The Inheritance (Forever Bound #1) (6 page)

“Hmmm…” He sat down at his desk. “I’ll have to talk to Jesse and see if he knows the statute of limitations on abandoned buildings. Keep me posted and thanks for the update.” When Lily continued to stand there, he turned his head to her. “Was there something else?”

She nodded and her facial expressions turned solemn. “I really don’t know how to tell you this.” She sat down in the chair across from him. This was never good. He could see it written on her face.

“Well, obviously something is bothering you. I want you to be able to talk to me about anything. You’re not just an employee. You’re a friend.”

She smiled. “The lunch today with Brayton wasn’t just about going to lunch with him. I’ve been holding back with the truth because I was scared to admit it, but he is moving to San Diego, and I decided to go with him.”

He gazed at her. This wasn’t the news he wanted or expected to hear. Lily had worked with him for nearly five years, and he couldn’t imagine finding someone that could handle the daily stress of the job as she could. Yet, he couldn’t keep her from following the one she loved, if that truly was what she wanted to do. “Wow. So, when do you leave?”

“Brayton goes in two weeks, and I told him that I would come whenever you get someone hired, and I get them trained. I won’t leave you in the lurch, so you take your time to find someone to replace me.”

“I don’t know that anyone can replace you. You’ve honestly been an amazing person to work with. I could never thank you enough.”

She blushed and looked down at her hands. “Well…honestly…you’ve taught me a lot, Derek.” She looked up and in the corner of her eye, there was a tear. “I’m going to miss you and Belfast.”

He stood up and walked over to where she sat. He placed his hand on her shoulder, and she stood up. Without doubting his choice, he hugged her. “You’re going to be missed, Lily.”

She sighed, pulling back from the hug. “I…I have work to do.” She twirled on her heel and hurried out of his office. No doubt it was an emotional decision for her. He walked over to his chair and sat down, then picked up his phone and dialed the extension for human resources.

“This is Amanda.”

“Hey, Amanda. It’s Mayor Worthington. Lily is going to be turning in her two weeks notice, and I hope you can put out a notice that I’ll need another assistant.”

“Oh…I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll put it out right away.”

“Thank you!” He disconnected the call and stared at his computer. He hoped he could get applicants right away, because there was a lot of work to do and not a minute to lose.

***

Charity cleared a table when she noticed the door of the diner open. “Good afternoon, have a seat and—“ Her words fell off when she spotted Damian. He grinned at her. “Have a seat and I’ll be right with you.” She took the dirty dishes to the opening where the dishwasher would handle them and took a deep breath to approach him. Once she did, she didn’t hold back any punches. “Are you following me?” she asked between clenched teeth.

He chuckled. “I thought you’d see it that way. No, I’m not following you. I was hungry, and I noticed your nametag next to your bed before I was rushed out of your place. I thought I would give this place a try.” He winked at her. “Nothing harmful, it’s as simple as that. May I see a menu?”

“Oh…right.” She left the table and grabbed a menu, then walked it back to him. “Our specials are the butter burger basket and the shrimp plate.” She started to walk away from him when he grabbed her hand. “Do you mind?” she asked, glaring at him.

“I can’t stop thinking about last night and this morning. I thought maybe we could meet up tonight. What time do you get off?”

Her mouth dropped. “What? I told you this wasn’t something that would ever happen again.”

“I believe you said that you’re not that type of girl. Well, maybe I can change that.” He snickered and shrugged, confidently staring at her. “I’m willing to try.”

She crossed her arms. “You think you can charm a lady into changing? Get over yourself. It wasn’t that great.” She stormed away from the table and left him hanging. When she reached the counter, she spotted Tina.

“Who is that?” Tina asked.

Charity played it off nonchalantly. “No one special.”

The girl beside her laughed. “Right. It didn’t look like no one special.”

Charity couldn’t tell her it was just some guy she screwed to take her mind off of one of her many problems. She just shrugged it off. “Do me a favor?” Charity asked.

“Sure! What?”

