I ran into the house and poked my head into my father’s study. He was gone, so I went to grab my phone from the drawer. On the desk sat a mess of papers, and the only thing that caught my eyes was the King Enterprises logo. I picked up the sheets of paper and read over the words: Purchase Agreement. I browsed through it, not really understanding what I was reading until I came to a clause that made my skin crawl. “Upon the marriage of my son, Trent King, to your daughter, Hope Heathcote, a single check in the amount of 2.5 million dollars will be cut to Brian Heathcote for the purchase of your business, Heathcote Incorporated.” I felt the blood drain from my face. It looked like my father had sold me. The rage I felt got stronger when I heard my father start yelling at my mother in the kitchen. I took the contract into the kitchen with me and stood in the doorway, watching both my parents argue. “Hope?” my mother asked. “What is it?”
“Did you know about this?” I asked, holding up the document in front of her.
“What is that?”
“It’s nothing!” my father shouted.
“It’s nothing? Mom, maybe you’d care to read it, especially clause thirteen. It’s an agreement between Dad and Mr. King.”
My father walked over, ripping it from my hands. “Brian, let me see that.” My mother reached for the paper, but he tore it away from her.
“Actually, I can tell you what it says. Father made an agreement that upon my marriage to Trent, Mr. King would pay Dad for his business.”
My mother turned, glaring at him. “Brian, please tell me that isn’t true.”
With both our eyes on his, he suddenly didn’t seem like that powerful man that he had always seemed to be in my eyes. He looked little and pale and weak.
“I...I didn’t want to agree. It was business. I needed the money; my company is bankrupt. I had a good deal set up. Malone Law was the client’s lawyer, but something happened and that fell through, and then King showed up. It was more money than the other company had offered, and I got to keep my job.” My father broke out in a sweat. “I’m sorry. You need to believe me, I’m sorry.”
“How could you?!” I screamed. “Is that what I am worth to you? You would rather see me miserable, so you can have your precious money? I hate you.”
“Hope, please, it wasn’t like that.” My father started breathing heavily, clutching at his chest, and just before he got the next words out, he collapsed on the kitchen floor, right before our eyes.
“BRIAN!” my mother screamed and ran to him. “Hope, call 911 now.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Hope
Twelve Years Earlier
Carter had sent my thingsback to my parents’ house with Hunter. Carter refused to talk to me except to tell me that we were over. At this news I threw myself into things at home, never looking back, just concentrating on getting Dad healthy.
I had spent the last four months at home helping my mother after almost losing my father. Throughout that process, I finally found it in me to forgive him. He had been so desperate to keep our household and lives afloat from debt collectors, he saw it as the only way. He never thought that Mr. King would actually force him to make the deal. After Dad had gotten out of the hospital, I called Trent and explained everything. He assured me that everything would be taken care of and my father would be paid what was owed to him.
I had finally moved into the apartment in the city. I couldn’t stay at home, even though I had forgiven my father, so I enrolled in school for business and was starting back at Joe’s for my first night shift. Mike and the girls had helped me move into the apartment, and due to the circumstances, Mike had held my full-time position until I returned. I had been back in the city a week and wanted badly to drop by and see Carter—to explain everything to him—but decided it was best just to let him go. I knew it would only be a matter of time before I saw him again anyway. I glanced at the date on my phone. He would be taking the BAR exam tomorrow. Hunter had told me that after everything had happened, Carter had postponed taking it until now. For a brief moment I thought about texting him to wish him good luck, but I was already running behind, and I couldn’t be late tonight of all nights. I grabbed a muffin from the pack on the counter and a bottle of water from the fridge and headed out the door.
By six the place was packed and the music was blaring. Once I got going, I had forgotten all about everything that had been plaguing me for weeks. It was good to be back at work with everyone. I had just gotten off break and was about to stock some of the coolers before heading back out to the bar when Mike came into the back.
“Hope, I need you to take over Mary’s section. She had to leave; her daughter is ill. I’ll have one of the guys back here fill the coolers.”
“No problem.” I walked around to the end of the bar and out to the section I had been assigned and stopped dead in my tracks. The first table in my section had to be a joke. I looked over my shoulder and saw Christie. Grabbing her arm just as she passed me, I asked, “Where was Mary working again?”
“Section #1. Are you looking after her tables?”
I nodded, glancing back at table #3.
“Great, table #1 wants two waters with ice, table #6 wants two white wines, and table #3 wants a rye and ginger...”
“...and a Scotch on the rocks,” I answered and finished taking in the man before me.
“How did you know that?” she asked, smiling.
I shrugged. “He looks like a Scotch drinker.” I waited at the bar to order the drinks. As I stood there, I kept glancing back over to the table. Felice sat there playing with her curly brown hair that fell softly over her shoulders, perfectly framing the open neck of her shirt that was showing off way more than it should have been. She kept smiling and laughing and reaching across the table to touch Carter’s arm. I could feel the jealousy building in my gut, and the more she touched him, the more I wanted to spit in her drink.
“Here you go, Hope,” Mike said, sliding the tray of drinks over to me.
“Thanks.”