Finding Family Read online

  Finding Family

  Hidden Treasures, Volume 3

  Susan Warner

  Published by EG Publishing, 2022.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  FINDING FAMILY

  First edition. May 9, 2022.

  Copyright © 2022 Susan Warner.

  ISBN: 978-1953834157

  Written by Susan Warner.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Sweet Romances by Susan Warner

  Chapter One

  Chapter One

  The only thing Margo Wilson liked to do more than standing up for the little guy was protecting her small town from nefarious business owners. It wasn’t like she could point to the proof yet, but she knew she was getting close to nailing one of those business owners named Equinox Construction.

  Jay Lockwood of Equinox Construction wanted to buy property on the same block as her best friend’s husband, Daniel. There was some concern that Equinox was not a small construction company, and if given the permits and licenses to move, it could lobby to change the zoning laws in their favor, subsequently changing the feel of the town with plans they claimed they couldn’t disclose because they were proprietary due to their critical nature. If Equinox made less than ten million a year, the town would accept them as a new small business. If it was found their assets were greater, their licenses would be denied.

  Every time Lockwood showed up at court, he had more paperwork than last time. It was clear that Lockwood’s strategy was to overwhelm the opposition with so much documentation that they would just give up on the research and give him the licenses.

  If it had been any other independent auditor assigned to this case, Lockwood might have had a chance. However, Margo Wilson intended to hunt down every last dime that Lockwood made. She knew that at some point, the lawyer she was working with, Cassia Pental, would have to make a decision if she could continue with this case if no conclusive proof was found. Cassia had already asked for two delays while she read through the boxes of documentation. If she didn’t present the judge with some evidence that Lockwood wasn’t telling the truth, the judge would grant Lockwood what he wanted.

  As six more boxes of documentation were brought into the courtroom, Margo could see the despair forming in Cassia’s eyes. Every week, Lockwood claimed the same story. He said he wasn't sure how much more documentation was to come, but he wanted to provide all of the paperwork in order to be compliant. Each court date, he told the same story with a glint of victory in his eyes. When Cassia opposed his presenting even more documentation, the judge always took Lockwood’s side.

  “Now, Ms. Pental, it’s a lot for a single business owner to run his own business. Due to staffing shortages, Mr. Lockwood has had to reach out to temp agencies to get the information,” the judge said in a sympathizing tone. “We want to make sure we don’t push people away from our town by being impatient.”

  As a witness called to review the financials, Margo was in the courtroom daily. When she heard the judge spout off veiled threats for Cassia and saw the triumphant look on Mr. Lockwood’s face, she knew she was going to give this case all she had in attention and additional time. This was her town. It was the town where she had friends and memories. Lockwood sent warning bells off in Margo, and as soon as today’s show was over, she was going to start doing some real digging into his records, not just reviewing the ones that had been presented.

  What would make it challenging was the lawyer defending Lockwood. It was Gabriel Brogan. He was a local resident who had come back to his hometown to practice. Margo knew Gabriel wanted to prove himself; she just hoped he wasn’t going to sacrifice his moral compass to establish himself.

  As everyone left the courtroom, Margo walked with Cassia.

  “I’m going to look into some other things, Cassia. I know there is something there,” Margo said as Cassia watched boxes coming out of the courtroom to be put in her car.

  “I’m not even done with the other boxes,” Cassia said dejectedly. “If I don’t find something soon, there won’t be any options left. I thought I had something, but the person I was going to talk to about Lockwood backed out. I just can’t understand how Gabriel can represent Lockwood.”

  “Gabriel is trying to make a career. I believe that he’s still a part of Cooper’s Sand,” Margo said. Margo was saying the right words to Cassia, but she had to admit that she had her doubts about what Gabriel was doing, as well. He was a smart kid. Margo knew that Lockwood was paying him well. Money was always a temptation. Margo just hoped that his upbringing wouldn’t be lost in the face of money.

  Recently, Margo had decided that this case was important in defending her town. In the last year, she had been tracking her fertility, and although the opportunity to have a child was slipping by, she had to do her part to preserve the most perfect place to have a baby.

  She approached fertility like she approached everything else; every facet and detail had to be fact-checked and confirmed. Her two best friends had children. Their children were balanced and growing up to be smart adults who she’d be proud to claim any day of the week. In her mind, that meant growing up in Cooper’s Sand was not a detriment and that she had good role models of mothers to emulate.

  Ava had several kids, male and female that were well adjusted and not in jail or rebelling for some unknown reason. Karina, her other best friend, had a female child, and there had only been one fall into rebellion, but she had run to her father. According to the statistics, these were great outcomes.

  “Well, I hope he remembers that sooner rather than later,” Cassia said as they approached the doors of the courthouse. Hearing the hopelessness in Cassia’s voice just cemented Margo’s purpose to assist in any way she could to help in this case and thereby save her town.

