“Do you want it to be more?” Now he turned to look at me, surprise all over his face.
“No, I don’t think so. It just took me off guard, and I wanted to make sure that we were clear and there would be no asshurtery or sore feelings tomorrow.” I was babbling. Truth be told, I was nervous. I didn’t want to have any misunderstandings, and I felt stupid asking him basically if he liked me. Like I should have a note with a Check Here for Yes and Check Here for No box on it.
“None at all. I would have made a move before now if there were.”
“Well, I didn’t think so, but I was so surprised, I had to ask.”
He laughed. “Tib, you’re great, and good looking, and fun, but you’re not my type.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Even though I wasn’t interested, I couldn’t help feeling a little indignant.
“It means you have good taste in friends such as myself, but you pick shitty men to date. You also have the complication of being a girl,” he added, looking straight ahead and not in my direction at all.
Well, he wasn’t wrong on the picker. I did date shitty men. But having girl parts—“Wait, are you officially coming out?”
“You don’t sound shocked at all,” he said dryly.
“I’m not, even though I didn’t really think about it. But I don’t pry, so I figured you’d tell me something eventually. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. Whatever you wanted to tell me,” I hastened to add. “I thought you had a secret girlfriend, and were keeping her from your student life or something like that.”
“Well, at least you didn’t toss it in my face when you were drunk.”
I couldn’t hold my indignation in at that point. “I wouldn’t do that! C’mon, Bryant!”
“Tib, you are a bad drunk. Look at what happened just now. You nearly blew it all for some dick.”
I wanted to be mad, but he was right. On both counts. I sighed. “You’re right. I’m a shitty lush. Why do you want to go into business with me?”
“Because when you’re sober and on top of shit, you’re awesome. Plus, you’re just the person I need to deal with my grandfather.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I wrapped my coat around myself more tightly. Did I just fall into the slutty frying pan from the sort of slutty fire? Was he going to offer me up to his dirty old grandpa?
“My dad is going to go ballistic when he finds out I don’t want to go into the family’s firm. I want to start my own, and I want you as my partner. You’ll help me convince my grandfather to stake us.”
“What are you talking about?” Maybe I just couldn’t think because the earlier me had consumed far too much alcohol, but this wasn’t making sense. Even to the older, wiser me.
“My granddad loves independence. He’ll be secretly thrilled that I want to get out from under Dad. But I’ll have to convince him to part with money. You’re going to help me.”
That was better than I expected. “Um. Okay. How?”
“We need to put together a business plan. If we really have our shit together, he’ll throw a client or two our way.”
“Why doesn’t he want you at the family firm?”
“He doesn’t care either way, as long as I’m in law. He’d laugh his ass off to see me buck my father.”
“Does he know you’re…” I raised my eyebrows.
“No. He’ll think you’re a prospect, which can’t hurt. I don’t want to tell them.” For the first time since he’d gotten me out of the party and off my previous road to doom, he looked uncomfortable. “I’d rather you didn’t tell anyone, actually, Tib.”
I mimed zipping my lips. “I won’t tell anyone. Nor will I confirm or deny that we’re a couple.”
He looked at me again.
“C’mon! With you dragging me out of there, and then the news that we’re going into practice together, the rumors will be flying!”
He laughed. “Maybe that’ll save your ass from the Gorgon.”
I shuddered. “God, she was fucking horrible!”
“How did you not see her, Tib? You have to promise me one thing.”
I glanced at him. “What?”
“I get to vet anyone you want to date.”
“What?” My mouth fell open. “You can’t be serious!”
He nodded. “Totally. You forget, I’ve known you all three years of school. I’ve seen the losers you like. They all suck, Tibby. It’s why you let sleazes like Goodman close to you.”
I peered at him in the darkness of the car. He seemed angry. Like someone who truly cared about me. Like a real friend. This do-over would be filled with a lot of kicking of my own ass. I could tell. How had I not seen and appreciated Bryant for who he was, and the fact that he truly cared for me? “When you put it that way, I sound like a complete dumbass.”
