by Alexa Davis
Just reading the address and knowing what Adam had done for me, I felt an outpouring of affection for him. Not only had he rescued me from having to live with my parents, but he’d also enabled me to have some financial independence. I finished eating the rest of my breakfast and quickly washed the dishes before running to get dressed.
Most of my clothes were still in boxes from moving in so suddenly, but I found a blouse and skirt that looked clean and professional to change into. After spending a few minutes on my hair and applying a modest amount of makeup, I collected my portfolio and résumé to head out the door.
He'd been kind enough to loan me his spare key until I had one made for myself, so I locked the door on my way out and headed over to my car.
It was more difficult than I remembered, driving the icy streets to my appointment. I'd lived in Florida so long I had forgotten how to handle the car in snow. Thankfully, I made it to the studio in one piece and without much difficulty. The building was a white industrial-style structure with a black sign and accents around the windows. I looked up at it through the windshield and had to crane my neck to see the top of it.
"Whoa... Adam, where have you sent me?" I mumbled to myself quietly as I was cutting off the ignition.
I grabbed my satchel off the seat beside me and stepped out onto the snowy parking lot. Carefully, I stepped over the curb and approached the set of double doors with my heart thumping wildly in my chest. I was nervous about letting Adam down after he went through all the trouble of setting this up for me; what if I didn’t get hired?
I shook my head a sigh, refusing to let myself be negative at a time like this and stepped into the office lobby. Inside there was a reception desk and a few waiting chairs set up along the wall, but there was no one sitting at it. I looked around confused when a handsome blond gentleman came out from one of the side rooms and offered me his hand. "Vanessa Butler?"
"Yes!" I responded instantly while shaking his hand in welcome. "You must be Frank."
He smiled warmly and gestured back down the hall. "Right this way."
I followed him back the way he came to a corner office where he offered me a chair. I expected him to take a seat, but instead, he pulled up a chair beside me and addressed me comfortably. “So, Adam says you’re rather talented.”
I blushed nervously and said, "Well, I don't know about that."
The man’s smile widened. "Modest, too. I've seen you're work. You're quite good, you know."
I stared at him dumbfounded. "You've already seen my portfolio? How is that possible?"
"Magic," Mr. Howell replied dramatically. Upon seeing my reaction, the man couldn't help but laugh. "I'm just teasing you, Vanessa. When Adam called me yesterday, I took the liberty of researching you online. The school in Tampa had some very nice things to say about you, as well."
My heart was overwhelmed with emotion as explained how very impressed he was with me. "I don't understand, did you want to see my résumé? Is the position still open?"
Frank waved his hand dismissively and said, "There's no need for that. There was never an opening here, to begin with. I'm creating the position now."
"You’re offering me a job?"
"I am indeed," the man confirmed. "But this is a relatively new area for me, and I'm looking to expand. I was hoping you and I could chat about how your skills could benefit our company. What kind of services and work would you be interested in doing here?"
My hand unclenched on the seat beside me, and I felt my whole body relax, telling him all about my plans and what I'd like to do. He soaked up every word I was saying and nodded encouragingly. His professional tone and genuine interest in my work put me immediately at my ease, and the words came flowing comfortably. Now that I was finally being heard and validated, I could feel myself beginning to shine.
This is what I did. This is what I loved.
Frank was more than pleasant, and when he shook my hand an hour later, I felt like the entire world was spinning. I had a job. A good job. And, I had Adam Hillis to thank for it.
I couldn’t believe my impossible good luck at landing a job so easily and smiled happily. It finally felt like the tables were turning in my favor and that everything would be alright. I couldn’t wait to call my mom and tell her what had happened. She’d be over the moon for me.
As I was walking out to the front desk, I saw the familiar face of my friend Meghan waiting there. I hadn’t seen her in so long that I almost did a double take. She had wavy dark brown hair cut so that it curled just below her chin. Instant recognition of my high school friend struck me as I called out to her in surprise, “Meghan?”
She looked up from the desk that she was working at and saw me, with the satchel bag still slung over my shoulder. “Vanessa? Oh my gosh, what are you doing here? I haven’t seen you since you left for college,” she asked me with a laugh, standing up to come and wrap her arms around me in a hug.
I looked back down the hall that I had come from and couldn’t help but smile. “Actually, I just got hired as one of the photographers.”
“That's amazing! I mean, what are the odds? Who would have thought that one day we'd be working at the exact same company?"
I laughed along with her and nodded. "I know, it's crazy!"
“I didn’t even know you were back in town.”
“Oh, yeah. It’s pretty recent,” I confessed. “I’ve only been back a couple weeks now.”
“Where are you living these days?"
"That’s a funny story, actually..."
Meghan laughed in her rich and melodious alto, and said, "Great, you can tell me all about it over drinks. Do you wanna go out sometime?"
"That would be wonderful. I can't tonight. I’m still in the process of moving, but how about dinner tomorrow? I'll call you."
"Absolutely. It was great to see you, Vanessa."
"You, too."
I waved goodbye to her and stepped over to the doorway. My car was parked just outside, and I laughed with glee, walking over to it.
