The Baby Shower

by Tasha Blue et al.

  "Well, it is just that." Carla told her with a smile. "A rumor."

  In the weeks that followed, Carla had a steady stream of customers coming in to complain or question and when some familiar faces stopped walking through the door, Carla felt her heart break and the next time that Daniel came to see her, she found herself sobbing on his shoulder.

  "She's ruining my business!" Carla wept. "She's out to get me!"

  Daniel held her in his strong arms and did his best to soothe her. He felt such guilt for having caused conflict for Carla who was innocent in all of it and who had worked so hard to become successful.

  "I won't let her get away with it." he promised.

  "What are you going to do?" Carla asked him tearfully.

  "What I'm best at. I’m going to sue the hell out of her."

  "Sue her?" Carla repeated. "For what?"’

  "Libel, slander, loss of earnings and emotional trauma." Daniel retorted. "Because that's exactly what she has done."

  "I don't want to sue anyone..." Carla faltered. "I just want her to leave me alone."

  "Trust me, Carla." Daniel warned, "That woman is like a dog with a bone. She won't let go. Her ego has been bruised and she's out for blood. She works with big clients and she knows what makes a business go down. She's building a mob mentality against you. There's no smoke without fire and soon people will stay away just because they've heard one too many stories about this place."

  Carla began to cry heavily at the thought of her business falling to pieces and turned into Daniel's shoulder to weep. He stroked her hair tenderly and comforted her with promises.

  "I'm not going to let it get to that point," he vowed. "I am filing a motion today. I will run her into the ground. I will make her pay for this."

  "But this is our fault!" Carla retorted. "We cheated. She's acting out because she's hurt."

  "She's acting out because she's not used to not getting her way." Daniel retorted. "She's poison. Don't feel any pain for her, Carla, because she's not hurt, she's insulted and none of this is your fault. I cheated. You didn't know about her because I kept it from you. I am the only person to blame in all of this, but I will not let her hurt you or your business. You have my word."

  Carla had been made promises by other men before, but when Daniel made promises to her, she believed him. She nodded and sighed.

  "What do you need me to do?" she asked him.

  "I need access to all of your records." he told her. "I can prove that every one of these claims is a false accusation. When that's done, I will have a hard case that everything that has been said is libel and slander. Then, all I need to do is trace the rumors back to her and she's done. She is not a well-liked woman. I'm sure there are plenty of people dying to throw her under the bus."

  "I don't want you out for blood, Daniel." Carla told him earnestly. "I'm not looking for a fight."

  "I know you're not." Daniel said gently. "You're not a vengeful creature. I, however, do not take attacks on me or mine lightly. She's started a war because she knows that I'll bite. Let her just wait and see. I'll demolish her. She's loaded enough that she'll be able to take the hit. I'll deal with this, Carla."

  Carla did not want to cause trouble, but Daniel had a look in his eye that she had come to recognize as the gleam he got when he had the heart of a case in his hands. She knew that it would not leave again until he'd tasted victory.

  There was nothing she could do now, but let him fight in her corner and hope that he fixed things before too much damage was done. Her business and her happiness were in his hands.

  The abuse and rumor-mongering escalated in the weeks that followed. But Daniel was meticulous in his work and as she prepared the things he needed as evidence for his case, she got to see him at work. She was in awe of his ability to track down witnesses, get ahead of the opposition, and that incredible encyclopedic knowledge of the law he had, which allowed him to always come out on top. Not long after that, they had a date set for court, just weeks before Carla's due date.

  Daniel saw Brooke just once in the time before the case when he passed her on the main street on his lunch one day and she stopped pointedly to confront him once more with a satisfied smirk on her face. Daniel had no time for her games and his face formed a scowl at the sight of her. He stopped too and they squared off against each other like two boxers in the ring.

  "You are out of line, Brooke." Daniel told her harshly. "What do you think you're doing, hunting down an innocent woman because you're insulted? I didn't hurt you; you couldn't care less about me. It's childish and this has gone way too far."

