Chadwick's Rare Find (An Intriguing Romance Novel) (3 page)

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 Chadwick could not help but laugh at his sisters.  They were mad at him.  He wasn't the one who had decieved them. They did it to themselves.  

“You guys think too much.  Instead of listening and taking a person at word value, you draw conclusions or should I say, you make assumptions.  All I said was that I had the accident with the woman that I was going to marry.”  

Adanna sipped on her fresh squeezed orange juice and made a sound of disgust as she rolled her eyes at Chadwick. “Don’t talk to us as if we are the idiots.  You’re the idiot.  You don’t even know her last name or any other piece of information about her other than she smells good, has long legs, cat eyes, and detests you.  Yet, you sat there in the bed and told us you were going to marry her.”  

“I am.”  He said this so quietly and with such conviction that a bolt of alarm went through Vana.  She loved her big brother dearly.  He was the sweetest person she had ever known in her thirty years and she considered herself blessed that he was her brother.  She knew him inside and out and those two simple words had her ready to find this Brittany person and drag her to the altar at gunpoint.  

“Now Chadwick, you can’t go about your personal relationships like you would with business or shopping.  She has to be willing to marry you.  She has to at least like you. These type things have to go through a course and sometimes even then don’t have the results we want.  Please don’t be so determined about this woman.  You’re scaring me.”  Vana put all her heart into this plea only to see the steel in his eyes, which made Chadwick the “stubborn one” in the family.  Vana had been told the story about the eye patch countless times, but it came to mind now with a flourish. 

Once when Chadwick was a little boy, no more than five or six, he had decided he would be a pirate and took to wearing a black patch over his right eye.  When it came time for them to take their family portrait, he would not take it off.   Even after their mother and father had talked to him, he would not budge.  So, they took it from him.  He cried loud angry tears all the way to the studio.  When they got ready to take the picture, he staunchly refused to be in the portrait.  He caused such a huge disturbance that their mother had reached into her purse, pulled out the patch, and given it to him.  One of their family portraits to this day was a testament that Chadwick was appropriately the “stubborn one” in the family.  Dad always used this story to blame mom.  He never got over the fact that she had brought the patch in anticipation that there would be trouble. His interpretation of the whole event was that their mother's indulgence had fed and nurtured Chadwick’s stubbornness. 

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Chadwick was glad when his audience with his nosy sisters was over with.  He had things to do.  He had to call the towing service first.  But he got his first shock, in a series of shocks, when he called the towing services.  Since neither he nor Brittany where there upon the tow truck’s arrival, the driver after realizing that an accident had been involved, called the police.  The police had come and taken pictures and then had the cars taken to their headquarters and were awaiting Chadwick’s and Brittany’s appearances.  He was given the number to the police station. 

Chadwick had not become the CEO of his own fortune five hundred computer networking company without having a keen intuition about complex situations.  He knew instinctively that this situation with Brittany was going to become much more complicated than it seemed last night.  The first thing he had to do was unravel some grave mistakes he’d made.  He had a hunch it was not going to be easy.  

His hunch proved correct.  Upon arriving at the police station and providing ID, they matched the vehicle registration to the car that he claimed was his.  It was actually a rental, but it all worked the same way. Unfortunately, they dismissed him upon concluding his business telling him that it would be a breach of confidentiality to provide any information about the other vehicle or its owner.  He told them that the accident was his fault and he only wanted to make sure she got his insurance information.  They asked for his card and told him that Brittany would contact him.  They hoped he had a good day after all it was so “bright and sunny outside who couldn’t.”

Chadwick could not believe the brick walls he kept running up against trying to get Brittany’s name and phone number.  After he made arrangements for the rental company to claim their car, he sat in Adanna’s car and thought about what he would do next.  He questioned his motives.  Having the habit of being methodical in his actions it followed suit that he would be methodical in his thoughts.  So, he acknowledged that his whole aim was to see Brittany again.  He was interested in her.  This business about their cars, the cost of repairs, towing service fees and all that was nothing to him.  He had enough money to make reparation for all of that without a dent in his finances.  He only wanted one thing out of this accident.  He wanted to see Brittany again.  

