Taking Tiffany Read online

  “A person like me?” I couldn’t believe my ears. Savannah’s dad had always been formal, polite. I hadn’t seen this side.

  “Think about all you could do with that money. You won’t have Savannah either way. This is the chance of a lifetime.”

  “No. I don’t want your money. Savannah and I will get married without your blessing.” I stood my ground.

  “Savannah, come in here,” he bellowed.

  Savannah entered the room.

  “Tell him!” he said.

  She hung her head and said the words. “Take the money, Todd.”

  With the memory came relief, not sadness. I finally had clarity. The demons from the past were released. Lightness lifted my spirit. I was free from the doubt, the questions, and the uncertainty.

  I’d pushed Savannah away gently after her story about the abuse. I felt badly for her, but not enough to get back together. With a blank look, I said, “I’m sorry about what happened to you, Savannah, but you made your choice four years ago.”

  “I didn’t make a choice; I made a mistake! I didn’t know—” she started.

  I interrupted. “It doesn’t matter what it was. I love someone else now. But even if I didn’t, I wouldn’t want to go back. Our love couldn’t have been what I’d imagined or hoped if you were so easily swayed. We could have been together.” I shook my head. “Did you even know what that did to me? You chose the money, didn’t you? You didn’t want to give up your lifestyle and risk it with me. You didn’t believe in me.”

  “Maybe I did care about the money! Is that so bad? Look at you, look at this place.” She swung her arms around. “Would you want to give this up?”

  “I’d give it up in a second for Tiffany. Now, I want you to leave.”

  I finally knew the true reason she’d chosen to let me go. I thought it might be for the love and approval of her family, but now I knew she rejected me for money. I’d lived not knowing the truth for all these years. She had me fooled, or I’d convinced myself it couldn’t be true.

  When she left, I closed the door on her—including all my leftover emotions. I felt nothing for her. It was confirmed.

  The only thing I regretted now was the time I’d wasted grieving for her.

  I knew without a doubt that Tiffany was it for me, even before Savannah’s visit. I loved everything about her—the way her nose wrinkled when she was impatient, how she’d clap her hands when it was her turn to choose the movie we’d watch on Netflix, and I loved it when she shouted at the television when the ump made a bad call. And best of all—when she’d whisper my name at night.

  All of it. I loved everything about her. She was mine, and I planned to make it forever.

  It was too soon for a formal proposal; I knew that. I’d need more time and a few more hoops to jump through for her dad. But that would be fine with me. I’d already discovered he wasn’t anything like Savannah’s dad. He was a decent man, a man who wanted the best for his only child. I’d make sure I was the best. I’d prove it to her dad. The one thing I knew for sure—I wanted forever with her.

  Tiffany and I hadn’t made plans for today, but I would remedy that. I reached for my phone. Shit. I forgot I’d left it in my car. Damn. I’d been distracted by the events of the past day so my misplaced cell hadn’t registered yet. I hoped I hadn’t missed any important calls, especially from Tiffany

  I’d dropped by Tiffany’s condo unannounced before, so I was sure it wouldn’t be a problem. I’d take a quick shower, make some coffee then head over.

  A knock at my door sounded before I made it to the bathroom. Now what?

  I flung open my door to see Ben, the doorman, standing beyond the threshold. “I’m sorry to disturb you again, Mr. Jameson.” He straightened his tie. “I wanted to apologize again for the woman who made it up last night. I talked to security, and they have your new code.” He handed me a slip of paper with the code written on. “Also, I didn’t want to disturb you this morning, but someone dropped off your phone. I guess they found it in the lobby next to the elevators.”

  “Great! I was just going to try to look for it. I thought I’d left it in my car.”

  “Well, it looks like a Good Samaritan found it instead. Most people would steal a phone like yours.”

  I’d upgraded to the Black Diamond Smart phone. I used my phone for work, and I needed to keep thousands of contacts at my fingertips. I slipped the phone into my pocket and started to close the door.

