Retribution

by K. A. Robinson

  “What will be?” I asked warily.

  “I want to hire you at the firm. I know how much you hate staying home all the time, so I thought a job would be good for you.”

  I blinked. “You want to do what?”

  I couldn’t have heard him right. Robert always made sure that I did nothing but stay in his house. He’d cost me my job only a few months ago just to make sure that I would stay put. It’d caused a huge argument then, but I’d finally let go of it.

  “I want to give you a job. You will be an assistant for anyone who needs you. You’ll file, do paperwork that no one else wants to do, and run errands.”

  “Why are you doing this?” I asked cautiously.

  “Because I want to win back your trust. I know how desperate you are to do something, anything really. I thought this would be a great way to let you have what you want.”

  “You could just let me get a job on my own instead of hiring me at the firm,” I pointed out.

  He shook his head. “I hate how far apart we’ve been lately. I want to be close to you again.”

  “And if I refuse?” I asked.

  I needed to know what I would be getting myself into before I agreed to anything. I didn’t trust Robert. I also knew that he was the king of controlling me. I would not follow him blindly into this gift.

  He studied me for a moment. “You can do whatever you want, but I think you should take this job. I really do.”

  “And there are no strings attached to this? Forgive me for being skeptical, but you’re famous for making sure I stay in your control.”

  “No strings attached. Consider this the first of many gifts I plan to give you in hopes that, one day, you’ll forgive me for my mistakes.” He stood and walked to the patio door. “I’ll send an email with all the details later this afternoon.”

  “This doesn’t mean I forgive you,” I called after him.

  He stopped and turned back to me. “I know, but it’s a start.”

  Then, he was gone.

  That afternoon, I received the paperwork along with my new work schedule. I couldn’t believe it. Robert had been so against me working, and now, he was doing this. Granted, I would be working in the same building as him, but still, it was money that I would earn myself. I’d hated taking handouts from Robert since day one. Being able to earn my keep would mean a lot to me, and he knew that. Maybe he was trying after all. I shook my head. I was still angry with him, but his attempt to apologize had lessened it a bit. Giving me a job was probably the only thing he could’ve done to make me feel that way. Robert was no fool. He’d known what offering this job to me would do.

  It didn’t matter though. I meant what I’d said. I didn’t forgive him. He would have to work long and hard for my forgiveness.

  The next morning, I showered and applied my makeup. I was scheduled to be at the firm at nine. Nerves caused my stomach to gurgle constantly. If it kept up, everyone I would be meeting today might assume I had some kind of stomach disorder or diarrhea.

  Wonderful.

  Robert had said that I’d be nothing more than an assistant, but I was still nervous. I had absolutely no experience working anywhere but at the diner. I was certain that things would be different at a law firm. I didn’t want to end up looking like a fool by screwing something up.

  I searched my closet for something to wear. I wanted to look the part even if I didn’t feel like I belonged at a law firm. I finally settled on a pair of dark gray dress pants and a plain white button-up dress shirt. I took one last look in the mirror before walking to my door and opening it. I was as ready as I could be.

  I stepped out into the hallway and turned toward the stairs. I froze when I heard the door across from mine open.

  It can’t be…

  I turned slowly and looked at Cooper’s door. My body locked up as I fought not to turn and run. Cooper leaned against his doorframe with his arms across his chest. He was watching me with a smirk on his face. I knew my face showed my shock over finally seeing him.

  He looked exactly the same as he had the last time I laid eyes on him. He was tall, probably around six foot two, and he was built like a football player. The tight T-shirt he wore put his arm muscles as well as the hard planes of his chest and stomach on full display. His dark tattoos—that I knew covered his skin from shoulder to elbow on both sides—were peeking out from underneath the sleeves of his shirt.

  His hair was a dark brown, so dark that it almost looked black, and his lips were full. But it was his eyes that stood out. They were the brightest emerald green I’d ever seen. A looped piercing adorned his eyebrow like always. That, along with his tattoos, made him look dangerous.

  “Cooper?” I’d meant it as a greeting, but it came out as more of a question than anything.

  “In the flesh. Are you surprised to see me, stepmother?” he asked.

  His body seemed relaxed, but I could tell from the way his arm muscles tensed that he was just as uptight over our meeting as I was.

  “Actually, I am. We weren’t sure if you were coming back home or not. It’s been weeks since we last saw you.”

  “Well, I’m home now, so we can go back to being one big happy family. Isn’t that wonderful? We can stroll through the park and have picnics together with my father. I’ll even let you buy me ice cream.”

  When I didn’t respond, he pushed away from the doorway and walked toward me. I tensed when he stopped only inches away from me.

  “Or maybe we’re not one big happy family after all.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, fighting not to turn and run. I always ran when Cooper was around. I wouldn’t let him get to me anymore. I held my ground.

  “You just walked out of your old room instead of my father’s.” He moved past me and pushed my door open. “And the bed has been slept in. Don’t tell me that your marriage is already on the rocks.”

  “My marriage is no concern of yours,” I said as I turned to face him.

