by MJ Masucci
The next morning, she woke up earlier than usual. The clock indicated it was 4:00 AM. She stretched and got out of bed, upsetting Boomer and Riley who were sleeping in the crook of her legs. Robert would have the gym open soon, and she could get a good workout before work. She went to her closet and put on her running gear, then she packed her small backpack and went out into the steamy morning. The sun wasn’t up yet, but it would be soon enough.
Even in the sunless sky, she could still feel the heat in the air. They were calling for temps in the nineties today. She ran the entire distance to the Sunset Gym in nine and a half minutes. Robert was just unlocking the doors, and there were a few other people waiting outside when she arrived.
Robert swatted at her backside as she passed by him. She removed her backpack and deposited it in one of the lockers at the far end of the gym. Today was cardio, and she set the timer on one of the ellipticals near the windows. Normally, she hated to be the center of attention, but this morning she felt extra happy.
After her thirty minutes was done, she went to the stair climber and did another twenty minutes. Even with the air conditioning, she was drenched with sweat by the time she finished. She stopped at Robert’s office to tell him goodbye.
“No weight training today?”
“That’s for tomorrow. Cardio one day and weight training the next.”
“You could do both you know,” Robert said.
“I could, but I also run in the park in the afternoon on weight days. So I’m getting cardio, just not here. Soon it will be too cool to run outdoors, and I’ll do cardio several times a week here. I know you miss me.”
“Sam misses you. She wanted me to ask if you would like to go out with us one of these weekends?”
Ava missed Sam, too. They hadn’t spent a lot of time together recently because of their different schedules. She also knew that Sam spent a lot of time with Robert, but she didn’t want to mention that. She loved them both dearly and wouldn’t want to make them feel guilty for not including her as their third wheel. She didn’t want to intrude on their relationship unless she was invited.
“I would love that. I haven’t been out in a long time.”
They were interrupted by one of Robert’s staff members, and she waved goodbye to him. On the run home, she stopped at Stan’s grocery to pick up a few things. She loved shopping this early because the store was empty, and didn’t have to wait in line or shy away from glances by men. She packed up her backpack with her items and ran the rest of the way home.
She arrived at the office early, so early that even Victoria wasn’t there yet. She had nothing to do until she arrived, so she used the time to write an email to Xander.
Xander,
I slept so well last night; I wonder why? I can’t wait until you are back in New York and we can sleep in the same bed. I miss feeling your arms around me. I think I can deal with the lack of sleep as long as you are beside me.
I love you,
Ava
She sent the email out and went to eat breakfast. She knew that it would probably be slim pickings since Thursdays were the day they filled up the snacks and drinks. It was far too early for that yet. She checked the refrigerator for smoothies. Even four years later it was her go-to snack. There was nothing, and she decided to try the break rooms on the other two floors. Seventeen had the same thing, nothing. She went up to eighteen and was lucky to find a papaya smoothie tucked away in the bottom of the refrigerator. Probably someone had hidden it there.
Ava spent so little time on this floor, only to see her uncle or Jacob occasionally. She walked down the hall to where Xander’s office used to be. Four years and the office still sat vacant. It was strange because during that time they had several new attorneys join the firm. Yet no one was assigned this office. It was prime real estate on this floor. A large corner office at the end of the hall.
She supposed maybe Peter kept it empty waiting for Xander to come to his senses. She wondered if Xander had mentioned that he would eventually be back. Ava sat in her favorite alcove for awhile right next to Xander’s former office. When she heard employees filtering into the offices, she ducked into the fire stairs and went down to her desk on sixteen.
Work was busy for the end of the week. Victoria once again piled several folders in her hands and kept her busy until she left at 1:00 PM. She had made plans with Tim to go to dinner that night. He was turning into a great friend even though he was a guy. Sam often said that men couldn’t be friends with women. When Ava asked why, Sam said it was because they always wanted to fuck them. She didn’t believe it, Tim was the perfect gentleman with no interest in having sex with her. He gave no indication that he had anything other than friendship in mind.
The next morning Ava came back from her morning workout, tired from studying the previous night. She had six months to go before the exam, and she had no idea why she was drilling herself so hard. Probably because everyone told her if she didn’t pass the first time they would be disappointed in her. She didn’t want that, not to mention the embarrassment.
Tomorrow she was going to give up part of her Saturday to let Jacob test her on what she studied. He told her he was going to make practice tests each week. If she passed, he would be satisfied that she was taking her studies seriously. If she failed, he told her had a punishment that she would not like.
She loved Jacob, but she was a little annoyed that he treated her like a child sometimes. She was twenty-eight, not eight. He had been her protector from the moment she arrived in New York. He was still living with Aunt Mavis and Uncle Daniel back then but was on the cusp of getting married to Sandra. A few months after she arrived, he became a married man and moved out.
