Between The Sheets - Complete Collection (8 page)

Ending the call, she checked her clock.  Half-past six.  Too early to call the lawyer’s office.  Thoughts of Geoffrey invaded.

No.  I’ve done enough crying over that man.

She refused to waste another moment on him.  There were more important things she had to do.  First things first, she had to get her face right.

Heading to the kitchen, she took out several teabags, wet them and put them in the freezer.  Back in the bathroom, she brushed her teeth and washed her face, rinsing her face repeatedly with cold water, which helped some in reducing the puffiness.  Brandi dried her face and went to her closet, surveying the clothing there.  She finally settled on a pencil skirt, blouse and short waist jacket, but she wouldn’t dress yet, not until she had succeeded in reducing the puffiness.

Returning to the kitchen, she took two of the teabags from the freezer, turned on the television to the morning show and lay down on her sofa, placing the teabags on her eyes.  When they began to lose their chill, she replaced them with the other cold ones and put them back into the freezer.  After the fourth time, she checked her eyes in the mirror.  They were practically back to normal.  Makeup would cover the rest of the evidence of her tears.

With deliberate care, Brandi readied herself for the day.  Satisfied, she checked the time again, 8:15.  Should be someone there.  Taking a seat on the sofa, she dialed the number for her lawyer.

“The law offices of Jacobson, Fitzgerald & Helmsworth.  Ms. Daison speaking.  How may I direct your call?”

“Ms. Daison, this is Brandi Rafferty.  I’m a client of Mr. Fitzgerald.”

“Good morning, Ms. Rafferty.  I will connect you with Linda Mays, his secretary.”

“Thank you.”

A moment passed and she came on the line.  “Good morning, Ms. Rafferty.”

“Good morning, Ms. Mays.  Is it possible for me to see Mr. Fitzgerald today?  I was served with papers last night and I’d like to discuss my next steps with him.”

“Please hold and I’ll check his calendar.”

Placed on hold again, Brandi waited, tension building in her body. 

Her tenuous control over her life seemed to lessen more and more each day.  The more she tried to hold on, the more it seemed to slip through her tightly clenched fists.

“Ms. Rafferty?”

“Yes, I’m here.”

“Mr. Fitzgerald asked if you could come now.  He’s pretty booked from about nine-thirty to the end of the day so this would be your best chance of seeing him.”

“Please tell him I’m on my way now, thank you.”

Glad she’d dressed before making the call, Brandi had the concierge summon a taxi, checked herself in the mirror one last time, slipped the strap of her purse onto her shoulder, clasped the handle of her briefcase and left, locking the door securely behind her.  By the time she got outside, the brilliance of the sun blinding her, the taxi was waiting at the curb.  The concierge opened the door for her and she eased onto the seat.

“Thank you, Clark.”  After giving the driver the address, she slipped on her shades and contemplated the crazy situation she found herself in. 

She sighed, frowning as she stared at the view outside the window.

Twenty minutes later, the taxi drew up to the curb.  She paid him and disembarked, entering the building and taking the elevator up to the law offices.  Greeting Ms. Daison, she gave her name. Just as she sat down to wait, Ms. Mays came through the door.

“Please come with me, Ms. Rafferty.”

Brandi nodded and followed her back, the woman taking her directly to Mr. Fitzgerald.

“Good morning, Ms. Rafferty,” he said as his secretary closed the door.  “I take it you received the document I warned you about.”

She grimly nodded.  “Unfortunately, yes.”  She retrieved the document as soon as she sat down across from him and passed it to him.

While he studied them, Brandi strove to release the tension in her body.  Not an easy thing considering the stress she was under.

Mr. Fitzgerald laid the document on his desk and met her gaze, his own seeming grave.  “You know what you must do, don’t you?”

Her heart sank.  Even though she thought she’d prepared herself for the inevitable, the truth of it hit her hard.  “Can’t I appeal it or something?”

“It would make no difference.  You would still have to pay for his expenses during the appeal.  The indisputable fact of the matter is that Mr. Nick Everett holds an equal share in the property.  Until such time that the issue of ownership is resolved, he has every right to reside there.”

Tears threatened, but she willed them back.  What was done was done.  For now, she would just have to deal with it.

“I understand.  Can you respond to his attorney?  I brought my extra key, but I’d rather he pick it up here.”

“Yes, I’ll do that for you.”

She nodded and retrieved the key from her purse, giving it to him.  Taking a deep breath, she asked, “So what’s next?”

“We’re waiting on a date to come before a judge to present your case.  I have the copies of your mortgage papers and your receipts of all expenses you, yourself, paid.  You should have the property appraised as soon as possible.  Is there anything else where ownership is questionable?”

She nodded.  “Nick and I selected the furniture together, but I’m going to see if I can get some sort of report that shows the payments made and by whom, if possible.  If nothing else, I do have my bank statements to show my payments made from day one.”

“Good. Try to get them as soon as possible, so we can be ready when we have the date.”

“I will.”  Brandi rose with her purse and briefcase in hand.  “Thank you for seeing me today, Mr. Fitzgerald.”

He stood and came around the desk to take her hand.  “You’re quite welcome, Ms. Rafferty.  I must ask…is there a possibility you and Mr. Everett may resume your relationship?”

“Not in the slightest, no.”

“All right.  Let me know, though, if that changes.”

“It won’t.”

He stared into her eyes for a long moment.  She held his gaze without hesitation.

“You know, I do believe you mean that.”  He walked her to the door.  “Keep your chin up, Ms. Rafferty.  We’ll get this settled as soon as possible.”

Yes, but will things work out in my favor?

___

Geoffrey opened tired eyes and glanced at the clock.  Eight-thirty.  Yep, he was going to be getting into the office late today.  Yet he remained in bed, staring up at the ceiling.  That woman was going to drive him crazy.  Never had he met a woman so fixated on showing the world that she was a self-sufficient person who needed nothing from anyone.

