Chapter Six

~ Beck ~

I spotted Scotty the second he climbed out of his car and headed for the park. It wasn't like I was avidly watching for him or anything. Well, not much anyway. Not every second I had been sitting there.

Chelsea, bless her bouncy little heart, jumped up from the small picnic table where we were sitting and started waving like crazy. "Scotty! Scotty! We're over here."

I'd chosen a pretty out of the way picnic table, but it was still in the park and the public eye. We had to be careful about our behavior.

Chelsea—being the friendly girl that she was—jumped up and ran to him when he drew close, throwing her arms around him and giving him a big hug.

I was jealous.

So, so jealous.

After hugging him, Chelsea released Scotty, but wrapped her arms around one of his and led him over to where I was sitting. To any onlookers, I'm sure the two of them looked as if they were very good friends or very in love.

When they reached the table, Scotty purposely walked around and sat down on my side of the picnic table. I couldn't hug him like I wanted to, but if our thighs brushed or pressed against each other, would anyone see it?

"Hi," I said breathlessly. Even with a few bags under his eyes and slightly pale skin, Scotty looked really good. "How are you holding up?"

"I'll admit I didn't get much sleep last night," Scotty said. "My brain just kept going over and over wondering why Cynthia wants me to meet some of her friends. I couldn't get it out of my mind."

"Yeah, I don't have an answer for that one." Life would be a lot easier if I did. "What about the key your father gave you?"

"Belongs to a bank in the next county over."

My eyebrows lifted just a fraction. "The next county over?"

Scotty nodded.

"Why would your father get a safety deposit box in the next county over? Why not use his bank?" As soon as Scotty stared at me, I got it. "Never mind."

Scotty let out a small chuckle and some of the tension left his features. "I'm pretty sure whatever is in that safety deposit box, my father doesn't want Cynthia to know about it."

"That's going to make getting it a bit tricky, don't you think? You'd have to take time off from work to go over there, and she's sure to know if you do that."

"I could go get it for you," Cynthia said.

Scotty shook his head. "If it's in a bank, they will need identification to access it. I'm sure my father set it up so only I can get in."

"He had his stroke ten years ago, right?" I asked.

"Yes," Scotty replied.

"Don't you have to pay for safety deposit boxes? How has the bill been paid all this time without Cynthia finding out?"

Scotty blinked at me. "Uh..."

"Maybe he prepaid it?" Chelsea inserted. "You can do that sometimes. Prepay it for like ten years or something."

It would make sense if he did, but if it was only ten years, that time should just about be up. "We need to figure out how to get over there and see what's in the box before the bank closes the account."

"With this thing coming up next Sunday, there is no way I'm going to be able to take off from work early this week," Scotty stated. "I have a feeling Cynthia is going to be keeping an eye on me."

My frown was instant, but so was the knot that appeared in my stomach. "Why would she be keeping an eye on you?"

Anymore than normal, anyways.

"She knows I don't want to go to this dinner party of hers. I could care less about meeting her friends. Add in the fact that she is forcing me to wear a tux and I'd rather be hogtied to the back of a steamroller and dragged through the city streets."

"You don't like wearing a tux?" I wasn't a huge fan myself, so I could understand this.

"I don't like being forced to wear a tux. Big difference. If it's an event that I choose to go to, I have no problem with it. I did not choose to go to this dinner party." Scotty's hand waved through the air as if he could no longer contain his agitation. "And if that's not bad enough, she's holding my visits with my father over my head."

"She always does that," I insisted.

"I know, but it felt like more of a threat this time."

Well, that wasn't good.

"If it is indeed your family we're supposed to be having dinner with, why is it so important that I meet them?" Scotty asked. "From everything you've told me, your family is pretty much on even par with mine."

"Oh, they are," I agreed. "The only thing I can think of is money. My father is the branch manager for the bank here in town. If Cynthia needs a loan, she might be trying to kiss up to him. My father easily falls for flattery, especially if it's coming from someone rich."

"She could be trying to get a loan from the Pope and I wouldn't know about it. I am just a peon at Prescott Textiles. I'm not allowed to be involved in any of the decision makings of the company."

I knew it rankled Scotty that it was that way. His great-grandfather had started the company and then passed it down until it reached Scotty's father. It was supposed to be passed down to Scotty when his father retired. The stroke ended that.

I glanced around to make sure no one was watching and then slid my hand under the table and rested it on Scotty's thigh. "I'll help you however you need me to. You know that."

Scotty nodded. "I need to figure out how to get my dad away from Cynthia. I don't care about the company. Cynthia can have it. I just want my Dad."

"Does she know that?"

"It's never been brought up. I was away at the university when my dad had his stroke. Cynthia called and ordered me home. She was already in place as the CEO of the company by the time I got home. I was allowed to stay at the house for about a year before she told me it was time for me to stand on my own two feet and kicked me out."

"God, I really hate that woman."

Scotty snorted. "You and me both, babe."

"Me three," Chelsea piped in, raising her hand and then narrowed her eyes as she looked at Scotty. "So, how do we get rid of the wicked stepmother, Snow White?"

Scotty chuckled and shook his head. "I don't have a fucking clue, but I think it's less that we need to get rid of Cynthia and more we need to rescue my father. Of course, if she went away at the same time, I would not be heartbroken."

"Maybe we can send her somewhere with my sister and father." I wouldn't shed a single tear. I had done my crying after my mother died and I learned what my new life without her would be like.

