BREAKTHROUGH (Love's Not Easy Series Book 2) (3 page)

“Aimee, I am so sorry, but your dad isn’t being honest right now.”

“You’re right.  I have felt like they were up to something ever since I arrived here.”

“The other thing we need to know the answer to is, what Deandre is really trying to gain from all of this.”

“And, why she wants me to leave.”

“Nothing is simple when it comes to you.  Mystery seems to follow you around.  We have the mystery of your mom in Neahovia, and now, tonight, we have stumbled upon an American mystery as well.”

“I guess I have a new phrase to describe me. I am a mystique person.”

“Dear, you are a walking mystique paradise.  I say this, because no matter what type of mystery is following you, you are still beautiful inside and out.”

Aimee had to laugh at Aiden.  “You know we don’t have normal nineteen year olds conversations.”

“That is because there is nothing normal about either of our lives.  We do not have the families of normal nineteen year olds.”

“I guess not.”

Aiden stayed on the phone with Aimee until after three in the morning. They talked about whatever she wanted, as long as it helped her calm down.  He finally calmed her down enough to where she felt she could get some rest.  He was afraid when she awoke, it was going to be a bad day for her.

~ ~  ~  ~ ~  ~  ~

Aimee awoke at nine am and the house was quiet for this early in the day.  She freshened up and went down the stairs.  Her dad left her message near the coffee pot warning her they would talk when he came home from the office.

Deandre and the kids were not in the house.  Aimee checked the garage to see if Deandre’s car was there.  When she verified it was gone, Aimee took her coffee and went to her dad’s office.  She had an old lesson book from church with reproducible pages; if anyone came in, she would pretend to be making copies to send to Wise Chapel.

She went to her father’s desk and sat behind his home computer.  Her dad was still old school when it came to certain types of technology.  She put in the password she remembered he had when she was at home.  Lucky for her, he had not changed his passwords like most people.  She started looking through his files.

He was not very good at hiding files either.  She found one labeled ELA records and opened it and found there was a link to a bank account.  Aimee clicked on the link and found out the money was for her. It was not added by her dad, instead it was added by a different account and bank.

She searched for any other files that may match the account number and found one initialed REF. It was full of scanned receipts for Aimee’s tuition, rent, cars, and other expenses she had accrued since her eighteenth birthday.

The only document not a receipt, was a copy of this year’s tax return.  Her dad had brought it to her when he came to visit in March.  He told her it was a formality and now that she was eighteen, he needed her to sign them.  She didn’t question him. She trusted him and did not read the papers.

When she looked at her gross income for the year, she nearly fainted. Aimee was a nineteen year old multi-millionaire.  She had to stay seated for a moment to let the information sink in.  Then, she printed herself a copy of everything in the folders, closed his computer, and left his office.

She needed to think of what to do next and fast. She went to her room to find a hiding place for the files and then took a shower. Once she dressed, she went downstairs and found out Deandre had returned. Aimee prayed for God to help her stay calm.

“Who were you on the phone with for four hours last night?”  Deandre was eating fruit, while Miss Akers took care of the kids.

“Excuse me?”

“I checked your phone records.  The number is blocked, but I was able to see that you were on your phone for four hours.”

“Why are you checking my phone records?”

“Answer me, Aimee.”

“No.  Who I talk to is my business. You need to stay out of my business, Deandre.”

Aimee went to her room, grabbed her purse, her phone, and the files she copied; no way was she chancing Deandre searching her room.  Aimee knew what her first move was now, and she was heading to the cell phone store to get her own account.

Setting up her own account was easy, and she was even able to move her phone number to the account. She was so happy that she got to keep her phone as well; and, she had the tech help make sure that no one, but her, had access to her new account.

Next, she went to her Aunt Libby’s and talked to her about last night.  Tara and Mindy were so happy to see her. They told her how they had been telling her dad for months that using Lillian was a bad idea.  Her aunt, which was her dad’s sister, never liked Deandre and always felt like she was an opportunist.

Libby asked Aimee to stay for dinner and they used Aimee’s mother’s favorite cookout menu. Her aunt handed her a cookbook of Lillian’s favorite American and Neahovian recipes; and, Aimee made an apple pie using the recipe from the book and it tasted just like her mother’s.  After dinner, Libby took Aimee to her study to talk to her alone about her dad. Aimee told her about the argument last night.

“Sweetie, I know it hurts to see your dad react this way.  He has not been himself since your mom died.”

“Aunt Libby, I can’t figure out, for the life of me, why he married her.”

