“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“It’s time...start living.” Noah’s wheezy cough sounded as if it was painful, making his whole body shake. “That ex-wife did a number...on you,” he rasped. “But it’s time...to move on.”
Derek groaned and rubbed the back of his neck and strolled over to the single window that was on the other side of the room. Staring out into the night, the last thing he wanted to talk about was his ex-wife. The day she walked out on him and his son was the day he’d vowed to stay clear of emotional entanglements with women.
“Son...I’m tired,” Noah said. Derek glanced over his shoulder. Noah looked as if he had aged in only a few minutes. “I need to know...the two of you will be okay when I’m gone.”
Derek pushed away from the window and went to stand next to the bed. Yes, he knew Noah was dying. Yet he still couldn’t accept the idea of not having him around.
“Promise me...you’ll look after Macy. And that you...will start living again.” When Derek hesitated, Noah continued, “Promise...me.” His voice was almost haunting. Foreboding crept up Derek’s spine. “Promise me.”
Derek swallowed hard. “Yeah. Yeah, I promise.”
Three days after Noah’s memorial service, Derek sat in his mentor’s lawyer’s office in shock. “He left me Price Architecture?” he said to himself.
No matter how many times Derek said the words out loud, he still couldn’t believe it. He rested his head against the high-back leather conference-room chair, trying to process all that Drew Ashton, Noah’s attorney, had told him. Noah and his wife had never had children and more than once, Noah had told him that he was like the son he’d never had. Derek now had a good idea just how Noah had felt about him.
Drew had gone through the specifics of the will as it related to Derek. Not only had Noah left him enough cash to live comfortably for years, but he had also bequeathed him a house in one of Atlanta’s suburbs. It was the knowledge that Noah had entrusted him with his multimillion-dollar company, his baby, that had Derek’s mind reeling, though. Never would he have expected to inherit the company. Sure, he had worked alongside Noah during the summers while in college and even occasionally after graduating, but Derek never expected he would one day be the CEO of the organization.
“Sorry about that.” Drew walked back into the luxury conference room and closed the door. The space looked as if the law office had spared no expense in its decor. The wall-to-wall bookshelves against deep taupe walls with dark wood trim gave the room a cozy feel, like a home library, fireplace and all.
Drew reclaimed his seat next to Derek at the round table. “I know this is a lot to take in, but I’m here to answer any questions you might have.” He opened the folder that he had brought back into the room with him. “You knew Noah well enough to know that the will comes with a number of stipulations.”
“I’m sure it does,” Derek said dryly, feeling a little overwhelmed with all that had happened since losing Noah. Overseeing the memorial service was one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do. There were moments in the days since then when he still couldn’t believe he was gone. Noah had always seemed bigger than life and Derek had no idea how his life would play out without having his friend and confidant in it.
Derek’s gaze dropped to the photo in his hands of the home that Noah had left him. Actually, it was more like a mini mansion. The two-story, five-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom, colonial-style brick house with tall, mature trees and a manicured yard was breathtaking, even on paper.
“As I mentioned, within the next three weeks, you would be required to relocate to Atlanta and live in that house for a minimum of one year. And as for the company, you must agree to take the reins of CEO and maintain ownership of the firm for no less than a year.”
“I would never sell Price,” Derek said, not meaning to voice his thought aloud. He was honored that Noah trusted him enough to oversee the company. For years, he had tried to get Derek to move to Atlanta and be his right-hand man. Derek hated that it took Noah’s death to get him to play a role in the firm.
“Glad to hear that.” Drew broke into his thoughts. “I know I don’t have to tell you that Noah poured his heart and soul into the company. His staff is more like family, and I think you will find them quite helpful as you get settled in your new role. As a matter of fact, based on what I know of you through Noah, you’re the perfect person to take the firm to the next level.”
“Thank you.” Derek met Drew’s gray-eyed gaze before diverting his eyes back to the papers in front of him. He had heard of people becoming millionaires overnight, but never had he imagined it could happen to him. Not only had Noah provided for his future, he had also set up a trust fund for Jason.
Derek shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around everything Drew had shared with him for the past forty-five minutes.
“Attorney Ashton, you mentioned I would have to move into the home and join the team at Price within three weeks. I’m not sure if I can pick up and move my household in that short amount of time.”
“First, please call me Drew. Second, Derek, you are now a very wealthy man, assuming you adhere to all of the stipulations in the will. Noah has left you additional funds to assist you with any and all relocation costs. You’ll soon find out money solves a lot of problems and comes in handy when you have to do something quick.”
Drew slid a check across the table and Derek’s gaze immediately zoned in on all of the zeros behind the five. His mouth dropped open. He fingered the check but didn’t pick it up.
“This is just for relocating?”
Drew chuckled. “Actually, that check is yours free and clear, whether you agree to the stipulations in the will or not. Noah wanted you to have something whether or not you decided to relocate and build a life here in Atlanta. So if you decide not to move here and accept the CEO position, you won’t walk away empty-handed. Oh, and the trust fund for Jason is not contingent on anything. Noah often referred to him as his grandson.”
Derek nodded.
“I know this is a lot to take in, but there’s more.” Drew closed the folder and, as if on cue, the conference room door opened and his assistant stepped in.
“Drew, Macy is here. Should I show her in?”
“Yes, please do.”
Derek cocked his head and looked at the attorney, but before he could pose a question, Macy was standing in the doorway.
Her gaze met his, and it was clear she was just as surprised to see him as he was to see her. She recovered quickly and walked farther into the room and shook Drew’s extended hand.
Derek stood and he couldn’t stop his gaze from roaming over her sexy body. He hadn’t seen her since Noah’s memorial service.
Despite a hint of fatigue around her eyes, she was as beautiful as ever. Gone was the ponytail she usually sported, as well as the simple shirt and slacks she preferred for work. Instead, she wore a low-cut red blouse that highlighted her breasts and flat stomach. The short black skirt she wore stopped just above her knees and fit her curves perfectly without looking indecent. In all of the times he had seen her, he’d never realized she owned a pair of shapely, traffic-stopping legs that seemed to go on forever. She had worn a pantsuit to the memorial service, but a woman with legs like hers should show them off every chance she got.
“Derek?”