She yawned several times as she showered. It was hot and sticky out already at 6:30 AM and once she was out of the shower, she felt like going right back in. She wished she could take the day off. Tim had told her he was heading to Cape Cod for a four day weekend to visit some friends. He had invited her, but Victoria would probably kill her if she took another day off.
He had told her the house was set on a private beach and said in the past few years that they had gone skinny dipping. Ava would have no intention of even considering that. She would feel odd being naked in front of him, and what’s more, she would feel even weirder seeing him naked or worse, strangers naked. She was glad she had the work as an excuse. She could have only imagined if she had gone and he withheld that little tidbit of information from her until they arrived. She would have been mortified.
Tim was a nice enough guy, but some of the things he said and did were out of her comfort zone. He had once mentioned that he and his wife had gone to a swingers club. She had questioned him as to why he would do that if he were in a happy marriage as he often had claimed. He said for just a change of pace. Sometimes she felt the things he revealed to her were just to test her level of comfort with the subject.
She breezed through the five hours she was at work, and when she was finished for the day, she decided to go running around Washington Square Park. It was hot outside, but she enjoyed the sweat it brought. She would make sure that her Camelbak was full so she would be properly hydrated.
She jogged to the park, which was busy with activity. There were many children playing soccer, baseball or kickball on the green fields. She listened to the melody of their laughing and yelling as she ran along the path. After her second mile, she began to feel overheated in the ninety-two degree temperature and decided to sit on the bench to tie her shoelace.
When she looked up, she spotted Tim a good distance away talking with another man. That can’t be right, as she remembered he said he was leaving early that morning. She curiously watched as a duffle bag was handed to him by the man. In turn, he handed the man a smaller bag. Tim looked nervously around the park then headed down a path in the opposite direction from the man who gave him the bag. How strange. She took the Camelbak off her shoulders and fished out her phone.
How is Cape Cod? Is the w
eather as hot as it is in New York?
She waited for several minutes for Tim’s response, and when she received none, she left the park. Even while sitting on the bench she was sweating profusely. She walked the few blocks home sipping on water. As she entered her apartment, she heard her phone chirp.
It’s beautiful here. The breeze is so nice. I wish you would have been able to come. You would have liked it. What are you up to today?
She was annoyed that he would lie to her. She saw him as plain as the nose on her face. She didn’t know if she should confront him or just leave it alone. Maybe he had something going on in his life he didn’t want to reveal. She answered his lie with another lie.
I’m just relaxing in my apartment. I was going to go for a run in the park, but it’s way too hot.
Tim had just arrived at his building. The last text from Ava had sent chills down his spine. If she had seen him in the park, all his plans would have been ruined. He had a lifestyle he needed to maintain. What’s more, soon she would be part of that lifestyle, and there was no way he was going to support her with his teacher’s salary.
While they were dating, he didn’t want her to spend a penny of her inheritance or her salary. But once they were married, he would be able to give up his shady dealings and live off her money. Between his salary and hers as an attorney they would be able to live well. Her inheritance would be icing on the cake. She had never told him how much she had, but he assumed it was a lot.
He had looked up her mother’s accident on the internet. From there he tracked her family and read that Elizabeth Keene came from wealthy parents. Even if it was split between Ava’s siblings and herself, he was sure it was a lot. Tim had plans for that money, and once she was married to him, she couldn’t stop him from spending some of it.
He knew that some of the things he mentioned to her were worrisome. He had seen the look on her face when he referred to skinny dipping. He was curious to know how sexually adventurous she was since he liked to try new things. His wife had only liked one position, and it had to be in the dark.
In passing, she mentioned that she had phone sex with Xander. He wondered if she would do that with him. If Xander hadn’t come back into the picture, he probably would have been sleeping with her already. He needed to put his plan into action just before school started. He wouldn’t be able to watch her as much because he was busy, but he would monitor electronically.
Tim didn’t care that he needed to pay for the applications he would install. When they were installed, he could see every text, email, phone call and know exactly where she was at any time of the day or night. Once he gathered enough intel, he would hit both her and then Xander with the final punch to end their relationship.
He would be the best friend stepping into comfort her after her breakup. She would be so happy to have him that she would probably ask him out. At least that was how it worked in his head. He set about his task opening the duffel bag and getting out his supplies so he could start producing. With the school year coming, he would have plenty of sales. He was fortunate to get a position with one of the best private schools in the city. There would be plenty of rich kids looking for an easy high, and they wouldn’t have to go to a back alley to get what they needed to do it.
Xander couldn’t sleep that night. He tossed and turned until the clock glared 4:45 AM. Normally he didn’t go running until closer to six, but he was a ball of nervous energy. When he did doze, he dreamed of nothing but Ava. He longed to be near her.
