“Do you mind? This is a confidential conversation.”
“Sorry,” I replied with a tight lipped smile, stepping back from the desk. She looks away, urgently whispering into the phone. I pace back and forth across the lobby as I wait for her to finish and hopefully straighten out this mess. After what feels like forever, she finally turns back, hanging up the phone.
“Do you have any identification?” She demands, watching me suspiciously. I resist the urge to roll my eyes as I dig through my purse for my Driver’s License.
Seriously, lady, I was just here on Monday. What do you think, I just happened to know you would have a check for someone else named Emilienne and I’m here to steal it?
I find my wallet at the bottom of my messenger bag, pull out my license and set it on the desk in front of her.
She picks it up and stares at it like she was a bouncer checking for a fake ID. I tap my foot in irritation, at this rate the bank and everything else will be closed by the time I get out of here.
“Alright, wait here,” she finally says her voice heavily tinged with reluctance. Dropping my license on the desk, Ms. Congeniality wipes her hands on a handkerchief as though she might catch something from touching the plastic. God save me from stupid people.
I manage to keep my fake smile in place as she leaves the room. Left to my own devices, I slip my license in my wallet and return it to my bag. I’m starting to regret telling the guys to wait outside. Jesus, could this possibly take any longer?
Five minutes later she returns holding an envelope and an old fashion ledger. She set the ledger down and began flipping through the pages till she finally reaches a page containing empty lines. Turning it towards me, she waves to the book.
“You’ll need to sign to acknowledge that you are taking possession of the check,” she tells me brusquely, placing a pen on the open page. “Print here, and then sign here.”
I grab the pen and quickly fill out the ledger as instructed. Ms. Congeniality turns the book around and closely inspects my signature, before finally handing me the envelope.
After all this rigmarole, I’m leaving without making sure I have my check for the full $250,000. I make a show of opening the envelope, pulling out the check and examining it, before tucking it into a book inside my bag.
“Thank you,” I say brightly. “Enjoy your day!” I spin and make a beeline for the door. Once free from the office, I run down the stairs and jump in the car
“About time, Pixie,” Jared scolds. “We were about to come in after you.”
“Sorry about that, it took forever. Let's get out of here.”
“Absolutely,” Ian puts the car into gear and pulls away from the building. “Did you still want to go by the bank today?”
“If you guys don’t mind.” I say tentatively, feeling guilty that they’ve already spent so much time waiting around for me.
“Of course we don’t mind, Emmy. It’s just a few blocks over, if we’re lucky we should still have time to get you taken care of today.”
“Awesome. Thanks so much.” I lean in and kiss Ian on the cheek.
“Hey now, where is my kiss?” Jared asks, sticking his head between the seats. I shake my head and roll my eyes before bestowing a kiss on Jared’s cheek.
Ian was right, in minutes we were pulling into the public parking lot.
“Bank first, then we’ll hit as many of the other offices as we can,” Ian says, unbuckling his seatbelt.
Jared pops open the back door and climbs out.
“I’ve got a couple things to pick up while we’re down here, I’ll meet you two back at the car,” Jared calls before taking off.
“Come on, Emmy.” Ian slips his hand into mine, and leads the way. Unlike Halloween night, the street is mostly empty today. The few people out are either strolling leisurely down the sidewalk window shopping or hurrying along to their next appointment.
“Where is everyone?” I ask as we walk towards the town square.
“The last of the summer people packed up and left for the season right after the anniversary celebration.” Ian explains. “The few winter tourists we get won’t be back till the Harvest Festival at the end of the month. For the most part, this place is pretty much locals only until Memorial Day rolls around.”
Just past City Hall, the golden sandstone-faced bank building glows in the late afternoon sunlight. We climb the stairs leading to the entrance, and Ian elbows the handicapped access button. The heavy glass doors silently open, welcoming us into the lobby, where we are greeted by a smartly dressed woman with a short, dark bob.