  “One more thing. Miss Savannah is back in the lobby. She asked permission to come up to look for a lost earring.”

  I rolled my eyes. I had a feeling when she left last night she wasn’t through trying to talk me into a renewed relationship. Savannah was always stubborn and determined when she wanted something. Now, I could add manipulative. Time to put a stop to it.

  “Send her up.”

  ***

  THE FIRST THING I noticed after arriving at Tiffany’s condo was that her car wasn’t parked in her usual spot. I grabbed my phone from my pocket and started to punch in my password. The usual screen didn’t come up. I examined my phone again. Yes, it was mine, but it was always password protected. I scrolled down to my contacts. Oh, no. Everything had been wiped clean. My contacts were gone, my text history, everything. It looked like someone stole my phone, used it for whatever purpose, and erased the entire history. I’d bet when I contacted my phone carrier there’d be a bunch of calls to Europe or something. Not a Good Samaritan after all.

  I’d always believed cell phones made people lazy, including me. I programmed everyone’s number in and promptly forgot them. I didn’t even have Braydon’s or Tiffany’s numbers memorized. I’d input them and swiftly move on, not committing them to memory. That was a bad habit I vowed to change.

  It was a beautiful day, and my best guess was that Tiffany would be out enjoying it with friends. Not wanting to spend the day inside staring at four walls, I decided to go to Alki Beach to kill a little time. It was a fun beach, even if I went alone. I enjoyed people watching and at Alki, there was always something interesting going on.

  I took out my phone and checked it. No incoming calls. I called my sister to make sure it worked properly. It was one of the numbers I retained by memory.

  “Hey, Becca,” I greeted.

  “Hey, stranger!” Becca’s cheerful voice greeted me. She’d made a good life for herself which included a great husband and two beautiful little girls. “I’m checking to see if my phone works. I think someone borrowed it yesterday, and my entire history was cleared. What are you showing on your side?”

  “It looks good on my end, but I’d call your carrier and see what happened. You lost all your contacts?”

  “Yeah. I can transfer most of my work contacts from Braydon’s phone, so it shouldn't be a big deal. But, get this—I’ve forgotten his number and Tiffany’s.”

  She laughed. “You forgot the love of your life’s number?”

  “How did you know? Am I that transparent?” I chuckled.

  “Yep. I suspected at the end of February. When you came to visit in March, it was confirmed. It’s written all over your face, so if you want to keep it a secret, make sure not to talk about her,” she teased.

  “I can’t wait for you to meet her. You’ll love her.”

  Her voice went soft. “If you love her, I’ll love her.”

  “Now I just have to find her. She’s not at her condo.”

  “You’re stalking her?” She continued to laugh.

  “No! I couldn’t call her, so I dropped by instead, to see if she wanted to go out with me today.” Was this stalking? No, I decided.

  “Give the woman a day off. I’m sure she’ll call later.”

  “I guess I could do that. It’s weird how disconnected I feel without my phone. I didn’t realize how much I depend on it.”

  “This will be good for you. Maybe the universe wants you to go technology-free this week. You work too hard. I know, before you say anything. You love it, but it wouldn�
�t hurt to take a breather.”

  “I could do that. But I won’t take a breather from Tiffany. I plan to spend this week with her. That is if I can find her,” I said, laughing. But I started to get a nagging feeling, an unwelcomed one.

  “Okay, Bec. I’ll see you later.”

  “Later! Love you!’

  “I love you, too.” I clicked off the phone.

  A few hours later, I pulled back into the parking lot of Tiffany’s condo. Her spot remained empty. Taking a deep breath, I told myself to relax. It was four p.m. and Tiffany hadn’t called. She seemed tired yesterday, but good. We’d tackled a huge issue and resolved it. At least I thought it was resolved.

  What was her damn number!

  I stuffed my phone back into my pocket and went inside the building. If Tiffany wasn’t home, maybe Colin would be. I knocked first on Tiffany’s door, just in case. No surprise she didn’t answer. I tried Colin’s door next. Same. No answer.