  Margo went to her office and found the high school senior she had hired for the summer filing, answering phones, and writing out messages for Margo to pick up. Her name was Kinsey Ivan, and Margo saw a lot of herself in her. Kinsey was hardworking. She wore the same white top and black skirt every day to work. Some might say it was a uniform, but Margo knew the signs of not having enough money. Margo also knew that Kinsey was the oldest of four kids in a single-parent home.

  Kinsey’s head came up from behind the front desk, and bouncy coils of hair revealed a beautiful girl with brown skin and a face that was a little gaunt. Margo would have to start ordering lunch for them both. She gave Kinsey a nod and then went into her office.

  On her desk was the paperwork for operation Stork. She had been to several doctors. Margo had taken every genetic test there was and had found no disturbing genetic conditions to worry about. So, her health was a go.

  She had money. In fact, she had a lot of it. Margo had a home that looked like it should have been in a real estate magazine, but she loved her beachfront condo. She had a support system, so she wasn’t worried about that, either. She had planned to meet a like-minded male by this time in her life, but she hadn’t found one.

  However, Margo didn’t think her time had been wasted, as
she was the godmother to her best friends’ children and also known as the favorite aunt to her niece. Margo knew being an aunt wasn’t the same as being a mother but hated to think she had wasted any time. If only a man had shown up as she had planned. Perhaps it was her fault. She was very adamant about knowing where a man’s money was and how he made it. In most cases, men were open as long as she was open, but when they discovered that she had more money, their attitude started to change toward Margo. Dinners became dutch, and going out on date night became a chore unless she wanted to pay.

  When she did run into a man that had more money, he didn’t want to control everything including her and that wasn’t the partnership she was looking for.

  Ten minutes later, as she looked through her color-coded file, Kinsey’s voice came over the intercom.

  “Your eleven o’clock is here,” she said.

  “Send her in.”

  “Tonya,” Margo said as her sister stepped into the office. She could see Tonya assessing the value in everything she saw. Dressed in jeans and a T- shirt, her younger sister’s hair was surprisingly done in the latest style. Margo had to admire the style and wondered where her sister got the $350 it would have taken to get it done.

  Tonya finally took a seat and gave her a smile as she nodded at the surroundings. Tonya had the same last name and same mother, but that was all. If it weren’t for the fact her mother had bred into Margo to take care of her siblings, she doubted they would have even kept in touch after their mother’s death.

  “I’m glad you could make it,” Margo said.

  “I have to admit, it’s the first time you sent a ticket for me with Christina’s. I wasn’t going to turn down an opportunity to get on a plane,” Tonya said.

  “Did you read the proposal I sent to you?”

  “I did and I think you are crazy as a loon,” Tonya said as she laughed. When Tonya finally noticed that Margo wasn’t laughing, she stopped. “Okay, let me get this straight. You want my kid to stay with you beyond the normal four-day amusement park trip you take her on.”

  Margo nodded.

  “That about sums it up.”

  “While you are with my kid, you will buy me a ticket to go wherever I want, is that right?” Tonya asked in a slow voice that told Margo that something else was coming.

  “Yes.”

  “Well, what if I don’t want a ticket and I just want the money?” Tonya asked.

  Internally, Margo sagged in relief. Her sister wanted money. Margo had money to give.

  “Done, as long as it doesn’t exceed $1500,” Margo said. She had money, but she wasn’t going to just give it away.

  Margo watched the scheming gleam in her sister’s eye diminish, and then she nodded in agreement. Margo pulled out a check and her sister held up her hand.

  “Umm . . . can you wire it, please? I can give you my email. I need the cash ASAP.”

  Margo paused. She thought about asking Tonya what she needed the money for, but she didn’t want to argue with her. Her sister was famous for poor decisions in life, with men and finances. So, Margo picked up her phone, and as she typed in her sister’s email, she was reminded why she didn’t deal with her family. After the funds were transferred and confirmed, her sister left, and Margo went back to her planning.

  Margo needed to work on part two of the plan. She heard hammering outside her window and saw Roman Gray out there working on putting up an extension on the building across from the building her office was in.

  As far as genetics went, Margo couldn’t think of anyone who had more to offer than Roman Gray. He had come to Cooper’s Sand last year after he had gotten out of prison. He was friends with Daniel and, according to her background check, had been wrongly convicted of using substandard products in a construction project his company was running.

  After his release, he had come back here with his mother. Who could resist a man who took care of his mother? In town, Roman taught classes on doing DIY projects in the house, like putting up cabinets or cleaning gutters. Roman also did construction projects on the side. The consensus was the man could build anything; his hands were gold. Margo was hoping his business sense was as acute as his skill because she was going to offer him the chance of a lifetime, at least that’s what all of her planning indicated.

