“Excuse me, Mr. Grayson,” my secretary, Breanna, spoke. “Mr. Cecil Campbell is on line one for you.”
“Thank you, Breanna.” I sighed as I picked up the phone. “Cecil, how are you?”
“Have you made your decision yet, Carter?”
“I have, and I’ve decided that you’re going to sell me the property at the value we discussed.”
“The price went up, Carter. I have others waiting in line behind you. All I have to do is give one of them a call and the property will be theirs tomorrow at the price I’m asking.”
“You’re bluffing. No one I know would be that stupid. What I do know is that the IRS is closing in to seize your property for your lack of tax payments over the last three years. And once they do that, I can actually pay a lower price for it. I’m trying to help you out, Cecil. Take what I’ve offered you and run with it. You know it’s a damn good and fair price.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow, Carter.” He hung up.
After setting the phone down, I opened my desk drawer and shook three aspirin into my hand. Just as I was about to head to a meeting, my cellphone rang. It was Nora.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Yes. I need you to be home tonight. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
“I’ll be home around seven and we can talk then.”
“Okay,” she softly spoke.
I sighed as I ended the call and told Breanna to have Ross come into my office.
“What’s up, Carter?”
“I just got off the phone with Cecil. He’s going to sell the property for what we discussed. Get the contract drawn up.”
“Excellent. By the way, how’s the nurse working out?”
“Nora really likes her,” I spoke.
“And you?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think. As long as she provides my sister with the proper care, that’s all that matters.”
He stood there and stared at me with a narrowed eye.
“Yeah. You’re right. I’ll get moving on that contract.”
Evening rolled around, and I left the office and headed home. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Zoey because I knew, at some point, we’d have to talk about what had happened last night. When I stepped off the elevator, I headed into the kitchen and found Zoey standing with the refrigerator open.
“Is Nora awake?” I asked, and she jumped.
“You scared me.” She turned around and looked at me. “Can you please stop sneaking up on me?”
“I’m not sneaking up on you. You’re obviously an easily frightened person. It must be all that death you surround yourself with.”
“Yes, Nora is awake and she’s waiting to talk to you.”
“Do you know what it’s about?” I asked.
“No. The only thing she said was that she wanted to speak to the both of us.”
I sighed and set my briefcase down.
“Then we better go talk to her,” I spoke.
The moment we stepped into Nora’s room, she opened her eyes and looked at us.
“Good, you’re home.” She smiled. “Both of you, sit down.”
I took a seat on the edge of the bed while Zoey took a seat in the chair.
“What did you want to talk about?” I asked as I lightly took hold of her hand.
“I don’t have much longer, Carter. I can feel my body deteriorating. I want to spend what little time I have left at the beach house in Malibu.”
“Nora.” I shook my head. “That’s not possible.”
“It is possible, Carter, and this is my final wish. I want to sit on the beach, even if it is only for one day. I want to feel the ocean breeze and smell the salted air through my window as I lie in bed. It’s getting colder here and I don’t want to spend my final days in a dreary place.”
“But, Nora, this is your home.”
“So is the Malibu house.”
“But—”
“Carter, this isn’t about you. This is about me and my final wish.”
I looked down and gulped because going back to that house was going to be the hardest thing I ever had to do. But she was right. This wasn’t about me. I started to sweat at the thought because I knew once we left for California, I would return to New York alone.
“Okay,” I whispered. “We’ll leave in a couple of days. I have to get things settled at the office first, plus we’ll need to pack.”
“Thank you.” She weakly squeezed my hand.
I looked over at Zoey, who sat there and didn’t say a word.
“Can I see you in my office?” I asked her.
“Sure.”
She followed me down the hallway and took a seat across from my desk.
“There are a couple things I want to discuss with you. First, about last night. I apologize for my actions. As you know, I was totally inebriated.”
“I know and it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
“It will never happen between us, Zoey. I want to make that very clear.”
“You don’t have to make that clear, Mr. Grayson, because I know it won’t.”
“Good. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, the second thing I want to discuss is California. Are you okay with going?”
“Yes. Of course I am. You seem hesitant about it. Why?”
“I am, but I’m doing it for Nora. The reason doesn’t concern you. Understood?”
“Understood.”
“The weather there is warm, so I’m assuming you’ll have to go home and get some of your other clothes. Since I’m going to be home the rest of the night, I’ll have Juan take you now and I’ll keep an eye on Nora.”
“Okay,” she spoke.
“I don’t think her traveling is a good idea. But what can I do? If she wants to spend what time she has left in Malibu, then who am I to try and stop her. That will be all. Juan will be waiting downstairs for you when you’re ready.”
She gave me a nod and walked out of my office. Picking up my phone, I called Sadie and asked her if she would like to come with us. Since it was only her and she didn’t really have any family here, she accepted.
