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I temporarily silenced Abel’s number so I could avoid him when he tried calling. He wasn’t going to make his demands and have me jump, not anymore. I had every reason to go off alone and have a little breather.
Again, my phone rang, and I would’ve ignored it as I thought it might be Abel calling from a different number, but it was Richard’s name that popped on the screen. I sucked in a breath and hesitated to answer. A conversation with Blake’s father was an absolute must, but I wasn’t ready. I didn’t know what happened, and it was bad enough he transferred his seat to me without talking it over. I didn’t know what other possibilities were available.
Before the phone went to voicemail, I answered. “Hello, Richard.”
“Hello, my sweet girl. I hope now is a good time to call.”
“Yes, it’s always a good time for you to call. I’m happy to hear from you.” Truthfully. I adored Richard, and he had always been good to me. My mother didn’t know I knew, but Richard always tried to step in and help whenever possible. I appreciated it.
Richard coughed and he tried to silence the receiver, but I still caught how horrible it sounded. “Sorry, my sweet girl. I hoped we could get together soon.”
The answers were something I needed, but I worried my inner cheek with my teeth as I gained the courage to face whatever he had to tell me. “I’d love to. I’m free now. Is it okay? Or is it too soon?” Ella’s car sat in front of the window of the table where I was sitting, and it was perfect not to have Abel or anybody else tagging along for this private conversation.
“That would be lovely, my dear. I’ll text you the address. It’s been too long since you were here last.”
“Okay, thank you. I’m at the public library and will be there shortly.”
The line got quiet before Richard cleared his throat. “I’m happy to see you, Chan. I look forward to it.”
“Me too.” I clutched the phone in my hand as I caught onto something in his voice. It held happiness and longing intertwined with each other.
Packing my things, I left the library and plugged in the address Richard had given me in my map app. I ignored the four texts and two missed calls from Abel. If he wanted to know where I headed, he’d have to spy on me to figure it out because how dare he stalk me and believe I’d be okay with it.
This time, I drove cautiously as I didn’t want to get lost since I had somebody waiting for me. I followed the map directly and Richard’s massive mansion resided outside of town. As I drove along the long driveway through the autumn-colored leaves of massive trees lining the driveway, I gaped at the sheer beauty. Flashes of memory popped into my mind of when I lived here as a young child. It stunned me breathless. Far more intriguing than I remembered.
The gardens were immaculate and competed with all the British gardens I’d seen on television and in movies. I parked the car and meandered up to the front door. The large, heavy wooden doors opened to an expansive foyer with a crystal chandelier. A butler stood at the entrance, welcomed me, and instructed me to follow him.
Even with me swiveling my head everywhere, I stayed close on his heels, but taking in the place, it looked the same as I remembered, but not as grand. It still held magnificence, but in the eyes of a child, the site had been a castle, and the fairytale was having a happily ever after. It didn’t happen, and I became disillusioned very young.
The butler led me up the stairs. The tiled steps had a fancy carpet runner lining along the stairs as we made it to the next floor. He opened a set of French doors into a large room with Richard lying in a hospital bed. Two nurses were nearby, and a man in an expensive suit sat in a chair in the corner of the room overlooking some paperwork.
“Ms. Montgomery, sir.” The butler announced, and I stepped further into the room.
Richard’s bed faced the windows, and I slowly stepped inside the room.
Chapter 14
Chantilla
I had to fight off tears when I peered around the bed. From what I remembered, Richard had always been larger than life, but now he lay frail and gaunt with no color to his cheeks, and his thick head of hair had thinned out immeasurably.
“Oh, my sweet girl. You’re as stunning as ever.” Tubes stuck into Richard’s nose, and machines beeped with his heart rate. I stepped closer and grabbed his hand.
“It’s so good to see you. It’s been far too long.”
“It has, my dear. It has.” He gripped my hand in his with hardly any strength. I wanted to cry but kept my tears at bay. “Have a seat.”
The man in the corner moved over and brought a chair for me to sit on. “Thank you.”
The man nodded. “Hello, Ms. Montgomery, I’m Chase Weatherby. I’m Richard’s lawyer.” He lifted his hand, and I shook it.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Weatherby.”
“Please, call me Chase. Well, you two have a lot to discuss. The nurses and I will get out of your hair. Richard, I’ll be downstairs, and we can resume our discussion later.”
“Thank you, Chase.”
As the three people vacated the room, I smiled at them, and they returned one in kind. I sat awkwardly next to Richard and studied him. I wished I had known he was sick because I would’ve tried to make more of an effort to come and visit. When Blake and I were on friendlier terms, I would’ve told him to bring me over.
