Monday morning, dressed in one of her “accountant suits,” as Aunt Helen had called them, Dani made her way downtown to see her aunt’s lawyer. She walked through the doors of Daly, Robertson, & White and was immediately engulfed in grey and beige modern monotony. The somber décor matched her mood, but then a memory cracked her stony façade with a smile. Her aunt had walked the same corridor in her most outlandish outfits, chosen specifically to liven the place up.
“It’s a public service. These poor folks have forgotten what color is.” Aunt Helen did everything with a purpose, down to choosing what scarf to wear. Dani rethought her wardrobe choice with a wistful smile. She shifted the homemade coffee cake in her hands. She had her own way to brighten the day.
When she’d left Houston, Aunt Helen had managed to get her part time work for her law firm’s accounting department, reasoning that a job was a must. But Aunt Helen’s condition had deteriorated so quickly, she’d had to leave after only a few weeks. Thankfully, they had been Aunt Helen’s attorneys for years, and had been more than flexible. Dani had agreed to be executor of her aunt’s estate. It had come as no surprise that Helen had left very specific instructions for how her possessions should be dispersed. She made her way to Michael Robertson’s office, double checking the file under her arm and fidgeting with her purse strap. Why was she so nervous? When she entered his office area, a familiar face greeted her with a smile, the kind that offered comfort without pity, and Dani returned it, some of her anxiety fading. She handed the coffee cake to Olivia Stone, senior paralegal and former lunch buddy, who pulled her into a hug.
“Dani, how are you? No, scratch that. Stupid question. It’s good to see you. Lunchtime isn’t the same without you.”
“We’ll have to get together soon and compare notes. I’ve been trying a few new recipes.”
“I’d love to taste them. Does he know you’re here?”
“No, I just got here.”
“I’ll let him know. I wanted to say, Dani, your aunt was a special lady. She always made sure to stop and catch up with me, every time she came in.”
“I don’t imagine you’d be surprised at how many similar stories I heard at her wake.” The number of people who had packed the small viewing room had surprised even Dani, each with a story of a small kindness gifted by Aunt Helen.
“Like I said, a very special lady. I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you for sharing your memory of her.”
Olivia turned and peeked through the door, half closed behind her.
“He’s ready. You can go on in.”
Mr. Robertson, the younger, was indeed ready, and rose from his chair to greet her with an outstretched hand as she passed through the door into his office. She crossed to the supple leather arm chair situated in front of an antique mahogany desk.
“Good morning, Ms. Carmichael. How are you?” His strained smile put Dani on alert.
“I’m fine. As well as can be expected.” Dani wondered why he was nervous. He’d called this meeting after all.
“Would you like anything before we begin? Tea, coffee?” Was he stalling?
“No, thank you. I’d rather just get down to business. Now, I understand you wanted to check in with me about my progress with my aunt’s estate?”
“Among other things...”
“Well, I’ve taken care of all the specific item bequests to her friends and our relatives. I’ve been in touch with her two chosen charities regarding the gifts she left them. The Silicon Valley Humane Society has chosen to set up a trust to help pay for the care of animals who cannot be adopted to keep them from being euthanized. They will also be putting a plaque on a special kennel for older dogs that will benefit. I told them I’d pass along the information to you so you can look over the proposal and see if they’ve missed anything.
“The public library will use the funds to add a half-circle padded bookshelf bench in the children’s section with a plaque in her honor. They will use the balance to increase investments in children’s literature, once you've released the funds.”
Libraries had been Aunt Helen’s favorite place. After so many years running libraries on Naval bases at home and abroad, she got such a kick out of the read-alouds with the littles. So much more fun than reading to the sailors, she had said. Memories of her own childhood mornings spent listening to her aunt tell stories made Dani heartsick again. She blinked back the tears that began to well, and paused to re-group her thoughts.
