4
Daren
Clearly, Old Man Turner went a little nutty at the end. I knew the guy had some quirks—I mean come on, he stole a kid’s baseball card collection—but I never thought he was crazy. Until now.
Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t mind being handcuffed to a hot blonde all day. That’s like handing me sex on a platter. But being handcuffed to Kayla Turner all day? That would just piss me off. I don’t care how sexy she is in her tight little skirt and skinny high heels. She was a rotten daughter to a man who was nothing but a wonderful father, and I don’t think I’d be able to put my judgment of her aside long enough to make it out of this office, let alone go track down some letter. I’d probably end up telling her off and she’d probably end up crying, and then I’d have a blubbering mess attached to my arm. No thanks.
“Eddie, my man.” I smile and clasp my hands. “I’m sure there’s another way around all this nonsense. Why don’t we skip the handcuffing and go straight to the letter part? I’m sure you know where it is. All you have to do is tell us and we’ll be on our way.”
Kayla nods. “Exactly. Because we’re obviously not going to chain ourselves together.”
“Yeah. That would be insane.” I lean back and stretch my body out again, trying to assume a casual air. “And unless there’s a bed and lingerie involved, I’d really rather not spend my day locked up to a feisty blonde.”
She scans my face with her big blue eyes. “Really?”
I wait for her cheeks to tint ever so slightly, like most girls’ do when I allude to sex in their presence, but she just stares at me like I’m a douche bag. No blushing. No nervous blinking. No shifting in her seat.
I was only trying to get a rise out of her, but shit. Now I kind of feel like a douche bag.
Eddie wrings his hands. “I’m sorry, but I made a promise to James and he was pretty clear about his wishes. It’s the handcuffs or no letter.”
“Well I’m not doing it,” Kayla says, pulling her eyes off mine and crossing her arms in true tantrum fashion.
God. She couldn’t look snobbier if she tried.
“If my father had something to say to me,” she says, “he could have said it when he was alive and not written it down in some faraway note.”
I look at my phone. “Yeah, and I have to be at work in an hour.”
“I understand.” Eddie nods. “Mr. Turner’s will is definitely… unorthodox.” He shakes his head with a sigh. “Well then, I guess all you need to do is sign this document that says I presented the will to you both, and we can all be on our way.”
I sit up. “What about my baseball cards?”
Kayla rolls her eyes.
Eddie skims the pages again. “I’m afraid there’s nothing in here about baseball cards.”
“Nothing?” I squawk. “No cards? No green box?”
“Wow.” Kayla stares at me. “I’ve never heard a grown man whine so much about a collection of cards before.”
“It’s not about the cards,” I snap, shooting her a dark look. She couldn’t possibly understand how much getting that box back would mean to me. I turn to Eddie. “There must be some mistake. Turner promised I’d get them back.”
He tucks the handkerchief away. “I’m sorry, Daren. There’s no mention of any cards in the will. At least not that I remember…”
As Eddie fidgets through the papers again I curse under my breath.
“Don’t act so surprised,” Kayla says. “My father never cared about anyone but himself.”
I halt my inner turmoil and scowl at her. “Your father was a good guy. One of the best,” I bite out. “So ease up.”
She ignores me and stands up. “Where do I sign so I can be on my way?”
I make a sound of disgust. “You’re sure in a hurry to leave daddy dearest in the dust.”
“And you’re sure in a hurry to snatch up his baseball memorabilia,” she barks back.
“They were my cards,” I say. “Cards that your father stole from me when I was a kid, by the way, but you don’t see me spitting on his grave.”
Her expression grows cold. “The man barely acknowledged me when he was alive and now he’s handing out his house and furniture to random people, while his daughter gets sent on a letter hunt. So yeah.” She straightens her shoulders. “I want to get out of here and never think about James Turner again.”
Pain flashes in her eyes, brief but palpable, and I pull back. This seems heavier than your average run-of-the-mill daddy issues. She’s obviously filled with anger. But more than that, Kayla looks almost… heartbroken.
After searching his mess for a few minutes, Eddie hands us two pens then points to a few lines on his paperwork where we need to sign. I stand up and scratch out my signature, disappointment rolling over me.
It’s funny. I hadn’t thought about that box of cards for years, but yesterday when the idea that I might get it back entered my mind, something inside me burst with hope. And not because selling those baseball cards could buy me a better life, but because inside that box are memories. Good ones. And I could use a few good memories.
Once we’re done signing, Eddie stacks his paperwork and sighs. “Well, I thank you both for your time. Sorry things didn’t work out the way you were hoping.”
Kayla lifts her chin, clearly pissed her father didn’t leave her a giant pile of cash. Serves her right, though. The girl didn’t even visit when he was dying. She was too busy living it up with her gold-digging mom in Chicago.
I’ve heard the stories. I know all about how her mom, Gia, was a bombshell who wanted to be single so she divorced James Turner and took all his money. If the rumors are true, Turner shelled out a good chunk of his net worth to Gia in the form of alimony payments and even more to Kayla in a giant trust fund he set up for her. He showered his ex-wife and daughter with money, yet neither of them spent a penny to come visit him on his deathbed.
I don’t blame him one bit for cutting Kayla out of his will.
As we leave, Eddie smiles at Kayla. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Turner.” He nods at me. “And good to see you again, Daren.”
I smile tightly. “Always a blast, Eddie.”
Not.
His expression sobers. “You and I really need to get together soon to discuss your father—”