?” she prodded. He didn’t answer immediately.

  “I suppose so,” he finally conceded.

  Lexi smiled and stood up. She walked to her grandfather’s side, leaned over and placed a light kiss on his forehead.

  “And that is exactly the same reason I’m doing it, Grandfather.”

  Lexi turned from him and walked from the room. She wondered if he would call out to her, say anything, but he didn’t. He just watched her leave.

  “You okay?” Jeff asked when Lexi got in the car with him a few minutes later.

  “Yeah, I think I am,” Lexi smiled. She closed the car door and buckled the seat belt.

  “I love you Lexi.” Jeff told her as he turned on the ignition.

  “I know, Jeff. I love you, too.”

  Walt’s Hot Fudge on Demand Recipe

  Dry Mix

  In a glass jar combine:

  2 cups sugar

  1/3 cup powdered milk

  6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

  2 teaspoons powdered vanilla

  Dash salt

  Place a lid on the jar and shake to mix well.

  Single Serving Hot Fudge Sauce

  In an 8-ounce glass Pyrex measuring cup put:

  1 tablespoon butter

  1 tablespoon water

  Microwave for 40 seconds.

  Add 2 tablespoons dry mix to the butter and water mixture.