He flipped into a sitting position and placed his feet on the floor. He was naked and sporting his usual morning erection. It extended straight in front of him and thoughts of Ava didn’t help. He picked up his phone to check if he had received any emails or texts from her. There was one email from her, and when he read it, his heart soared. She wanted him in her bed, and he couldn’t wait for the time that happened.
He went about the room slipping into his running clothes. By the time he was dressed, his erection had subsided. As long as he kept his mind off her, he would be alright. He quietly went downstairs and got his backpack, filling it with a couple of bottles of water, his phone, and wallet. Then he checked to make sure that Lidia and Brett were still asleep. After three weeks, Brett had become a lot more mobile and was helping him take care of Lidia. The headaches from his concussion had subsided and even with the cast on his hand, he had resumed working on his computer.
The bills were piling up, and without any income, their savings was dwindling. The week before, Brett was able to secure a couple of small graphic design jobs thanks to an old college roommate. He felt well enough to work on them several hours a day. Lidia was not as lucky. She still suffered from pain. Xander was worried she would get addicted to her medication and begin looking for ways to supplement. She seemed to be handling the pain fine even with the weaning of the medication. But she was not well enough to return to work.
Xander started on a slow run through the neighborhood. The air was thick and felt saturated with heat. Several minutes into his run and he was soaked with sweat. The sun was starting to peak over the horizon. Little did he know that he was repeating the same scenario as Ava had that same morning.
He finished his run forty-five minutes later and stopped to pick up the mail he forgot from yesterday. Upon entering the living room, he found Brett on the floor. He ran to him, and Brett was holding his side.
“What happened?” He asked.
“I forgot to lower the bed. I thought the floor was a lot closer than it was.”
“Are you hurt?”
“I don’t think so.”
Xander pulled over a dining chair and helped him into it. As they struggled to get him onto the chair, Lidia woke up.
“What are you doing?” She had to ask through the gritted teeth of her wired jaw.
“Go back to sleep, honey. Everything is fine,” Brett said.
Lidia shifted in her bed. “I need to get out of this bed. My back is hurting.”
Xander lowered the bed and scooped her out of her bed. He set her in her wheelchair. helping her get ready for the day.
Lidia was fortunate that the bathroom door was wide and he rolled her in. Using the facilities was not so easy for her, and she had to swallow her pride and let her brother help her. After she had finished, he prepared a basin of water and gave her privacy so she could wash. The first two weeks he had to do it. He looked away as he cleaned her until she said to stop being silly. He was glad she was able to do most of it herself now since he was a lot more embarrassed than she was.
After he had got her situated with her bath, he went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the three of them. It took over an hour before they were both bathed, dressed and fed. He remembered the mail he had dropped on the floor and picked it up, leaving it on the kitchen counter. Lidia was back in her wheelchair reading the newspaper; Brett was working on one of his design jobs, and Xander went upstairs to shower.
When he came down, he picked up the thick envelope from the Los Angeles Police Department that had come in the mail. It turned out it was the accident report, and he went to the patio to read it. It was more than ten pages long, and when he finished, he knew that they had a case.
He started to tingle as his skills as an attorney kicked in. But first, he needed to have a discussion with Lidia and Brett. He wasn’t the one that had been injured, and maybe they weren’t interested in a long drawn out legal battle. From his viewpoint, they deserved something for their suffering. They had totaled their car, lost several graphics design jobs and a lot of their savings. In the blink of an eye, their income had fallen to zero. He was startled when his phone vibrated with a text from Ava.
How are you?
Sweetheart, I’m sorry I didn’t text you today. I got their accident report, and it looks like Lidia and Brett have a strong case. I sure could use your expertise. However, you would be too big a distraction with that gorgeous face of yours.
I definitely could help you, but
maybe your gorgeous face would be the distraction. Love you.
I love you, too.
He went inside to discuss the case with the two of them. Lidia looked at him wide eyed while he explained what he read in the report. The tractor trailer driver had been legally drunk and was charged. The man worked for a large transport company that had deep pockets.
The pickup truck driver that had sandwiched them on the other side was also charged with DUI. His vehicle smelled of marijuana and a check of his truck turned up several joints and a small bag of pills which turned out to be Ecstasy. Xander told them that they could more than likely sue the transport company as well as the driver of the pickup truck.
Lidia and Brett both agreed that they wanted to pursue litigation. Xander told them that if he took the case, it would be a lot more cost effective.
“But you don’t have an active license to practice law in California or any other state. Your father said that you haven’t practiced in four years. Hasn’t your license expired?” Brett asked.
“I kept my license up to date and active in New York, but he doesn’t know that. In California, I can register to practice law temporarily. Or I can do all the research, and you can hire legal counsel to take it to court. If someone approached me with this report, I would take the case. There is plenty of meat here, and a good attorney should be able to get you a decent settlement. I’ll help you find someone.”
Lidia hugged Xander. She had been depressed about the financial situation the accident had created. They had just moved into their new home several months ago, and she was worried she would have to sell it.