  Chapter Two

  Roman Gray limped into his two-bedroom apartment and sat down on the couch. He had to make sure he finished the deck job this afternoon if he wanted to start the Conner project next week. He closed his eyes and tried to think of something good. It was hard to think of anything except the bills he had to pay. Thankfully, he had been able to get a first-floor apartment with a ramp for his mother, but she was in her seventies and needed someone to check on her every so often.

  Once upon a time, he paid for an attendant to watch his mother in the house she and his dad had bought. That house was gone now, like so many other dreams. When he was convicted a couple of years ago, no one had believed him but his mother. His fiancée had wanted him to take a deal regardless of his innocence, but he couldn’t do it. She hadn’t understood and had taken off. That left his mother, who sold her house and gave the money from the sale to a lawyer who had gotten him off.

  The year in jail had made him reconsider everything he thought he knew. He had lost friends. He had lost his company. The only one who had kept faith in him was his mother. He wasn’t sure about a lot of things, but he was sure he would take care of her after everything she had given up for him.

  Trying to think of something good was harder than he thought. Then he remembered that afternoon when he had been in front of Margo Wilson’s office, and she had looked out of the window. She was an attractive woman. In a different lifetime, he might have approached her, but now, he wasn't even in her league.

  Roman opened his eyes. He didn’t dream anymore; dreams were for children. Dreams weren’t for grown men who had responsibilities.

  “Roman, is that you?”

  Bethel Gray was in her mid-seventies, although she would politely tell anyone who asked that it wasn’t their business to know her age. She had arthritis in her hands, and some days were good, some days were bad, but she never complained. His mother thought complaining was a waste of time. The only reason Roman knew she had any problems at all was because he saw her applying ointment to her hands.

  On the good days, she could walk about and take care of the house. On the bad days, she was a little slower but still managed to get her things done. He had told her more than once he could get someone to check on her twice a day, but she had refused. He wasn’t sure if she had said no because of the money or because she really didn’t need anyone. What Roman did know was he was in no position to impose his feelings on the matter.

  He needed to get himself back on track, but it was proving harder than he thought it would be to get the credit he needed to get his company set up. Vindicated or not, the only word anyone saw was ex-convict. He thought his prior experience would help him; instead, banks looked at his experience and thought that was tainted, as well.

  “Hey, Mom, I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said apologetically.

  Bethel waved him off.

  “Don't mind me. I've been up for a minute. It's the middle of the day, is everything okay? I can make you some coffee or tea since I’m up.”

  “I can do it. What do you want?” he asked.

  “I want you to stay on that couch while I do something,” she quipped. “I know you are concerned about my health, but part of maintaining the health I have is making sure I move about and do things, Roman. You remind me of your father. Always trying to do everything. Let me get us some coffee and we can talk.”

  Roman sat back but kept alert in case she needed anything. As his mom rummaged in the kitchen doing her kitchen magic, he waited with his eyes closed on the couch.

  “I’m coming with coffee. I hope you like it black because I can’t find the sugar, but sugar is bad for you anyway,” Bethel said with a smile in her voice. r />
  “Do you need help bringing the tray?” he asked.

  “Nope, because I’m not bringing one. I’m bringing the mugs. If I can’t carry mugs to the couch, we will be having a whole different kind of conversation,” Bethel said with a laugh.

  Roman wasn’t going to fight her. His mother was independent, fierce, and determined not to be a burden, no matter the situation. It was her tenacity and stubbornness that had served her so well. Despite it all, he was always on the lookout for a reasonable home attendant. It would cost more than he could afford, but if she needed it, Roman would get it for her.

  “You’ve got your eyes closed. If you do that, I won’t know that you’re worried,” Bethel said.

  “If my eyes are closed, how do you know what I’m thinking at all? Are you going to tell me that moms are psychic after all?” Roman said with a smile.

  “I don’t need to look into your eyes today. You’ve crossed your legs, so they don’t fidget. No clues there. But you’re holding your folded hands at your waist so tightly your knuckles are white. Today, I don’t have to be psychic. I just need to be your mother. Now sit up and have some coffee. Getting the coffee wasn’t a big deal, but we don’t want to waste my efforts by letting it get cold,” Bethel said.

  Roman opened his eyes and took a sip out of his coffee cup.

  “One, I’m not worried. I finished up the job I was supposed to today, and I’m getting ready for the next job. I need to make sure the supplies will be here. I won’t know if I have something to worry about until tomorrow.”

  “I thought you ordered it from an old friend?” Bethel asked.

  “I ordered it from an old contact. But I also know I ordered an in-demand product. If one of his regulars needs that shipment, he’ll send it to them.”

  “I don’t think he will. You know, Roman, you have to stop thinking the worst. Didn’t I teach you that what you put out is what you get back?” she said, smiling over her cup.