Taking Over (10 page)

“How
could you possibly know?” She looked around the room, settling on Marcus who
was right beside her. Tears tumbled fresh down her cheeks. She could feel his
support even though he said nothing. How was that possible?

“You're
not the only one to have lost someone they loved. You may be the first to lose
both parents, but you're not the first to have lost. We know it’s hard.” Jane
handed her a tissue.

The
doorbell rang.

“I'll
get it.” Anne headed in the direction of the front door.

An
awkward silence blanketed the space.

“Isn't this fun.”
Dale stopped at
the edge of the kitchen. “I'm so pleased to be interrupting.”

“Step
back, this isn't your place.” Marcus positioned himself in front of Gina. “You're
not welcomed here.”

“And
neither are any of you.” He reached past Marcus to hand Gina a letter. “You
need to be out of this condo by the end of the week.”

“What?”

“This
place is still in your mother's name and now, it's mine and I want you out.” He
took a quiche from a plate Jane hadn't gotten to yet.

“You
need to leave.” Keller tugged on his arm. “Let me show you out.”

“You
should know
,
she changed her will Saturday morning.”
He yanked his arm free of Keller's grasp. “Just before she died, she changed
everything. One might suspect she got some news that upset her. I'm guessing
that's what finally did her in. The letter must confirm it all. It's official.
You have nothing.” He laughed all the way to the door.

She
couldn't see. A strange haze settled on all her senses as she slid to the
floor. Somehow, she knew this would happen. Everything she'd done had been for
nothing. She hurt her stepsister, Rob, her mom.
All for
nothing.
Her life flashed before her eyes. Not the whole thing, just the
past year.
The shittiest of her pathetic existence.

“Everyone out.”

From
her peripheral vision, she could see Marcus leading everyone to the door. He
ignored Jane's arguments and assured her he'd see everything got put away. One
by one, everyone left, except Marcus.
Her shiny new rock.
It was only a matter of time before her dirt covered him as well.

“What's
the point?”

“What's
that?” He knelt beside her.

“You
should go, too.” She moved to get up, figuring she'd be more successful if she
could stand through her request. “I want to be alone.”

“Don't
be ridiculous.” He helped her when she stumbled. “I'm not going anywhere.”

“Please.
I’ll tell Keller you’ve earned a statue for your service. You’ve done
good
here.”

“This
isn’t about getting bonus points with the boss. I’m worried about you.”

"I
just need some time.” She took the dishtowel from him.

“You
have no reason to believe anything Dale just said. He's a rat.”

“It's
not just Dale. It's everything. I think I deserve to have a pity party all by
myself. Everyone who ever loved me is gone.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“Not
everyone.”

“That
will pass. I'm sure.” She wiped under her eyes.

“I
wanted to protect you from that asshole.” He picked up the letter off the
floor. “I should have posted a keep out picture at the door.”

“Give
me that.” She took the letter from him and pinned it to the fridge, front and
center, at least until she had the guts to open it. “I'll put the rest of the
food away.”

“We'll
put the rest of the food away and then I'm putting you to bed.”

“You're
too good to me.”

“I'm
just giving you what you need.” He came up
beside
her,
grabbing her ass and pulled her against him. “Right now, I have pleasure only
on the list. If you try to deny me much more, that will change. But, first.” He
pinched her ass and then stepped back. “Do you have any more storage
containers?”

Chapter Ten

The next morning, Marcus and Rob walked
into the club's restaurant to meet with Keller, who had promised to talk the
situation out with him and give him some advice. When he found the table, it
wasn't just Keller.

“Hope
you don't mind. Several of the Masters wanted to help.” Keller stood and shook
their hands.

“What
can I say?” Jake stood up as well. “She's had a rough go of it.”

“Thanks.”
Marcus shook Jake’s hand and then nodded at Simon and Colin. “You're all up to
speed?”

“Yes,
I filled in all the gaps.” Keller checked his watch and sat next to Marcus once
he and Rob were seated. “We're just waiting on Seth. He has a connection with
an estate planning firm. They're on their way. And Miles just checked in. He’s
been keeping an eye on Gina’s place. There has been no sign of Dale and Gina is
still at home.”

“Well,
at least she doesn't need to go out for food.” Simon took a sip of his drink.

“I
know. Charlie really out did herself.” Rob grabbed a muffin. “Jane's trying to
convince her to expand her catering business.”

“I
need to do something special for Charlie, but Miles especially. He really has
gone out of his way to watch out for Dale,” Marcus said.

“That's
just the kind of guy he is. Keller made a good decision adding him to the
Masters.” Colin tilted his drink toward Keller.

“I'm
lucky to have all of you. Here comes Seth.” Keller signaled to the waitress. A
couple of chairs were brought to the table and more glasses of water. “Thanks
for coming.”

