Chapter 7
ABIGAIL
My hands had begun to sweat, and my armpits weren”t much different. I felt like every pore on my body chose this moment to ooze out any extra liquid it possessed. As we pulled into the courthouse parking lot, I could feel my lunch churning eerily. I wasn”t sure which, my mouth or my ass, would erupt, but as soon as Elias threw the gearshift into Park, I ran for the building in a panic. My body had never behaved this way before, and it scared me to death. Chills ran down my spine, and goosebumps blanketed my arms. Nausea created panic, leading to hyperventilating, and then—nothing.
”Do you know her?” I heard a woman ask.
”Yes. She must have fainted. She wasn”t looking too good after lunch. I”ve got her. Thank you.”
He did have me—wrapped in his arms like I was a baby. Sweet Lord, this felt good. I was feeling much better after passing out, but my breathing was still coming in short bursts.
”There you are. Are you okay? Did you hit your head? Does anything hurt?”
“No.” Though the butterflies that zinged around my belly were the opposite of what I had experienced a few minutes ago.
He looked at me as if I were under a microscope. Assessing. Concerned. ”I”m fine. I didn”t hit my head, though my hip is sore. I must have landed on it when I fell. What happened?”
”I”m not sure, though I have my suspicions. I saw you fainting as I ran to the building after you bolted.”
His thumb rubbed my jawline, making me lightheaded again.
”You scared the shit out of me.”
”Yeah, sorry about that. I felt nauseous and ran for the bathroom, then I felt out of breath and wanted to crawl out of my skin. I didn”t know what was happening, and then, BAM, everything went dark. I”m so thirsty.” I said as I smacked my lips together.
He grinned. ”You had a panic attack, and your body shut down to reset.”
”What the hell are you talking about? Why would I have a panic attack? I”ve never had one before. Why now?” I pushed off his ridiculously large pecs, storing that bit to process later, and sat up shaking my head.
”Why now? Seriously, Abby? Do I need to spell this out for you? Your whole life is about to change, and you”re asking why now? Geez-Louise, woman. Take a beat and figure this out.”
His exasperation was palpable. I suppose a smart girl like me could figure this out if I could slow my breathing down. Listening to his words swirl around my brain, I began to piece together everything that happened to me this past month. Add in the past twenty years, and, logically, this all made sense. I hummed to myself.
”I see your point.” I rubbed my eyes and slowly stood up. Elias caught my elbow when I swayed slightly away, keeping me from a possible face plant. ”Could you get me some water, please? I”m going to sit down for a few minutes and get my bearings straight.”
That lovely, annoying man rushed to do my bidding while I prepared myself for my meeting. I had a lot riding on this move, and my past did nothing to assure me I was making the right decision or that I could run and maintain such a massive piece of property. What would my ancestors have to say about this? Come to think of it, I felt like Mulan from the Disney movie. I needed my ancestors to guide me and a sidekick to keep me from losing my ever-loving shit. Maybe Elias would want the job. A girl could dream, right?
Elias strode through the lobby carrying a cup of water like a teacup on a saucer. ”Here. Drink this slowly.”
Why do people always say that? Does it make a difference how fast it goes down? I”m not stricken with a swallowing disorder. I just panicked, and rightfully so. He watched me swallow and then asked if I was ready to get this meeting over with.
I stood up carefully, rubbed my eyes, and exhaled deeply. ”Let”s do this.” I clapped my hands and walked halfway down a hallway before I realized I didn”t know where the hell I was going. Then, I walked back to the directory board to find my way. I swear I was a three-dimensional cartoon at times.
Attempt number two was successful, as Elias opened the glass door for me to pass through. ”Control your breathing and listen to the details of what they are telling you. I”ll take notes on my phone if you want.” I nodded in appreciation. I was positive I wouldn”t remember half of what was shared with me, but I was thrilled I had Elias around to help me.
Two women sat at desks across the room from the counter I was in front of.
”Hello. I”m Abigail Burton. I”m here to see Susan. Is she available?” I smiled warily, hoping Susan-Somebody would appear and say, ”Sign here,” and I”d be on my way—no such luck.