“I’m still sorting through her storage unit and deciding what to keep and what to liquidate or donate. I rented the locker across the way, and I’m sorting it into three piles as I move out the boxes and go through them. All the receipts should be in order in this file.” She pulled out the folder she’d tucked into her purse and laid it precisely on his immaculate desk.
“That’s fine, excellent, really. I’m impressed with your efficiency. Most of my clients take a bit more time to tackle some of the larger tasks. How are you holding up? Is it too much?”
“No, actually it’s been good to have a project. After spending so much time helping Aunt Helen, my days are rather empty. Tackling her estate gives me a project to work on. Going through her personal things has been harder, more draining. If I get through one box in an afternoon it feels like a major accomplishment. So often I get caught up in the memories... I know she’s in a better place, and not in any more pain. That’s a blessing...but I can’t help mourning the hole that’s left in my life. How selfish is that!”
“Not selfish at all, I think. Normal perhaps, healthy certainly. You do need to mourn for your loss. Which leads me to my other reason for arranging this meeting today. The will that was read to you after your aunt’s passing had another envelope which she specified should be delivered into your hands 30 days after her death. It is my understanding that she wished for you to have a bit of distance from that difficult event before she entrusted you with this next task. I’d best let her explain her wishes in her own words. I’ll leave you to read it in private. I am happy to go over any details you’d like clarified when you’re done. Just knock at the door, and Ms. Stone will find me.” He handed her a greeting card envelope and quietly closed the door behind him.
Under her breath, Dani muttered, “Oh, Aunt Helen, what are you up to now?” Sliding her finger gently beneath the flap, she carefully opened the envelope and the first spontaneous smile in weeks bloomed across her face. A greeting card with a sexy, muscled, nearly naked man wearing a short apron and holding a birthday cake emerged. Across the bottom of the card, the caption read, “Happy birthday!” Opening the card, Dani felt a folded piece of stationery drop into her lap. Ignoring it for the moment, she read the punch line, “You can have your cake and eat me, too!” Dani chuckled, appreciating her aunt’s sense of humor one more time. Helen had always managed to find the best cards. Refocusing her attention on her aunt’s folded letter, she read the handwritten note, and the laughter mingled with the tears she let roll freely down her cheeks.
My Dearest Danielle,
I hope that made you laugh! I bet you could use one or two right now. You know I never miss a birthday. I thought I’d use this opportunity to give you the perfect card, which of course I found months ago and have been dying to show you ever since—pun completely intended.
Dear girl, I hope that taking care of my passing has not been too stressful for you. I love you, and I don’t want you wasting anymore time taking care of the details of a life well lived instead of picking up your own life that’s been on hold too long. You sacrificed for me and helped me spend the end of my life exactly how I wanted to. Now let me give you the best re-start to yours.
I know goals and deadlines inspire you so I’ll give you one of each. As a goal, I’d like you to find your passion. Yes, you’re a good accountant, but it’s not your life’s work. I found my passion in books and devoted my life to sharing them with others. It fulfilled me in a way that I cherished throughout my life. I want that for you, dear. Fulfillment. Passion. With that goal in mind, I am setting you a deadline. Six months from today, I want you to be doing something you love. Try new things, reconnect with old friends, and make some new ones. Find a man who sets off all your bells and whistles. You are special, Sunny, and you deserve a man who knows it. Rediscover who you are. I’m sure you’ll see the same intelligent, sassy, and loving young lady I do.
Now don’t get mad at me. I didn’t want you worrying about this or trying to change my mind, so I’ve hidden some things until now. And damn it, it’s my money, and I’ll do what I want with it!
To give you some of the time you so generously gave to me, I’ve put aside some money. The first account should cover your costs of living over the next six months, so you don’t have to worry about working. Your “job” is to figure this all out! I have also paid a full year’s rent on our apartment, so you’ll have a stable base for at least that long. If you decide you want to move before then, by all means do. This is just some security if you need it. The second account is much larger. Use it as seed money to start something. Dream big. Do great things. Let your special light shine. I’ll be watching, hopefully from above. I know you won’t disappoint. If the seed money remains untouched after six months, it will revert to my other charities. You don’t have to spend it all at once, but it will be there when you need it.