Bryant looked at me, his face serious and intent. “You’re such an amazing person, but you never go for anyone who would support you. You always go for guys who shit on you. I don’t know why, maybe you’ll tell me and get over it someday. Until then, let me meet them before you sleep with them. We’ll keep any more Goodmans from happening.”
I let my gaze fall to my clasped hands. My face was red, I could feel it. I was ashamed. Had he thought this back then? It was true. I didn’t like to admit it, but it was. Which meant I’d been trying to fix the damage from Dave, and Tim, and…oh shit. I probably wasn’t friends with Danni. The thought made me sad.
In my other life, I hadn’t seen Bryant since law school. I didn’t know what he had done. I remembered that I would see him around after the party, and he would have a wistful expression. Maybe it was because of this? The lost opportunity? That made me even sadder.
Suddenly, I was so glad that I had chosen this moment. I initially chose it because I couldn’t think of another time when I’d faced a choice. The other two had been romantically based. This one, this was just for me. For who I might become.
How…serendipitous?—that Bryant had already figured out what it took me years and a couple of wishes to see. I’d be a fool not to take him up on this. As sexually deprived as I’d been feeling, as painful as my first two wishes had been in some aspects, I was doing something here that was for me alone
The thought was exhilarating.
“Bryant, let’s go see your grandfather whenever you want. I’m thrilled that you want to work with me, even knowing all my dirty laundry.”
“You wanna go tonight?”
“Sure. Would he be up for it this time of night?”
Bryant shrugged. “He’d probably take us less seriously.”
“Then let’s not. Let’s set up a lunch meeting with him. After we’ve had time to set up a study schedule and after we can show him we’ve registered to take the bar. We also need to come up with a business plan.” I stopped, thinking about what the head of a major DC firm would want to hear from us. What would make him back us financially? I didn’t realize I’d been silent the rest of the ride home until I noticed that Bryant had pulled up to my apartment building.
“Come in. I won’t be able to sleep. Let’s get some of this on paper tonight!” I couldn’t help my enthusiasm.
Bryant laughed as he followed me into the lobby. “This is why I wanted you, Tib. Look at you. The wheels are already going a million miles an hour!”
I reached for him to give him a one armed hug as we walked up the stairs. I had your typical student apartment, which meant elevators thousands of years old that never worked anyway. Tonight, however, nothing bothered me. This was the sort of second chance I hadn’t expected for myself, and I didn’t want to waste a moment. The fear of not knowing when Dhameer would pull me out propelled me forward as well. I wanted this to be as viable an option as the first two.
“You’re going to have to drive me back to my car,” I said over my shoulder as we walked into my apartment. A glance around was enough to tell me that I had been having one of my neat spells before I fucked up and made out with my boss. The place was
presentable. I sighed inwardly, glad that untidy messes were not an immediate concern.
Bryant knew the old me well. “You picked up, huh? What prompted that?”
I scowled. “I can be neat.”
He snorted.
“When I want to.”
“I’m glad it’s sort of a habit. You’re going to have to make it a regular habit,” he said, sitting down at the table. “So talk. I can practically see the smoke. What’s on your mind?”
“Well, first we need to register to take the bar.”
Bryant held up a hand. “I’ve already done it. YOU need to do so tomorrow.”
I rummaged in the kitchen, coming up with a pad of paper and a pen. I joined Bryant at the table.
Register for bar, I wrote at the top. I met his eyes. “What next?”
“We need to figure out what we’re going to need to set up shop,” He leaned back in the chair, thinking. “When’s your lease up?”
“I’m on a month to month. I have been since last year.”
“Perfect. We’re going to maximize our assets.”
“It’s late, Bryant. Speak English, please.” I put down the pen and glared.
“Okay, okay! My grandfather has a number of townhouses in Georgetown. I bet we can ask him to rent one. We’ll use the top floor as a place to stay, and then we’ll have the offices downstairs. Not that we can do anything right now, but it’ll set us up.”