He put Adanna’s car in drive and was thankful for her navigational system.  She had it installed a couple of weeks ago and it really was such an easy thing to follow.  He already knew that he would have one installed in his car as soon as he got back to Atlanta.  He would get a portable one too.  No more of this getting lost business.  

His cell phone rang before he could drive out of the police station parking lot.  He pulled over and answered to hear a strange woman’s voice on the other end asking to speak with a Mr. Chadwick Jordan.  

“This is he.” He said wondering how a sales representative could get his private cell phone number.  

“Mr. Chadwick Jordan, my name is Amber Bradfield.  I am representing Brittany Bradfield.  I need to meet with you this evening, if that is possible.”  Chadwick narrowed his eyes as he realized Amber Bradfield was Brittany’s sister.  She had to be, since she had the same last name and sounded just as sassy and smart-mouthed as Brittany.  

“Ms. Bradfield, in what capacity are you representing Ms. Brittany Bradfield?”  He needed to know what was going on here. 

“Legal, of course,” was her frosty retort. 

“I see,” was all he could say. 

“Mr. Jordan, I am sure you won’t see a thing until we have had our meeting and then I promise you, you will then see clearly, because I am as always completely thorough.  So, what time can I expect you at the McDonald’s on one thousand and twenty fifth Lambert Street?”

“You want me to meet you at McDonald’s?” He could not keep the disbelief out of his voice. 

“Do you have any objections?  Before I make one change in this arrangement, I need to hear a legitimate objection and none of that business about they don’t serve wine or they don’t have valet parking, because our meeting will be brief and we won’t be eating.   Furthermore parking is already right at the door. You will survive a few minutes outside of your elements I am sure Mr. Jordan.”  

Chadwick was not used to such open hostility and this sister of Brittany’s was ferocious.  He wondered if it was safe to meet her without his own lawyer. Not only had she obviously stereotyped him as a spoiled rich man, but she obviously had drawn some conclusion that he would balk at taking care of this debacle that he had caused. Surely Brittany had not given her these horrible impressions of him.  It was ridiculous that he should have two women of the same family hating him for no apparent reason.  Chadwick felt anger replacing bafflement. 

“As I am not in the habit of prejudging people, you have caught me totally off guard in your obvious assumptions of my lack of character. But being the gentleman and humanitarian that I am, I will conclude that since you know nothing at all about me, your assumptions must be based upon some unfortunate event in your life.  I am perfectly willing to be gracious in this one instance, but hear me clearly Ms. Bradfield, I don’t take insults too easily.  I will meet you at McDonald’s and I will come with my checkbook to make full reparation for any inconvenience or damages I have caused Brittany.  But in fair warning to you, I will not step one foot out of my car, if I do not see Brittany Bradfield standing at your side.  After all this is her business not yours.  I have given her no indication that I would dispute my blame for the whole incident. Therefore, your representation is overkill in an otherwise tame situation.”  When Chadwick finished, he could hear nothing on the other end and for a minute felt they had lost their connection. 

“I will have Brittany there at seven thirty this evening.”  Amber said quietly.  Chadwick still felt angry, but knowing that Brittany would be there gave him a rush of excitement.   He cast away his troubling thoughts and put Adanna’s address into the navigation system and headed back to her house. 

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Amber sat at her desk looking nonplussed.  Mr. Chadwick Jordan had made her feel small and meddlesome.  He had put her firmly in her place, which seldom happened.  If he did this to her, then what must he had done to poor Brittany?  Now she understood why Brittany didn’t know where her car was or the full name of the man she had had the accident with.  It was obvious that Chadwick Jordan was a force of nature.  Amber quickly decided that all three of them would meet him.  Between the three of them, they could and they would handle Mr. Jordan.  There would be no funny business and he had better have that checkbook.  

Brittany could not believe that she and her two sisters were sitting in McDonald’s, a restaurant that even they, lower class people that they were, never ate at.  What could Amber have been thinking?  When asked that very question, Amber’s only explanation was that everybody could find the great golden arches and it seemed that Mr. Jordan needed an easy place to find as he was obviously geographically challenged, by his own admission.  Amber giggled as if she had said something really funny. 