The thought of going back to that house terrified me. I wanted to sell it, but Nora wouldn’t allow it, and I couldn’t sell it without her permission since her name was also on the title. I got up from my desk and went over to the bar in the living room and poured myself a scotch. As I was about to drink it, I heard Zoey’s voice.
“If you’re going to drink while staying here alone with your sister, I’m not leaving.”
“Excuse me?” I cocked my head at her.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Grayson, but after last night, I don’t think I can trust you to be alone with her if you’re drinking.”
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” I set my glass down and walked over to her. “It’s one drink and that’s it.”
“And one drink leads to many others. Especially with the state you’re in about having to go to California. I know this is hard for you because you know you’ll be coming back here without her, but drinking your problems away isn’t going to help her or you.”
I clenched my fist, which rested at my side, because I was one word away from massively exploding on her. I walked over to the bar, grabbed my glass, and dumped the scotch out.
“There. I won’t have a drink until you return,” I spoke in anger.
“Thank you.” She turned and walked away.
Chapter Thirteen
Zoey
The tension between me and Carter was getting worse. I sat and watched his reaction when Nora told him she wanted to spend the rest of her time at their Malibu beach house. His face went pale, and before answering her, he swallowed hard. That place must have held a lot of memories. Not just memories of Nora, but of him and Angelique. He looked frightened and I’d wondered how long it had been since he’d been there.
When I arrived back home in Greenwich, my dads welcomed me with open arms, even if I was only there for a few minute
s. As I was in my room, packing some of my clothes, both Scott and John sat on the edge of my bed.
“You’re okay with this trip, right?” Scott asked.
“Of course.” I smiled. “I go to where my job takes me. Their house is on the beach, so it’ll be a nice change to get out of the city setting for a while.”
“We’ll miss you.” John pouted.
“I’ll miss both of you too. But we can facetime every day if you want. Well, I think that’s all I’m bringing,” I spoke as I looked down at my small suitcase.
Both of them walked me to the door and each hugged me tightly goodbye.
“Have a safe trip, sweetheart,” John spoke.
“I will. I love you both very much.”
“We love you too, baby.” Scott kissed my head.
I returned to Carter’s penthouse and took my suitcase to my room. As I passed by his office, the door was slightly ajar and Unchained Melody was quietly playing. I debated whether or not to tap on the door to let him know I was back, but for fear of getting yelled at, I decided to send him a text instead.
“I just wanted you to know that I’m back.”
No response.
I went into Nora’s room to check on her and found that she was sleeping. I didn’t want to wake her, but I needed to check her vitals, so I did it as quietly as I could.
“Hey.” She smiled as she slowly opened her eyes.
“Hi. I’m sorry I woke you.”
“You didn’t. I wasn’t fully asleep anyway. Are you all packed for California?”
“I am.” I grinned. “Tomorrow I’ll help you get packed.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re awake,” Carter spoke as he walked into the room.
“Not for long.” She softly smiled. “I’m really tired.”
“Do you need anything before you go to sleep?” I asked.
“No. I’m fine,” she whispered.
“Okay, get some rest.” I patted her hand.
“Good night, Nora,” Carter spoke as he walked over and kissed her head.
Just as we were walking out of the room, Nora called out Carter’s name.
“Yes?” He turned around.
“Thank you.”
He gave her a gentle smile and then went to the living room and poured himself a drink.
“Is this okay now?” His brow arched as he asked in a sarcastic tone.
“It’s your house. Do whatever you want,” I replied as I went into the kitchen.
I hadn’t eaten dinner and I was hungry. Opening up the refrigerator, I pulled out some left over chicken casserole Sadie had made. After heating it up, I took a seat at the island and Carter walked in.
“That smells good.”
“Would you like some?” I asked.
“Yeah. Actually, I think I will have some.” He took the seat next to me.
I looked at him and wondered why he was sitting down instead of heating up his food. I continued to eat and caught him staring at me out of the corner of my eye.
“What?” I asked.
“Aren’t you going to heat it up for me?”
“No. Why would I?”
“You asked if I wanted some.”
“That didn’t mean that I would heat it up for you.” I cocked my head.
He sat there with a narrowed eye and slowly nodded his head.
“This is payback for the coffee, isn’t it?”
“I have no clue what you’re talking about.”
He sighed, got up from the stool, and heated himself a plate. Inside, I was silently laughing because it was payback for the coffee incident.
****
Carter
I rented a private jet to fly us to California. When we arrived at our beach house, a sickness filled me. I slowly closed my eyes as I took in a deep breath. Our driver brought Nora’s wheelchair up to the porch while I inserted the key and unlocked the door. Sadie and Zoey stepped inside while I went back to the car to get Nora. After setting her in her wheelchair, I stood in the foyer as all the memories came flooding back in my mind.
“This is beautiful,” Zoey spoke.
“Welcome to Casa Grayson in Malibu.” Nora smiled.
“I had one of the rooms down here made up for you,” I spoke to Nora.
