She laughs. “I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that death stare. I’ve seen you in the courtroom, but that was some next-level glaring.”
I shrug it off and turn to her husband. “How’s the practice going, Marty?”
“Why, you looking for a new job?”
“I might be soon,” I laugh. “Is it that obvious?”
He grins. The law community is small in this town, and I’m sure he’s already heard about our firm covering the case. Between that and what Nicole has probably told him, I don’t need to fill him in on anything.
“So what’s the big announcement, anyway?”
“Let’s go to the restaurant.” Nicole smiles, nodding down the street. We walk to a nearby restaurant and I try to focus on what Nicole is saying. I ask all the right questions about their kid, their work, their plans to renovate their house, but my mind is elsewhere.
It’s like my brain drove off in Adrian’s car with him. All I can think of is him. I want to focus on what Nicole is saying—she told me they had some big news for me. I want to be present, but my mind keeps circling back to the case, to Ashely, to Adrian’s selfish decision to go to trial.
By the time our food gets there, I force myself to stop thinking about him. I turn to the two of them and arch my eyebrows. “So? Will you tell me the big news, or what? Are you having another baby?”
Nicole’s eyes shine and a smile breaks across her face. Martin drapes his arm across her shoulders and kisses her temple.
“Yep. A little boy.”
“You already know that! You’re not even showing!”
“Please,” Nicole laughs. “I’m gaining weight by the day.”
“Is this when I’m supposed to tell you you’re glowing?”
Nicole laughs and smacks my arm. I get up and wrap her in a big hug, and then do the same to Martin. “I’m happy for you both. I can’t believe how much has happened in a couple years.”
They glance at each other, and their happiness makes my heart hurt. Nicole leans against Martin and takes a long, happy breath.
“It’s amazing. I’m not looking forward to the sleepless nights again, but hopefully this little one will be a bit calmer by then.” She rubs Jackie’s arms and her daughter babbles nonsensically.
“I’m not holding out much hope,” Martin laughs. He kisses her temple again and my heart squeezes.
It feels like everyone’s life is moving on at the expected pace, and I’m being left behind. Everyone I know is married or engaged, pregnant or already has kids.
And me?
I’m struggling to keep my head above water with my job. I can’t even manage to get my deck repaired or hold down a relationship long enough to even think about getting married.
It’s depressing.
I force myself to smile and take a bite of my food. I’m being selfish—the exact thing that I despise Adrian Maguire for. How can I criticize him for only caring about himself when I can’t even be happy for my best friend?
“So when are you due?”
“December.”
“Wow, five months from now!” I smile and take another bite of food. “So soon!”
They exchange a glance. “Yeah, that’s actually something we wanted to talk to you about,” Martin says. “I’ve been wanting to spend more time with the kids, once the baby comes. Nicole was wanting to pick up some more hours at the firm, so we can share the load a bit more. So, we’re looking for someone to come in and work with me—a partner.”
I keep my face steady. “Oh, yeah?”
Martin nods. “We were hoping it would be you.”
“You want to bring me in as a partner?”
He holds up his hands. “Now, I know my practice isn’t as prestigious as your current one. I probably can’t offer you a huge salary jump and I can’t promise you’ll be getting high-profile cases. But it’s growing quickly. I can hardly keep up with the workload, and with your experience, I think you’d make a huge impact. You could have flexible hours and choose your own cases.”
They look at me expectantly. I take a deep breath.
“When you asked me if I was looking for a new job earlier, I thought you were joking.”
“Maybe I was just gauging your reaction,” he grins.
I nod. “It’s a lot to take in. I… can I have some time to think about it?”
“Of course,” Nicole smiles. “I knew you wouldn’t say yes right away. Didn’t I, babe?”
“You did,” he smiles. Their love is painfully obvious.
That would be the worst part about taking this job in my current state of mind. Martin’s right—it’s a smaller firm, but I’ve been feeling like I’ve hit a ceiling at my current job. I don’t see myself making partner for at least another five years. If I could move to a smaller firm, and build up my name as a partner with Martin…
“She’s considering it,” Nicole says with a grin. “I can see the gears grinding in her head.”
“The gears aren’t grinding. They’re perfectly calibrated and well-oiled.” I tap the side of my head and they both laugh. Jackie, their two-year-old, makes a noise and tapes her own head.
I look at their toddler and my whole body starts to melt. It feels like my womb is aching for one of its own, like a deep yearning for something soft and cuddly and mine. I put my hand on my stomach and take a deep breath.
Nicole tilts her head. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking about saying yes, but I’d still like some time to think about it.”
Martin nods. “I’ve drafted up an offer, I can send it through to you this afternoon. Have a look and let me know what you think. We’d love to have you on the team.”
“I have to give four weeks’ notice at my current job, so I wouldn’t be able to start for another month.”
“That’s fine,” he grins. “I can work with that.”
By the time I get back to the office, my mind is whirling. I look around my office—the same office I’ve had for the past three years I’ve worked here. It feels comfortable and safe, and I’ve been very successful here. At the same time, it feels stagnant.