Neither Brittany nor Christy thought Amber was amusing.  Christy cringed and said that Amber was going to make them look bad.  Christy hated negative attention.  She was easily embarrassed.  She looked as if she had swallowed a sour candy ball.  Again, the whole situation would have been comical to Brittany if only she herself was not involved.  

They had all decided to dress comfortably. They had on jeans and T-shirts.  Brittany’s long mane was pulled back into a pony tail and she had only lip gloss on.  Christy was still sporting tight curls from her trip to the beautician days ago.  She was the kind who never left home without at least mascara and eyeliner.  Amber was frightening in appearance.  She had a baseball hat on her head with eye shadow, eye liner, powder, and red lipstick.  She had on too much makeup, but who would dare tell her that?  At any rate, however they came packaged, they were attractive girls.  They caused a small sensation every time they went anywhere together.  While Christy was the undisputed crowned beauty of the three and Amber’s beauty was tempered by her manliness and take-charge attitude, Brittany had beauty with a sex appeal that absolutely roared.  Brittany was the one that made men crazy.  She had a naturally slow and sensual walk. Her husky voice had made many a man dream of putting his lips against hers.  Even her hands were beautiful.  The way she moved them reminded one of a soft caress.  All she had to say was that she was a masseuse and people started writing their names and addresses in indelible ink into her black appointment book.  To be touched by Brittany was blissful for male and female.  As a masseuse, every gender reveled in the ambiance of Brittany. 

Amber had decided that a booth by the window would be best so they could see Chadwick as he pulled into McDonalds.  This seemed logical to Christy and Brittany and so they slid into a booth close to the front doors parallel to the huge windows facing the parking lot.  Brittany sat across from Christy and Amber, sipping on a coke she had ordered to keep her mouth from being completely dry. She was so nervous.   She felt a keen anticipation to see Chadwick’s handsome face again.  

As if she could conjure him up by mere thought, she glanced out the window to see the man himself swaggering forward looking directly at her through the glass.  His look was gently accusing as he twisted one corner of his lip up, shaking his head, and clearly expressing his disapproval of this meeting.  Brittany felt a twinge of conscience, because she knew that he was the sort to take care of his business. Yet she had not given an entirely honest portrayal of him to her sisters. However, when he entered the doors and came around the corner towards them, the accusing expression was gone replaced by a bored look.  

“Hello, ladies”, he said as he slid into the booth beside Brittany.  He settled his entire left side flush to her right side.  Brittany instinctively scooted away and he followed without hesitation.  The heat of his body burned through Brittany as she weakly made the introductions.  

“Chadwick this is my eldest sister, Amber.  Of course, she spoke with you earlier.” She hurried on with the introduction, “And this is my darling baby sister, Christy.”  

“It’s nice to meet you,” he said politely to Christy and Amber. “Its a pleasure to see you again, Brittany,” he said looking down into her eyes.  

“Did you have any trouble finding us?” Brittany asked spitefully.  She should not have, but she did.  Chadwick responded to her wisecrack by leaning back and placing his arm along the back of the booth. As he did so, she felt the warmth of his body swell up around her with the scent of his cologne and him.  He shifted his hip against hers, as his eyes sought out her mouth. His leg was pressed so firmly against hers that Brittany could feel the thick muscle in his thigh flex with each movement. . 

“No trouble at all.” He was so close she could feel his breath on her face as he spoke.  To all onlookers it appeared as if they were lovers.  Christy and Amber sat speechless as Chadwick crowded Brittany in the booth.  Amber wondered was a rescue in order.  She glanced at Christy and decided that Christy did not share her concern.  Christy was staring at the byplay as if she was watching a movie.  Nevertheless, enough was enough.  Amber had to call some order, because things had obviously gotten out of hand.  Brittany was staring into Chadwick’s eyes as if she was actually in a movie and that could not be a good thing.  At any rate, it made Amber a bit skeptical as to whether Brittany had relayed all the details concerning Chadwick Jordan.  Brittany certainly wasn’t emulating the hostility she had last night for Chadwick.