“Thanks, big brother. Hey, are you okay?” She lightly grabbed my hand.
“I’m fine.”
“I want to go down to the beach,” she spoke.
“Now?” I asked. “I think we should get settled first.”
“I’ll take her.” Zoey smiled.
“Fine. Maybe I’ll come down in a while,” I spoke as I walked away.
I took my bags up to my bedroom, and I swallowed hard as my hand slowly turned the knob and I opened the door. I stood there, paralyzed, as I stared into the room.
“It’s a beautiful day to spend on the beach.” She smiled as her lips pressed against my chest.
“Is that what we’re doing today?” I kissed the top of her head.
“Do you have a better idea?” she asked.
“I think I might.” I rolled her on her back and hovered over her.
“Is that so?” She grinned.
“It is. But it’s a surprise. So you’ll have to wait.”
“Not too long, I hope. Now you have me in suspense. I love surprises.”
“And I love surprising you.” My lips softly brushed against hers.
My eyes started to fill with tears, but I needed to remember why I was here.
Chapter Fourteen
Zoey
I left Nora in her wheelchair on the patio while I went upstairs to get Carter. I needed his help getting her down to the beach. When I reached the top of the stairs, I saw him standing in the doorway of what I presumed was his bedroom.
“Hey, are you okay?” I asked.
He turned and looked at me with a disapproving look and stepped inside the room.
“I’m fine. I thought you were taking Nora to the beach.”
“About that. I need your help. I can’t push the wheelchair in the sand and she’s too weak to walk, even with my help.”
“I’ll be down in a minute,” he spoke in an irritated tone.
“Yeah. Okay,” I softly spoke and then went back downstairs.
A few moments later, Carter met us on the patio, picked up Nora from her wheelchair, and carried her down to where two chairs sat in the sand.
“When you’re ready to come back up, call me,” he spoke to her.
“Thank you, Carter.” She placed her hand on his arm. “You don’t want to stay with us?”
“No. I’m sorry.”
As soon as he walked away, I stared straight ahead at the blue ocean water, taking in the sounds of the waves hitting the shoreline.
“I feel bad for making him come here, but he needed to,” Nora spoke as she looked over at me.
“What do you mean? How long has it been?”
“Five years. He hasn’t been back here since Angelique and the baby died.”
“Why didn’t he sell it then?” I asked out of curiosity.
“I wouldn’t let him. The house is also in my name and I enjoy coming here. I know the memories are very painful for him, but he needs to face his pain and move on. He brought Angelique here to propose to her on this very beach just as the sun was setting. I’ll never forget that night he called me and told me she said yes. He was so excited.”
“I’m sure he was,” I spoke.
“I need to ask you something and I want the truth from you, Zoey.”
“Of course, Nora. What is it?”
“What did you mean when you told me you had a gift? That day you asked me about Angelique?”
I stared straight ahead at the ocean. A light breeze swept over my face before answering her question.
“I died when I was five years old, but it wasn’t my time, so they sent me back. When I woke up, I had an ability. The ability to see people who have passed on.”
“So you’ve been
to Heaven?”
“I have, and it’s the most beautiful and peaceful place.” I rested my hand on hers. “You have nothing to fear, Nora. I promise you.”
“I’m not afraid. Especially now that you’re here. You mentioned to me before that Carter’s energy is very dark. Is that also something you can see?”
“I can see people’s auras and his is very black, which makes sense with the way he lives his life.”
“He keeps his emotions and feelings tightly locked up inside him,” she spoke. “He won’t heal, Zoey, and now with what’s happening to me, he’ll be alone and that terrifies me. That is why I need your help.”
“Like I told you before, I can only try and help him if he wants to be helped.”
She gave my hand a gentle squeeze.
“If anyone can get through to him, you can. I know it. I can feel it.”
I gave her a tender smile as the light breeze swept across my face.
“Are you ready to come back inside?” Carter asked as he walked up behind us.
“Yes. I need to lie down,” Nora replied.
He picked her up from the chair, and carried her back to the house and into her bedroom. I followed behind and made sure she was comfortable.
“I’ve opened your window so you can hear the ocean,” Carter spoke.
“Thank you. If the two of you don’t mind, I’m going to go to sleep now.”
Carter and I left the room and headed to the kitchen.
“I put your bags in the room next to Nora’s,” he spoke. “There’s only four bedrooms, two downstairs and two upstairs. Sadie and I will be upstairs.”
“Okay. Thanks,” I spoke.
I walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water. Standing in front of the sink, I took a sip as I stared out the large window at the beautiful ocean view.
“It’s beautiful here. I can see why you bought it,” I spoke.
“Yeah, well, it will be going up for sale after—” He stopped.
I could feel his pain and anguish and I knew this house once held good memories for him, but he only saw them as bad ones. And as long as he stayed in this state, he would never live the life he was meant to live. I took in a deep breath.