by T V Hartwell
Jake sighed. I’m open to more, he nearly said reflexively to assuage her before stopping himself, believing she’d see right through the insincerity of his words. Emotionally raw from his breakup with Amanda and now also with Kirby, deep down he knew that he truly wasn’t yet ready or prepared to commit to someone new. Nevertheless, he didn’t want sex to get in the way of his true feelings for Julie as a person and as a friend. “Okay, I have an idea,” he said, then paused for effect to elicit her attention.
“What?” she said, looking at him cynically.
“What are doing for Thanksgiving? Your family’s back in New Jersey, right?”
“Yeah, but I’m not going back there for the holidays.”
“Then what are your plans?”
“I don’t know just yet. So far, I haven’t solidified anything.”
“Good, then I want you to join me and be my guest for Thanksgiving.”
Julie looked at him in disbelief. Her lips appeared on the verge of cracking a smile if not for her suppressing them to hold back any semblance of excitement at the unexpected, surprise invitation. “Where?” she asked, maintaining her cool.
“At my parents’ house. We usually go to our place in Mammoth to ski over Thanksgiving, but this year we’re staying here.”
“You seriously want me to meet your parents?”
“You’ve just accused me of not considering you a real friend and have forced me to prove you wrong. Now if you decline my invitation, especially after just admitting to me that you don’t have any other plans, then I’ll know that you’re the one who’s being disingenuous and not serious about building a deeper friendship with me away from the office.”
“I’m speechless. What a very kind and thoughtful gesture. I don’t know what to think.”
“Well, I’ll tell you what you should think. That I would never invite a trick to be my guest for Thanksgiving dinner, let alone to my parents’ house to meet my family. You good and well know I have much better options than that.”
“Point well made,” she conceded sheepishly, but feeling happy nonetheless, which Jake could sense.
He felt happy too; happy that she was happy and off his back for the time being.
* * *
Chapter Twenty-Eight
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, Jake had called his mother Jamie to let her know that he would be plus one for the holiday feast. She hadn’t expected to hear Jake was bringing along a guest and when he told her it would be a female colleague from work, she naturally wondered if they were dating.
“So tell me a little more about Julianne,” she said in a conspiratorial yet playful tone.
“Julie, Mom. She prefers to be called Julie.”
“Okay. Julie. Sorry.”
“And it’s not what you think. We’re just friends.”
“Just friends?” Jamie asked skeptically, knowing that Amanda had been the only other female he’d ever invited to such an intimate family affair.
“Yeah. We’ve worked together in the corporate practice group since I first started working at the firm as a summer associate while still in law school. She’s one of the more senior associates in our practice group and has been kind of a mentor to me. Of course, she’s a little older than—”
“How old?” Jamie interrupted.
“Thirty-three. She’s been at the firm going on eight years now and is on track to be named a partner before the end of the year.”
“Oh, how lovely. Where’s she from? Does she have family here?”
“No. She’s from Jersey. That’s why I thought I’d invite her to come, since her family’s back East. She’s a pretty amazing person. Comes from kind of a working class background, as I understand it. Was the first in her family to attend college. Got into Dartmouth and then went on to graduate at the top of her class at NYU law. She’s tough as nails. Some of the newer associates are a little afraid her.”
“Why?”
“I think they’re just a little intimidated because she’s so sharp, and admittedly, she doesn’t suffer fools lightly. I think because she’s had to work so hard to get to where she is, she expects you to work equally as hard and to figure things out for yourself. One of the reasons I think we hit it off so well is because she could see that I was a self-starter who wasn’t looking for a lot of hand holding and coaching.”
“Well, I’m sure she could also see that you’re as driven and as intelligent as she, with academic credentials that are equal—superior, in fact. I mean, NYU is a good law school . . . an excellent law school even, but it’s not Stanford.”
“Considering most of the partners went to law schools like Stanford, Berkeley, Harvard, and Yale, she’s probably worked extra hard to prove herself and show that she belongs. You know, when she’s named a partner next month she’ll be one of only a handful of female partners in the LA office and the first and only one in the corporate practice group.”
“Good for her. She sounds very interesting. I can’t wait to meet her.”
“Yeah, I think you and Dad will like her. She has a sharp wit and is a great conversationalist. She’ll make a good dinner guest.”
“Well, even though you claim not to be dating, Granny will be pleased nonetheless to see you with a young lady. Not that she has anything against gay people, but she was quite shaken by the accusation that was made.”
“Yeah, I was kind of thinking the same thing. By bringing Julie over, I figure I could do a little damage control in the process so Granny doesn’t think I’m gay,” he said with a chuckle. “This will give her something to report back to her friends who were spreading that ridiculous rumor.”
***
By the time Thanksgiving Day rolled around, Jake and Julie had still been hooking up, but to a lesser degree since they’d mutually agreed to discontinue their daily booty call appointment in a public restroom. With Julie living in Pasadena, twelve miles northeast of downtown and Jake living in the complete opposite direction toward the Westside of LA, distance became an impediment, especially during the workweek. However, to keep things going, Jake schlepped to Pasadena three times after the bathroom rendezvous ended. He increasingly began to enjoy Julie’s company, along with the familiarity of having sex with the same person—something to which he’d grown accustomed after having had the same two sexual partners for several years, Amanda and Kirby, with few exceptions.