"I'm not sure hell is taking new residents."

I gaped at Scotty and then snickered, but it soon turned into an all out laugh. It felt good to break the tension we'd all been feeling. I just wish we were somewhere that I could hug Scotty because I'd be wrapped around him right this second if we were alone.

Scotty grimaced as he glanced down at his watch when it beeped. He reached under the table and gave my thigh a quick squeeze. "Okay, I need to get back to work. I'll call you tonight after I get home."

"I'll be waiting."

One day, I wouldn't have to watch him walk away without giving him a kiss goodbye. One day, I wouldn't have to watch him walk away at all. I'd be able to go with him.

Someday seemed really far away.

"He never ate his lunch," Chelsea pointed out.

Damn. We'd been so busy trying to solve this problem that we hadn't eaten our lunch. Not sure I could anyway. My stomach was doing tension loops.

"Let's bag it up," I said. "Maybe we can have it for dinner."

It wasn't going to go down right now.

* * * *

From the moment I had arrived at the family home on Sunday and my father confirmed that I had followed his instructions and was wearing a tuxedo, he hadn't said another word to me.

I can't say that saddened me a lot.

I got the same reaction from Julia. She looked me up and down and then dismissed me as if I hadn't been standing there.

Again, I wasn't saddened by this behavior. If neither of them spoke to me for the rest of the evening, I'd consider it a win.

I gave the same consideration to their conversation during our drive to wherever we were going. They really had nothing to say that I wanted to hear. Maybe if I kept quiet, they would forget that I was there.

My thoughts went to Scotty, wondering if we were really headed to the same dinner party. It would be good to see him since we hadn't been able to get together since our lunch on Monday, but it would be horrible not to be able to hug him.

I had come to depend on those hugs.

When we pulled up in front of a large Georgian style house, I knew I would be seeing Scotty tonight. He'd driven me and Chelsea past this house one time to show us where he had grown up.

Tonight was going to be interesting.

Julia climbed out of the car, but before I could, my father turned and glared at me. "I expect you to be on your best behavior tonight. Don't mess this up for your sister."

"Mess what up?" I thought this was all about my banker father hobnobbing with the rich, not my sister. Although, I vaguely remember my father saying something about this night being very important to Julia.

"Just behave yourself." My father climbed out of the car before I could question him further.

I huffed and climbed out, walking around the car to join him and my sister. Together, the three of us walked up the steps to the massive black front door.

"Wait," Julia said when my father went to knock on the door. She opened her small clutch purse and pulled out a makeup compact and a tube of lipstick.

I rolled my eyes as she applied the lipstick to her lips and then primped her hair just a bit. As much as I despised my sister, I had to admit she was a beautiful woman. It was just too bad that the inside didn't match the outside.

She was evil to the core.

Once she was done and had put away her makeup, my father knocked on the door. It was opened a moment later by an older man dressed in a butler's uniform.

"Michael Beckerman and family," my father announced.

The older gentleman stepped back, allowing us to step inside the house. "Madam is receiving in the salon, sir."

Wow, people actually talked like that.

Who knew?

After the butler shut the door, he led us through the grand entryway to what must be the salon. It was just a fancy word for a living room.

My eyes widened for a split second when I spotted Scotty standing near one of the windows. He looked really good in his tuxedo. I wished that I could tell him that, but maybe later. Right now, I couldn't even acknowledge that I knew him.

I hated that.

"Michael." I heard a soft female voice. "So lovely to see you again."

I glanced at the woman walking toward my father. I had expected horns or something, but Cynthia Prescott had aged well. Her skin was blemish free, wrinkle free, and smooth as a baby's bottom.

Had to be plastic surgery.

Scotty had told me his father married Cynthia when he was ten years old. Since underage marriage was illegal in our state, that had to put her age at around forty years old at least.

"Cynthia, my dear."

My eyes nearly popped out of my head when my father pressed a kiss to the top of Cynthia's hand. I'd never seen him do that in my life, not even with my mother when she was alive.

Was he possessed?

"And this must be Julia," Cynthia said as she turned to my sister. "You are simply lovely."

My sister preened.

I almost puked.

"Maxwell." Cynthia glanced over her shoulder. "Come meet Julia."

It was weird hearing Scotty referred to as Maxwell. I knew that was his real name, but I'd never heard anyone call him that before. Everyone always called him Scotty.

The smile plastered on Scotty's face as he approached the trio was so fake I couldn't understand how they didn't see it.

Scotty shook my father's hand before shaking Julia's. "It's a pleasure to meet you both."

At least he wasn't singling Julia out, not that she noticed. The smile on her rouged lips might have seemed normal to everyone else, but it looked like a shark going in for the kill to me.

I especially didn't like the way Julia wrapped herself around Scotty's arm. If she pushed her boobs into him any harder, they might explode from the pressure.

I clenched my jaw to keep my mouth shut. I so wanted to tell her to get her slutty mitts off my man, but I couldn't. I couldn't say anything and that rankled more than almost anything I had ever experienced.

I shoved my hands into the pockets of my slacks to keep anyone from seeing me ball them up into fists, fists I wanted to drive into my sister's face.

I was lucky no one tried to introduce me. I seriously doubted I'd be able to keep from telling them all off if I opened my mouth.

Not Scotty. He looked as uncomfortable as I felt. I could tell from the way his lips thinned that he was trying desperately to keep a smile on his face and not grimace.

This was a complete fucking nightmare.