Ties That Bind Page 30

  The sound of car doors opening and closing gave Haywood pause. She turned from the sink. “I heard a car.”

  “I did, too. I think your stepfather’s back with Trey.”

  When Randolph and Trey entered the house it was Zach who thwarted what promised to be a very tense moment. Genuinely glad to see each other, Zach and Trey’s friendship was quickly and easily renewed.

  Trey’s acknowledgement of everyone was warm and friendly. However, it was obvious to everyone that his approach to Jenna, though polite, was rather cool.

  Haywood had entered the living room and watched him from a distance, not letting her presence be known. She had intended to take her cue of how to accept him from the way he accepted her mother. Seeing that after all these years he still believed the lies his mother had told him made her angry.

  At that moment Randolph glanced around the room and asked, “Where’s Haywood?”

  “Here I am, Dad.”

  Trey turned around at the same time Randolph did, hearing the sound of the soft feminine voice. Trey stood still. For a moment, just for one moment, he remembered her as the young girl of nine that he had last seen. But she was no longer a young girl. She was a woman. A very beautiful woman.

  Trey watched as she crossed the room to his father. The look she was giving Trey was cool. Just as cool as the look he knew he was giving her.

  “Trey, you remember Haywood, don’t you?”

  He nodded. “Yes, I remember.” The other woman’s daughter, he thought. “Haywood.”

  “Trey.”

  Zach, forever the peacemaker, came up beside Trey to throw water on the fire he detected was about to burst into flames. “I’ll help get your things out of the car, then the two of us can drink a couple of beers while we catch up on everything.”

  Trey turned his attention away from Haywood and smiled at Zach. “I’d like that.”

  A few hours later everyone had gone to bed except for Trey and Zach who sat outside on the porch drinking beer. They had spent the better part of the night bringing each other up to date on what had been happening in their lives as well as recalling fond childhood memories.

  Trey glanced over at Zach. He took another sip of his beer before asking, “What’s the deal with you and Haywood?”

  Zach leaned forward. “Haywood?”

  “I picked up on something between the two of you.” And he had. The two had seemed pretty friendly toward each other, almost too friendly to be just friends.

  Zach shook his head grinning. “Before I married Shaun, Haywood and I tried to make a go of it for a few weeks then decided we do better as friends.”

  “Than lovers?”

  “Never got that far, man. Haywood’s too damn bossy, in addition to being stubborn, bullheaded and opinionated.”

  Trey laughed. “Sounds like the type of woman any man would want.”

  “Yeah, if he’s suicidal. But seriously, all jokes aside, Haywood’s okay and is a close friend. I know there’s some animosity between the two of—”

  “What gave you that idea?”

  “I felt it earlier, when you first arrived and I feel it every time the two of you are in close proximity to each other. She knows how you feel about her mother and is very protective of her. She’s also very protective of your father.”

  “And she has a right to be since he was so willing to turn his back on me to take up with her and her mother.”

  “You still believe that, Trey?”

  Trey remained silent for a few minutes. “Yes. I’ll never forget the day my mother broke the news to me that Dad was making excuse after excuse for why I couldn’t fly out for the holidays.” He shrugged. “But that’s the way Jenna wanted it.”

  Zach shook his head, not wanting to be the one to tell him that he’d heard an entirely different story. “Have you ever talked to your Dad about any of this?”

  “No, and I don’t intend to, either. That was years ago and I’ve put it behind me. All I want is to pay my last respects to my great-grandmother and return to LA.”

  Zach looked at him, long and steadily. “No, Trey, I don’t think you’ve put it behind you and maybe it’s time you did. There’re two sides to every story and I think it’s time you heard your father’s.”

  Thirty

  Every pew in the Sycamore Baptist Church on Hilton Head Island was filled to capacity as people came from all around to pay their last respects to Mattie Denison. The congregation made it a happy occasion, a joyous home-going, and an uplifting church service more than a funeral. They all knew she would have wanted it that way.

  A ferry transported everyone back across the waters to Glendale Shores where she was laid to rest in a grave next to her husband of over sixty years. The repass lasted well into the night where family members and friends ate, drank and ate some more before finally leaving.

  The man who had served as Ma and Pa Denison’s attorney for years, Theodore Jernigan, and his grandson Colt, were the last ones remaining. He surprised everyone when he called them together. “I know this has been a difficult day for you all, but now I have to shed my coat as a friend of the family and put on the one I wear as an attorney.”

  Randolph lifted a brow at the older man. “What’s this about, Ted?”

  Theodore Jernigan smiled slowly. “The reading of your great-grandmother’s will. She requested that it be read immediately after the repass if everyone was here that needed to be.” He glanced around the room. “And everyone is here. Everyone she considered family. Now if you’ll follow me to the main room we can get down to business.” He held up a finger. “And I promise it won’t take long.”