  "Innocent?" Brooke hissed. "She's been opening her legs to another woman's man and you're defending her like she's a saint."

  "She didn't know about us." Daniel told her. "She is innocent."

  "No matter. You’ll be the one to have to deal with the guilt when I rip her and her pathetic little pie-stand to shreds."

  "You don't stand a chance, Brooke." Daniel told her. "You'd better quit while you're still in once piece. You have my office number. If you decide you want to settle, I'm all ears. Otherwise, I'll see you in court and I will tear you apart."

  "You've got nothing on me," she snapped at him nastily.

  Daniel did, in fact, have a quite a bit on her. He managed to get the electronic records for the photocopier, which traced her user ID as the one which had printed the flyer. A certain young associate who'd had no sympathy from her after her brother's death, was more than willing to testify that she had seen Brooke making the copies, and that she, herself refused to hand them out when ordered to by Brooke. Of course, Daniel didn't tell Brooke this, he just simply smiled to himself and walked on.

  He hated that he had caused this unnecessary stress to Carla, especially when she was getting to the later stages of her pregnancy, but he was glad to have the right set of skills to be able to help her now.

  Brooke had picked a fight with the wrong man. Daniel was a lion in the courtroom. His record for victory in court surpassed all others who had graduated alongside him. He was considered elite even among the elite; the best of the best. He had been the youngest lawyer at his firm to bring in his own corporate client and his tenacity and drive had served him well ever since.

  He made the big bucks because he was a winner and his success hadn't gone unnoticed. His name was on the lips of everybody who mattered in the legal profession and soon an opportunity would come his way that made him question where his own loyalties lay.

  Chapter7

  Since the confrontation with Brooke in the department store, Carla had done her shopping alone. On this day, she was browsing for strollers in a local mother-and-baby store when a handsome man several years older than her, who’d noticed the look of confusion on her face, approached her. He was a tall man, with kind green eyes and salt-and-pepper hair. He was wearing a pair of denim jeans and a knitted sweater. He looked like the sort of model you'd seen in a Good Housekeeping magazine.

  "You look confused." he said, approaching her with a friendly smile. "Can I help?"

  "Do you work here?" Carla asked uncertainly, looking for a nametag and finding none. Her question made the man laugh and he shook his head.

  "No, but I've already done this twice." he told her. "I'm actually looking to sell one of my old strollers, but it has a busted wheel so I thought I'd come by on the off-chance they could tell me where to get a replacement. The E-Z-Stroll 360˚ is not a reliable model, let me tell you."

  Carla smiled at his advice. "How old are your kids?"

  "Eight and six." he told her. He pulled out his wallet and opened it up to show her a picture of two adorable little girls. "They're great girls. Both very creative. Sophie is the brains and Laura is the chatterbox, and you? Have you been married long?"

  The baker laughed out loud at his presumption and shook her head with a knowing smile. "No." she said, patting her stomach meaningfully. "This one was a little unexpected."

  "So you're single then?" the man asked her
.

  "I suppose so." Carla said with a light laugh. "And you? Married?"

  "Divorced." he replied. He held up a hand to show her the pale ring around his ring finger where a wedding band had used to be. "Things were great at the start, but life changes you. We started arguing and just thought it was better for the girls if we parted ways. That was two years ago now."

  "It must have been a tough decision."

  "It's never Plan A to divorce," the man agreed, "but sometimes it's the lesser evil. Like you. I guess it was a hard decision to be a single mom."

  "It's not quite like that." Carla said. "The dad's involved."

  "Is it romantic?" he asked with purposeful curiosity.

  "A very, very brief romance." Carla said with a wry smile. "Now he's just there to support me, but we're not an item. He had a girlfriend until very recently."

