Page 45 of Timeless Pages
I shook my head. “I haven’t gone to see it myself, but from what I was told, no. Sadly, it’s all gone.”
”Including your belongings?”
I nodded again. I’ve been trying not to think about it. With the exception of the bag of clothes, the guys had packed the night I was attacked; everything I ever owned was gone.
“Well, that’s fucking unacceptable,” Nova exclaimed. “We’ll fix that this week. We’re going shopping.”
The determined, slightly feral look in Nova’s eyes worried me.
Chapter twenty-two
Isa
"Skimmer, Calvert, and Hughes, this is Brandy speaking. How may I direct your call?"
"Hey, Brandy! It's Isa."
"Isa!" I had to smile at my new friend's excitement. I felt bad that we hadn't spoken since our interrupted lunch. "What can I do for you?"
"Is Daniel in? I had some questions for him."
"He is. Give me one second and I'll see if he can take your call." Piano music played in my ear as Brandy put me on hold.
This weekend gave me time to relax and simply exist, which allowed me to consider my future and arrange a shopping trip for tomorrow. I needed to know where my finances stood, not just for shopping, but also for rebuilding the bookstore. My father moved in so quickly that I hadn't had time to meet with Uncle Jay's estate lawyer. I opened my laptop on the kitchen island and pulled up his contact information.
When Uncle Jay fell ill, he ensured that everything was in place for a smooth transition. Or what we expected would be a smooth transition. We hadn't anticipated my father showing back up and causing problems. If we had, Uncle Jay would have put everything into my name before he passed. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, and since we couldn't go back and change it, I'd have to work within my available options. I drafted an email to the estate lawyer, which I would send after speaking with Daniel to determine the available options.
"Are you still there, Isa?" Brandy asked.
"Sure am."
"Great. I'll transfer you to Daniel now."
"Wait!" I said before she could. "What are you doing tomorrow?"
"Working, why?"
"Oh, right. That makes sense. I was going to see if you wanted to go shopping with me. I need to replace my entire wardrobe thanks to the fire."
Brandy squealed so loudly that I had to pull the phone away from my ear. "I'll take the day off. I am not missing a girls’ shopping trip."
"Are you sure?" I teased. "I wouldn't want to impose."
"Shut up. You already invited me. You can't take that back," Brandy scolded. "This is happening. Text me the details."
"Will do," I replied, grabbing my phone to do just that.
"Good. Now I'll transfer you to Daniel."
"Thanks, Brandy."
The line went silent for a few seconds before Daniel came on the line. "Isa, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I need to go shopping to replace some of the items lost in the fire, so I wanted to confirm that I am free to use my money. I also wanted to ask about the status of getting the conservatorshipthrown out altogether. Were you able to meet with the judge who signed it?"
"I have a meeting with him tomorrow, actually. As soon as I explained who I represented and what had transpired to his assistant, he was suddenly available to meet. I don't anticipate any issues and expect it will be nulled tomorrow."
"That's great news. So what should I tell Uncle Jason's estate lawyer? I want to get everything switched into my name as quickly as possible." This nightmare could almost be over tomorrow! Then I'd have to lie low long enough for the cops to catch Father. Once they did, I could live my life however I chose. It wouldn't look much different than how it looks now.