“I thought the same thing for years, until Grandma Pittman cleared it up for me.  I think it is time I do the same for you.  Your dad fell in love with your mom instantly.  Your mother and you were his world.  When Lillian was killed, he was devastated.  He started burying himself in his work. Especially while you were with Edna.”

“Whenever he would go to Savannah, or come to my house, he would act like he was fine; but, in truth, he wanted to die.  In fact, if it had not been him knowing how much you needed him, he would have taken his own life.”

Aimee stopped Libby.  “I can’t believe that.  Suicide is against everything we believe.”

“I know, but he wasn’t thinking rationally. Grandma walked in the room, just as he had made the decision to live and she made him go to grief counseling.  He started doing better and went to see you at the plantation. He ran into Deandre at a restaurant.  She asked him to go to some beach party that night.”

Aimee was crying.  “So, he went and it lead to marriage?”

“Not exactly, she followed him to Richmond and started taking him to events with her.  She was keeping him busy and his mind was off of your mom.  He liked that he felt normal, so he asked her to marry him.”

“Ok.  I kinda understand some of it. She eased his pain.”

“Exactly, being with her eased his pain, but never took it fully away.”

Her dad was in the backyard with Mattie when she returned.  He never asked her about her day or why she was not home for dinner. She sat on a chair and stared at him until he spoke.

“I was out of line about using your mom for votes.  I informed Mr. Meeks, and the other staff today, that Deandre’s not going to pretend to be your mom or even try to glorify herself as your stepmom.”

“What about Richmond?  I am not going to go to Richmond.”

“That is still on the table, Aimee.  I think it is time you stop this silly notion of finding out about your mother’s past, so you can grow up and focus on your future.”

Deandre came onto the back patio and turned to Mattie.  “Mattie, Miss Akers is waiting for you in your room.  It is time to bathe and go to bed.”

Aimee watched as Mattie went and hugged their dad, then her.  She whispered for Aimee to come and read with her later; and, Aimee told her to pick out a book and she would be there shortly.

Aimee waited for Mattie to make it through the door before she spoke.  “Deandre, I am glad you are here. I want to inform the two of you of a few things.  First of all, I am no longer on your mobile phone account.  So, the next time you feel like nosing into my account, Deandre, it will be highly illegal and impossible to do.”

Her dad turned to Deandre and shook his head.  “Aimee, I had no idea. If you….”

“No.  You are right, dad, you never have any idea about what is going on in your home. You know, you were right about it being time for me to grow up.  So, my first grown up action was to get my own cell account.  My second grown up decision, is to stand my ground about studying in Neahovia.  I am sure Deandre will be glad when I am gone.”

Her dad stood and looked her dead in the eyes.  “I have no clue where this rebellious attitude toward Deandre is coming from, but you need to listen to me.  I am your father and she is my wife.  This is our home and you need to show some respect to both of us.  Ever since you have come home, your behavior has been odious. You need to seriously change your attitude.”

He started to walk off with Deandre, but Aimee stepped in front of him.  “Did you ever think that my attitude has something to do with all the lies I have come home to?  First, you misled me on the internship; and then, I am forced to go to that ridiculous Gala last night only to find out that you are really no different than most politicians.  I had to hear from a stranger the lies Deandre was spreading around about me and my mom.  Your entire platform is based on lies.  Where is the man who raised me to be trustworthy?  I miss him.”

Aimee turned and went through the door.  She had a lot of thinking to do tonight, but first, Mattie was waiting on her and she did not want to disappoint her.  Aimee went to read to Mattie; and then, she sent a quick text to Aiden to let him know she would call him tomorrow.  Tonight, she needed to carefully plan how things would go tomorrow.

Chapter Three

Aimee waited until she was sure everyone was fast asleep before she snuck to the attic. She was searching for any boxes that would belong to her or her mother.  She was having no luck finding any of her boxes. All the boxes belong to Deandre.  All of Aimee’s stuff was gone. She turned out the lights and headed to the bottom of the steps and found Deandre was standing there with her arms crossed.  “What are you doing?”

“Looking for some of my stuff in the attic.  All my stuff is gone.  What did you do with it?”

Deandre handed her a key and a piece of paper with the name and directions to the storage locker that she had all of Aimee’s stuff moved to.  “Since you’re an adult now, you can take care of your storage bill.”

“When did you do this?”

“During Spring cleaning.”

Aimee went to her room, furious. If she told her dad, he would tell her, once more, that he had no idea Deandre had done this.  She was not going to cry over this. She asked God to show her where she belongs and that is what He did today. God showed her she doesn’t belong here. She knew exactly where she was going tomorrow.