  “Now then, let’s begin.” Colt Jernigan took over once everyone was seated. Like his grandfather he was tall and dark. But where his grandfather’s face showed his years, Colt was blessed with the gleam of youth. At twenty-five he was fresh out of law school and had returned to South Carolina to work in his grandfather’s law office.

  “According to her request, Miss Mattie also wanted us to make this as informal as possible because she knew all of you had jobs to return to.” He glanced up and met everyone’s gaze. “She became a very wealthy woman after her family sold the land they owned on Hilton Head to developers. Since Miss Mattie never agreed to the sale of that property she never used any of the money she received. Instead, she decided to bequeath it to those she loved.”

  Colt pulled out a folder. “Instead of reading the will word for word,” he continued, “I will get to the heart of the matter.” He pulled a number of documents from the folder in front of him. “First to Noah Wainwright and his family. Miss Mattie has included this letter she wants me to read.

  “Noah, from the first time Ross brought you to Glendale Shores while on a summer break from college, Bush and I adopted you into our hearts as another grandson. Your friendship and dedication to Ross continued, even beyond his death, and for that I will be eternally grateful. Your wife, Leigh, and your children, Zachary and Noelle, were special to me as well. Therefore, I want to leave you and your family collectively the sum of four hundred thousand dollars.”

  Deeply touched by Mattie’s gift, Noah could only nod.

  “To Randi, my beautiful great-granddaughter whom I love dearly, I leave you the sum of five hundred thousand dollars to be used wisely. This amount will be held in a trust for you until your twenty-fifth birthday.”

  “Wow,” Randi said, her eyes getting big at the amount her great-grandmother had left her.

  “There’s a handwritten statement, one addressed to Adrianna Fuller that Miss Mattie wanted read,” Colt said.

  “There’s a strong possibility that when this is read my granddaughter, Adrianna Fuller, still will not have been found. But in my heart I believe that one day she will be. And when she is found, I want her to have her share of what I would have left to her father, Ross Donovan Fuller, Jr. My only regret is that I never met her during my lifetime, but one day all of us will be together, and when I see Ross at the pearly gates,
I will let him know that his loved ones are still searching for the daughter he left behind. And when she is found, the family Bible will be restored to its rightful place.”

  “Miss Mattie left a list of things she wants Adrianna Fuller to have when she is found,” Colt said, after clearing his throat.

  “To Randolph and Jenna Fuller. There are separate letters to the both of you that she wants you to read privately. As far as what she wanted you to have, collectively she has left everything she didn’t specifically bequeath to anyone else to the two of you. If the two of you have any questions after reading your letters and reviewing her bank statements, please let me know.”

  Both Jenna and Randolph nodded.

  “Now, moving right along,” Colt said smiling. “There’s only one document left to be read and that’s her letter to Haywood Malone and Ross Donovan Fuller III.” He looked at one and then the other before he began reading.

  “To Haywood and Trey. Words can’t express how much the two of you mean to me. Haywood, from the moment I first met you when you were a mere six years old, you became special to me. And Trey, although I didn’t get to spend as much time with you as I would have liked over the years, you’ve held a special place in my heart. Not only are you the one remaining male Fuller from your generation, but you are also the one remaining male Denison as well. And because I believe you and Haywood will do the right thing and carry out my wishes, I leave to the both of you Glendale Shores, the entire island except for the south portion of land Ross and Randolph inherited from their parents. This land is to be shared equally and to be used as you please but only after the following stipulation. Because this land has been a part of the Denison family for over one hundred years, I don’t want you to make the same mistake my siblings made when they sold land on Hilton Head to the developers. Before either of you entertain the idea of selling any portion of Glendale Shores, I want you to spend two weeks here and enjoy the beauty of the island. You are to commit yourselves to stay on the island without any outside interference of other family members or friends. I don’t want either of your decisions influenced in any way. I prefer that you make arrangements to do this within three weeks of my passing to pack up everything I have listed on a separate sheet of paper and given to Ted. Some things I want donated to the South Carolina Historical Society and others to Goodwill. I’m leaving the two of you responsible for carrying out these wishes of mine. After the two weeks the two of you must agree on what to do with your portion of Glendale Shores. It is my desire that you will come to love it as much as I have and will want to keep it, but the decision is yours.”

  Colt lifted his head and looked at Trey and Haywood. Both were speechless. “Do you understand what she is asking the two of you to do?”

  “Yes,” Trey said, amazed. Astonished. He’d always assumed his father would be the one to inherit all of Glendale Shores one day. It touched him deeply that Ma Mattie wanted him to have part of it. He wasn’t concerned about Haywood’s share. He would just buy her out. Even as that thought entered his mind, he glanced over at her and met her gaze. She frowned as if knowing what he’d been thinking.

  “And Miss Malone, do you understand?” The question grabbed Haywood’s attention. She shifted her gaze from Trey to Colt. “Yes, she wants me and Trey to dispose of her things.”

