New Beginnings, Chapter 64

Luis was opening the wine when Sheridan came in.

” I’m on time?”

” Right on time, Babe. Mama will be right out with dinner.”

” You think she needs any help?”

” Nope. Table is set.”

Luis and Sheridan sat down at the table. “ Where’s Theresa?”

” She’s riding around in her new car.”

” New car?”

” Yep. Chad bought her a new car.”

Just then, Pilar came out with dinner. “ Sheridan. Glad to see you. “ Pilar sat down, and they all filled their plates.

” So, Sheridan, did Luis tell you about Theresa’s new car?”

” Yes. That’s quite a gift.”

” Indeed it is. I knew that Chad was a Crane Junior Executive, but, I didn’t know that they were paying so well.”

” Oh, the money from the car didn’t come from Crane Industries. It came from my mother.”

” Your mother?”, Luis asked.

” Yes. A little before my mother’s death, she set up a blind trust to be managed by Julian. The recipient wouldn’t be known to Julian for years. That time period was up a few months ago, and then Julian found out that the recipient was Chad.”

” Miss Katherine knew about Chad?”, Pilar asked.

“ That’s how it looks, Pilar. She had to have known, in order to set up this trust. I find it incredible that she knew. That it meant enough to her to do this. So, Julian managed the trust all those years, and then he found out that Chad was the beneficiary. What makes it doubly wonderful is that this money is Chad and Chad’s alone. My father can’t touch it. And, Chad now has a financial base from which he can fight my father for his birthright. “

” We’re talking millions, right?”, Luis asked.

” Um, hundreds of millions.”

Luis sighed. “ Sheridan, Chad had no business spending that kind of money on Theresa.”

” I agree with you, Luis, but for different reasons. I don’t think Theresa is worth it.”

” For Ethan.”

” Yes, Pilar. For Ethan. I don’t think she’s good enough for Chad. But, my nephew has other ideas. And, they’re both adults, Luis. Chad can spend his money on anyone he wants. Theresa is now the recipient of his generosity. You’ve said it plenty of times that Theresa needed a new car. Well, now she has one.”

” He could have gotten her a Yugo.”

Sheridan laughed. “ He’s a Crane, Luis. Yugo isn’t in his vocabulary. It’s the perks of being with a Crane. “

” I’m with a Crane.”

” You have a stubborn sense of pride the size of Texas.”

Pilar laughed at that. “ It’s true and you know it.”

Luis smiled. “ I don’t like her taking expensive gifts.”

” Well, Luis it’s not up to you. Theresa’s grown. You have to live with it.”, Sheridan tells him.

” I guess so.”

” Let’s finish this delicious dinner your mother prepared.”

Eve was picking around her food, when TC asked her. “ Baby, is something wrong?”

” Uh, um, no TC. I was just thinking.”

” About what?”

” About how stir crazy I’m getting. How much I miss my patients.”

” Eve…you know why you’re on leave.”

” I know, TC. But, I can’t help it. I miss being a doctor.”

” As a doctor, you know that you’re doing the only thing that’s right for you. Eve, I’m so happy about the baby. About our son.”

” I am too, TC. I love this baby. I want it to be born healthy. I desperately want to carry to term.”

” Then don’t worry about the hospital. Enjoy this time. Don’t you like being spoiled and pampered?”

Eve laughed. “ It has it’s benefits.”

TC made his way over to Eve, kissed her hand, and held her face in his hands. “ Baby, I think that the best time of our lives is about to begin. We’re going to bring a new life into this world. We have health. We have love. We have each other. And soon, we’re going to have a third child to join our perfect other two.”

“ So, he’s perfect already?”

” Already.”

Veronica entered her suite, kicked her shoes off, checked her messages, and her eye went to a box on the desk. Opening it, she saw a diamond choker that had been in the new Tiffany catalogue.

The card read.

            Alistair