by Debra Holt
What did that say about the depth of his feelings for her? If that evening hadn’t happened, would he be with her right now? Something told her that he would have wanted to support her. And she would have thanked him and told him she could handle it. But still… he would have offered. A sharp horn honk behind her made her jump back to the present. Hands gripped the steering wheel tighter as she made one more concerted effort to push the cowboy from her heart and back to that quiet place in her mind.
“I’m in the third-floor conference room,” Gwen said over the cell phone pressed to Calla’s ear as she grabbed her gray tote and slid it over her shoulder and then locked the car’s door behind her. Calla threw a glance upwards at the red stone edifice ahead of her, to the rows of windows three stories up. She quickened her steps.
“I’m almost to the front doors. I’ll be up there soon.” She slipped the cell phone into the side pocket of her bag and took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. She had walked this sidewalk hundreds of times as an attorney on her way to champion other cases. Today was different. They were taking on giants and insiders of the good ol’ boys club. But the bottom line was that truth and the law was on their side. It would be up to Lady Justice to not be blind today.
Calla’s hand went to the railing and her foot made it to the first step, her glance went upwards and then she fumbled the next step. She blinked, giving the apparition time to disappear. He was still there… a cowboy from boots to hat but dressed in a very nice dark navy suit, replete with a tie. Ty was there. Hands inside his trouser pockets, he studied her approach with that thoughtful and disconcerting gaze that she just realized she had missed more than she thought.
Breathe. Calla gripped the rail and continued up the steps. There was nothing to do but stop when she reached the top. Her hand went to rest on the straps of her shoulder bag along with her other. She squared her shoulders and tried to keep an even expression on her face.
“I would say what a coincidence it is that we’re both here at this courthouse at the same hour on the same day…” Calla began.
“And I would say that we both know it’s no coincidence. However, it is a public venue and not a porch on private property that I might get thrown off from so I’m going with it’s the safest bet I have for now to speak with you.”
“I don’t have a lot of time. They’re waiting upstairs.”
“I know. I just wanted to say good luck and maybe give some support. You’re a great attorney but this is a little different and I know you were concerned about it.”
“You came just to wish us luck.”
“Yes, Calla, I came because I care. It’s clear that I probably got it all wrong as far as you’re concerned so I won’t keep you.” Ty was two steps down when words came out of her that she hadn’t realized she had spoken in the moment.
“Thank you. I appreciate it. It means a lot.” They faced each other over a gulf that seemed to be shrinking… a little. “I wasn’t… I didn’t mean to come across cold or ungrateful.”
The hint of smile was enough to send her pulse rate skittering in remembered ways. He took a step toward her, but she was aware he was careful to not infringe on her space. She didn’t back up.
“There’s not a cold or ungrateful bone in your body, Calla Rose. Now your friend is waiting, and you have a wrong to make right. So, go get it done, counselor.”
“Thanks.” If she said any more than that, she didn’t trust her ability to keep it together. She left him on the steps and kept herself from looking back. Calla was aware there was an energy inside her that had been missing before Ty’s arrival. His words had bolstered her flagging confidence to face the day. He was right, there was a wrong that needed to be set straight and she was ready to do what she could. For the time being, she needed to concentrate on what lay ahead of her upstairs and not allow her thoughts to follow the man she just left.
You’re a glutton for punishment. The words echoed through Ty’s brain as he watched Calla disappear into the lobby of the courthouse. She was soon lost to sight. Maybe he had left it too long. He had tried to give her space to cool off, to rethink some things. All the while his brother had been telling him that he should forget it and move on. Maybe Jake could do that with his feelings for his ex-fiancée, but Ty was built differently. And he loved Calla Rose. He never got the chance to tell her that, but he had fallen hard for the woman… and she wanted no part of him.
He took some solace in the fact she hadn’t told him to get lost when she realized he was there. She seemed… accepting. He didn’t want to go for more than that description because then he wouldn’t be totally blown to bits if she came back out and told him to get lost.
Who are you kidding? The woman holds your world in the hands she was careful to not let you touch. It would be best to leave. But he couldn’t bring himself to head for his truck. He’d let the morning traffic settle down… then he’d hit the road. In the meantime, it wouldn’t hurt if he settled into the cooler shade of one of the trees… maybe take a rest on one of the benches. It was a free country. And he could remain close… just in case. All excuses he told himself. The sigh was long, and no smile could be conjured as he eased onto one of the benches. He’d wait. Because Calla was worth waiting for.
“I made it. Sorry, I underestimated the traffic, or I would have been here sooner.” Calla gave a positive smile as she stepped through the doorway and found Gwen standing with a portly gentleman. She instantly recognized Richard Wesley, one of the most tenacious litigators in town. They had faced each other in the courtroom on more than one occasion. He beamed a grin as he extended his hand.
“Calla Rose. It’s a pleasure to work with you again.”
“It’s a pleasure because we’re on the same side for once.” She returned his smile with one of her own and her hand.