Jake and Julie had decided to arrive at his parents’ house together for Thanksgiving dinner, so she’d driven to Jake’s place first. Then they took his car to his parents’ house, only five minutes away.
“So who else will be there?” Julie asked as they made the quick drive over. “Your parents, your brother. . . Harry, right?”
“Right. Harry’s home from Stanford, and he’s bringing his girlfriend.”
“Oh, nice. Does she go to Stanford too?”
“Yeah. They started dating last year—”
“Which was—”
“Their junior year,” Jake said anticipating her question. “They’re both seniors this year and will be graduating. She’s from San Diego or, uh, Rancho Santa Fe, to be exact.”
“How nice. Well, I see Harry takes after his older brother.”
Jake cracked a half smile as he peered over at her, unsure of what she meant. “In what way?” he finally said.
“Rancho Santa Fe . . . you’re both into dating very rich girls from fancy places. Although her being rich is an assumption on my part. I guess she could merely be the daughter of one of the ranch hands.”
Jake smirked. “No, that wouldn’t be the case. Her father’s a major real estate developer down there.”
“See. I was right. I know the country club set like to stick to their own.”
Not wanting to go there, Jake just rolled his eyes and continued. “Anyways, it’ll be Harry and Tatum, my dad and mom, and my grandparents from Mom’s side.”
When they arrived at his parents’ home in the old money neighborhood of Windsor Square, th
ey walked right in, the front door being unlocked. “Oh my God, it smells so deliciously good in here,” Julie said, the aroma from the kitchen filling the house.
“I can practically taste the food on the tip of my tongue just from the smell of it,” Jake said, right as his stomach growled in hungry anticipation, making them both laugh.
“Hi, Jake.” Imelda, the Doyles’ live-in housekeeper came out to the entry hall to greet them after hearing their voices. “Happy Thanksgiving,” she said in her strong Filipino accent.
“Hey, Imelda,” Jake said enthusiastically returning her smile with a big one of his own. “Happy Thanksgiving to you as well.” After introducing her to Julie and exchanging pleasantries, he eventually asked, “Where is everyone?”
“Out back on the patio,” she said as she started to walk back to the kitchen. “It’s such a beautiful day. Come. . . come,” she said, turning again toward them and gesturing with her hand.
“Okay. We’ll be out in a second,” Jake said before stepping into the living room with Julie, his hand lightly touching the small of her back.
“What a lovely home,” Julie said, admiring the Doyles’ house—known for its tasteful but restrained elegance. Not gaudy or overdone. “I can see you growing up in a house like this,” she said to Jake, who simply grinned bashfully at the comment. “You certainly had it better than I did,” she said wistfully as she walked over toward the grand piano which sat near a large bay window that overlooked the perfectly green and manicured front lawn that sloped down to the street, dotted with tall, majestic palms.
She stood at the grand piano to look at the plethora of silver framed photos on top of it. Most all of the photos consisted of the Doyle family, going back several generations. She took a particular interest in a photo of Chester Doyle, Jake’s great-great grandfather and co-founder of Doyle, Licht, & Cumberland, which along with Duchovany & Brown, where she and Jake worked, was one of the oldest and most prestigious law firms in Los Angeles.
“Your family is so decorated and illustrious,” she commented with a sense of awe and fascination as Jake pointed out and described various members to her. As he did so, however, it dawned on him how little he knew about her family. She hadn’t talked with him much about her background and upbringing as a youth in New Jersey, but he sensed that the present moment, with his family waiting for them out back, wasn’t the right time or place to probe.
As is typical in Southern California on Thanksgiving Day, the weather was comfortably warm with a light breeze, the sky glorious and blue, and the Doyles’ backyard, lush and green with mature landscaping, brightly colored flowers, and old trees framing a swimming pool at the center of the yard that sparkled in the sunlight, water crystal clear and inviting. Everyone looked relaxed, prosperous, and content as they lounged, sipped jasmine iced tea, and chatted amiably. When Jake escorted Julie to the back patio, his family greeted them warmly as they blended into the scene.
“What a pleasure it is to meet you,” Jake’s dad, Tom, said when he shook Julie’s hand. “I’ve heard of you.”
“Really?” she replied, clearly puzzled. “How?”
“Mike Wallace.”
“Oh, of course,” she registered the connection when he said Mike’s name, well aware of his ties to Jake and his family, but she allowed Tom to continue.
“Mike and I are close friends . . . have been for many years. We golf together a lot and whatnot. I recall him telling me about you and what a good lawyer you are and that you’ve been a great addition to the team over there at Duchovany. He recruited you from NYU, I understand.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“What made you decide to come out West?”
