Her eyes widen before she quickly recovers. “Um, yes, he is,” she replies stunned. “He’s in the last door on your left.”
“Thank you,” I say with a bright smile. I’ve been working towards this for the past two weeks, I wanted to work everything out before I told John what I had planned. I obviously had to involve Lance and Zeke, as I needed help.
“Um, Yoreli? Shall I tell Mr Princeton that you’re here?”
I hide my smile. “No, thank you.” I don’t tell her that he already knows I’m here and that I have a meeting with Zeke as I need his help.
I walk towards Zeke’s office and find out that he’s waiting for me. “About time you got here.”
I glare at him as I walk into his office and take a seat. “I’m early.”
He shrugs as he closes the door behind me. “You do realize that since you called me, I’ve been working nonstop on this.”
I grin, I had thought he might. “So, what did you find out?”
He sinks into his chair and begins typing away on the computer in front of him. “The house on the left is for sale and I believe that you could get the planning permission needed.”
“Lance said as much. He believes they’ll sell for below the market value as they’re in need of cash,” I murmur.
“Yeah, I think going in about fifty grand below should do it,” he tells me with a grin. “Now, that other thing you wanted me to look into, it’s quite simple to set up. You’d need to have an advisory board. Everything else, I’m able to help you get set up. You’re going to need an attorney.”
I nod. “I can do that. I’ll do research, look into people who’d be a good fit and whose ideas would not only be welcome, but they’d benefit what we’re hoping to achieve.”
He smiles brightly at me. “Honestly Reli, having the Maine Foundation is an amazing idea. Anything I can do to help, you’ve just got to ask.”
“I know and thank you.”
“My mom was a victim of domestic violence. What you’re doing, what you’re hoping to achieve, it’s going to help a lot of victims.”
“I just don’t want anyone to feel as I did. Like I was trapped and there was no way out. I want there to be a safe place, somewhere you could call or go to, where you’re not judged, but listened to and helped. That’s all anyone wants, is to be helped.”
“You're an amazing woman, Reli. John’s a lucky son of a bitch. If only I were a few years older…” He chuckles at his own joke.
The age difference between John and I is a running joke. I hear it most from Cage and Zeke; I think it’s because they’re closest in age to me they find it funnier. I however don’t see anything wrong with it. John’s the man I love and his age has no factor in that.
“I still wouldn’t go there,” I quip with a smile. “So, you think I have enough to tell him?”
He grins. “You either tell him now or you tell him when you have everything set up. It’s entirely up to you. Lance and I won’t say a word.”
I sigh; while I’d love to have it all set up and show him how capable I am, I know that he’d be pissed that I didn’t confide my dreams with him. If it were the other way around, I’d be hurt. “Guess I’m telling him.”
Zeke stands when I do. “Relax, Reli. You’re going to do this. You know what you want and you’re going to change a lot of lives. Trust me, John is going to be proud.” He grins and I know that he’s going to say something stupid. “Just like any proud dad would be.”
I shake my head in disgust as I open his office door. “Too far, Zeke.”
He looks sheepish as he runs his hand through his hair. “Yeah, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” I know that I should really get used to it, but I find it disrespectful.
He doesn’t say anything else and I can tell that he’s kicking himself for being stupid. I step away from his office and walk towards John’s. My stomach flipping as the nerves hit me. I’m scared at what his reaction is going to be but this step I’m taking, this dream I’m building. It’s what I want, it’s what I need.
Nineteen
John
“How much?” I demand. My temper fraying as I try not to reach over my desk and pummel my brother’s face in. All of them are sitting in my office as we try and figure out what the hell is going on. We’re missing so fucking much and it’s pissing me off.
“At the moment, we’ve uncovered she’s embezzled at least six point three million dollars. That includes selling the beach house that Paul owned in Santa Barbara.” Matt’s face is stoney as he recounts everything that fucking bitch stole. “She’s also sold most of his vintage car collection.”