  “It’s not. You made that abundantly clear when you slapped me the last time we were in the same room together. You ran to him instead of me. Your love life is absolutely none of my concern. I am a bit curious as to where you’re going dressed like that though. You’re usually in shorts and a tank top.”

  I hated that Cooper knew even that much about me. He always noticed little things concerning me that no one else seemed to pay any attention to. He paid more attention to me than I was comfortable with. At times, it was like Cooper knew me better than I knew myself.

  “I’m going to work,” I said stiffly.

  He raised an eyebrow. “Work? You mean, my dad actually let you get a job? Wow, I’m impressed. What did you have to do to get this little piece of freedom?” He paused. “On second thought, I don’t think I want to know.”

  “I’m working at his firm.” I glanced at my phone. “And if I don’t leave now, I’m going to be late. I’ll see you later, Cooper.”

  “I’ll be here,” he said lightly.

  I hated that the simple words unnerved me. Whenever Cooper was around, things always seemed to spin out of control.

  Without a word, I walked down the hall to the stairs.

  Just as my hand landed on the banister, he spoke again, “You didn’t tell him. Why?”

  I looked back at him. “What?”

  “You didn’t tell him what I’d told you that day. I thought for sure you’d run right to him and spill all my dirty little secrets. Why didn’t you?”

  We stared at each other as I fought to find the right answer to his question.

  “I don’t know.”

  I didn’t give him time to question me further. I darted down the stairs and toward the garage with my heart racing in my chest. I hated that Cooper could still do that. He got to me like no one else could.

  I clutched my file full of paperwork to my chest as I walked across the parking lot toward the law firm. It was located in a two-story brick building with Law Office of Robert Evans written across the top of
it. I’d been here only once before. It seemed like a lifetime had passed since I last walked into this building.

  I pulled open the door and walked inside. The reception area was as gorgeous as I remembered. The walls were a light-cream color with artwork hanging every few feet. There were two leather couches with a television mounted on the wall across from them. A glass table covered in magazines was set in the middle of the room.

  The same receptionist from before sat behind her desk. She smiled warmly when she saw me. “You must be Claire.”

  I nodded. “How did you guess?”

  She grinned. “I remember you from before. Plus, you look absolutely terrified. That’s always a dead giveaway for new employees.” She paused. “And clients who are in a heap of trouble. Anyway, I’m Gina. If you will follow me, I’ll take you up to Becky. She’ll handle your training.”

  She stood and walked around her desk. I followed her as she walked down a hallway to an elevator. I looked further down the hall. Robert’s office was only a few doors down from the elevator. I hoped that I wouldn’t see him today. I was nervous enough without him popping in to check on me. Besides, I was still angry with him.

  We rode the elevator up to the second floor. When the doors opened, she led me down another hallway. We walked to the very last door. It was open, and we stepped inside without knocking.

  “Becky, I have your new employee.”

  A woman, who looked to be in her mid-twenties, sat behind a desk. She looked up and smiled at me. I instantly liked her. Her chocolate hair was cut in a sleek bob, making her look professional and hip all at once. Her brown eyes were covered with black-framed glasses.

  “You must be Claire. Robert said you would be in this morning.”

  “That’s me.” I reached across the desk and shook her hand.

  “Well, I’ll leave you two alone to get started. It was nice to see you again,” Gina said as she turned to leave.

  “Thanks for bringing her up,” Becky called after her.

  “No problem!”

  Once she was gone, Becky gestured for me to sit down. I took the seat directly across from her and grabbed my knees to keep my hands from shaking. I was so nervous. I hated change, and getting a new job was definitely a change.

  “Did you fill out all the forms I gave Robert?” she asked.

  I nodded. “Yeah, I did.”

  She held out her hand. “Let me see them, and I’ll make sure to get them processed this morning.”

  I handed my folder over to her. “Everything you sent is in there.”

  “Perfect.” She put the folder down on her desk. “So, basically, I’m going to have you doing most of the filing. If I don’t have anything for you to do, you’ll run errands. Robert said I could leave the amount of hours you work up to you, so if you let me know how much you want to work, I’ll get your schedule set up in the computer system.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “I get to choose how much I want to work?”

  She nodded and gave me a smile. “Perks of marrying the boss.”

  I laughed. I could have taken her words as an insult, but from her tone, I could tell that wasn’t the case. I was already sure that Becky and I would get along.

  “I suppose so. Let’s put me down for four days a week. If that is too much, I can work less. I want to stay busy while I’m here. I’m not sure how much filing you have, but I can’t imagine that it would take a lot of time.”

  She grinned. “You haven’t seen the files I have for you yet. You’ll retract that statement soon enough. We’re not a huge firm, but the cases that Robert and the other lawyers work on keep me busy all the time. It’s nice to have you here to take some of the burden.”

  “I’m glad to help,” I told her honestly.

  “Great. Let’s head downstairs, and I’ll show you the basement. You’re going to spend a lot of time there.”

  I followed her back to the elevator. We rode downstairs in silence. As soon as the doors opened, we stepped out.

  I raised an eyebrow. “It’s kind of dark down here.” Kind of was an understatement. I could barely see three feet in front of me.

  “We usually keep the lights off on this floor. I’m the only one who comes to this level most of the time.” She flipped a switch, and several overhead lights came on.