She waited until she heard her dad leave the house for work and Deandre had gone back to her room before she left.  She had already called and scheduled a mover to take her stuff to Savannah.  Now, she was driving to the storage place to open the locker for the two guys; and, tell them to load everything.  Then, she went to the main office and settled any business with the locker.

On her way back to the house, she stopped by her dad’s mechanic to have her oil changed and tires checked.  The car was ready for the drive, once she filled the tank with gas.  She was amazed how much she got done in one hour.

Deandre was backing out of the driveway, just as Aimee pulled in.  When she asked Aimee where she had been, Aimee grinned and told her she was out being a grown up; and then, she went into the house to write a note for her dad.  Once she was done, she started loading as much stuff as possible into her Nissan Rogue.

The moving guys arrived ten minutes after her; and, helped her load the car and then they loaded the truck, while Aimee did one last search in her dad’s office.  She double checked the files that pertained to her and looked for more.  All she found was a file from Mr. Myers; it held some of her receipts from Neahovia and some other papers.  She didn’t have time to read everything, so she copied the file and left the office.  She needed to get on the road before Deandre returned.

This was not the first time she had made the six and half hour trip to Savannah alone.  So she turned up her radio, put on her shades, and headed down I-95 S.  The drive gave her time to think of a plan.

First, she would need to visit the bank about her account. She didn’t want to use the branch in Richmond because her dad is friends with the manager.  So, she decided to wait till she got to Savannah and use the branch Gran used. She also needed to call and tell Opal she was coming down to stay at Lilliend Rose Plantation.

Aimee stopped in Lumberton, NC to eat and fill the car up with gas.  She went to her favorite seafood restaurant for lunch.  After she placed her order with the waitress, she called Opal.

“Hey, Opal, it is me.”  Aimee took a sip of her sweet tea.

“Aimee, where are you dear?”

“I am in Lumberton, NC, eating lunch.”

“That means two things.  The most important, you are coming to Lilliend Rose and, the other, is you are about to eat your favorite platter.  Battered dipped deep fried trout, shrimp, and hushpuppies, but I never understood the reason you choose a bake potato instead of fries.”

“Yes, I am on my way to Lilliend Rose, yes, that is my order and I don’t want to overdo the fried foods.”  Aimee laughed.

“So, do you want to tell me why you are coming here?”

Aimee told Opal how she had been tricked to intern on her dad’s campaign team.  The things Tanner revealed to her at the Gala, and then, the hard part was telling her everything that happened at her dad’s house the night of the Gala and yesterday.  The waitress brought her food, just as she finished her story.

“Oh, Aimee, I am so sorry.  I wish you were not alone; at least your Aunt Libby was there for you.  We will get to the bottom of those files when you get here.”

“Tomorrow I want to go to the bank and see Mrs. Moon.  I want to know who controls my money.”

“That is a good idea.”

“When I get to the plantation, I am going to look for the copy of the Will.”

“I will help.  Brad and Megan are coming for dinner.  I am sure he will help too.”

“Great.  I can’t wait to see Brad and Megan.  I am going to finish eating and I will call you when I am almost there.”

“Ok, you be careful.  I hate when you drive here alone.”

“I will.  Bye.”  Aimee smiled.  Opal has always been just like a mother to her.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Aimee pulled onto the paved road leading to Lilliend Rose Plantation.  The trees that lined the drive were in full pink bloom. She admired the landscaping work that Charles (Opal’s husband) maintained. Lilliend Rose has always been her favorite place to stay.  It is the one place she always felt like she was home.

When Aimee opened the door, the smell of Opal’s homemade chicken and dumplings filled the air.  She snuck into the kitchen.  Opal was rolling out a pie crust as Aimee sneaked behind her and said hello.

Opal alternated between hugging and standing back to look at Aimee.  “I love your hair the red highlights, reminds me of your Gran.”

“Thanks.”

Aimee helped Opal finish dinner and set the table. Charles came in just before dinner was complete and, like Opal, he alternated between hugs and looking at Aimee.  Brad and Megan arrived with a huge surprise for Aimee.  Megan was having a darling little girl in October; and, they had chosen the name Rosa.  They sat at the dinner table as Aimee told them the entire story of the past few days.

Brad was a genius, to say the least.  He graduated high school early, went straight to college at the age of seventeen.  He was admitted to law school when he was twenty one and has been a lawyer with Lilliend Rose Corporation for a year and half now.