I didn’t write that down. “Bryant, I have the tiny little stipend from the internship and my savings from over the summer. It’s enough to get me by until the next summer. It’s not enough for me to live on with Georgetown rent!”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll get the family discount,” he said with a grin. “And Tibby?”
“What?”
“I get to decorate. Damn, girl,” he looked around. “This is truly wretched.” He rolled his eyes. “No jokes about stereotypes!”
“I wasn’t even going there. I was thinking, ‘Whatever’. I’m on a tight budget. And decorating is just not my thing.” I thought about how I’d grown up. Mom and Dad couldn’t care less about pictures on the wall. I used to bring home my art projects and hang them up just to have something. The last time I’d gone home, a few of them still hung in the kitchen, faded and showing signs of being stained with something. Probably another fight where Mom’s food was tossed around for not meeting Dad’s standards. Whatever the hell those were. No one knew, least of all him. My parents put on a good show outside the house. Once inside, the mask dropped.
I shook my head to clear it of the musings of my perpetually fucked parents. I couldn’t do anything about that now. I reminded myself that not everything was black and white, and perhaps my parents were not the lost cause I’d thought. Nor did I want to think about how making out with the partner had cost me this, something that had the chance to be wonderful.
I was so stupid when I was younger. And I wasn’t that much older now. Just wiser and far more melancholy.
Bryant and I talked all night, finally stopping when dawn was breaking out my patio window.
“We need some sleep.” I couldn’t hold in the massive yawn.
“I’m going to go home and call my granddad today. Let’s meet with him tomorrow, Tib,” Bryant’s enthusiasm was undimmed.
“Okay. I’m done by one. Can he do a late lunch?”
Bryant laughed. “He’s the senior founding partner. He does whatever he wants.”
“What a nice place to be. You need to go. I’m about to fall over.”
He stood, and pulled me up with him. “Go to bed. And Tib?”
“Yeah?”
He kissed me fast on the forehead and headed for the door. “This is the right decision.”
I smiled at him in spite of how tired I was. “I totally agree.”
He shut the door quietly behind him. I fell into bed and slept until nine that night.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The next morning, Bryant caught up with me in between classes. I noticed that several of our classmates had knowing grins on their faces. I ignored it. I’d already gotten the third degree from Monique, one of the interns who was in my Trade Law class earlier. I’d blushed and said as little as possible. Nothing about Bryant and I going into business. I knew she’d gossip her head off, which was fine with me. Anything to keep Gorgon Goodman off my ass.
“I set us up for 1:30 at his club. Meet me after class, and I’ll drive us over.”
“His club? What is this, merry old England?”
Bryant laughed. “You have no idea. You have all our plans?”
I patted my leather case. “Right here. I haven’t let them out of my sight.”
“Good. I’ll see you later.”
I watched him run off, and I felt better than I had in some time. Losing the chance to go further with either Rick or Seth had been depressing. I tried really hard, but I loved Rick and cared a lot for—was falling in love with—Seth. It hurt to leave when I did. This was different though. This was something just for me. It was something that didn’t depend on what a man thought of me—well, it kind of did, but not romantically. I’d allowed the romantic considerations to be so much of who I was and what I did, that to be considering something else felt almost like foreign territory.
But I liked it. I was excited to meet with Bryant’s grandfather.
I’d have to make sure I did a little primping before lunch. I’d worn a suit today, just in case he’d been able to schedule it. It was the right choice. Bryant had a suit on as well.
***
“Why is it you think I want to support this foolish idea?” Mr. Higgs leaned back in his chair. We’d had a pleasant lunch, the dark tones of Mr. Higgs’ club giving the meeting weight. Not that it needed any more weight than it already had.