  "So if I asked you on a date that would be appropriate?" the man sad tentatively. "Although I suppose I should introduce myself first. Geez, I guess you can tell it's been a while since I did this. I'm Michael."

  "Carla." Carla replied, smiling at his shyness in asking her out. He was a fatherly, slightly awkward man, but Carla found there was something comforting in being around someone who'd already been through those tough years ahead that she was facing.

  "Well, Carla, I'd love to take you out sometime for a non-alcoholic drink." he said playfully. "We could talk more about the wonders of parenthood. I have some excellent tips."

  "Are you bothered by the fact that I'm expecting?" Carla asked with a surprised laugh. "Most men would run for the hills at the sight of this bump."

  "Things don't always go according to plan." Michael emphasized. "Still, I don't get the opportunity to meet many women and I've always been a family man myself. I love kids. I've been through a divorce. I'm not afraid of a few complications."

  Carla thought about it for a moment. On the one hand, there was Daniel, but since finding out about Brooke, Carla had kept clear of him in terms of any sexual involvement and he had not made any advances towards her.

  Things had settled between them and as much as she still felt the chemistry and had come to admire him as a lawyer and as a man, and even more so as a friend, she couldn't hedge her bets on the off-chance that he'd give up playing the field and settle down with her. He just didn't seem the type and Carla had to admit to herself that being a single mother would not help her find a man.

  Daniel had once told her that circumstances sometimes find you dating someone just like yourself, because it makes life easier than trying to find someone who might bring surprises and that's where Carla felt she was.

  Daniel was no safe bet, but a nice single father who understood her troubles and spent his afternoons in stroller shops might be just what she needed right now to get her life back on track. Despite the fears that remained, Carla nodded. In her position, she couldn't afford to turn down any offers.

  "Wonderful!" Michael said enthusiastically. "Could I please have your number?"

  Carla programmed her digits into his cell and smiled at the big, goofy grin it brought to Michael's face. It was clear that he did not have that confident streak that Daniel had, but maybe Carla needed someone a little less infallible.

  Meanwhile, new paths were opening in Daniel's own life. Carla's due date was nearing and so was the court case, but now something else was brought to the table to make Daniel question everything.

  Stephen Turner was a brilliant young lawyer with whom Daniel had studied at Harvard. They'd graduated the same year, but their paths had rarely crossed. Daniel had been the first in his year with Stephen just snapping at his heels.

  Matthew Pike was an older gentleman with many years' experience in the law and very deep pockets. Daniel was surprised to get a call from Stephen one day, inviting him for drinks and even more surprised when he found the well-known Matthew Pike at his side.

  Daniel recognized him as a guest speaker he had heard in his second year of college and when he entered the restaurant, he was quick to shake his hand in respect. Pike had been the one to win the infamous Preston vs. Dyke case and helped an underdog company overthrow a multi-million dollar corporation. He was legendary. Daniel shook Stephen's hand too, and the two lawyers invited him to take a seat at the table.

  Stephen was a fair-haired young man who wore large, square glasses like Clark Kent and who had a habit of nervously drumming his fingers against any nearby surface. Matthew was a man in his mid-fifties with tightly curled black hair and a brooding expression. He had the same defiant spark in his eyes as Daniel and he set those eyes upon Daniel as Daniel took a seat opposite him and Stephen.

  "Good afternoon, gentlemen," Daniel said. "I must say, I'm curious as to why I'm here."

  "You shouldn't be." Pike replied matter-of-factly. "You must have expected headhunters to come tracking you down eventually."

  "Headhunters?" Daniel repeated uncertainly.

  "We're starting a new firm,” Stephen told him pointedly, drumming his fingers against the pristine white tablecloth. "Pike's current partner passed away last year and he's decided it's the right time to make a break from Dunelm & Pike and start afresh."

