The Empire State Cat's Christmas Gift

by Nic Tatano

  Nick shook his head and laughed. “Damn, Rory, I’d better never get on your bad side.”

  Madison, her best friend, quickly moved to give her a hug. “Sweetie, I’m so sorry.”

  Rory, obviously buzzed a bit from the wine, blew it off. “Pffft. I’m over it. He was too controlling anyway. Nobody puts Rory in a corner.” She reached into the grocery bag, pulled out a bag of marshmallows and some skewers, then handed them to Madison. “They were out of hot dogs.”

  A.J. took a closer look at the pile of clothes. “Wow, he had all this at your house? I didn’t know he’d practically moved in.”

  “He didn’t. I had a key to his place, went over and got this stuff.”

  Nick was now doubled over in laughter. “I didn’t hear any of that! But damn. And I thought we Italians got even. You’ve raised it to an art form.”

  Rory bent down, grabbed the matches, lit one and tossed it into the pile. It went up like a torch and she wrinkled her nose. “Ewww. Cashmere doesn’t smell very good when it burns.”

  Tish backed up a bit, the heat from the fire getting a bit much. “Geez, Rory, did you leave the guy anything to wear?”

  “Oh, sure. A few outfits. But I soaked his underwear in Heet.”

  “What the hell is Heet?”

  Nick’s face tightened. “It’s stuff you rub on sore muscles. Burns like hell. Like Ben-Gay to the tenth power.”

  “Yeah,” said Rory. “Since he’s hot for this bimbo, I figured it would be appropriate to keep him that way.”

  Tish admired Rory’s ability to move on. Her friend was laughing it up at the restaurant, clearly enjoying the revenge she had taken on her ex. “Rory, you’re amazing. You’re not the least bit broken up about this.”

  “Hey, infidelity is a deal-breaker. No loss. Other than the time I spent dating him. Remember, a man is like a bus. If you miss one another will be along in twenty minutes.”

  Madison laughed. “She’ll have men beating down her door in no time once guys find out she’s back on the market. It’s like ringing the dating dinner bell.”

  Rory shook her head. “Nah, I need a break. For the time being I’ll live vicariously through you guys. Speaking of which, Tish, how are things going with your new guy?”

  “Ah, you really don’t have night vision goggles.”

  “Very funny. So what’s the deal, why aren’t you with him tonight?”

  “He’s out of town. Las Vegas for a law conference.”

  “Uh-oh,” said A.J. “Vegas.”

  Tish turned to her. “What, uh-oh?”

  A.J. shrugged. “Land of temptation. Prostitution is legal in Nevada.”

  Madison shook her head. “Nah, don’t think he’s the type. I finally met him the other day. Ran into the two of them at lunch. Seems like a really good guy. I didn’t catch any red flags. And he’s got it bad for her.”

  “Hell,” said Tish, “I’ve got it bad for him.”

  “Well, I’m happy for you,” said Rory. “And if it doesn’t work out, I’ve still got lighter fluid and half a bottle of Heet left over.”

  *

  Spencer staggered back into his apartment late on Sunday night, tired and jet lagged from a day in various airports. He dropped his suitcase near the door and headed for the kitchen to get a cold drink. His maid had thoughtfully piled up his stack of newspapers on the kitchen table. He grabbed a cold root beer from the fridge, twisted open the bottle and sat down at the table, noting the large headline on the Sunday issue.

  CHEAP SUIT

  Multi-millionaire won’t pay single mom for invention

  He rolled his eyes, knowing Ariel’s lawsuit was about to become a major watercooler topic all over town, if not the entire country. Anything that made the front page of The Post was sure to get New Yorkers talking. And no one would be on her side. “Aw, hell. I knew this would happen.” He picked up the paper, turned the page and began reading.

  More than fifty million Americans carry around one of Cynthia Riggs’ inventions. But you haven’t heard of her because the single mother never made a dime from it.