Bryant had brought up the subject of our firm during lunch, but Mr. Higgs ignored it. Now, over crème brûlée and coffee, he went in for the kill. It was an effective tactic. He was hoping to catch us off guard, find a chink in our plans. I could see why Bryant wanted a little backup.
“Because it’s a solid plan,” I answered, leaning forward on my elbows and lacing my fingers. I kept eye contact with him. “We’ve got a good plan for managing expenses, both personal and business. We developed an actionable plan for building the business once we’re both out of school. There aren’t a lot of firms that specialize in what we want to. It will be a place to send clients. Somewhere that you have a family connection.”
“Hoping to be part of the family?” He asked gruffly. Wow. I wasn’t expecting that. Bryant looked as though he wanted to sink into the floor.
“Granddad, really.” Bryant’s face turned bright red, and he wouldn’t look at me.
I kept eye contact with the old guy. This was bait.
Mr. Higgs waved his protest away. “It’s a legitimate question. What if things go south with you two? Seen it happen before with partners. Add in the romance, and it has an even greater chance of going belly up. Then where am I? Where’s my money?”
I jumped in. “We’re not involved, Mr. Higgs. I do love Bryant. He’s one of my best friends. But there’s no romance there.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, glaring. I didn’t blink, didn’t move an inch. “Hmmphh.” He turned back to Bryant. “What guarantee do I get regarding repayment?”
We’d prepped for this. “We’re prepared to offer you terms of ten years if our business is up and going strong, twenty if we fold.” He was ours. He just hadn’t admitted it yet.
“Not much return on investment.” The old man crossed his arms. Neither of us spoke. This was it, the moment where we needed to shut up, and let him make up his mind. We’d given him all our arguments, countered his concerns. I moved my foot and carefully applied pressure to Bryant’s foot, mentally imploring him not to speak another word. Now it was up to him. I hoped like hell I hadn’t misread him just now.
“Well.” He banged his hands on the table and stood up. “Bryant, I think you’v
e got a solid start. You and Tabitha come and see me next week. I’ll have the papers drawn up and sent over before then. I’ll get one of the townhouses cleaned, too. You both can come into the office and take care of the papers. There’s one condition, though.” I saw his eyes twinkle and his mouth turn up slightly.
Bryant must have seen this before, because I saw his shoulders rise up a little. A sure sign of stress. “What?”
“Once we sign it all, we call your dad in. I’ll even add him to my calendar.” The old guy actually rubbed his hands in glee.
“Why is this so enjoyable to you?” I had to interject. I felt for Bryant. This old man was a button pusher of the highest order.
“Hasn’t Bryant told you? Love all my kids, but my son has a major stick up his ass. Thinks his way is the only way. I’m a downright embarrassment, but he can’t bitch too much because it’s still my firm. Bryant is not compliant and appreciative, so he’s troublesome. No law against a man helping his grandson, and that will piss Franklin off more than anything. Hates to have someone else driving the bus. Be prepared,” he added, his face suddenly serious. “He’ll demand the papers and try to find a way out. Carry on like a wailing woman, and make us all miserable for a time. You, too, missy.” He shook his finger at me. “But you both are prepared, and have a good, solid plan in place. Not too much risk and a good backer.” His eyes twinkled again. “We’ll see how you do on the bar exam. I might have a client or two for you. Call me when you get the paperwork, boy.” He patted Bryant on the back, gave me a small bow, and walked from the dining room.
“Wow. You’re weren’t kidding.” I swear, he practically danced out the front door. No wonder Bryant needed backup.
Bryant sagged in his chair. “I wasn’t sure he was going to say yes.”
“I knew he would. When he started asking really pointed questions, it was all over but the fuss. He’s delighted to help you, Bryant.” I hadn’t seen Bryant this rattled very often. I wanted to help him calm a little. What would meeting his dad be like?
“Thanks for being here with me.”
“Thanks for asking me. Seriously, I’m so grateful. We’re going to kick some major ass.”
Three Wishes: Time Traveler Romance (Heart Of The Djinn Book 1) Page 15