Sunny, you were the granddaughter I never had, and I love you fiercely, even now. Perhaps now more than ever...Don’t shake your head at me. Take this gift as it was meant, a symbol of my love and greatest hope that you will know the same love and fulfillment in your life that I found in mine. Build a life full of passion. Don’t let the sadness keep you down. It’s time to let in the sun.
All my love,
Aunt Helen
Dani sat there, gripping the letter and the card tightly in her trembling fingers. This was so much more than she had ever anticipated! She had power of attorney for Aunt Helen’s finances, so her aunt had to have been very crafty to hide this so completely. Why had her aunt kept this a secret? Because she knew Dani would have argued. Aunt Helen was right. Dani had a lot of trouble making time for herself, so her aunt had made it a priority, no worries and no guilt. Aunt Helen always had a purpose. What could Dani’s purpose be? She’d gotten so sidetracked saying yes. She ended up helping everyone but herself. Time for that to change. She had no idea how it would change, but she wasn’t going to let this chance pass her by.
“I love you, too.” Dani closed her eyes and let her aunt’s voice flow through her whirling thoughts and wash away some of the grief that had been keeping her so low. She let her aunt’s words take root in her mind. She was someone special, and it was time to let the world know it. Let the sun shine, indeed.
Dani dove into the cool chlorinated water and let it wash away her day. Her mind had been whirling ever since she’d left the law offices. Even lunch with Olivia hadn’t smoothed things out. The jagged, sticky questions remained unanswered in her brain, waiting to snag her if she wandered too close. Where did she want to be? What if she wasn’t good enough once she got there? Why was she facing this alone?
She knew the answer to that last one. She’d trusted too easily and gotten burned for her troubles. The trouble with being an eternal optimist was that the rest of the world tended to take advantage.
She kicked over and began a freestyle crawl from one end of the pool to the other. The late summer sunset was fading, bringing relief from the heat. If only it could relieve her troubled mind as well. A perfect example of an opportunistic bastard was her ex-boyfriend, Matthew Sparks, rising junior executive in operations at her old energy firm in Houston.
Since she’d been firmly in the accounting department and secure in her career, there was no conflict of interest, and she’d spent a year of her life investing in him. They’d met at the annual holiday party, and had quickly become inseparable. She stayed late willingly, to help him out with his files. If those nights often turned into make-out sessions on his desk, well, what people didn’t know couldn’t hurt her. Long lunches, quickie coffee breaks, and long romantic weekends tacked on to business trips, Dani had believed that she was building a future. She’d been happily content with her office romance, until he’d announced his engagement. To someone else.
With one question, one ring, he made her the other woman. She didn’t know what was worse, that she’d been oblivious or that he’d been able to dent her belief that she was a good person. And for a little while she’d beat herself up with, “Why didn’t he pick me? Why wasn’t I enough?”
In hindsight, she was well rid of him. She counted her lucky stars that she hadn’t ended up married to a man she couldn’t trust. When she’d come home for Christmas to lick her wounds, and Aunt Helen’s condition came to light, it had seemed the perfect escape, so she’d run away.
Running away was easy. Figuring out what she was running towards was a lot harder.
Reaching the wall, and no closure, she flipped over into a lazy backstroke and nearly drowned. Her new neighbor was standing just outside the pool fence, empty boxes in hand, watching her swim. She’d wanted to empty her mind, and the instant heat she felt in the wake of his intense stare accomplished that far better than the icy water had.
She kicked for the edge of the pool, needing to get a grip, while she convinced her lungs to behave themselves.
“Are you OK?” He dropped the boxes and was up and over the locked gate in a heartbeat.
“Fine. I’m fine.” She managed the mortified denial around the wet coughs still wracking her body.