“Well, I’d had it up to here with East Coast winters by my second year of law school. And I had attended Dartmouth in New Hampshire before that. So after growing up in New Jersey, going to college in New Hampshire, and attending law school in New York, I increasingly grew to hate the cold and was ready for a change. So during law school I’d only applied for summer associate positions in LA and San Francisco and lucky me, Mike interviewed me. The partner who normally did on-campus interviews at East Coast law schools at the time apparently got sick and had to cancel at the last minute. And it just so happened that Mike was in New York on business that week and they asked him if he could fill in and conduct interviews at NYU and Columbia. I felt so fortunate because after they’d hired me for a summer position, I Iater learned that Duchovany typically only hired summer associates from Harvard, Yale, and Columbia.”
“That’s right,” Tom said, aware of how selective Duchovany was in their recruiting and hiring practices.
“They only reserved so many slots in the LA office for East Coast law students so they pretty much could hire the cream of the crop from the top law schools. I mean obviously NYU is a top law school . . .”
“Of course,” Tom agreed.
“Still there’s a clear bias in favor of the Ivy League schools, especially at the more elite law firms. But Mike and I really connected during my interview. I think he liked my scrappiness, especially when I argued with him over the technicalities of Sarbanes-Oxley . . . as if I knew the law better than he did,” she said with a chagrined chuckle. “I was a cocky, overachieving law student then. I didn’t know any better,” she said, as they both laughed, “but I think Mike was amused nonetheless. No, but seriously, he took a chance on me and the rest is history. I haven’t looked back since. I love it out here.”
“Well, I’m happy to hear that things have worked out so well for you. And I hear you’ll be named a partner soon.”
“That’s right . . . next month,” she said, smiling broadly.
“Congratulations. Looks like Mike made a smart choice, the right choice in bringing you aboard. He thinks very highly of you.”
Becoming slightly flush in the face, she beamed as Tom heaped praise on her and showed an interest. “Well, I’m very flattered to know that Mike has spoken so well of me. He’s been such a great mentor and friend over the years. It will be an honor for me to go from calling him my boss to my law partner.”
After several minutes of introductions and polite conversation had passed, Jake sat there pleased to see how comfortably Julie had settled in. Everyone seemed to be enjoying her company, which came as no surprise to him. Julie can hold her own, he thought when he decided to hop up and follow after his mother back into the house.
“I’m starved,” he said, walking into the kitchen and lifting pot covers to inhale the aroma of the food and then dipping the tip of his finger in the gravy boat for a little taste. “All I had was a bowl of cold cereal this morning. I’ve been saving room in my tummy for this all day. Can’t wait to eat.”
As she and Imelda busied themselves with final preparations of the food, Jamie scolded her son in mock exasperation when Jake started going for some of the carved meat, eating one slice after another. “Hold your horses, buddy.”
He laughed her off and kept eating until she came around and pushed him away playfully. “Stop it. Look, you’re messing up the presentation,” she said before picking up the knife to carve more slices of turkey to replace what he’d taken.
With his mouth full, “So what do you think of Julie?”
“Very impressive, and she’s tall. I bet she’s as tall as you in heels, if not an inch or two taller.”
“Yeah, she is pretty tall.” And she has the most amazing legs, he added to himself.
When everyone began to make their way back into the house for dinner, Jamie and her mother, Marilyn, discreetly exchanged notes about this new mystery lady in their midst.
“She looks a little like Amanda,” Marilyn whispered to Jamie as they took seats next to each other at the dining room table. She had liked Amanda very much and thought she would’ve made a good, traditional wife for her beloved grandson whom she’d envisioned as a potential governor of California, United States senator, or future president even.
“No she doesn’t, Mother,�
�� Jamie snapped. “She’s taller, has lighter eyes, and has a more conservative, traditional look. Less showy.”
“Well, I would agree Amanda’s more fashionable and glamourous, but that’s because of her line of work.”
“Don’t you mean because of her line of credit?” Jamie scoffed with her characteristic sarcasm on all things Amanda. When Marilyn attempted to offer a rebuttal, “Shish, shish,” Jamie signaled demonstratively to quiet her as Jake and Julie, along with the rest of the group, entered the dining room to join them at the table.
As they consumed the holiday feast that had mostly been prepared by Jamie with Imelda’s assistance, the table conversation initially centered on Harry’s golf game and the high likelihood of him applying to law school in lieu of attempting a pro golfing career. However, when Jake’s grandfather Henry asked Julie about her family and how they were spending Thanksgiving, she stole the spotlight and all attention shifted to her.
She explained to them that her father had multiple sclerosis, which had gotten progressively worse over time and had completely incapacitated him before she graduated from high school. As a result, he’d had to leave his long-term manufacturing job at a Campbell Soup processing plant in Camden, New Jersey, and go on permanent disability. Her mother, who’d also worked in manufacturing, had to leave her job as well to take care of him full-time. The situation had gotten so bad financially that they nearly lost their house to foreclosure, and Julie, being the older of two daughters, had to get a part-time job to help support the family. Nevertheless, she was able to maintain good grades and graduate high school as class valedictorian, earning a full scholarship to Dartmouth.
Her younger sister didn’t fare as well, becoming pregnant out of wedlock shortly after finishing high school. Now the sister, her young son, and her parents all still lived together in the same house in which she’d grown up. Julie said that she provided support to them financially as she had all through college and law school with her wages from the part-time jobs she’d held down. She often felt like she was the head of her family and lamented that it could be draining at times.