“Happy to help.”
Seth shook
Marcus's hand. “This is Brad. I've known him forever. His firm has lots of
experience with family dramas.”

“I'm
just an accountant,” Brad said. ”But our firm has seen some interesting
attempts by disgruntled families. I've seen these situations play out a lot of
different ways.”

“What
can we expect?” Marcus rubbed the back of his neck.

“From
what I've heard, Dale’s making it sound like a new will was written before she
died. Is that correct?” Brad looked at Marcus.

“That's
what he said.” Marcus sat up straighter. “Andrew, who helps at her mother’s house,
doesn't seem to think it happened. Dale wasn't even there when she died. He'd
been out most of the night. I guess he packed most of his things and hasn't
been seen since his speech at Gina's last night.”

“Was
she alone when she died?” Keller cleared his throat.

“No,
Andrew was at the house.” Marcus reached out and squeezed Keller’s shoulder. “He
said Gina’s stepsister was actually with her. I'm hoping to talk with her this
afternoon.”

“Well,
I had one of our partners do some checking. Gina's mom did have a will.” Brad
scrolled through his phone. “It was filled several years ago, looks like it was
within a few months of her marriage to Dale. A new one has not been submitted,
yet.”

“You
can let us know if that changes.”

“Absolutely.”

“Thank
you.” He was breathing easier already. His gut told him they hadn't seen the
last of Dale, but it was a possibility. “I also need advice for dealing with
Gina. What are you guys thinking?”

“She'll
need to know you support her.” Colin made a good point. “I think you've come a
long way in discovering what drives her, but you'll need to keep listening.”

Seth
leaned in. “Gina doesn't remind me of a girl who wants help, but in this case
you might have to yank her out of her bad habits. Be prepared to rescue her
from whatever nonsense she gets herself into.”

“True,
but at some point she needs to start fighting for what she wants,” Simon said.
That's the advice Keller gave me with Janna. I'll tell you the waiting fucking
sucked, but it was exactly what she needed.”

“Agreed.
You did right
by her.” Marcus clicked his glass. “Rob, what are your thoughts?”

“I'm
not sure.” He shook his head. “I don't think I'll ever have the woman figured
out. Any of this advice has a chance at working.”

“The
reality is even the right choice could push her away.” Marcus refused to accept
the situation was hopeless.

“True.
I think we've all made the mistake of thinking she's more complicated than she
really is. I believe she needs to know you'll stand by her, that you'll always
love her,” Keller said.

“You're
right.” Marcus looked around the table. “Thank you.”

If
only he could have fallen for a simpler girl, someone who’d welcome his love.
His gut told him she’d push him away before she let him in. He’d have to be
patient.

The
conversation at the table turned to the club and some of the new ways they’d be
using a few of the areas. He wasn’t listening to any of it. His mind focused on
the woman that had always mystified him. He wasn’t running away this time. He’d
stay and fight or go if she asked him too, but he’d never leave her completely
alone, not ever again.

****

Gina came downstairs in the late morning,
after wakening to her stomach rumbling. She pulled her robe tight around her. It
seemed impossible she'd ever need to eat again after all she’d consumed last
night. She rolled her shoulders, confirming they didn’t ache. Marcus had worked
her over pretty well last night. His wicked fingers were like magic. Between
the massage and the orgasm, she had an excellent night sleep.

He’d
once again left before she woke. Something inside her told her he’d be back and
the thought gave her comfort. She couldn’t ignore how much his presence had
come to mean to her. She’d been in love with the man most of her life, but
never imagined he’d be with her when she’d needed him most. His presence these
past few weeks had been a real gift. It was reassuring to know nothing she’d
done so far had pushed him away. Not yet anyway. She had no doubt eventually
she’d do something that would make him leave. She rubbed her belly, wishing she
could push out all the heartache.

Once
in the kitchen, she stopped at the fridge, zeroing in on the other problem she
couldn't face. It was the worst kind of nightmare knowing her mother had sent
her last words to her through Dale. Her fingers grabbed the handle on the
fridge but she couldn't open it, just like the damn letter.

So
many things in her life were forced upon her. She didn't have a choice about
her dad dying or her mother's cancer. She did have a choice about opening the
letter. She made her way into the family room and slumped onto her love seat.
The lumpy pillow behind her back got a swift beating. She hit the pillow over
and over and then stuffed it behind her. It still wasn't comforting. Yet
another thing she couldn't fix.

She
thought back on all she'd done to try and change things in her life. When she
was young she hid from her feelings for Marcus and as an adult she hid the
truth as well. There was only one reason for hiding Dale's bad behavior. All
she wanted was for her mom to be happy.

If
only Dale had kept his cheating hands off her.
If only
. So many things would be different. If she'd told the truth
about Dale, her stepsister might not despise her. She might still be with Rob.
They might not have divorced.

Would
she have been happy?