  Colt nodded. “Yes. And do you also understand about the two weeks?”

  Haywood nodded although she really didn’t understand. Ma Mattie had known that she would never sell Glendale Shores to anyone because she’d known how upset Ma Mattie had been when her family had outvoted her to sell land on Hilton Head to developers. Although Ma Mattie had subsequently made a lot of money off the sale, she had been left with a broken heart that greed for money instead of love for the land had driven her siblings to sell their family legacy. She never wanted the same thing to happen to Glendale Shores.

  Haywood was also aware that Ma Mattie had gotten a lot of letters from various developers who wanted to turn Glendale Shores into another Hilton Head, but she had flatly refused each and every one of their offers time and time again. Haywood felt she didn’t need two weeks on the island to make up her mind about anything. She would never agree to sell her part of Glendale Shore.

  “What if my mind is made up as to what I want to do with my share of the island? Will the two weeks still apply?” she asked Colt.

  “Afraid so. The two weeks is a stipulation which must be met, Miss Malone.”

  She nodded, knowing that somehow during those weeks she had to convince Trey not to sell. If that didn’t work she would buy him out.

  She glanced over at Trey. He was frowning at her; probably pissed that he had to share a piece of the island with her. She sighed deeply. The time she spent with him on Glendale Shores would be two weeks of pure hell.

  Thirty-one

  “I forbid you to go, Trey.”

  Trey looked at his mother with narrowed dark eyes. They seldom had arguments but when they did, they were doosies. “Mom, first of all I’m thirty-four, too old for you to forbid to do anything. Secondly, I have to go. It’s within the terms of Ma Mattie’s will.”

  “You’re an attorney. You can fight it. She must have been out of her mind to even think about sharing something that rightly belongs to you with that woman’s daughter. It’s my understanding that Glendale Shores can only be left to a blood relative.”

  Trey glanced at his watch. “There is one exception and that is if a Denison legally declares someone as their godchild or adopted child. According to Ma Mattie’s attorney, she legally claimed Haywood as her godchild when Haywood was ten.”

  “But it’s not fair. That island should belong to you and only you.”

  “It may still belong to me if I can get Haywood to sell me her share.”

  “Don’t hold your breath for that to happen. Everyone knows Glendale Shores is a gold mine. Just look at how exclusive Hilton Head is. Any developer would pay plenty for that island. You’d be set for life if you were to get complete ownership of that land.”

  Trey nodded as he continued packing. Now was not the time to tell his mother he had no intention of selling Glendale Shores. He knew how much Ma Mattie wanted the land to remain in the family and that’s where he intended for it to stay. If Haywood wouldn’t sell her part to him then he would have to convince her not to sell out to developers, either.

  He then realized his mother was still talking.

  “I still think Mattie Denison was up to something when she drew up that will. As far as I’m concerned she was a crazy old woman. Why would she want you and Haywood on that island alone for two weeks?”

  Trey glanced over his shoulder, not liking the fact that his mother had called his great-grandmother crazy. “There was nothing crazy about her or about her request. She wants me and Haywood to pack up her things, and at the same time make a sound, unbiased decision. And she knew the only way we could do that would be to spend time on the island away from our family and friends. Haywood will be living in the big house and I’ll be staying in Dad’s cottage. I also intend to rent a boat while I’m there and will spend time on it.”

  “I don’t care what you say, Mattie Denison was a little touched in the head. Otherwise why would she leave something in her will for Ross’s daughter when she’ll never be found?”

  Trey turned and look at his mother questioningly. “What makes you so sure of that?”

  Angela rolled her eyes. “Because it’s been over thirty years and she hasn’t been found yet. Your father and Noah Wainwright hired some of the best investigators around. No one knows if she’s even still alive.”

  Trey thought about something that Zach had told him. “Noah and Dad think she’s still alive.”

  “That just goes to prove what big fools they are.”

  Trey shook his head as he shut his suitcase. He’d never noticed before just how negative his mother could be when it came to his father’s family and friends. “If an emergency comes up, call me at this numbe
r,” he said, handing her a piece of paper. “And I mean a real emergency, Mom. Otherwise, just wait for me to call you. I’ll check in each week and I’d appreciate if you didn’t share any of your opinions about the island when we talk. To sell or not to sell will be my decision.”

  Angela looked up at him with a bemused look on her face. “What are you talking about? Surely you’re not thinking of keeping that land?”

  “Mom, I can’t discuss this now. I have to finish packing.”

  “What about Marva?”

  Trey flashed a confused look. “What about her?”

  “Will she know how to reach you if she needs you?”

  Trey arched a brow. “Why would she need me?”

  Angela looked confused again. “But—but I thought the two of you were seeing a lot of each other.”

  “We only had three dates. We’re nothing more than friends.”

  Angela narrowed her eyes. “Nothing more than friends? You spent the night at her house all three times.”

  Trey raised his eyes to the ceiling. “And your point is?”