Collateral Damage: A Small Town Romance

by Lagomarsino, Giulia

  I smiled at him. “Sure, no problem. I’ll start making calls immediately.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I would be prepared for this wedding to cost twice as much though.”

  He did a double take and sank down into the chair in front of my desk. “What are you talking about?”

  “Well, the florist was going to do your flowers at cost. Mrs. Cranston was going to make your cake, but I would imagine now you’ll have to pay a few hundred dollars for that. Pastor Andrew said that he would be happy to make sure the church was available, free of charge, but I’m guessing that will go away now too. Sissy Roberts was going to design a wedding dress especially for Kat, but I guess now she’ll have to buy off the rack.” I made a cringing face. “Oh, and the guys were talking about building you a special archway, should you decide to have an outdoor wedding. But if they’re not involved…”

  “Fine,” he sighed. “I get it. Just…make sure that it’s all tasteful. Kat wanted to have a small, intimate wedding. Try to keep it that way.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m great at organizing. Remember the state of your office when I started here?”

  He glanced around. “Yeah, I get it.”

  “I’ll call Kat for you and explain the situation.”

  “I can take care of it.”

  I tilted my head and smiled. “So, you’re going to explain that you were too dickless to tell a few townspeople that you didn’t want their help? I’m sure I can spin it better than that for her.”

  “Is there something other than the wedding to talk about this morning? Something that would be close to a job?”

  I smiled and handed over a piece of paper to him. “Mrs. Cranston called this morning. She needs her light fixture in her kitchen moved.”

  He snatched the paper out of my hand and grimaced. “This day fucking sucks.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  Robert

  “Mr. Cortell, your six o’clock is here.”

  I frowned at the desk phone and then quickly looked over my schedule. I didn’t remember scheduling a six o’clock appointment.

  “Cindy, can I see you in my office for a moment?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  She walked in and stood with a pad and pen in her hand.

  “Cindy, who is my six o’clock? I’m not showing anyone on the schedule.”

  “Oh, it was a last minute client.”

  “Then he should have been booked during regular hours.”

  “This client asked specifically for a meeting after business hours. He’s a very high-profile client.”

  I sighed and tossed my pen down on my desk. “Alright, send him in and then call over to Red Ginger Bistro in Cedar Lake, Indiana.”

  “Indiana?”

  “Yes, I have to pass through there for a meeting.”

  “What would you like me to order?”

  “Just grab a little of everything on the menu.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  I took a seat and glanced at my watch. I was going to have to wrap this up quickly if I was going to make my date with Anna. Shit, it was not a date. I wasn’t even sure what the hell I was doing. I could leave this all in her hands, but instead, I was rushing to get out of here and drive an hour away to see a woman that hated me. But ever since she came back into my life, I was finding it hard to keep her out of my thoughts. She was always lingering there, but lately, she was showing up more and more in all my thoughts and fantasies. It was driving me insane.

  The door opened and Michael Jacobson III walked through my door. He was one of the richest men in the city. He had his fingers in every piece of business in the city. I wouldn’t be surprised if he even owned a piece of this company.

  “Mr. Jacobson, please take a seat.”

  He nodded and sat across from me. I was surprised to see him here. It was widely known that he and his wife were very much in love and were practically inseparable. And since I was a divorce lawyer, he wouldn’t be coming to me for any other reason.

  “How can I help you today?”

  “I want a divorce from my wife, but I need to make sure that I retain all control of my companies.”

  “Do you have a copy of your prenuptial agreement?”

  His jaw clenched in anger. “We never had one. When we got married, we were young and in love. I never thought that our marriage would dissolve. Back then, I had no money. We were just two kids in love.” He sighed and ran a hand over his forehead. “When I built my company, she was nervous about the amount of money I was making. She thought it would change me. It turns out, the only person it changed was her. She started going on shopping sprees to the point that I had to limit access to our accounts. Over the past few years, she’s started partying a lot. She claims that I’m too busy for her.”

  “Are you?”

  He shrugged lightly. “Possibly, but then I found out last week that she’s been cheating on me for the better part of five years. I had no idea.”

  I internally cringed. This was not good. “Mr. Jacobson, Illinois is a no fault state, and without a prenup, you’re not going to hold onto that money and your assets.”

  “What about a postnuptial?”

  “You could,” I nodded, “but she would read through it and notice that you’re stripping her of all her assets.”

  “What if she wasn’t fully aware of what she was reading?”

  I shook my head. “Any good lawyer, and she will hire a good lawyer, is going to argue that she wasn’t fully aware of what she was reading. The judge will throw out that agreement and he’ll most likely come down harder on you for it.”

  He sighed, running his hand across his jaw. “I have pictures…evidence that would ruin her reputation.”

  I had to tread carefully here. The last thing I needed was to get either of us in trouble. “As a lawyer, I would advise you against using any form of blackmail. It sounds good in theory, but you have to weigh how much she values her reputation against how much she wants your money. And if you’re willing to screw her over, she may decide that she’ll take the ruined reputation along with your money. And that doesn’t even cover the legal ramifications you would face. It’s a felony. We’re talking several years in prison and a hefty fine if you’re convicted.”