“I’m not feeling the best. Will you take over his table?” Without waiting for a response, she hurried into the back room. She peeked out the window in the door to find that it didn’t take long before Tina had gone to his table. She breathed a sigh of relief and waited in the back room. She felt bad leaving the dirty work to her co-worker, but they weren’t busy, and she couldn’t face him again. About two minutes passed when the door swung open, and Tina walked inside.

“He’s gone.”

Charity frowned. “Gone?”

She nodded and handed a napkin to Charity. “He asked me to give you this.” Tina turned away and headed back into the Diner, and Charity opened up the closed napkin.

“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. If you change your mind, give me a call. Damian 472-5562.” She crumpled the napkin up and stuck it in her pants pocket. She had no intention of calling him, but she was relieved he chose to leave. She walked back into the diner and was ready to work.

Derek texted Jesse before heading out of the office. He needed to talk to him about the abandoned building and see if they could figure out what the next step should be. Jesse arrived after supper, and Derek asked him to join him for a drink. He poured two scotches and handed one off to his friend, before sitting down. “Lily found out the building at the corner of Elm and 64
th
has been abandoned for four years. Do you know what the statute of limitations of that would be?”

Jesse took a drink, before replying. “Maine’s guidelines stand by that a building needs to be abandoned for five years before it can be turned over to the city. Do you know who the owner is?”

Derek shook his head. “She’s working on getting that information.” He took a drink, then continued, “We’ve come this far, and I’d really hate to have to derail the project because of one building. I hope we can get ahold of them to figure out a deal.”

“It’s almost like you have to pick your battles,” Jesse replied.

“What do you mean?” Derek asked.

“Well…look at this way. You can go to the owner and risk them not selling to you. Or, you could not say anything and hope that in the next year the owner doesn’t come back and claim the property. Then, you can do what you see fit with it.”

“Oh!” Derek sighed. He hadn’t thought of it that way. Jesse had a point. They could go through all of this and end up losing the ability to build on the land if they dug more into it. “I guess I’ll make that judgment call after I find out more details. After all, if no one has been around the building for four years, why would they pitch a fit?”

“True!” Jesse slowly replied. Derek at least hoped that was the case. “How have things been going otherwise?” Jesse asked.

Derek groaned. “Not great! On top of all this, I found out that Lily is leaving.”

“Leaving? Where’s she going?”

“Her boyfriend is moving out of state, and she decided to go with him.” It wasn’t ideal, but he couldn’t be angry that she chose love over her job. He was disappointed more than anything. “I’m happy for her, but disappointed that I’m now on the hunt for another assistant. It isn’t easy finding someone—.”

“That can put up with your temper,” Jesse finished for Derek.

Derek chuckled. “I’m not that bad, am I?”

Jesse smiled. “Well…you are a little high maintenance.”

“Not high-maintenance, just particular,” Derek corrected. “Besides, I’m really not that hard to work with. I just get used to the way things are, and I don’t like to change things up.”

“Change is good, my friend and you’ll get through it.”

Derek nodded. It came with the territory. He had no other choice but to deal with it, but it didn’t mean he had to like it. “I’ll get through it, but I absolutely despise interviews.”

Jesse snickered. “I know the feeling. When I hired Maddie as my secretary last year, I went through fifteen applicants.”

“Oh boy…don’t tell me that.”

Jesse grinned. “Maybe you’ll be different. The first person you interview could be perfect for the job.”

“Right!” Derek replied with a disheartened answer. It was highly unlikely, but he could hope. “Enough about me. What’s up with you outside of the lawyer world? How’s things going with Ana?”

Jesse beamed which made Derek smile as he took a drink from his glass. “Amazing! In fact, I was going to tell you my big news.”

Derek paused with his glass halfway up to his lips, then withdrew slightly.
News?
He smiled. “You have big news?”

“I do. I’ve asked Ana to move in with me, and she said yes.”

Derek’s jaw dropped. “You did? How long has it been since you started dating?”

“Going on six months and I’ve honestly never been this happy. I know this is the right decision for me in my life, and I blurted it out last night. It’s been on my mind for a couple of weeks now, and she didn’t even hesitate with her response.”