If I moved on, I wouldn’t have to deal with Adrian Maguire waltzing through this building every week. I could forget that he even exists. This case could go on for months, and I could avoid it completely. I could move on.
I know I shouldn’t base career decisions on things like that, but at the moment, the thought of his face makes me sick. He’s so selfish, with absolutely no regard for the consequences of his decisions. He shouldn’t be mayor and he definitely shouldn’t have this much power over my and Ashley’s futures.
What makes me more sick, however, is the fact that I still want him. I keep dreaming of his body and thinking of his hands on me. The kiss is burned into my brain and I can’t get rid of it no matter how hard I try.
I lean over and touch the plant on the edge of my desk. Ashley bought it for me on my first day of work. She said that it would brighten my depressing office up and remind me that there’s a world outside this building. I don’t have any photos of my family in my office, but the plant always reminded me of her.
And she’s right—there’s a world outside this office. My computer dings and Martin’s name pops up in my email inbox. My new employment contract. A smile tugs at my lips and I take a deep breath.
I don’t even need to look at the contract to know that I’m going to accept. The thought of starting fresh excites me more than I can say. If I give my notice this week, I only have four weeks left to work here. Four weeks of Adrian, four weeks of Theresa, four weeks of stagnation. Martin and Nicole just gave me a light at the end of this very long tunnel.
18
Adrian
I wait until Barry rolls down his car window and then I nod. “What’s going on?”
We’re parked next to each other in an old gravel parking lot in the industrial district. We’ve been coming here to meet privately ever since I hired him nearly ten years ago.
Instead of answering, he hands me his phone with a document loaded up on it. It’s a contract from nearly ten years ago, for the purchase of my first house. I bought it with money that my parents loaned me.
I shake my head. “So? Why are you showing me this?”
“My contact at the Feds told me they’d started looking into the corruption charges against you. I remembered when you showed me your first house, you said you’d bought it with a loan from your parents.”
“Yeah.” I frown. “What’s your point? Lots of people get loans from their parents to buy houses. The housing market is fucked.”
Barry sighs, staring at me like I’m denser than a block of concrete. “Did you pay your parents back?”
“Obviously. It only took me a couple years to start making good money in my first business before I went into politics. Barry, will you get to the fucking point, here? I haven’t got all day.”
He waves his phone at me. “If they can’t get you on corruption charges with this construction deal, they’ll get you on this. Paying your parents back for that loan made your first mortgage fraudulent. It’s a felony.”
“What?” I laugh, frowning. “What are you talking about?”
“How do you not know this?”
“It doesn’t make any sense! Everyone borrows money! Show me one person who’s bought a house in their twenties who didn’t get the money from someone else.”
Barry shrugs. “Google it if you don’t believe me. It’s falsifying a home loan application.”
I shake my head. My heart thumps and I shake my head harder. “That’s crazy.”
“Your lawyers figure out a way to get you out of this mess yet?”
I stare at him and then look away. I shrug. “They want me to settle out of court. They said the DA will drop the charges based on some of the things they’ve found.”
“My advice is to take that deal and run. The feds find this,” he lifts his phone up again. “And Adrian, they will find it… then, you’re done.”
I take a deep breath as panic starts to rise in my throat. I smack my steering wheel as hard as I can and the horn blares. “Fuck!”
“Take the deal.”
Barry stares at me from under those bushy grey eyebrows. His face is deadly serious, and I know he means it. If he says I should run from this, I trust him enough to believe it.
That doesn’t stop me from Googling it the minute he drives off.
“18 U.S. Code § 1014. Loan and credit applications generally; renewals and discounts; crop insurance:
Whoever knowingly makes any false statement or report, or willfully overvalues any land, property or security, for the purpose of influencing in any way the action of the Federal Housing Administration...”
My eyes skim over legal jargon I don’t quite understand, and then I see the last line of the act:
“shall be fined not more than $1,000,000 or imprisoned not more than 30 years, or both.”
I drop my phone in my lap and cover my face in my hands.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, oh shit, fuck.
I’m hyperventilating. I grip the steering wheel and take long, slow breaths as I try to make sense of what’s happening. I could be fined a million dollars?! I could go to jail for thirty fucking years?!
They wouldn’t give me such a harsh sentence… would they?
I lean my head against the headrest and close my eyes. An hour ago, I was absolutely sure that I wanted to fight this. I wanted to clear my name—but now I realize that I can’t even do that. I made that deal with Hansen Constructions. I accepted campaign money and gave them a development project they had no business winning. Even if my name isn’t on the contract that they got, the whole thing stinks of bribery.
When I open my eyes, I know what I need to do. I need to face these things head-on. I can’t clear my name, because I was wrong.
But I won’t go to jail for accepting money from my parents to buy a house. Going to jail for thirty years for that… I can’t even wrap my head around it. I can accept the consequences when I’ve done something wrong, but not something that every single one of my peers has done. I didn’t even know it was a crime!
It’s time for me to face the facts: my political career is over. I made a dirty deal, and I have to pay with my seat as Mayor. I have to give up my career in politics and save my skin. If that’s the only way to avoid jail time, so be it.