  “This is what you’re saying as a lawyer. What about man to man?”

  “I would tell you that I follow the law, and no matter what your wife has done to you, I would not take you on as a client if I knew these were your intentions. Mr. Jacobson, I would be happy to work with you under law-abiding circumstances, but if your intention is to cheat the system, you’ll have to find another lawyer.”

  I stood to let him know I was finished with this conversation.

  “I would suggest that you approach your wife and try to work things out with her. If not, you can always negotiate the terms of your divorce with her. Perhaps there’s something she wants more than just your assets and your millions.”

  He stood and nodded. “I’ll take that under advisement. I’ll be in touch.”

  He walked out of my office and a moment later, my boss walked in with a grin on his face. “Jacobson. Who would have known he and his wife were headed for divorce. So? Did you snag him?”

  “No, in fact, I told him that he needed to seek other counsel.”

  “What?” my boss spluttered. “Robert, do you have any idea what kind of money that would bring into the firm?”

  “I do, but I don’t break the law, which is exactly what he was proposing. I told him that if he wanted this handled differently, I would help, but if he was looking to do anything illegal, he needed to find a different attorney.”

  My boss’s face turned red. “You call him tomorrow and tell him you’ll take the case on. His case could make us millions.”

  “And his tactics could ruin us. I will not put my morals in the backseat to make a few bucks. Find someone else to do that,” I said, grabbing my briefcase and walking out. I glanced at my watch again and strod
e out of the office. I had a dinner date to get to.

  Picking up the Chinese food had delayed me. I hadn’t planned on staying past six, so I thought I had plenty of time. Now I was a half hour late and she probably thought this was typical for me. And to be honest, I was constantly held up at work. I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into by stepping back into her life. I couldn’t offer her anything normal. I lived an hour away from her. I had a career that kept me at the office late on most nights. Even my weekends weren’t always my own. My brothers were constantly griping that I was always on my phone with clients. It was ridiculous to even be making plans with her on a weeknight.

  I was driving through town on the way to her house when I saw her outside the office. She was standing next to her car with him. What were the odds that Carter Roy would walk into her life at the same moment I did? I knew that back in high school he had a thing for her. But he’d been in the same fucking town with her for the last ten plus years. Why did he have to jump into the ring now?

  I pulled over and got out, slamming my door. I stormed over to her, my anger barely under control. This was supposed to be my night with her. But I couldn’t be too pissed off. Anna already didn’t like me. If I walked over and started flipping out, she would just walk away.

  “What’s going on?” I asked with a calm that I didn’t actually feel.

  Anna turned to me with a raised eyebrow. “What are you doing down here?”

  “I told you, we have stuff to go over for the wedding.”

  She glanced at Carter and then back to me. “I told you that I didn’t want to meet you,” she said quietly, like she was trying to avoid confrontation.

  “Well, Eric told me to fix this, so we need to get a head start on this. We only have a couple of months until the wedding.”

  She sighed and ran a hand over her face. “You know, I can deal with this on my own. And since when are men interested in planning a wedding?”

  “This is for my brother,” I said defensively. “He and Kat have had a pretty shitty year, so I’d like them to have a nice wedding.”

  Carter just stood there, smirking at me with his arms crossed over his chest.

  “You can go now,” I dismissed him.

  “Oh, can I? Thank you for the permission.”

  “Carter is here because my car broke down,” Anna snapped. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

  I frowned and looked at her car. “This isn’t the same one you were driving Friday.”

  “Wow, you know, I hadn’t realized that. Thank you for pointing it out to me.”

  I ignored her snarky comment. “If this is a new vehicle, why did it break down? Where did you get it?”

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but I got it over the weekend at a used car dealer over in Momence.”

  I did a double take. “What? Don’t tell me you went to Used Cars For Less.”

  She narrowed her eyes at me while Carter held his hand over his mouth to stifle a chuckle. “So what if I did? This is none of your business.”

  “How much did you pay for this piece of crap?”

  “I’m not-“

  “How much did you pay?”

  She pursed her lips and her nostrils flared as she crossed her arms over her chest. “$5000.”

  I rolled my eyes heavenward and prayed for patience. She got ripped off by at least $2500. I pulled out my phone and dialed Cindy. When she picked up, I started barking out orders. “Cancel my afternoon tomorrow and get ahold of the Attorney General. I want an investigation started into the business practices of Used Cars For Less. I’ll send over the details.”

  I hung up and turned to a grinning Carter and a shocked Anna.

  “What the hell was that?” Anna asked.

  “They screwed you over. Tomorrow, we’re going back there to get your money back.”

  “They’re not going to give me my money back! I didn’t ask for the carfax or anything like that. I just bought it after taking it for a test drive.”

  “And that asshole has been scamming people for years. Christ, everyone knows not to go to him.”