  By six, Tiffany still hadn’t shown up. Now I was getting concerned. I thought of my sister’s joking words—stalker. But we talked every day. This wasn’t like her. I became restless and worried. I decided to make the forty-five minute drive out to Braydon and Jain’s home in Carnation. It would give me something to do, and I could get Tiffany’s number from Jain. I didn’t want her to feel she needed to spend every day with me, although I loved the habit, but I did want to at least talk to her.

  I pulled up to Braydon and Jain’s massive log home. Every time I visited, I was always a little awed by the huge size. Braydon’s driver answered the door.

  “Hi, Henry. I’m looking for Braydon.”

  Henry cocked his head.

  “I lost the contacts on my cell.”

  “Ahh. That explains it. Braydon didn’t tell you? He took the family to the beach for a short vacation.”

  I wanted to hit myself in the head. Now I remembered. He often took time off with his family and left me to mind the office. It wasn’t a big deal, but today I needed to reach him. I just wasted forty-five minutes driving. At least it was a distraction from the worry that had taken over.

  “Do you have Braydon’s number?”

  “Sure.” He rattled it off from memory. At least someone used their brain.

  “Might take you a while to get through. I heard Jain ask him to keep it off for the week. I don’t think she wanted any distractions. I’m sure he’ll check messages, though.”

  I thanked Henry and was on the road again. I tried to call Braydon, but as predicted, it went straight to voicemail. I left a message for him to call. I hoped he did it soon.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  HE WATCHED THROUGH binoculars as Tiffany paced throughout her parents’ home, crying, and, if he was right, yelling at the same time. Although he felt a little tug of guilt, he kept the plan in place. Her suffering would be short-lived; Todd would explain himself once he talked with Tiffany, and they could go back to their happily-ever-after. At least someone would. When he first took this job, Tiffany was an object for him to manipulate in order to complete his mission.

  Somewhere along the line, she became a person. He wasn’t a professional, but he instinctively knew it wasn’t a good thing to sympathize with your intended kidnapping victim. It didn’t matter, though. The beauty of his plan was that no one would ever know he was involved. His employer set it up to implicate someone else. The detectives would be running around like dogs, chasing their tails for months, maybe even years, before they gave up. He would never be implicated. His plan was flawless.

  But, he’d need to move up the timeframe. Todd might believe she was taking a little break, but he knew that wouldn’t last long. The time was finally here. A shiver of excitement spread through him. All the months of planning were going to pay off.

  They played right into his hands.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Todd

  SOMETHING WAS WRONG. I knew it. If I needed to drive to Cannon Beach, a four-hour drive, to talk to Braydon, I’d do it. I’d left Tiffany at her condo at seven p.m. Sunday evening. It was now Tuesday morning. She should have called by now.

  My phone rang for the first time in two days. Tiffany, finally! I pressed on and answered, “Tiffany?”

  “No, it’s me, Braydon.”

  “Oh.” I couldn’t hide my disappointment.

  “Listen, we’re on our way home, but about to go into the mountains.”

  The line went dead. I officially hated all cell phones.

  That did it. I was going to Tiffany’s parents’ home. They were in California, but the guard might be able to get a message to them, maybe even give me their phone number. I’d hesitated yesterday, not wanting to worry them, but now I was concerned.

  I pulled up to the gate and hoped the security guard remembered me.

  “May I help you?”

  “Yes, my name is Todd Jameson. I’ve been here before.”

  Silence.

  “Can you tell me if anyone is staying in the house?” The only thing that kept me sane was the thought that Tiffany had decided to come home for a few days. It was probably a big transition for her to move just a month ago.

  “No, sir. I’m not privileged to give out information about the family’s whereabouts.”

  Hell.

  “Okay, can you give me Mr. Thompson’s phone number?”

  “No, sir. I’m sorry. I’m not priv—”

  “Fine!” I interrupted. “I’m worried about his daughter, Tiffany. She’s not at her condo, and she hasn’t called since Sunday. Can you get that message to her father and ask him to call me?”