“Welcome to Arcus Island Credit Union,” she says warmly. “I’m Liza, how may we help you today?”
“I need to open an account,” I tell her.
“Of course. Please have a seat and an account manager will be with you shortly.” She motions towards the seating area in the corner and we sit down on a dark brown couch. I take in the elegant lobby, amazed that this place is a bank. Alternating Black And White Square tiles stretch across the large room, interrupted only by a series of marble pillars reaching up to the domed ceiling. To the left sit a row of desks and the back wall is a line of teller windows.
I lean over to whisper to Ian. “I hope this doesn’t take too long.”
“I’m sure it will be fine. Once you’ve got this part done, everything else will be easy.” Ian whispers back, giving my hand a squeeze.
In a few moments, a different woman appears; shorter, a bit heavier, and perhaps ten years older. She has warm brown eyes behind gold rimmed glasses, and wears the same smart gray blazer Liza wore. It must be a uniform piece, though the ladies wear different colored skirts.
“Welcome to Arcus Island Credit Union,” she smiles. “I’m Mrs. Harper, and I’ll be your account manager. Please come with me.” She escorts us along the row of desks to an empty one at the end. Indicating that we should take a seat, she sits on the opposite side, opens a drawer, and withdraws a packet of paper.
“Thank you for your patience. Now to open an account, I will need you to fill out these forms.” She slides the paperwork across the desk. “I’ll also need to see a valid ID and Social Security card.”
I quickly pull my wallet from my bag along with the check. After handing her my driver’s license and Social Security card, I turn to filling out her forms.
She glances at my ID and flashes another smile. “Happy Belated Birthday!”
“Oh, thank you!”
She turns towards the keyboard, quickly inputting the information into the computer. As she types, she recites a list of options regarding checking and savings accounts, most of which goes right over my head. I take a chance and drop my energy shield just enough to get a read on her. Ian’s energy hits me first, like a refreshing breeze, but I ignore it and focus on Mrs. Bank Lady A wave of bright positive energy rolls over me, nothing like the darkness I sense in the lawyer’s office. I can practically feel her commitment to her work and her desire to make sure she provided the best possible service.
Reassured that she will do her best to help me, I bring my shield back up, cutting off the flow of energy. Waiting for a break in her spiel, I jump in as she pauses and looks over at me.
“This will be my first bank account on my own,” I explained. “I really just need a place to deposit my trust checks, and a debit card so I can pay for things.” I slide the check across the desk to her.
“Of course. In that case, I recommend we start you off with the personal checking and savings account,” she says with a smile. “We can get everything set up today, although the funds won’t be available until the check clears. I’ll just need you to sign the back of the check. Now, you’re also eligible for a secure credit card with us, that way you’ll have access to some money while you wait.”
“All of that sounds great,” I agree. She gives another smile and turns back to her computer terminal. After a few more minutes of typing she stops and stands. “Ok, I’ve got everything set up, let me go get your
new cards and we’ll have you on your way. Give me just a moment.”
She hands me back my driver’s license and social security card, then quickly stands and crosses the room, disappearing behind the teller windows.
“This wasn’t as bad as I expected,” I whispered to Ian.
“Told you so,” Ian smiles. “You should ask her about the maintenance account for the house. From what I saw in the paperwork, the account is set up here, and it should have your name on it as one of the trustees.”
“Really?”
“It wouldn't hurt to ask. Worst case scenario, she won’t be able to give you any information. It will at least give us an idea what your next steps should be,” he says with one of his shy smiles.
I nod, it would definitely be easier if I could get the information here, rather trying to figure everything on my own.
A few minutes later, Mrs. Bank Lady returns and sits back down. She passes me a folder.
“This is your deposit receipt and your membership kit, it has copies of all the account information we discussed as well as the information on the secured credit card.” She passes me a red and white Visa card. “That’s your debit card. The sticker on the front has your temporary PIN number, if you stop at the ATM machine on the way out, you can create your own PIN number.” Next she slides a red and gold MasterCard across the desk. “This one is your secure credit card. It’s already active for your immediate use.”