For the first time in a long time, it felt like things were looking up.
Chapter 13
Adam
Friday
I locked the door behind myself as I left for work on Friday. My car was dusted with a new coat of snow that had fallen the night before. I set my briefcase in the passenger seat and pulled out the snow brush to clear the windshields.
Jon Hansen and I had an appointment later to discuss the case we were working on. I was excited to share the research I had done and prove I was a valuable asset to the team.
It's hard to describe the cathartic thrill that struck me anytime a case started falling together the way I wanted it to. I didn't become a lawyer to help criminals stay out of prison, but I truly enjoyed knowing that I could help people that needed it. In my eyes justice was universal, and if it was in my power to help restore the balance and put the people who deserved it behind bars, I would do it every time.
I felt the tingles of anticipation as I finished cleaning off the car and slid into the driver’s seat. Despite the morning traffic, it didn’t take me very long to drive the route to work. There were only a few other cars in the parking lot when I got there, and I was anxious to get started. When I stepped into the lobby, Leslie waved me over to her desk before I had the chance to unload my things.
“Good morning, Leslie.”
She nodded. “Thank you, sir. Jon Hansen asked me to tell you that he’s moved up the time of your meeting. One of the detectives working on the case is sitting in and nine was the only time they had available.”
I smiled. “Not a problem, thanks for telling me. I’ll set my things down and start getting ready for it right away.”
Her lips pursed together slightly as she nodded and began typing on the computer. If Jon was testing me to see if I could withstand the pressure of a changing deadline, then he was in for a surprise. I’d been preparing for this all week.
When I got to my office, I slipped out o
f the coat and gloves to hang them on the rack by the door. I barely had time to set up my computer and finish my coffee before it was time for me to head up to the conference room. My shoes clomped up the wooden stairs to where the weekly business meetings were held as I slid my hand across the banister.
Mr. Hansen was standing in the hall talking with a woman dressed like a school librarian. When he saw me coming, he reached out to me in welcome and introduced me to his companion. “Adam Hillis, I’d like you to meet Janet Messinger. Janet is the lead detective working on the drug case.”
The woman reached out to me and smiled, shaking my hand in welcome. “It’s nice to meet you,” I told her.
“Adam here is a junior partner at the firm, and he’ll be assisting me throughout the case.”
“Well then, it’s very nice to meet you, too, Adam. Shall we get started?”
Jon ushered us both into the meeting room, and we took our seats in opposing chairs across the table. Mr. Hansen shut the door and then pulled out the chair beside me. “Alright, Janet. What can you tell us about the case? Why is the prosecutor pushing for the maximum sentence on a low-level drug charge?”
The woman shrugged. “I’m not sure exactly, but I know they’re open to negotiation if Patrick is willing to talk. So far, he’s been uncooperative and hostile.”
“Adam, do you have anything?”
I nodded, looking down at my noted in front of me. “I think the prosecution is over-confident and gambling on this poor guy. They only have a fifty-fifty shot of winning the case to begin with. The evidence is circumstantial and non-admissible in court,” I told him forcefully. “The police entered his house without a warrant and had no jurisdiction to search his property.”
The detective frowned. “You’re basing that on a technicality.”
“Actually, I’m not. Without the contraband, there’s nothing tying him to the drugs, or the sale, for that matter.”
“You want us to let a drug dealer go free?”
I clicked my pen and stared at her from across the table. “What if we could get him to roll on whoever sold it to him? Then you could find the supplier and get a bigger slice of the pie.”
Janet sat up in her seat and smiled, knitting her fingers together across the table. “If you could get him to do that, he might be eligible for a plea deal. That depends, of course, on him being willing to testify.”
“Naturally.”
All three of us stood and shook one another’s hand while walking out the door. “You keep an eye on that one, Jon,” she said. “He’s going places!”
Mr. Hansen laughed while clapping me on the back. “Don’t I know it. Let’s get together again on Monday after I’ve had a chance to speak with Pat.”
She smiled. “See you then.”
After she had gone, Jon smiled at me approvingly. “You did really well in there. Keep up the good work, kiddo! We’ve got another case on Monday.”
I was on cloud nine the rest of the day, riding the high of actually pulling off the negotiation I had dreamed of all four years I was in law school. Before I knew it, the work day was coming to a close. My phone vibrated suddenly on my desk, and I glanced down just in time to see an incoming text from Max: Headed to the gym in a few. Wanna come?
I smiled at his inquiry and typed back: Sure, I'll meet you there in twenty.
He messaged me back with an emoji of the thumbs up sign, and I started gathering my things.
I hadn’t worked up a good sweat at the gym in ages. I still had workout clothes packed into the trunk of my car, so I could drive there right after work.
Leslie handed me some messages on the board when I was leaving, but nothing that couldn’t wait till Monday, so I stuffed them in my coat pocket and headed for the door.
The gym we always went to was a fifteen-minute drive through the snow and ice. The Escalade smoothly pulled into a parking space, and I turned off the ignition.
I climbed out of the cab and grabbed my gym bag from the trunk before heading across the parking lot. Max was texting in the lobby when I got there and looked up from his phone.