  "Dunelm & Pike is behind the times." Matthew told him. His voice was sharp and he spoke his words in short and pointed sentences which emerged like bullets from his mouth, clearly a habit born from years of stating facts in court rooms and using his tone for emphasis. He spoke as though he were the narrator for some very serious and intellectual film as he spoke about his own aspirations. "Ryder is gone, Dunelm is nearly dead and everybody else is incompetent, greedy or both," he said bluntly. "Dunelm & Pike is dying. There is too much conflict within the firm. It's losing focus and the business just isn't coming in, out here away from the city.

  We need to be in the midst of it all where the real corporate giants are. I want to start again in the city with new premises, a new attitude, and fresh blood on the team. I need sharp minds and lawyers with energy and drive. Your reputation precedes you, Mr. Towler, and after considering many other talented lawyers, Mr. Turner and I have decided that we'd like you to be our third partner. Pike, Turner & Towler. What do you think?"

  Daniel was left speechless. The opportunity was gigantic and something that he had been working towards his entire life. Matthew Pike was a legend. Stephen was one of the best there was among his generation of lawyers, and both were asking him to get on board with a partnership that could catapult them to success.

  With Pike's experience and pull, Stephen's eye for finance and Daniel's skill at bringing in new clients, they would make an unstoppable team and Daniel had always known that his future was in the city.

  Except, now, his future was also in a tiny unborn child that he'd promised to raise. He gave it a moment for the shock of the proposal to sink in, cleared his throat and began to ask questions.

  "What's the timeline on this proposal?" he asked, looking at Pike.

  "We begin founding the partnership today,” Stephen replied. "We move premises in three months. We bring in clients from month four. We win our first dynamite case month six. Bam. We're in business."

  "Wow. This sounds like an incredible opportunity." Daniel stammered out.

  "You seem unsure, Mr. Towler." Pike commented. "Is there something holding you back?"

  "I have a child on the way," he confessed. "The partnership is my dream, but the timing is a little... off."

  "When's the child due?" Stephen asked him.

  "Two months."

  Stephen and Matthew exchanged glances and Matthew sat back in thought. His jaw moved up and down as he considered the options as though he were literally chewing on ideas and at last, he spoke.

  "We want you,” he said at last. "This is how it is: We're going to be in the city in three months. We want you there. I say that you take your time to think about it until your kid is born. In the meantime, we'll track down premises and begin to set up the firm. By the end of June, we'll be ready to open doors. Stephen and
I are going to talk to our second choice lawyer and tell him you are on the fence.

  On the first of July, we open doors for business. If you're there, your name goes up on the wall. If not, it will be someone else. Does that sound fair?"

  "More than fair." Daniel said eagerly. "Thank you, sir."

  The trio discussed a few more details and then left after another round of handshakes. Daniel was left shaken by the encounter. Going to the city as a partner of his own firm was beyond his wildest dreams. Most lawyers couldn't hope to achieve that kind of seniority until well into their fifties.

  Of course, it would be a new firm, starting from the ground up, but that was the kind of challenge that got Daniel's heart pumping and made him feel alive. He would get to work alongside the best and brightest and work with some of the most prestigious clients in the market. It was all he'd ever wanted.

  Then there was Carla. Daniel had grown more than fond of her during the pregnancy. She had a calming effect on him and made him laugh when nobody else could. He couldn't imagine life without her now, but, then again, his career had always been the very essence of who he was.

  He decided that the only thing to do was to sit Carla down and have a frank discussion about their options. Perhaps things would work out if he only spoke to her and broke from his usual habit of keeping everything from the women in his life. He hailed a cab and headed to her apartment.

  When she opened the door to him, she looked pleased and greeted him with a platonic kiss on the cheek, inviting him in.

  "How are you, Daniel?" she asked him brightly, sitting him on the sofa and getting him a cup of coffee and a cupcake.

  "I have some news,” he told her.

  "Me too!" she beamed.

  Daniel smiled. Even though he was bursting to tell her what was on his mind, he also loved to hear about her day, especially when she was smiling like that, and so he invited her to speak first.