Page 59 of Inevitable Inheritance

Taylor couldn’t help but laugh at Marty’s excitement. “Sounds great,” she said, smiling. “Uh, can I have coffee and a shower first, though?”

“Shower first. You can have coffee while they do your toes,” Marty ordered.

“Then I have to have my toes done first,” Taylor informed Marty, as she allowed her to pull her to the bathroom.

“Oh, of course, Taylor. You’re in charge!”

Taylor looked at Marty’s arm dragging her. “Oh yeah, I can totally see that,” she said, trying to hold back the laughter.

Marty deposited Taylor in front of the shower. “Okay, do this and meet me on the patio!” she said and scurried away, totally missing Taylor saluting her.

Taylor laughed and then started the shower. She was, in fact, in charge of lots of things, but she knew that this situation was not one of them.

* * *

“See?Wasn’t this worth getting up for?” Marty asked Taylor.

Taylor nodded in agreement.

“When you’re right, you’re right, Marty,” she told her friend. It was now 11:30, and the two of them were sitting in the sun on a veranda overlooking the flower gardens of the Fletcher estate, Taylor drinking coffee, Marty a mimosa, and both ladies having their feet worshiped by pedicure geniuses. Taylor’s feet had never felt so relaxed. In fact, Taylor wondered if they would wake up enough later for her to walk on them. She did notice that both women kept shooting glances to her left ring finger and the heavy weight on it.

“So, more of the same stuff as yesterday after this?” Marty asked Taylor. She was being very vague, and Taylor appreciated her not getting too deep during their spa session. As was standard, the women had signed non-disclosure agreements before even being allowed on the property, but that didn’t always stop information or rumors from flying. By the time any legal implications took place from breaking the agreement the damage would already be done. And Taylor had enough to worry about without these women leaking info on her business plans or engagement or the suspicious fact that she’d had no clothes and that Marty had gone shopping for her.

“Yup,” Taylor said.

“Well, I am glad you got this. You deserve to relax,” Marty said.

“Thank you,” Taylor said and sipped her coffee and closed her eyes.

Before Taylor knew it, the women were done, and she was outfitted with matching medium-gray-colored fingers and toes. Marty had helped her pick out the color. “It will be perfect for you,” Marty said, once again flying their conversation under the watchful radar of the manicurists. It was both comfortable and sad to Taylor that they knew how to do this. Comfortable because Taylor felt like maybe she could be okay back in this world where she was now forced to be, and sad because this was a way she was going to have to live again. Although keeping these secrets and hiding these things was really nothing compared to how she had been living the last several years.

As the women packed their things, Henry came out to the patio, his large frame stuffed into a suit, and Marty groaned.

“That man is a walking erotic fantasy,” she muttered.

“Marty!” Taylor chastised, laughing.

Marty shook her head, never taking her eyes off of Henry as he made his way over, “Sorry, Taylor. I think I am in love.”

Taylor laughed and was still smiling when Henry stopped in front of her. “Hello, Ms. Preston. May I have a word?”

“Of course, Henry. Let me just—”

“No moving for at least another ten minutes,” Eva, the woman who had honed her craft on Taylor, cut in. “I used traditional polish. It needs to set or you will smudge.”

“Got it,” Taylor said, easing back into her seat.

Eva and her partner nodded, happy to see order returned, and then exited the patio.

“So, what’s up, Henry?” Taylor asked when they were finally alone.

“Ms. Preston—”

“Please call me Taylor.”

Henry gave a quick nod, “Taylor, I am having the finishes put on the security system for Preston Corp. I will be monitoring and testing it today and tomorrow to work out any issues before you go in on Wednesday. I have also sent out staff to assess the security of the Preston Corp. facilities on the East Coast as you asked.”

“Great. Thank you, Henry,” Taylor said. She wasn’t sure what else to say or order or ask, so she busied herself with taking a sip of coffee.

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