We greeted each other with a high five and clapped each other on the back. "Hey, man. Glad you were able to make it."
"Me, too," I responded with a smile.
We showed our memberships to the man at the desk. He waved us through, and we headed back toward the locker room. My bag was slung across one shoulder, with a change of clothes and pair of tennis shoes tucked away inside.
We changed quickly once we got inside, putting our work clothes in some empty lockers. I was ready to let out some steam and work up a sweat on the weights. Max grabbed a water bottle and a towel, following me out onto the floor.
"So, what's going on between you and Vanessa?" Max asked me suddenly. "First you disappear at the Christmas party, then you bail on New Year’s Eve… What gives?"
I laughed. "I’m not sure; we just hit it off," I told him casually. "She's a really great girl, and I haven't seen her in a long time. We just started talking, and it clicked. Vanessa was going crazy living at your parents’, so I invited her to live in my spare bedroom."
"I dunno, that's a little weird for me," he confessed. "You know you're my brother, right? But Vanessa is actually my sister, so I wanna protect her."
"Chill, man. I don't have any plans."
He seemed to relax a bit and responded, "Good."
I grunted, lifting up the weight again and added. "She is gorgeous; I'll give you that, and a lot of fun to be with."
"Yeah..."
"I am attracted to her..."
Max crossed his arms in front of his chest. I could tell he was uncomfortable, so I set the weights and sat up on the bench to talk to him.
"Max, you know I would never hurt her, right?"
"Yeah, I know."
"I'm just trying to help her out, that’s all. And if anything did start happening between us, you'd be the first to know."
He sighed. "Alright, I believe you. Take care of her, okay? I know I’m not the most attentive brother on the planet, but I do care about her."
I nodded, slipping back under the weights and positioning my arms shoulders-width apart before gripping the bar to raise it. We did a couple more reps each and ended with a quick run on the treadmill before calling it a day. My shirt was rightfully drenched with sweat by the time we had finished, and I was chugging water like a fiend.
Max and I made our way back to the locker room to change and headed out our separate ways. I invited him to come by the apartment soon to see Vanessa and maybe help her assemble furniture. He practically scoffed at the last part and waved goodbye to me in the parking lot.
The cold air was particularly vicious with the beads of sweat still lingering on my forehead as I climbed into the silver Escalade. I drove the streets back to the apartment on autopilot, not even thinking about where I was going, but hyper-aware that Vanessa would be home and waiting for me.
I pulled into the parking spot in front of our place and cut off the ignition before reaching around to grab my gym bag and briefcase to bring inside. Stepping over the icy sidewalk, I opened the door and was met by the incredible smell of spiced tomatoes and feta cheese. Vanessa poked her head out from inside the kitchen and smiled at me. “Hey, welcome home!”
I chucked as I shut the door behind myself and said, “What’s all this?”
“Well, you were so nice cooking breakfast for me this morning, I wanted to return the favor.”
“Aw, that’s nice. What are we having?”
“Lasagna” she informed me proudly while gesturing to the oven. “Smells good, doesn’t it?”
“Sure does!”
“And, I landed the job at Frank Howell, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to celebrate.”
“Vanessa, that’s great! I’m so glad for you.”
She wrapped her arms around me in a hug, catching me off guard. Carefully, I placed my hand around her and relished the warmth of her body against me. “I cou
ldn’t have done it without you.”
“It was no problem, really.”
Her body pressed against me and I could feel the womanly curve of her breast and waist. She smells amazing…
I breathed in the smell of her shampoo and felt a familiar stirring in my loins. She did things to me I couldn’t quite explain. Without even trying, she could turn my entire world upside down.
My hands carefully grazed against her back, caressing the curve of her waist before I realized what I was doing. They just instinctively needed to be touching her, always. She sighed resting her head against my shoulder, and I almost came undone right then and there. I pulled away from the hug abruptly before anything else could happen. More importantly, before she realized just how much I was enjoying it. I gave her a timid smile. “You’re welcome.”
“Do you mind looking at the dresser I got started while I finished up in here? I don’t wanna leave the kitchen while it’s still in the oven.”
“Sure, I’d be happy to.”
She smiled at me and then turned her attention back to the cooking. “Great! Then I can get started on some garlic bread, as well.”
I laughed, turning my back to her as I started over to her bedroom. Truthfully, I was relieved to get away from her. I didn’t trust myself to be in the same room with her for long without doing something stupid like kissing her again. No matter how much I wanted to, we couldn’t complicate things like that. We lived together; it would either go badly, or really, really badly.
I guess I’ll be taking a lot of cold showers.
Chapter 14
Vanessa
Saturday
"Mmmm..."
I rolled over in the covers of my bed and sat up blearily the next day. The morning rays of sun came streaming through my window as I threw my legs over the side of the bed. The minute they hit the hardwood floor, I gasped out loud from the cold. Leaving the warmth of my bed was not the least bit pleasant.
I walked out into a completely silent kitchen. The lights were on, but there was no sign or sound of Adam anywhere.
He must have gone into the office, I thought to myself sleepily.