“Agreed. I was just explaining to…” The opening of the door interrupted him, and he paused. The young woman stepped through the door and motioned for a word with the man. He stepped to join her, and Calla and Gwen were left to wander what was going on. A slight frown crossed his features and Calla’s antenna went up.
“What do you suppose this is about? Not a stall, do you think?” Gwen had every right to be leery of that as she had had the hearing postponed more than once by the other side.
Calla slowly shook her head. “You know as well as I that anything can happen when you think everything is going along as it should. Don’t start imagining all the things that could go wrong. Trust Richard. He’s very good at what he does. You’re lucky to have him on your team.”
The pair across the room from them shared a brief nod over whatever matter they had discussed, and the woman left the room. Richard moved to join them with a thoughtful expression on his face. He looked at Calla.
“Seems that Barclay has requested a brief meeting with you outside of our proceedings. If you are amenable, then once the two of you have spoken they have assured this case will go forward as planned today. You know that you certainly do not need to participate in this and I would suggest you don’t.”
What was Barclay up to now? Calla should have known not to trust him to attempt something. She’d seen him in action too many times. And that might be his Achilles heel. That thought grew in the back of her mind. It was a gamble. “If I don’t, I think we all can agree that there will be another postponement come through that door next. And this is going to end today, if I can do anything about it. I’ll see what he has to say. Gwen is that okay with you?”
“I trust your assessment.”
“Then let’s bring it on.”
Of course, he kept her waiting in the small office where their meeting had been moved. She stood at the window, looking over the limited view afforded of the small plaza and the traffic clogging the narrow street four floors below. Barclay always liked to put others at a disadvantage and discomfort. Except Calla felt quite at ease… almost eerily so. In a corner of her mind, she kept hearing words spoken by Ty earlier… “time to rig
ht a wrong.” She had needed to hear those words out loud. She refused to allow anything else of him into her mind. She needed a sharp brain with no other interference.
The door opened, and Barclay made his entrance, pausing for a moment of effect, that supercilious smile as fake as the hairpiece on his prematurely receding hairline. How had she ever found him in the least attractive? He paled in comparison to… not a good idea. This was business and it was time to get down to it.
“Alright Barclay, what is it you had to speak to me about outside the presence of the others?”
“Is that a proper greeting between two old friends? I know our parting was ill-timed, and we both said things that we truly didn’t mean but spoken in the turmoil of the moment. I know we can agree to let the past stay in the past. You were always loyal to the firm and…”
“Correction to the record,” she interrupted. “We are not old friends. We weren’t real friends at all. Our parting was long overdue, and I am indebted to your wife for that. And everything I said, I meant plus some I didn’t say at the time. You played me for a fool and that was your mistake. As for any loyalty I had to the firm, you did not return that to me. Charm will not work here, and neither will threats… veiled or otherwise. Put your best card on the table and then I’ll place mine.” Her gaze did not waver from his. After several long moments, he blinked. Hands went into his pockets as he studied the rug pattern beneath his Italian loafers.
His smile wasn’t as pronounced when he next looked at her. In fact, it was slumped into more of a smirk in her estimation. She did not move from her stance, arms crossed, feet planted firmly, her practiced courtroom stare that had unnerved many a target in the witness box. This was the part she was really good at. He had taught her well.
“Gwen is making a mountain out of a mole hill with her sexual harassment charges. What these things always come down to is a she said/he said, and we know how that plays out. We can keep her tied up for years. We have nothing to lose.”
“You have everything to lose. Where there is smoke, there is fire and there are others… other females who left the firm before us. Do you think we don’t know how to use investigators? Richard’s agency can match yours step for step and then some… he already has.”
There was a twitch beside his eye and she kept the smile inside her concealed. He had likened the law to a game of poker. One thing about knowing your adversary so well was to know their ‘tells’. Something else she had learned from him. She had studied his. He was worried. He wasn’t sure of what they had in their arsenal. Call your opponent’s bluff early on.
“And why do you think she asked me to be here today, Barclay? Not for a saunter down memory lane with you, that’s for certain. In that game of poker, you love to play so much, I would be that ‘ace in the hole’ you always loved to talk about. And the really good thing about having the luck of one ace? It doubles when you have two.”
He wasn’t smiling any longer. “I thought we could have a little friendly discussion and settle all this between us.”
“No, you thought you could use your over-estimated charm and probably promise me something you can't deliver, and I would be stupid enough to fall for it. But let’s stop wasting time. Here’s what you need to know.”
She moved to where her bag sat on the end of the table. Her hand reached inside, and she withdrew it with something that looked a lot like a small tape recorder. She smiled at him.
“Have you been taping us? What good will that do you? You can’t…”
“It’s all about smoke and mirrors, Barclay. Remember telling me that? You just have to introduce the idea into the minds of a jury and let nature take its course. But I also like the fact that an abundance of like recordings can sink a ship faster than an iceberg. Just imagine what a treasure trove of all our discussions those evenings after a day in court might be worth. I know an ethics review would find them on…”
“You’re blackmailing me with tapes? What do you think you’ll get from that?”