He shook his head and sat up, swinging his legs off the bed.  Everyone needed help from time to time.  That she felt she had to fight to show the world her strength actually said the opposite.  Ms. Brandi Rafferty was not as confident as she strove to appear.  Was it her experience with that guy, Nick, which caused her to be that way?  Maybe he should’ve asked her more about it.  Not that she seemed inclined to go into detail about it.

Pushing to his feet, he went into the bathroom and started the water for his shower.  A vision of what a shower with Brandi would entail filled his mind.  Blood rushed to his groin.  Hands on hips, he stared down at his unwanted erection.

Whether or not it would happen ever again was something about which he would have to make a decision.  Although she drew him in like a bee to a flower, he just wasn’t sure he could continue to deal with such a difficult woman. He wondered if it would be easy to stay away from her.

___

So far, Brandi had somehow managed to keep thoughts of Geoffrey from settling in her mind.  Every time a stray thought wandered in, she pushed it out.  Right now, her focus should only be on ensuring she kept her home.  The condominium was prime real estate with outstanding amenities.  She didn’t want to give it up and wouldn’t. Not without a fight.

Having got in a little after ten, she wasn’t as behind in her work as she feared she might be, but she also had enough to keep her mind occupied, for which she was thankful.  Working through lunch ensured it stayed that way.

Her intercom sounded and her heart gave a little jump.

“Yes, Antonia?”

“Brandi, a Renee Jinn is here to see you.”

Smiling at the surprise visit from a friend, she said, “You can send her in.”

“Hey, girl,” she greeted when Renee entered.

Of Asian-American descent and petite, she wore her dark auburn hair in a blunt cut that fell just below her shoulder blades.  The brilliant blue sheath she wore enhanced her coloring and accentuated her figure while the stilettos she wore with such ease lengthened her shapely legs.

If we weren’t friends, I could easily be jealous of her looks.

But she was such a sweet person that there wasn’t room for jealousy.

“Hello, Brandi.”  She sank into one of the chairs fronting the desk with effortless grace.  “I apologize for interrupting your work, but I need to speak with you about a serious matter.”

Concerned, Brandi rose and came around the desk to sit in the other chair beside her, taking hold of her hand.  Renee pulled her hand free.

Sitting back in the seat, Brandi folded her hands in her lap and waited.

“I have to confess something to you and you’re not going to be pleased,” Renee said quietly.

“Go on.”

“I’m involved with Nick.  I have been for two years.”

Brandi’s mouth dropped open, the pain sharp in her heart.  Giving herself a moment to absorb the shock of that announcement, she rose and returned to her seat behind the desk.  Ice seemed to coat her skin and sink into her blood.

After a moment, she asked, “Why tell me now?”

“I felt it was better you know before I come to visit Nick at the condo you both own.”

Brandi waited for more, for some sort of apology for betraying her like that.  But no.  Renee just sat there, her face emotionless.

“Okay.  You’ve told me.  You can leave now.”

Renee rose as gracefully as she had sat and turned, leaving without another word.

___

Geoffrey ran a hand down his face.  Well, that was one day down.  He had fought with himself all day and succeeded in neither going to see Brandi or calling her.  The first step was always the most difficult, or so it was said.  Something told him, though, that tonight was going to be the tough one.

As he drove back to the hotel, thoughts of Brandi alone in the condo with Nick plagued him.  Seven years they were together.  That length of time pointed to serious emotion between the two.  What if being alone together brought back those feelings?  Reason said that if that were to happen, the two must have been meant to be.

The thought was no consolation at all.

Before going up to his suite, Geoffrey went to the onsite restaurant to eat his dinner.  It was preferable to ordering room service and eating alone in his room.  He followed the maître d to a corner table for two.

“Geoffrey!”

He turned at the sound of his name to find his neighbor, a gorgeous twenty-something blonde who worked as a flight attendant.

Managing a smile, he greeted her.  “Good evening, Shelly.”

“Are you eating alone?”

“As a matter of fact, I am.”

“So am I.  Please join me.”

Not sure how he felt about it, he hesitated. “Sure,” he replied with a smile that, frankly, hurt.

*

Having picked up a keyed doorknob on her way home, Brandi was more than a little relieved to enter the condo and find it empty.  At first glance, it looked as though Nick hadn’t yet been there.  Curious to know for sure, she went to the second bedroom.  It was empty.

Relieved, she set her things on the desk that now sat in her bedroom and got to work changing out the doorknob.  Her father had taught her how to do relatively simple things like that, for which she would be eternally grateful.  It didn’t take long.  She added the key to the key ring in her purse and placed the second one in her briefcase.

Finished, she took a quick shower and then put on clean yoga pants and a bright green tank top.  By the time she left her room, Nick had arrived.  He smirked at her, but she ignored him and started her supper.

“You cooking enough for me?”

She bit down hard on her tongue to keep from allowing him to goad her into any sort of interaction.  Before she met Nick, she had been on her own. She knew how to make just enough of anything for one person.  That skill came in handy because she didn’t want to have any leftover for him to take, which he would do, without bothering to ask her.  Now that she thought about it, and could see now that she didn’t have blinders on, Nick was basically a selfish person.

Whatever.  She didn’t need to waste another moment of thought on him.

She cut up some chicken and sautéed it with a little olive oil and seasonings.  While it cooked through, she opened a small bag of salad mix and poured about half of it into a bowl with a couple of cherry tomatoes and sliced cucumbers.  She scooped up the chicken and put it on top of her salad, finishing it with a little raspberry vinaigrette.  Returning to her room and ignoring Nick as he passed her on his way out, she closed and locked the door. She turned on her television.