“This is terrific, thank you so much.” I smile, slipping the cards into my wallet. “I did have another, unrelated question, but I’m not sure who I should ask.”
“Of course, what is it?” She asks.
“Well, as you saw, I just turned 18, and gained access to my trust. My… family lawyer said there is a separate maintenance account to take care of all the household expenses, but she didn’t really explain what that included or how it worked. The paperwork I have says that the account is here, and I was hoping someone could go over it with me, and tell me what if anything I need to do to make sure everything keeps running correctly.”
“Of course, I’d be happy to take a look.” She smiles. “Let me see your Driver's License and Social Security card one more time.” I pull them back out and hand them over, my foot tapping nervously. Ian’s right, this would be way easier if she could answer my questions.
“Alright Ms. Langmore, I see here that you’re listed as the primary Trustee on the Langmore Trust account. According to the system, all other previous trustees were removed as of October 31st. This account is set up to directly issue payment for a number of utility accounts each month. I can print you a list if you like, that way you can review them at your convenience.”
“Oh that would be perfect, thank you so much.”
“Of course, give me just a moment.” She did some additional typing, and then bent over and came back up with a printed page. “Here you are. A list of the accounts with automatic payments scheduled. You’ll see a notation in the far left column indicating whether the payment is made annually, quarterly or monthly. ”
“This is terrific.” I replied, glancing at the page before tucking it into the folder with the rest of the paperwork. “One last question, you wouldn’t happen to know whose name the accounts are set up under. I wasn’t sure if I needed to call all the utilities and let them know I had taken over.”
“Let me see, if that information is available '' she went back to the computer and was typing away for a few minutes. “Well according to what I see here, all these bills are set up for the trust. Now I would recommend checking in with the utilities, just to be sure they have you as a point of contact, but payment wise, everything will continue as scheduled.”
“Thanks so much for looking at that for me,” I say, standing up. “It’s a relief to know that I don’t need to worry about missing a payment while I get everything settled.”
“Yes, thank you for your time, Ms. Harper,” Ian says softly, taking the folder from me before linking his arm with mine.
“It’s been my pleasure,” she said smiling. “Enjoy your weekend.”
“We will, you too!” I reply. With a final wave we head out the door.
“Well Emmy, that’s one thing off the To Do list,” Ian says as we go down the stairs. He pauses at the bottom, and turns towards me. “Did you want to check on some of those accounts today while we’re down here or call them later?”
I glance at my watch and groan. It’s already 4:45.
“Nah, it’s getting late. I’ll look over the list of automatic payments from the bank and make a plan from there. I think I’ve done enough adulting for one day.”
“Perfect!” I jumped at Jared’s unexpected reply. He slings his arm over my shoulder. “I was hoping I’d find you two finishing up. I took the liberty of ordering a couple pizzas from Tony’s; we can grab them on the way back to the car. It’s pizza and movie time!”
“Sounds good to me, you in Emmy?”
“Sure, that’d be great,” I laugh, shrugging off Jared's arm. “Now let's get out of here.”
The twins fall into step on either side of me, and we head back to the car. Jared makes a quick stop at Tony’s Pizzeria, while Ian and I continue on to retrieve the car. Then we swing back around to Main Street, stopping outside Tony’s. Jared’s out in a flash, a bag swinging from his arm and two pizzas balanced in his hands. I jump out and open the door to the back seat.
“Thanks, Pixie. Hold on to this for a minute.” He hands me the pizza and climbs inside. Once settled, he holds out his arms and I pass them back to him. I close the door for him, and then get back in the front seat.
We make it back to my place in record time. The guys get us set up in the dining room with dinner, while a B horror movie plays on the laptop.
“We need to grab some stuff from the car, Em,” Ian announces as the credits start to roll.
“Cool, do you need help?” I ask.