It
was possible. Rob was an amazing man. She'd been happy for a lot of years with
him. No, they would have divorced eventually. They weren’t right for each
other, not really. Rob was better off with Jane.

If
she didn’t hide Dale’s treachery, who knows how all the ugliness would have
weakened her mom and right when she needed all her strength to live as long as
she could.
Fucking
cancer.
Her stomach rolled again. She yanked the wimpy pillow out
from behind her and threw it at the fridge and yanked the throw that hung over
the back of the couch up over her head.

The
letter could be a lot of things. It could hold her mother's disappointed words.
It could be a whole lot of Dale’s hot air. He’d brought it after all. She had
no reason to believe the letter was anything less than her worst fears
realized. And it was all too possible Dale dared to challenge Marcus by working
his own brand of evil to remove Gina from her mother's life. She pulled the
blanket tighter around her.

Everything
had been going smoothly with Dale, until Marcus came with her to the house.
What if his win against Dale, to save Janna's precious project, led to the
squashing of all she'd done to ensure her mother's last days were filled with
happiness? She shouldn’t have let Marcus in. She lost focus as the
possibilities came to her. A dark vision filled her thoughts and her pulse
thundered in her ears.

In
her mother's most vulnerable moment, Dale might have spewed his lies,
convincing the woman who loved him that he was the only one in her life who
truly cared. A thought came to her, giving her an out from both problems. Weak
choices they may be, but she didn’t care. She would block them both out. After
tossing the blanket, she charged to the front door and secured the chain. It
would take more than the chain to keep Marcus out. At the moment, she couldn’t
figure out if that was a good thing. Regardless, he couldn’t just walk right in
when he decided to come back.

Next,
she walked to the damn letter. She should probably tear it open. Let the truth
out. There was no other way around the mess. Once she got Dale's latest move
out in the open, she could decide her next step. It would probably involve
moving out of this condo.

It
made her sick to think of Dale living in any of the places her parents had
owned. At one time, she dreamed of having the Lake Geneva house once again to
herself, to turn it back into a place of true love, a place where she could
remember the happiness she once had in a complete package with her parents
before anything could alter the course of their lives.

She
grasped the tiny magnet holding the letter in place and shifted it. The letter
floated to the floor, hopefully drifting off to a dark place never to be seen
again. She didn’t have the strength to face either of her troubles. One, she
feared would always haunt her and the other, she was scared to death to lose.

After
selecting a scone, she went in search for the remote. A day full of binge
watching a show sounded like the perfect distraction except
she
couldn't find the remote. The doorbell rang. Against her better judgment she
made her way over to the front door and peered through the peephole.

“Open
up, Gina. We need to talk.” Marcus stood on her front porch, looking as
handsome as ever in his crisp white shirt and dark jeans.

She
removed the chain and opened the door. “Fine, maybe you can tell me where the
remote is.” She walked back to her family room and settled on her couch. “I'd
prefer some more time alone. A few hours doesn't really cut it. So, I'd rather
you didn't stay. Find the remote first though, of course.”

“I
would have been here sooner actually, but I needed to pick Leslie up first.”

“Hi, Gina.”

“Hi.”
Time seemed to stop while she took in the sight of her stepsister. They hadn't
had a pleasant conversation in almost a year. Her chest tightened under the
pressure. She wanted to reach out to her, but thought better of it and picked
at her scone instead. “Marcus.” She waved at the room.
“The
remote, please.”

“Leslie
was with your mom when she died.” He walked over to the shelves, picked up the
remote and tossed it in her lap.

She
stared out into space. This was it.
The moment when she could
no longer hide from the lies.
“How did she find out? Did your dad tell
her everything or something?”

“No.”
Leslie sat on the couch. “Dale wasn't even there.”

“I'm
confused.” Gina looked at Marcus.

“Dale's
speech here last night was his last play, his only play.” He sat beside her. “He
only had one more way to hurt you and he took full advantage. He played on your
fears.”

“Your
mom and I had a great morning together.” She reached out and took a hold of
Gina's hands. “We talked about her plans for the garden. She said Andrew had it
all written down. We talked about my career options, but mostly we talked about
you.
You too, Marcus.
She was so glad to see you and
Gina together.”

Gina
looked at Marcus again. Unsure if she could believe what she was hearing.

“Tell
her about the letter.” He shifted closer to Gina.

“I'm
not reading that thing. I don't even know where it is.” The edge of the
envelope peeked out from behind her cabinet. She closed her eyes.

“That's
not the letter she wrote. Leslie has the real one.”

“That's
right. I made the mistake of telling my dad about it, but I didn't give it to
him. I was going to give it to you yesterday at the funeral, but I was afraid
he'd make a scene.” She dug through her purse. “I was on my way here when
Marcus found me.” She handed Gina a letter. “Her last words in this world were
for you. She died shortly after.”