  “Well, I didn’t!” She turned to Carter. “And what are you smiling at?”

  “Nothing,” he said, trying to wipe the smile off his face.

  “I’m not going anywhere with you tomorrow.”

  “Don’t be stupid. You bought a lemon and that guy knew it. Was there a sign on the car that said buy as is?”

  “No.”

  “Then he should have informed you of any issues with the vehicle, if you want to even call this a vehicle.”

  “You know what? I don’t need you and your pompous attitude to come in and take over. I can deal with this on my own.”

  “Now, hold on,” Carter stepped in. “As much as I agree about the pompous attitude, Robert is a lawyer. You should let him help you on this, because you got royally screwed. This car isn’t even worth five hundred dollars now that your engine is gone.”

  She glared at him. “I called you for help.”

  “Anna, I’d love to help you, but honestly, there’s nothing I can do to help you with this. It’s not a police matter, from what you’re telling me. You need a lawyer.”

  I hid my grin. I didn’t know if he was trying to help me or just knew that he would look like an ass if he tried to get involved. Anna turned to me with a glare.

  “Fine, just tell me what time we’ll be meeting tomorrow.”

  “We’ll discuss it back at your place. I have dinner in the car.”

  “I never agreed to meet you for dinner.”

  “Well, I have it and we need to go over wedding plans.”

  She huffed out her irritation. “Fine, but just this one time. We’ll get the main things worked out tonight, but after that, if you need something, you email me.”

  “We’ll see,” I said as she turned back to Carter.

  “Thank you for coming out here. I’m sorry you wasted the trip.”

  “I got to see you,” he grinned. “That’s not a wasted trip.”

  I rolled my eyes at his cheesy line. And worse, when she smiled up at him. Was she really falling for that crap? They had some kind of moment pass between them and it looked like they were going to kiss. I couldn’t let that happen. I grabbed Anna by the arm and started leading her toward my car.

  “Thanks for helping out, Corduroy.”

  “Always happy to give her a lift when you’re not around,” he shot back. I flipped him the bird and led Anna to the passenger side of my car. She jerked her arm away angrily and plopped down in the seat. I shut the door and walked around to the driver’s side, grinning with a little wave at Corduroy as I got in.

  “Do you always have to be such a jerk? I happen to like him.”

  “Corduroy?”

  “His name is Carter Roy,” she said slowly. “High school was a long time ago. I thought you would have outgrown the childish names.”

  “What can I say, he brings it out in me.”

  “How? All he did was try and help me.”

  I started the car and swiftly pulled back onto the road toward her place. “Oh please, he just wants to get in your pants. He’s wanted you since high school, and he saw his opportunity.”

  “Wow,” she snapped. “So, a man couldn’t possibly want me because he finds me attractive, but because I’m the one that he never got to fuck and he needs to get it out of his system?”

  “You’re twisting my words.”

  “No, that’s pretty much what you said.”

  I growled in frustration. “Look, he’s not the man for you.”

  “Right, and you know who is?”

  I clenched the steering wheel so that I didn’t burst out that I was the man for her. “Let’s just get back to your place and figure out this wedding stuff.”

  “Fine by me,” she snapped.

  Pulling up to her shitty trailer made me livid. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why the hell she was living like this. She had to have so
me money set aside, so why choose to live like this? It just made no sense. And worse, she didn’t seem to care that she was living like this.

  I carefully got out of my car, careful not to step in the potholes that lined her driveway. I was once again in a nice suit, and would ruin yet another one if I wasn’t careful. Had I been thinking, I would have brought a change of clothes with me. I slammed my door and glanced over at the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on. I shut down that thought immediately. I couldn’t afford to think like that. Anna didn’t want me. She’d made that perfectly clear. Not that it mattered. I had my life in the city, so why was I hanging around my hometown with a woman that lived a completely different life than I did?

  “Are you coming?” she asked over her shoulder.

  I nodded and grabbed the food out of the trunk. This was a two seater, and no space for anything extra. Once again, when we got to her door, she slammed her hip into the door over and over again to try and get it open. The good news was that if anyone wanted to break in, they would have a hard time doing it. She finally got it open and walked inside, setting her purse on the table beside the front door.

  Glancing around, I saw that it was magically still in the same condition it was the last time I had been here. Anna walked around collecting the pots that were filled with water on the floor and dumped them down the sink, then returned them to their spots on the floor.

  “Anna, why the hell do you still live here? Do you need money or something? Is that it?”

  She turned a glare on me, crossing her arms over her chest. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m saving for a house. I live here because it’s paid off and allows me to save money. Do you have a problem with that?”

  “Actually, yeah, I do have a problem with that,” I shot back. “You shouldn’t be living in this rat hole.” As if on cue, a mouse ran across the corner of the room. Anna sighed and grabbed a mouse trap off the counter and placed it in the corner. “Seriously, this place is unsanitary. I can’t believe you still live here. Whatever happened to getting out of this place?”