  I blinked at the sudden brightness as my eyes tried to adjust.

  “There we go,” Becky said.

  I glanced around the space in front of me. The basement was one large room. Support beams ran through the room every few feet. Temporary walls that were shorter than me separated a few sections. White tile floors and plain brick walls were all I could see, except for the filing cabinets. My eyes widened when I realized just how many cabinets there were. At least two hundred cabinets sat in rows. They were all marked, as were the temporary walls sectioning off specific cabinets from others.

  I shivered when I realized how cool it was down here. I would have to make sure to bring a jacket with me from now on.

  “Welcome to your new home. It’s not much, but you’ll learn to hate it.”

  “I didn’t expect it to be this big. I thought there’d be, like, a room with a few filing cabinets and that was it,” I said.

  “Yeah, well, we have a lot of paperwork.” She motioned to her left.

  I looked over to see a desk that I hadn’t noticed before. It was covered in stacks of file folders.

  “Unfortunately for you, I’ve neglected my filing lately. It’ll take you a few days to get through all of these, plus whatever else I will have for you each day.”

  “You weren’t joking about the amount of filing,” I mumbled.

  She laughed. “No, I wasn’t. Come on, I’ll show you how our system works. It’s very easy.”

  I followed Becky around the room, letting her explain the system. She also stopped to show me the cabinets that were separated from others. Some sections were for things like client wills, but others were for paperwork that they needed to keep longer than normal. I tried to make note of everything, hoping that I wouldn’t mess up.

  “If you’re unsure, just set the file aside, and save it for later. You can ask me for help without fear of being yelled at. I know it seems like a lot, but you’ll quickly get the hang of it.”

  “I hope so. I never thought I’d need help with filing,” I joked.

  “You’ll be fine, Claire. Don’t worry. I think I’ve explained everything as best as I can, so I’m going to head back to my office. Come up at noon, and we’ll grab something for lunch, okay?”

  “I will. Thank you,” I said sincerely.

  Once Becky left, I stared at the files on the desk. It was going to be a long morning. I grabbed a few files and started wandering around, trying to find the right cabinet for them. It seemed to take me forever to find the right spot for each one. The morning passed at a snail’s pace.

  I stopped long enough to eat with Becky before getting back to work. The afternoon seemed to move even slower. I kept glancing at the clock, willing it to go faster, and I swore it laughed at me.

  When quitting time finally rolled around, I’d put a decent dent in the amount of files on the desk. Still, I knew I had several more hours of filing to look forward to. That thought made me shudder as I drove home.

  I had a job though. I had a purpose. That brightened my mood up a bit. Even though my job wasn’t all that exciting, it would get me out of the house. That was all that I could ask for. I smiled as I pulled up the driveway and entered the code. I was suddenly feeling very happy about the day. It had been boring, yes, but it was something.

  My good mood was short-lived. It was after eleven at night, and Robert still wasn’t home. I’d sent him a text at ten, asking where he was, and so far, he hadn’t responded. The house was completely silent since neither Robert nor Cooper was home. I’d seen Ellie briefly when I came home, but she’d left shortly after. I’d spent my entire evening in my room, reading and pretending that the silence didn’t bother me.

/>   If this was Robert’s idea of trying to make things right, he was already failing miserably. To try meant that he actually had to be around me. Last time I’d checked, that was how relationships worked. But what did I know? I was just a child after all.

  My phone beeped, and I grabbed it off my nightstand.

  I won’t be home tonight.

  I sighed and tossed it aside once I read Robert’s text. I didn’t even bother to ask where he was or what he was doing. Instead, I rolled onto my side and curled up underneath my covers.

  “I have a note for you,” Becky said the next day when I walked up to her desk.

  “Oh?” I asked.

  She handed it to me. “From your husband.”

  I took it from her and opened the envelope.

  LUNCH. MY OFFICE. NOON. HAVE A GOOD DAY.

  “Short and sweet,” I mumbled under my breath as I shoved the note in my purse. I looked back at Becky. “Anyway, good morning.”

  “Morning. I want you to head back down to the basement again. I added new files for you.”

  “You’re the best,” I teased.

  “I know. And since I’m the best, I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch together today?” she asked.

  “I can’t. Apparently, I’m having lunch with Robert today.”

  She smiled. “Gotcha. Well, I guess I’ll see you later then.”

  I waved good-bye before heading back down to the basement. I had to keep a date with a filing cabinet.

  I spent the next few hours filing away until my phone told me it was time to eat. Suddenly nervous over Robert’s message, I rode the elevator up to the first floor with shaky hands. This would be the first time we saw each other after his offer to let me work at the firm. I was still angry with him for hitting me, then ignoring me, and for not even bothering to come home last night, but I was trying to give him another chance. If I stormed into his office like a raging bull, we wouldn’t be able to move forward.

  Still, I felt trapped, like a caged animal. If I couldn’t forgive him, things would never be the same between us. My animosity would grow into something more, and our brand-new marriage would disintegrate—because of me. That didn’t sit well with me. I didn’t want to be the reason that we failed before we ever truly started our life together.