Page 39 of Denying Davis
“Have you ever done business with Wells Fargo?”
I shook my head. “We work with Barclays, Deutsche Bank, and Chase. At least, as far as I know.”
“Well, it seems there’s a brokerage account in your name at Wells Fargo.” He opened a file folder on his desk and shifted through some paperwork. “Actually, it’s in all three of your names. It appears your father set it up shortly after you were born and named himself the custodian.”
I winced at the mention of my father. “Really? That’sveryinteresting.”
Aaron thumbed through some of the pages, pulled out an account summary, and handed it to me. “Now that you are an adult, it’s technically yours.”
I scanned the account summary. “Wait a minute. There’s a little over five hundred fifty thousand in bonds here.”
“Very conservative ones, but yes. It’s a significant amount.”
I looked from the page to Aaron. “I can’t believe an account this size has been overlooked.”
“Appears so. I called yesterday afternoon and inquired about it. Hasn’t had any activity in more than ten years, except general market gains.”
I looked at the page again, just to confirm what I was seeing. “Amazing.”
“If you like, we can transfer it over to your Deutsche account, the one only in your name. Once we roll that in, it should take two or three days for the funds to be available.” He sighed. “And then you’re welcome to do whatever you please with the money.”
Unbelievable. I studied the page once more. Here it was, the answer I needed. The money that would change everything for Samantha. I knew my grandfather wouldn’t approve handing it over to her.I won’t tell him. Yet.I needed more time to figure out a way to convince him Samantha and her mother deserved it. I looked up from the paper and noticed Aaron had crossed his arms.
“You’re not thrilled about this.”
“I’m not. I know you’re an adult, and you say you’ve thought this through, but I want you to consider it some more. This is half a million dollars, Davis. Three quarters of a million when you talk about adding that with existing funds.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “While that’s not a lot when it comes to having billions, it will be significant for someone like her.”
“And that is precisely what makes me want to do this for her. I can take care of her problem like that.” I snapped my fingers. “So, I don’t see why I shouldn’t.”
“Maybe because she will come to expect it?”
“You don’t know her, Aaron. She’s not like that. She’d never ask for help.”
“And how will you do that? With a check?”
I laughed. “When she accepts the money, we’ll set up an account for her. We can do it through your office if you like. That way, you’ll get the credit for it. And you can meet her for yourself, so you’ll understand why I’d want to do something like this for her.”
He studied me for a beat, his lips set in a hard line, but the rest of his face expressionless. “This isn’t what I would advise. I keep thinking about Luke, and all that love cost him.”
“But what did he get in return? I would say he’s happy. He’s in love and that’s worth more than some stupid inheritance.”
“Stupid, huh? Glad that you find large amounts of money stupid. Most people don’t, you know.”
He was right. I was sounding entitled. Arrogant even.
“That’s not now I meant it. Like I told you on the golf course, happiness is important. She’s different. All my life I’ve been around women who only want access to me because of my name. She never did. She liked me—for me.” I placed the account summary on his desk. “That’s why Samantha is worth it. So is her mom.”
“Fine,” Aaron said. “Even though I might think this is an awful idea, I’m not going to change your mind.”
“Good.” I grinned. “Because once I’ve made up my mind—”
“I know, I know.” A faint smile pulled at his lips too. “So, I’ll get the paperwork started this morning. Just call me a sucker for romance, I guess.” He handed me another paper from the file. “All I need for you to do is sign here.”
It was a bunch of legalese, all of which I didn’t bother to read. I’d seen this kind of thing before, and I knew what it would entail. When I was done signing the forms, I handed them over to him. “There. That should get us started.”
“It certainly will,” he replied.
Once again, my mother’s advice had been right. After I called Patty to fill her in, she came and collected me from the hospital and took me to grab my car. Falling asleep almost instantly, I had the best night’s rest I’d had in years.