  “Yes, I can do that.”

  Finally.

  I gave him my number and left feeling a little better. I had a message through to Tiffany’s dad, and Braydon was on his way home. I wondered why he decided to come back early. I’d find out soon enough.

  ***

  Tiffany

  “MISS THOMPSON?” THE intercom squawked.

  “Yes, Mr. Pettit?” The security company liked to use formal names. Something about keeping it professional.

  “A Mr. Jameson was here. He wanted to contact you or your father.”

  “You didn’t tell him I was here, did you?” If he did, I’d fire him myself.

  “No, Miss Thompson. I didn’t give him any information. He said he was worried for your safety since you haven’t talked to him recently.”

  That was a bunch of bull. I had a feeling his guilty conscience would start to bother him. He broke up with me over text! You asked for it. Ugh! Why did I let him off so easy? Well, I wouldn’t talk to him. I’d let him wonder. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing my red, swollen eyes. I’d recover from this then pretend I didn’t care.

  Liar.

  Yes, I decided I would lie. I’d lie about being happy. I’d lie about moving on. I’d lie about everything until I believed it.

  The intercom squawked again. “Miss Thompson?”

  What now? I inwardly groaned.

  “Yes, Mr. Pettit?” I could barely hide my irritation

  “I got a call from Shore Security. There’s a boat requesting to dock.”

  “Really, who?”

  “A Mr. Erik Harper. He said he’s a friend of yours.”

  I looked out the window, and sure enough, Erik stood on the bow of his boat and waved.

  “Sure, let him dock.” I wondered what he wanted.

  I wore shorts and a t-shirt, no makeup with puffy eyes. I guess he’d get a good look at the real me.

  I walked down to the dock to greet him. “Hey, Erik! What are you doing?” I asked.

  He smiled. “Thought I’d drop by to see if you wanted to take a spin. I’m going to Vashon Island for a late lunch. Would you like to come?”

  Hmm. He looked like a hopeful teenager. His eyes seemed to plead with mine. Why shouldn’t I go? I’d been dumped. A day out on a boat would be a great distraction. But…

  “Erik, I can’t promise to be good company today.” I couldn’t g
o without warning him. The grief, fresh and suffocating, would hit me in waves. I was all right at this particular moment, but I’d been unprepared for the onslaught of memories that had been assaulting me for the past two days. I didn’t know when the crying jags would start. They seemed to come out of the blue.

  “There’s nothing like going out on the water to cure whatever ails you. Hop on, and you can tell me all about it.”

  “You mean, right now?”

  “No time like the present!”

  I looked back up to the house. “Do I need anything?”

  “Nope. I’d love to have some company today.” He looked sweet and vulnerable.

  “Okay! Let’s do this thing.” What was I doing? Moving forward. One step at a time. “Wait. Do I need to bring my cell phone?”

  “It won’t work out on the sound, but I have a ship-to-shore radio. Is there anyone you need to call before we leave?”

  No.

  “I’m good. I’ll probably need to borrow your radio later to call my dad. Would that be okay?”

  “Sure. Just let me know when you’d like to call out.”

  “Okay.” I hopped aboard the large yacht. “Wow, this is beautiful.” It looked brand new. “How long have you owned it?”

  “I bought her last summer.” He skimmed his eyes over the length of the boat. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

  I laughed. “You men with your toys! But I do agree. She is lovely.”

  He untied the ropes and started the engine. A powerful roaring and bubbling sounded.

  “What did you name her?” I asked. He’d already referred to the boat as a female, so I guessed it would be a woman’s name.

  “Jump,” he said.

  That surprised me. “Why? I mean it’s a good name,” I backtracked.

  He laughed. “I meant it as a ‘jump into life’ sort of thing. Don’t wish for things; make it happen.”

  I liked that. “Good name.”

  We headed out for the locks, and my body relaxed a little. The feel of the wind whipping across my face was invigorating. Erik was right. I already felt a little better.