“Nope,” Jared replies, jumping up from his chair. “We’ll be right back. They disappear out the front door while I pick up the plates and take them back to the kitchen. As I finish putting them in the dishwasher, I hear the front door open.
“Hey Pixie, come out here. We’ve got a surprise for you.”
Shaking my head, I go out in the hall. Ian and Jared are just inside the door, backpacks on, bags hanging from their arms, and paint cans in hand.
“What is all this?” I ask.
“You keep saying you hate the color of your bedroom, Emmy...” Jared starts.
“...so we figured, we’d help you take care of it.” Ian finishes.
I look back and forth between the two of them, a slow grin curling my lips. “Well, let's do it then”
∞
Three hours, and two cans of paint later, I look around the room.
“They make this look way more fun on HGTV,” I grumble as I rub my sore shoulder. I glare at the spots of pink showing through the black paint. Holidays, I think my art teacher called them. Oh, well. I turn my attention to the spotted sheets we had spread over all the furniture which was jammed into the center of the room. I knew those stupid top sheets had to be good for something.
“Let's call it a night, Pixie.” Jared declares, coming up behind me. He puts his hands on my shoulders and takes over rubbing them. His cold, vibrant energy radiates through my muscles, relieving some of the pain.
“I think we’re going to need another can of paint, Emmy,” Ian says, popping out of the bathroom with a hand full of freshly washed brushes. “We can pick them up after work tomorrow.”
“Sounds good, I’ve had all the fun I can take for one night.” I smile at Ian, leaning into Jared’s touch.
“Then we’re in agreement,” Jared grins. “But this room is off limits for the night. Now let's get out of here. These paint fumes are overwhelming,” with a final squeeze of my shoulders, his hands fall away and something inside me twists at the loss of his touch. “Hurry up and change into your pajamas. You can finally check out the rooms we
’ve taken over.”
“We’ll be waiting for you in the hall,” Ian says as he finishes closing up the paint cans.
“Unless you need us to stay and help,” Jared smirks, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Ya, no, I can handle it myself.” I laugh, shooing them out of the room. Quickly changing to a pair of black sweat pants and a tank top, I grab my phone and pillow and meet them in the hall.
“Oh, is it safe to leave the window open?” I ask, my hand lingering on the door handle.
“I’ll take care of it,” Jared volunteers, “Ian, go give her the grand tour.”
“Come on Emmy,” Ian holds his hand out and I slide my hand into his. The reassuring feel of his energy flows over my skin as I let him lead me down the hall and past the staircase. He pauses outside a door just down the hall from my Mom’s room. I glance at her closed door, frowning. I still haven’t managed to go inside. It’s stupid, but I just can’t bring myself to do it yet.
“Emmy?” Ian’s soft inquiry shocks me back to reality and I mentally shake off my dark thoughts.
“Sorry,” I smile up at him. “I got distracted. So how about that grand tour.”
Ian flashes a gentle smile and opens the door, pulling me inside a relatively non-descript guest room is decorated in various shades of blue. The space is dominated by a large sleigh bed and flanked by matching dark wood nightstands. The rumpled bed and a neatly stacked pile of books on top of the dresser are the only signs that the room is in use.
“Nice,” I grin, sitting on the bed.
“And the bathroom connects to Jared’s room.” Ian explains, taking a seat next to me.
“Oh wow, that’s cool. I didn’t know we had any connecting rooms.”
“Yup, convenient right?” Jared says, throwing himself down on the other side of the bed.
“Jesus,” I gasp. “You scared the crap out of me.”
Jared flashes a smile and snatches my phone. “Oops, sorry Pixie. I thought you heard me come in. Anyways, scoot over. It’s bedtime.” Shaking my head I crawl into the center, while Ian turns off the light. Closing my eyes, the twins’ energy washes over me. Someone pulls the blanket up to cover us.
Wave of Truth (The Magic Catalyst Chronicles Book 4) Page 3
