The Tycoon's Revenge(40)
Jasmine reluctantly walked away from the room and headed into the kitchen. She put together several boxes and started deciding what she’d keep and what she’d donate. She knew a lot of her things wouldn’t fit in with the new home, so the donation pile seemed to get bigger, while her packed boxes weren’t taking up much room.
Derek came out every once in a while and hauled her packed boxes out to the garage, where he was making a nice pile. He’d talked her into letting a moving company at least come in and transport the items. She was actually relieved about that as she hated the actual moving portion. She didn’t mind the packing at all, as it was an adventure, discovering items she’d forgotten she even owned.
There were certain things she wasn’t willing to part with, such as her thousands of books and her mother’s antique china but there were many items she let go of with no qualms. By the end of the night she was exhausted and had barely made a dent in her small home.
“Derek, there’s no way I will finish all of this in time if I’m working all day. I’m going to need to take the rest of the week off to get it done in time,” she told him, as she sat down on the couch, completely exhausted.
“I was thinking the same thing. We really just have a bunch of interviews this week anyway. Take it off and get everything done. I will help you when I get back. Don’t even worry about Jacob, I will stop and pick him up on my way home from work,” he said, sounding just as tired as her. It was really nice to have him there to help with Jacob; she wasn’t used to that at all.
“Thank you,” she said, before crawling off to her room to fall into an exhausted sleep.
Chapter Eleven
The week flew by quickly. Jasmine made incredible progress with her packing and had the local charity stop by twice because the items were piling up and filling her living room. It was a little sad to watch her items slowly being depleted and her home becoming so empty but she felt good getting it all done.
On Friday morning Derek was signing the final papers and the movers were coming to pick up her things at noon. She woke up with both a feeling of excitement and sadness. She found herself looking forward to moving to the new place. It was all a little bit exciting. The previous owners were already vacated and Derek had sent in the cleaning crew yesterday, so all that was left was getting the keys and moving in.
Derek went to the office and called her a couple hours later, letting her know all the papers were signed and they were clear to move. He’d be there in an hour to help her with the final things she needed done.
Jasmine slowly walked around her once homey place and couldn’t stop the tears that streaked down her cheeks. This home had been her and Jacob’s first sense of real security. She had been so proud when she signed her name on those papers and knew the place was hers and no one could take it from her and now she was walking away from it. She felt like she was abandoning her safe house.
Now everything was in boxes, or gone and she was off to a new adventure. She wiped the tears away and decided she was going to sell it. The thought of returning to this home all by herself was too depressing to even contemplate. She’d walk through the rooms and see Jacob in every corner and now she’d also picture Derek’s massive presence there too. It would break her heart a little when someone else occupied it but at least then it would be loved and new memories could be created.
She’d tell Derek to make the calls, since he was so good at it. Knowing Derek, it would be sold in a matter of days. The man just had a way of making things happen much faster than the average person could ever accomplish.
She composed her features just in time, because Derek stepped through the doors and took a look around. “I guess there really isn’t anything left to do but wait for the movers. I brought some lunch so let’s eat and I will call the company and have them get here early,” he said.
The moving company showed up about thirty minutes after his call. She was surprised they didn’t just teleport and land on her steps, while he was still on the phone with them.
The men were professionals and she didn’t have to say or do anything. They had her house loaded into the truck within an hour and were on the road toward the mansion where Derek had someone waiting to let them in. Derek was waiting for her, as she looked around the completely empty house, with a sense of total awe. She looked in every cupboard twice just to make sure she hadn’t forgotten a single item and to draw out her last time in her home for a few more minutes.
She had to give Derek credit because he didn’t say a word as she drug her feet. He even stepped outside to give her a few more minutes alone. One last tear slipped from her eye and then she squared her shoulders, wiped her face and walked out the front door, shutting it firmly behind her as she said goodbye to her old life.