The blonde in a tight pencil skirt and flouncy blouse sashayed up to the counter, eyeing Elias. She flipped her blonde locks over one shoulder and boldly stared him up and down. To his credit, he blanched and pulled me to his side for what appeared to be protection.
“Hi there. I’m Susan.” Excellent.
I pushed the envelope Mr. Brickner supplied, which contained the inheritance, the completed Connecticut claim paperwork, and a notarized letter from his office stating the authenticity of this claim.
I smiled sweetly at her shellacked face, ”This should be everything you need. I believe you spoke with Mr. Brickner this morning. Is everything satisfactory?” I stood there waiting for a full two minutes with a painted-on smile and dug the heel of my tennis shoe into the arch of my other foot. I”d seen molasses move faster than this Barbie-Want-To-Be. She had one eye on the document and one eye on Elias, and I was done.
”Elias, dear, would you mind waiting here while Susan does her job.” Okay, maybe not so smooth, but I wanted my papers stamped now. He looked down at me and smirked at my endearment.
”No problem, sugar.” He whispered into my ear using a husky voice that could melt panties. Ugh. Pretending we were a couple could get me into a lot of trouble. Big trouble.
Susan returned to her desk, stamped each paper, notarized them with her seal, and signed and dated each document. After glaring at me briefly, she approached the counter again and handed me my paperwork.
”Congratulations, Miss Burton. That is quite a large estate to inherit. I hope you”ll have help restoring it to its former beauty. I”d head to the library and do some digging around for historical documents to show you how much work you”re looking at. Good luck.” She gave me a wink like she had a secret, or maybe it was a disorder affecting her eye. Either way, I hadn”t planned to see her again ever—goodbye and good riddance.
”Thank God that”s over.” I breathed my first full breath in an hour. ”Do you believe that bitch? She was too busy ogling you to do her job and pay attention to the customer—me!” I stomped out of the courthouse toward Elias”s truck without a glance to see if he was following me.
”Why aren”t you saying anything?” I yelled over my shoulder. I stopped short when he didn”t respond. I turned and found him standing ten feet behind me with a goofy grin and his hands on his smallish hips. ”What?!” I snapped at him.
He took a few steps closer, ”Miss Abigail Burton, are you jealous?” He was mocking me again. And like a dumbass, I took the bait.
”What? Me? That”s ridiculous.” Without waiting for a response, I ran to the truck”s passenger side and waited for it to unlock. I didn”t have to wait long as a long, muscled arm reached over my shoulder and pulled on the handle. I could smell his aftershave, or whatever it was that smelled like fresh laundry and mint. This man had unarmed me with a clean shirt. I”m pathetic.
The heat from his breath passed over the shell of my ear, exacting the response I knew he wanted.
”No, I”m not jealous,” I said stubbornly.
He pressed his chest into my body, boxing me in tighter.
”You are. Face it, Abby. You like me, maybe even want me, don”t you?”
I could hear the smile in his voice. I”m not practiced in the art of seduction, but damn it, he flipped all my switches, and I was helpless to him. I wanted something from him. What exactly wasn”t yet clear.
I swallowed hard, focusing on speaking without stuttering. ”Elias. You”re like no one I”ve ever met. I don”t know exactly what that means, but you intrigue me, and, therefore, I do like you.” Ta-da! I”m safe for now.
He turned me about quickly, put his massive hands on my hips, lifted me like a bag of groceries, and held me in mid-air.
”I like you, too,” he said deadpan. The crinkles at the corners of his eyes and those pearly white teeth spoke volumes to his words. He pulled me to his chest, put a soft, chaste kiss on my cheek, and then placed me carefully onto the seat with a wink. He swung my legs inside. Oh, God, no. He shut my door and strutted around to his side of the vehicle. Peacocks didn”t preen like he did, and my insides turned to goo. I”ll have to add adorable to his growing positive qualities. The soft pillows of his lips lingered on my cheek for the few silent miles we traveled to the realtor”s office. My next hurdle would be more challenging—I was sure of it.
Mr. Brickner promised to have the realtor turn all the utilities on before I arrived. The trust included a small operating fee that would cover the initial start-up. I knew I had money to get the place up and running again, although I couldn’t possibly know what it would cost to fix anything I hoped my learning curve would be quick and painless.