  The former Research and Development executive at Brent Industries is suing her former boss, claiming she got the idea while on vacation and developed it at home with her own money after CEO Peter Brent laughed off the concept. Riggs claims that Brent then loved the idea when she showed him a working prototype, but considered it “work product” and therefore the property of the company. When she asked for a share of the profits, she was demoted and put on the overnight shift, making her unable to provide the hands-on childcare for her daughter that she had enjoyed with her previous flex-time schedule.

  Her product catapulted Brent Industries to new heights, while Brent’s net worth reached more than half a billion dollars.

  In a news conference, Brent said he would not make a settlement offer since he believes the law is clear about the invention being work product. “She got the idea while on a company junket paid for by the company. So without me, the idea never would have crossed her mind. It doesn’t matter that she was not sitting behind a desk when she thought of it.” Asked why a man of Brent’s wealth wouldn’t want to share a bit of it, he said that such action would set a precedent. “Anyone at Brent industries who invents anything in the future could simply claim they got the idea while off the clock. It would open up a major can of worms for every company in America that develops new products.”

  Riggs’ attorney, Tish McKenna—

  Spencer dropped the newspaper. The color drained from his face and he went cold. “Dear God, no.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Spencer was waiting in the office, drumming his fingers on Ariel’s desk when she arrived on Monday morning. “So when were you going to tell me?”

  She shook her head and dropped her purse on a chair. “Today. I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you but I didn’t want to ruin your trip. Besides, I still haven’t figured out how we’re going to handle this.”

  “I know one thing we are not going to do. I’m not getting involved in this case anymore.”

  “Spence, I know you don’t want to, but I still need your help. You’ve done work product cases before and I haven’t.”

  He shook his head. “No. Brent has deep pockets, hire someone else and bill your client. Hire a bunch of people. He can afford it.”

  “You know damn well no one else is as good as you when it comes to what I need. And we wouldn’t be partners if we weren’t such a great team. Y’know, the sum of the parts…”

  He exhaled and ran his hands through his hair as he leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. “No way he’ll go for a settlement?”

  “Trust me, I tried. Even the negative publicity didn’t help. The man is beyond stubborn. I think he wouldn’t care if he destroyed his company as long as he could prove a point.” She sat on the edge of the desk and patted his hand. “Why don’t you think about it for a while?”

  “Because I already thought about it all night since I couldn’t sleep. It will destroy my relationship with Tish and if you win the case it will really hurt her financially, maybe put her out of business. I’m not going to be a party to that. She already lost her biggest client and took this one on a contingency. She’s hanging on as it is. How do you think she’d feel knowing the guy she’s dating helped ruin her? It’s bad enough that I already did some work on the case.”

  “Well, she’s going to find out that we’re partners eventually. When are you going to tell her?”

  “I don’t know. And I don’t even know how I’m going to tell her.”

  “Look at it this way…if we were part of a large firm there would always be a lawyer working on a case for a bad client who might be going up against her. I’m just another lawyer in your firm.”

  “But there’s just the two of us, Ariel, which makes it a lot different.” He shook his head and looked at the floor. “I need advice from someone I trust about this. But I do know two things… I can’t help you on the case any longer and if
she finds out before I tell her… well, I’ll lose her.”

  “She’s really special to you, huh?”

  “Yeah. I’m starting to think she’s the one. And if she is my soul mate, I’m not going to lose her over some lawsuit that shouldn’t even go to court.”

  “Okay. Well, I’ll go ahead and hire some people to assist me. Brent already asked if you would be helping me during the trial and I told him you’re tied up with your own. While I wanted your help, I wasn’t going to tell him about it. We don’t need your name attached to the case.”

  He looked up at her. “Thanks, Ariel. Hopefully that will be enough.” He stood up and grabbed his jacket. “I’ll be back in an hour.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “To get that advice I need.”

  *

  Spence saw Benny reading the New York Post as he approached the cart. The guy looked up and smiled. “Little late for your morning coffee, aren’t ya?”