“Justice, Barclay. Sometimes you must help that lady loosen that tight blindfold. I believe those words would be on these tapes, too. You know what you and your father are guilty of. You intimidated, coerced, and bribed the young females coming into the firm. Then if they didn’t go along with your demands for sex or fall for your promises of partnerships and possible marriage even in my case, you dropped them and forced them out. Then you threatened them with destroying their careers if they dared to speak out. That is against the law you swore an oath to uphold… both you and your father participated in criminal behavior for years. And to use one of the phrases you love so much… it is time to pay the pied-piper.”
“The women were more than willing to go along. And again, it is our word against theirs. You’re far smarter than most, Calla. You could still have that corner office and partnership if you get on the right side of this today. Our side.”
“I don’t testify for Gwen. I recant anything I have said about what you did, and you and your father will give me that partnership as my reward for backstabbing Gwen.”
“A partnership will do a lot more for you than Gwen ever could.”
“Sorry, Barclay. I won’t lie or coverup your crimes because you offered me a bribe. I think we’ll just go sit in front of the judge and let him decide the case after hearing all the evidence.” She dropped the recorder back in the bag with a pleased smile.
“What will it take then? To get you to hand over that recorder and all tapes and drop this here and now?”
“You and your father will own up to what you did. On the record, in front of the judge. Then I think Richard and Gwen might be more amenable to not putting you through a high-profile public trial. There will also be a most amicable agreement. But that’s just my guess. It’s up to you to state your case to them. If they agree, then I don’t have to testify. And I could care less what happens after that to you and your father.” She slid the straps of the bag over her shoulder. “Glad we had this opportunity to chat.” She turned at the door and threw him a brilliant smile… the wink was added and just felt good. She had put all her chips in and called his hand. The final play was up to him.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Barclay and his father were no fools. They knew the percentages. Gwen walked away with an amount more than generous with the lost wages from when she was forced out of the law firm, plus an apology on the record and a glowing letter of recommendation should she ever need or want one.
“Thank you, Calla, for being here and for sticking your neck out for me. Whatever you and Barclay discussed behind those closed doors, he certainly saw the light and convinced his father to follow suit.”
“I’m the one to thank you for coming forward and speaking out. You allowed me to put that period of my life to rest with some satisfaction. Justice was served. They were taught a hard lesson, especially with the judge passing it along on the record to the ethics committee and the state bar association.”
“Calla, if you ever find you want to come back to the city and practice law, look me up,” Richard said, following the two women down the steps of the courthouse. They paused at the bottom.
“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. I admit it did bring back some good memories being in this courthouse again.”
A few moments more and the trio parted company, Gwen and her attorney back to their offices and Calla headed toward the parking lot. At the end of the sidewalk, under the shade of a large oak, stood a familiar figure. Calla felt a rush of something close to happiness at the sight. That precipitated the smile she couldn’t keep from her face.
Ty had been leaning against the broad trunk but pushed away from it as she stopped a couple of feet from him. “I hope those smiles I saw on the three of you as you came down the steps mean what I hope?”
She nodded. “Barclay and his father and Gwen came to an agreement that was more than we hoped. They have learned a very hard and very expensive lesson for their firm.”
“And how was it s
eeing Barclay again? It can’t have been easy.”
“It was easier than I thought it would be. In fact, it sounds strange, but it was liberating. I put him in the past a while ago, but today, I knew that part of my life was well and truly history and had no further hold on anything in my present. It was a lesson learned and one to move on from… wiser.”
“I’m very glad it turned out the way it did for your friend and for you, too.”
“Thank you. Now why are you still here? You actually waited this whole time for us?”
“For you, yes. Besides, it’s a nice day. Fresh air is good for a person. And I hoped that the news would be good, and you might want to celebrate over some lunch… if you didn’t have any other plans.”
Calm down, heart. Just lunch. “And if it had been bad news?”
“Then you might need someone to listen while you vent or give you a shoulder to punch.” His grin gave an extra hitch to her breathing.
“Now that you mention it, I could do with a bite to eat. I didn’t feel like eating anything at breakfast.”
“There’s a little café not too far from here… in walking distance. It has pretty good food.”
He had come to support her. And he had stayed for the almost three hours they were inside. Lunch seemed not to be asking too much. Stop over-analyzing.
“Sold. Lead the way.”
The café was small and situated in a quiet area of the upper part of the Riverwalk. It had a patio next to the river where tables sat with bright-colored umbrellas providing patrons shade. Once their food was ordered, conversation lulled for a moment, each seeming to pick their words carefully before spoken. Calla knew Ty was trying his best and she knew there was something that needed to be said.
“Words come easily for an experienced attorney. At least they do in the courtroom. But this isn’t a courtroom and I find that it’s more difficult than not to put what I want to say out there and get it right. So, bear with me.”