Aimee took out all the files she had copied from her dad’s computer, as she explained to Brad that tomorrow she planned on going to the bank to see where the money in her accounts is coming from.

Brad agreed to talk to the lawyers at work to see which state her Gran and mother filed their Wills in.  He was even going to check and see if the office still had a copy of them.

Before she could discuss anything more, her dad called her.

“Aimee Roselyn Pittman, where are you?”

“Lilliend Rose.”

“What has got into you, Aimee? None of this is like you.”

“Dad, did you know that Deandre had all of my and mom’s stuff that was in the attic put in a storage locker?”

“She told me that she was putting some of the stuff in the attic in a storage locker to make more room in the attic.”

“Well, last night she gave me the key and bill for the storage locker.  Everything in it belongs to me.”

“Aimee, I…”

“I know, dad, and it is like this.  I don’t want to cause problems with you and Deandre.  You have three small kids with her.  I am nineteen. I own my very own plantation, so this is were I decided I need to be.  I do want you and the kids to come and see me.  But Deandre, I just can’t deal with her right now.”

“Aimee Bug, you are my child and I love you too.”

“I know, dad, and I love you.  It is just sometimes love is not easy, and this is one of them.”

“You remind me so much of your mother.  She was an adult way before her time, just like you.”

“To be honest, dad, I think that is why Deandre is uncomfortable with me there.  I think I remind her of my mother as well.”

Aimee hung up with her dad.  Brad was next to her looking over the files.  “The reason Deandre doesn’t like you is because you remind her that your dad loves your mom much more than he ever could love her.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ok, Aimee, you were so young when your mom died.  I, however, was seventeen and remember a lot more than you.  Deandre needed volunteer hours for her college applications, so she became a volunteer with one of your mom’s groups.  Your mom made her work just as hard as the other girls and Deandre hated it.  She wanted the credit without the work. This particular group was here at Lilliend Rose a lot.  So, she was around your dad and mom.  She knew how your dad looked at your mom, and I have never seen him look at Deandre that way.”

“When was this?  How old were we?”

“It was two years before your mom died. So, I was fifteen, you were eight and Deandre was eighteen or nineteen probably.”

“I don’t remember that.  I remember thinking I had seen her before when dad brought her here to introduce us.”

“We were all shocked when your dad brought her here to meet you.  He didn’t want anyone to tell you she knew your mom.  I think, mostly, it was because she wasn’t happy with your mom making her work; and, I think he was afraid she would say something bad about Lillian, and he was not going to stand for that.”

“How did Gran react?”

“I know she took him to her office and sat him down for a long talk.  I also know that she revised her Will before they married.  She wanted to ensure Deandre did not have anything to do with Lilliend Rose.”

“Brad, I use to feel like it was my mom’s past in Neahovia that was a mystery to me.  This week, I am finding out it is my entire family that is a mystery.  I just wish I could figure out why we have so many secrets.”

“Well, if you figured that out, you are on the verge of a breakthrough; because, I have felt for years that we don’t have every piece to this huge puzzle we call our lives.”

“I think we are missing a couple of huge pieces of that puzzle.” Aimee then explained to everyone what she had discovered in Neahovia about her mom, RGA, MAL and the entire Radical War.  Mrs. Opal was in shock, Gran had never mentioned any of that to her.

Brad made copies of Aimee’s files before leaving.  Then, he and Charles took her stuff up to her room.  She sat on the front porch swing with a sweet tea, her mom’s journal, and her cell.  She had to call Aiden before he freaked out.  He had been texting her for an hour.

Aiden answered on the first ring.  “About time, I have been worried sick.”

“I’m sorry, I have been a little busy and I have a lot to tell you.”  Aimee started her story with the files she found in her dad’s office and ended with what Brad had just told her about Deandre.

“Ok, first of all, Aimee, why are you driving that far alone?”

“Don’t start that.  It definitely wasn’t my first time making this trip alone.”

Aiden laughed at her.  “Secondly, I agree with you about missing a lot of huge pieces to this puzzle.  It seems every time we turn around, we discover more missing pieces.”

“Well, I think in order for us to figure any of this out, we need to start putting the pieces we do have together.”

“How are we doing that?”

“I am starting with the bank accounts. Tomorrow, I am going to the bank Gran used, to see what I can find out. Brad is going to track down Gran’s Will and I need you to see if you can find out what REF is, so we can figure out how I get money in my accounts from them.”

“Wow, you have really thought this out.”

“Yes, I have.  I am tired of the secrets surrounding me.  This is about me now.”

“Great, that is what it needs to be about, you.  Just be careful and watch who you talk to.”