  “There was something I had to tell my partner first. And right now I might prefer morning bourbon.”

  Benny studied his face as he grabbed an empty cup. “You feeling okay, Spence?”

  “I’m in a bind, Benny. I actually dropped by to get your advice on something.”

  “You want advice from me? You’re a lawyer and I sell soda.”

  Spencer laughed. “Well, you can’t learn about life in a law book. And right now you’re the wisest man I know.”

  Benny started to fix the coffee. “Ah, this must be about Tish from the hotel. She was here this morning hoping you’d drop by. Everything okay with her?”

  “Yeah, we get along great.” He pointed at the newspaper, which again had a front page relating to the lawsuit. “That’s the problem.”

  “Because Tish is representing the single mom?”

  “No, because my partner is the attorney for Brent.”

  Benny finished the coffee and handed it to him. “Uh-oh. That’s not good. How many lawyers in your firm?”

  “Just the two of us. We usually work together on big cases but I already told her I can’t do any more on this one.”

  “Yeah, that wouldn’t be good. So you already did some work on it?”

  “Unfortunately, yes.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  “Plus, Tish just lost her biggest client and she needs to win this one. She doesn’t get paid if she loses.”

  “Oh, the contingency thing.” Benny slowly nodded, obviously considering the options. “So, you wanna know what to do and you have come to the romance oracle.”

  “Right. You’re the happily married guy and you already know both of us. I figured you’d have some good ideas.”

  “Well, I know you a helluva lot better than her. But first thing, you’ve gotta tell her right away. If she finds out before you tell her, she’ll think she can’t trust you. And without trust, you’ve got nothing.”

  “You’re right about that.”

  “Look, no matter how you deal with this, she’s going to be upset. How upset depends on how you react. Give her space if she needs it, don’t push. When a woman wants to be left alone, leave her alone.”

  “Yeah, I learned that the hard way a while ago.”

  “Look, regardless of how things go, I’ll be here in your corner. And I have her ear every morning even if you don’t.”

  “Thanks, Benny.”

  “My pleasure. I’m rooting for you two. I’ve never seen a couple that looks like they go together as much as you guys.”

  “Really?”

  Benny nodded. “Yeah. I mean, I’ve fixed people up before, but there’s a visible chemistry between you two. You both light up when the other one’s around. So, do you love her?”

  “Headed in that direction. So far, she’s everything I’m looking for.”

  *

  Tish noted the opposing attorney in her big case was actually in the same building and on the same floor, so she decided to walk down the hall to introduce herself and hopefully build a professional relationship. She also wanted to feel out the competition as to the possibility of a settlement, though she wouldn’t be the one to bring it up. That would give the early advantage to the competition. Never let them know you’re ready to deal. Let the other side make the first move.

  She found the office with a sign reading “Empire Law Associates” on the door, opened it and found an attractive brunette on the phone in the outer office, head down, writing on a legal pad. She stood in front of the desk and waited for her to finish the call. The woman put up one finger as she took down some notes. “Sure, I’ll get back to you. Gotta go, I have someone in the office. Bye.” She hung up and finished writing without looking up. “May I help you?”

  “Yes, I’m here to see Ariel Nix if she’s available.”

  The woman looked up and her eyes went wide. “Uh…yeah, that would be me.”

  Tish extended her hand. “I’m Tish McKenna, representing the plaintiff in the Brent Industries case.”

  The woman was still staring at her as she stood up. “Uh, right. Ariel Nix. Nice to meet you.”

  “I thought we might set up a schedule for depositions. Since I’m right down the hall it will be pretty convenient.”

  “That would be fine. Can you give me one minute? I forgot to send a text to someone.”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  The woman picked up her cell phone, tapped a few keys. “Okay. C’mon into the conference room and we can work things out. You want coffee or a soda?”

  “Thanks, I’m good.” Tish followed her, trying to hold back a grin because the woman looked scared.