“Here, let me help you out of the water.” Dani reached up a hand, expecting a boost. While she marveled at the way his strong sinewed hand engulfed her own, she missed that he reached under her other arm and before she knew it, she was flying. She landed limply against his strong chest, and marveled at the lovely feeling of being pressed up against him even briefly. He brusquely stepped back and urged her to sit on the lounge chair. He reached behind her, and Dani expected to feel his warm strong hand slide along her back to pull her closer into his embrace. The solid thumping thwacks chased that idea and her remaining coughs right out of her.
“Wrong tube.” She gasped when she could finally speak, embarrassed by her reaction.
“Yeah, it happens.”
“Thanks for the assist. Sorry I got you all wet.”
Dani watched as his whole body went taut and tense. He didn’t say a word and the silence grew awkward. Was he angry about a wet t-shirt? It would dry quickly in the lingering mid-summer heat. Maybe you should suggest stripping it off so it would dry faster. The naughty voice in her head needed to get a grip. Dani leapt into the breach, changing the subject.
“So, you’re getting unpacked?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you know where the recycling is?”
“Yeah. I found it.”
The awkward silence returned. Nick Gantry was a man of few words, it seemed. Since he wasn’t speaking or even looking at her, she let her eyes roam, from his intensely masculine hands, to the powerful muscular arms that had hauled her effortlessly from the water. From there it was a short step to admiring his shoulders that seemed to carry the weight of the world beneath the wet t-shirt that molded lovingly to them. Her prim and proper eyes logically followed the path of the water, wanting to confirm the extent of the damage she’d caused, as it dripped down the front of what she remembered were truly impressive abs to disappear into his jeans. Her mind helpfully provided the image it had tucked away from moving day, since the white cotton was blocking her view. Her eyes drifted lower. I wonder if his other attributes are as impressive as the rest of him.
She could give all the excuses she wanted, but she was ogling a stranger. And she liked it. Though her perusal had only taken seconds, she knew he’d noticed, and she blushed. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had this instantaneous reaction. Why not take the next step?
“Well, you should take a break, enjoy the pool. Come on in. The water’s fine.”
The water wasn’t the only thing fine at the pool. There she sat with her mermaid hair and barely-there bikini, tempting him to madness. It had taken all of his strength to step back and let her leave his arms. And then, while he was still reeling from the feel of her body pressed against his, she’d gone and apologized for getting him wet. He’d immediately catalogued all the ways he’d like to return the favor. All of the blood in his brain immediately decamped to his jeans, leaving his logic ill equipped to protect him. When he caught her checking him out, he’d had to clamp his lips shut to keep from offering her a better view.
As tempting as she was, he was in no condition to start things up with a woman. Horny as hell, images of all the ways he’d like to take her flashed through his mind. But he’d keep those thoughts to himself. He knew she wasn’t the kind of girl up for a hot fling. No, she was keeper material. Too bad he’d never been one for keeping anything in his life for too long.
No, Dani Carmichael was firmly off limits. He had enough to do, getting his own heart put back together, without worrying about eventually breaking hers. He’d do the right thing and go back up to his ruthlessly organized and freshly cleaned apartment. He’d been restless, unable to settle after finishing the task of unpacking, but he could not take her up on her offer of distraction. Maybe there was a ball game on TV. Maybe he’d just have to make use of the cold shower again, instead of the pool as he’d planned.
“Actually, if you’re done drowning, I should get back to it. See you around.”
He knew he was being rude, but his self-control was nearly at an end. He needed some distance before he did something they’d both enjoy and then regret.
Dani watched her surly neighbor turn tail and retreat. What was he running from? What was he hiding? More importantly, why did she care? Yes, his hot body and distant demeanor intrigued her, but hadn’t she learned her lesson? She needed a man she could read and trust. More importantly, she needed the next six months to be completely about herself. She had a lot of work to do to live up to Aunt Helen’s legacy. The last thing she needed was a distraction like Nick Gantry. She dove back into the cool water searching for resolve, but the wanting was slow to fade.