“Wow! I’m happy for you, Jesse. Really I am.” It wasn’t a lie. He was happy because it was clear Jesse finally found the one woman for him. He just was impressed to see his friend really this excited about a woman. “So, when is she moving in?”

“We think maybe this weekend we’ll start the process. We’d like to have a party, too, so I’m sure we’ll be getting with you on when that will be.”

“That sounds like fun. I’ll make sure to clear my schedule. Just let me know the date.” Derek paused, then finally asked, “Does this mean that wedding bells might be close behind?” Jesse smiled and just shrugged. It was clear that it was a thought in his mind, but he didn’t want to talk about it. Derek laughed. “I’ll take that as a maybe.”

Jesse looked away from Derek’s wandering eye, then changed the subject. “So, when do you start interviews?”

Derek laughed, recognizing the meaning. “Soon!” They quickly changed the subject, but Derek still thought about how things would change if Jesse and Ana moved in together. He needed to take Jesse’s point of view. Change is good, but he needed to still tell himself that.

***

Charity put on the teakettle when she heard a knock at her door. “Coming!” she called. She reached the door and peered outside to find Ana. She opened up the door and looked past her. She’d been avoiding Richard at all costs and was grateful to see that he still wasn’t around. “Come in!” She backed up and quickly shut the door.

“Who were you looking for?” Ana asked.

Charity shrugged. “No one,” she lied. “I just put on the teakettle for coffee, want some?”

“Sure. Sounds great!” Ana followed Charity into the kitchen, and they took a seat at the kitchen table. “How have you been?” Ana asked.

Charity smiled, even though that was the last emotion she felt. “I’ve been doing alright. I’ve been busy working, but that’s about it. How about you?”

Ana grinned. Charity could see there was something she was dying to tell her, but she didn’t come right out and say it. “I can’t complain.” Charity tilted her head and watched Ana. “What?” Ana asked, blushing.

“Something seems different. Things going well with Jesse?”

Again Ana’s face lit up. “Couldn’t be better.” She paused, still smiling, but didn’t proceed to say anything else.

“Something is clearly up. What’s going on?” Charity asked.

“I actually do have something—.” The teakettle sounded, breaking her words off.

“Keep talking,” Charity replied. She got up and turned to go to the stove.

Ana continued where she left off. “I wanted to tell you that Jesse asked me to move in with him.”

Charity poured some steaming water into a coffee cup and turned around and looked at Ana. “He wants you to move in? What did you say?”

Ana grinned. “What do you think I said? I said yes.” Charity turned back around and grabbed the other coffee cup and poured the water in as she thought about what Ana told her. “Are you going to say something?” Ana asked.

In the back of her mind, Charity was thrilled for her friend. It was one closer step for Ana to find her happiness, but she was a tad upset when she had contemplated Ana could be one way out of her own financial mess. She considered asking her to move in with her and now that wasn’t an option, she was left scrambling for other ideas. “I’m happy for you,” Charity said, handing her a cup of coffee.

“But?” Ana asked.

Charity couldn’t go into her own problems when Ana was so happy, so she just shook her head. “No buts. I’m truly happy for you.”

Ana smiled, taking a sip from her coffee couple. “Did you like him…really?” she asked, slowly lowering the cup to the table.

Charity nodded, a little too eagerly. “He seemed great and what was even more important was he seems to really care about you. If he’s good enough for my best friend, then he’s good enough for me.”

Ana tilted her head. “Awww…thanks, Charity. I really care about him, too.” She grabbed another sip, which brought Charity to ask another question.

“Is it love?” she softly asked.

Ana looked down at her coffee cup as if reading some words floating around the rim. She finally looked up, and her happiness was inevitable. “I can’t speak for him, but for me, I’ve never been more in love than I am with him. If he asked me to marry him, I would say yes. No doubts. No worries. I love him.” She giggled nervously. “I’m like a silly school girl.”

Charity snickered. “I love it.”

“You know it’s never too late for you, right? Maybe you should rethink this spinsterhood you have going on here.”