  *

  Spencer reached into his pocket for his phone but came up empty. “Hell, left it at the office.” He decided to go back and get it, then go directly to Tish’s office. He felt better after his talk with Benny, but the anxiety was still there. How would she take it? He wanted to get it over with.

  He entered his office and noticed Ariel was in the conference room with a woman who had her back to him. Ariel turned and locked eyes with him through the glass door, hers filled with worry.

  He tapped on the door and cracked it open. “Ariel, I’ll be right back. I’m going down the hall to see—”

  The woman turned around.

  “Tish.”

  She studied his face. “Spence, what are you doing here?”

  “Uh…this is my office.”

  Tish looked at Ariel, then back at him. “Whoa, wait a minute. You guys are partners?”

  He slowly nodded.

  She stood up, moved toward him and folded her arms. “And exactly when were you going to tell me you were representing Brent?”

  “I’m not, Ariel is. And I didn’t find out you were on the case until yesterday.”

  “It was filed last week.”

  “I didn’t tell him,” said Ariel. “I didn’t want to ruin his trip.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Spence moved toward her. “I found out when I got back late last night and read the story in The Post. I already told Ariel I couldn’t work on the case anymore and was on my way to tell you—”

  “Sure you were, now that you got caught. Whoa, wait a minute…you’re not working on the case anymore?”

  “I had a couple of work product cases years ago and I gave Ariel my notes and the files.”

  “Well, so much for all your talk about liking good clients.”

  Ariel stood up. “Tish, Peter Brent is a relative of mine and actually paid my way through law school. And I’m hiring outside help to assist me since Spence refused to work on it anymore. Because he didn’t want to hurt your relationship. I didn’t have any choice but to take the case.”

  “A lawyer always has a choice.”

  “Trust me, I didn’t want this case either. The bad press is off the charts. Look, I’ve been trying like hell to get him to settle but the guy is dug in. I was hoping to make it go away before Spence got back from Vegas. Please don’t judge him because of one of my clients. You wanna be mad, be
mad at me for not telling him last week. But honestly, I didn’t tell him anything till this morning.”

  Spencer saw fire in Tish’s eyes and remembered what Benny had told him. That she would be upset and possibly need space.

  That look told him both were true.

  He wanted to reach out and take her shoulders but forced himself not to do it. “Tish, go talk to Benny.”

  “Why do I need to talk with him?”

  “Because I just did. I told him—”

  She put up her hand. “I think I don’t need to be here right now.” She grabbed her briefcase and headed out the door.

  Spencer started to go after her but Ariel grabbed his arm. “Let her go. She’ll calm down.”

  “I dunno, Ariel, she looks pretty steamed.”

  “It hit her out of the blue. But if she’s as sensible and decent as you say she is, she’ll take a breath and realize this is going to work out. By the way, I tried to warn you. Didn’t you read my text?”

  “I left my phone in the office. Guess I had too much on my mind. And it just got worse.” He bit his lower lip, his eyes worried.

  Ariel moved forward and gave him a strong hug. “It’ll be okay, sweetie. She’s not going to throw away a guy like you. Trust me, a girl that smart can figure this out.”

  *

  Tish stormed into her office, blew past Shelley and slammed her briefcase on a chair, startling Socks, who jumped up from her spot on the desk and ran underneath it. Seeing the cat scared put her anger on the back burner. She reached under the desk, picked up the cat and gave it a hug. The poor thing was shaking. “I’m sorry, kitty, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  Shelley followed her into the office. “You okay? What the hell happened?”

  Tish sat down, putting Socks on her lap. She stroked the cat’s head and it calmed down. “You’re not going to believe it. Brent’s attorney is Spence’s partner.”

  “Oh, shit. You gotta be kidding me.”

  “Nope. We were setting up a schedule for depositions and he walked in. Said he was on his way to tell me that she was his partner and he wasn’t going to work on the case any longer. And he claims he didn’t know I was representing the plaintiff till he read it in the paper last night when he got back from Vegas.”