My eyes are misting and I shake my head angrily. I won’t cry.
Instead, I pick up the phone and dial Theresa.
“Mr. Mayor,” she says on the first ring.
“I’ve changed my mind. Talk to the DA, see if you can get the charges dropped. I don’t care about the acquittal.”
“That’s a very wise decision, Mr. Mayor. May I ask what prompted this change of heart?
“Just call me Adrian, please. And I guess I just came to my senses,” I sigh, closing my eyes as Theresa chuckles.
“Of course. This is the right thing to do, Adrian. I’ll set a meeting with the District Attorney today and see what he says.”
“If he accepts… does that mean I can’t be tried for these same charges again?”
“Depends on the deal we make.”
“That doesn’t sound like a ‘yes’ to me.”
Theresa takes a deep breath. “I’ll try to get him to agree to closing the case. If it’s dismissed, there is a chance it could be reopened in the future, and it could show up on your record.”
“This is sounding less and less like a good option for me.” My palms are sweaty. A criminal record—I can’t have a criminal record!
“Mr. Ma—Adrian, listen. You do not have a strong case. If this thing goes to trial, you will lose. We may be able to get away with a lighter sentence, but there is no lawyer in the world who can get you acquitted. Getting the charges dropped is the only option you have. I’m glad you’ve come around to the idea, because it’s your only shot at avoiding jail time. I’ll do my best to have your criminal record wiped, and to have the case closed, but I’m not making any promises.”
My heart thumps and I take a shaky breath. I nod, even though she can’t see me. Then I clear my throat. “Okay. Yeah, alright. Just do it. Thank you.”
“I think that’s the first time you’ve thanked me for anything.”
“I’ve been told I’m an asshole.”
She chuckles. “I’ll call you tonight and we can meet to discuss the DA’s response.”
“Thank you.”
“Twice in one conversation! I must be doing something right.”
“You sound like Stella—like Ms. King.”
Theresa just grunts in response. “Bye-bye, now.”
I hang up the phone and take a deep breath. Then, I pick up the phone and call the Governor. His receptionist answers.
“Governor Hardy, please. It’s Mayor Maguire.”
She transfers me through, and Oliver Hardy’s gruff voice comes on the line.
“You’d better have some good news for me.”
“I’m waiting on word from my lawyers to sort this thing out. Once I get the call, hopefully tonight, I’ll be able to step down as mayor. No extended leave of absence, just a straight up resignation.”
“This is a change of tune.”
“I’ve seen the light.”
Governor Hardy chuckles. “And here I thought you were coming for my job.”
“I was,” I admit. “I’m not anymore. Just give me a couple days to get this case figured out, and I give you my word that I’ll step down.”
“You word isn’t worth much around here, Maguire.”
“Oliver, you’ve known me a long time. Please.” It pains me to beg him like this. My pride is screaming in agony as it gets stripped from me, bit by bit. I can imagine the victory in his eyes and the triumphant, cocky smile on his face. But I swallow back my snarky comments and wait for him to speak.
“Fine. But I swear to Christ, Maguire, if I get even one whiff of you fucking me on this�
��”
“You won’t. I’m done. You said it yourself.”
He grunts and the phone clicks when he hangs up on me. With a sigh, I head back to City Hall with my head hanging low and my tail between my legs.
19
Stella
The champagne pops and Nicole grins at me. “I wish I could have some!”
“Me too,” Ashley laughs. “I just want this baby out! I feel like a whale.”
“Have you signed up for a mother’s group yet? I can give you the name of the one I went to with Jackie. It was great. We’ll be able to go together.” Nicole smiles at my sister, and Ashley beams. They both put a protective hand on their stomachs and bask in their motherly glory.
I turn to Martin, who’s holding the champagne and I nod. “Give me some of the good stuff, Marty. I can’t stand much more of this baby talk.”
He laughs and pours me a glass. Liam grins at me and takes a glass of his own. He nods at me with a strange expression on his face.
“So I heard you dropped my brother’s case.”
I take a deep breath and nod. “I also quit the firm. Four weeks from now I’ll be nowhere near that case.”
Liam smiles sadly. “I never thought it would come to this. After everything Ash went through last year, this just feels like salt in the wound.”
“Believe me, I know. I tried to explain that to Adrian, but…”
Liam sighs. “Adrian’s always been stubborn.”
“I prefer the term ‘arrogant prick’ myself, but stubborn works.” I glance at Liam and blush. “Sorry. I shouldn’t say that about your brother.”
“Hey, I was just trying to be polite.” He laughs and throws his arm around my shoulder. He touches his glass to mine. “You’re my sister-in-law, now. We’re family.”
Ashley smiles at me, and I glance around the room at my friend, my sister, their husbands, and I realize that this is my family. My parents aren’t with us anymore, but it doesn’t really matter. We’ve made our own families.
Or, I guess they made their own families and graciously decided to let me be the fifth wheel. My champagne flute is empty all of a sudden, and Martin fills it up.
Love/Hate: The Complete Enemies to Lovers Series Page 43