Charity’s mouth opened, and she playfully threw a napkin at Ana’s head. “It’s not spinsterhood. I’m only twenty-five. I’m not saying I would be closed off to finding love, but what does love get a person like me…a broken heart and left standing at the altar.”

It turned solemn at the table before Ana tried to be funny. “You weren’t standing at the altar. He wrote you a note and did it a week before the wedding. That’s saying something.”

Charity snickered. “Yeah, it’s saying he didn’t want to be a complete ass, just a half of an ass.”

Ana shrugged. “I suppose your right.”

“Honestly, he did me a favor,” Charity admitted. “Did I expect it to happen? No, but I’m happy and I might not be in love, but it doesn’t matter.” She stared at Ana and Ana didn’t seem convinced. Charity cleared her throat and stood up from the table. “Let’s go in the living room. It’s more comfortable in there.” Ana followed her into the room, and they both took a seat on the couch and placed their coffee cups down on a coaster. “I do want to let you know that I’ve decided to look for another job.”

“You have?” Ana asked shock etched in her voice. “I thought you’d retire from Bill’s Diner.”

Charity chuckled. “Really? Not even close,” she replied, playing it off. She thought the same thing, but again she had to tread lightly with Ana’s good news. “I don’t want to be a waitress all my life.”

“Then what are you planning on doing?” Ana asked.

Charity grabbed the newspaper from the coffee table and placed it between Ana and her. “I’ve really just started looking today, but I found a few possibilities. I thought of looking into something related to children. After all, I wanted to be a teacher, and I thought I could get my foot in the door and eventually if things worked out, I could go back to school.”

Ana squealed. “Are you serious? That’d be awesome. I’d always thought you’d make a fabulous teacher.”

Charity looked at the paper. She needed to get some money built up in her account before that’d be possible, but she couldn’t help but hope it would come true. She pointed to a couple of the postings she circled. “A daycare is hiring a full-time daycare aide. It sounds interesting, and the middle school is hiring a teacher’s assistant. Both jobs seem promising, so I’m going to go see if I can talk to someone tomorrow.”

“Good for you, Charity. I wish you the best.”

Charity smiled. “Thanks!” She sighed, folding the paper up and putting the newspaper back on the coffee table. Both jobs would surely bring in more money and more hours, so she couldn’t wait to get out there and see what was available to her.

***

Derek walked into the office and was immediately hit up by Lily. “I have your schedule for today,” she said, entering his office before he could even discard his briefcase.

He laughed. “Hello to you, too.” He put his briefcase on his desk and looked up.

She chuckled. “Sorry. I have a ton to do at my desk, and I don’t have time to waste. Plus, your first appointment is in about five minutes.”

He frowned. “I don’t recall anyone on the schedule until late afternoon.” He looked down at the schedule. “I don’t know any of these names that are on here. Care to explain?”

She shrugged. “Amanda in HR has been busy, what can I say? She sent an email with these names and times they’d be here.”

The notion hit him, and he cringed. “Interviews?” he asked, wishing he was wrong.

She nodded. “Apparently word gets around and everyone’s clamoring for this position.” She left his office, and he could hear her laughing all the way to her desk.

He glanced at his watch, picked up his phone, and dialed in Amanda’s extension. “This is Amanda,” she cheerily answered.

“It’s Mayor Worthington. Um…five interviews today…seriously?” he asked.

She laughed on the other end. “It sort of just happened. I’ve sent you an email that contains all the applicant’s resumes.”

“How did this just happen? I only told you yesterday that Lily was leaving.”

“We have employees in this building that happen to know someone in need of a job. I decided to give them first dibs. Plus, Lily said you were open in your schedule for this morning. I didn’t think it would matter when you had these interviews. Do you need me to cancel? I will, but I thought you’d want the job filled quickly.”

He groaned. She had him there. “Don’t cancel them, just promise me that tomorrow won’t be as chocked full of fun,” he sarcastically said.

She snickered. “I promise. Be sure to check your email,” she cheerily replied.