by Erin Lyon
Joe left with a spring in his step and, I gotta say, I was even starting to feel pretty good about my victory.
I had a blinking red light on my phone, indicating I had a message. I pressed the button and listened.
“Hi, Kate. It’s Beth. Daryl couldn’t say yes fast enough. I already made the changes to the existing settlement agreement and I’ve emailed it to you. Any chance you can get Dot to sign it today?”
I checked my email and, sure enough, Beth had already sent over the revised settlement for Dot and Daryl. I reviewed her changes and they were correct.
I picked up my phone and called Dot.
“Hi, Kate,” Dot said, picking up on the first ring.
“Dot, your offer has been accepted and they already revised the settlement agreement and sent it over. If you’re certain, you can sign today.”
“Fantastic. I’ll be right over.”
So that happened. What a weird day.
I had the settlement agreement printed by the time Rita buzzed me to tell me that Dot was here with her gentleman friend.
I headed to the conference room, and when I went through the door, I saw a completely new Dot Hamilton.
Dot stood and came to me, smiling, and gave me a quick hug. She was in a little white sundress that came below her knees, and her hair was loose and wavy. She looked ten years younger. Is this really what one good lay can do for you?
“Kate, this is Sven.”
I turned to Sven and about fell over. I was expecting some tall, Norse god–looking guy. I was only right on the Norse part, because he was blond and blue-eyed. But he was about five foot seven and narrow through the shoulders. He had a light mustache and eyeglasses. He looked a little younger than her, maybe late thirties. He was wearing a sweater vest over a plaid shirt.
He shook my hand enthusiastically and snuggled up against Dot’s side.
“Let’s do this,” Dot said, looking lovely, which is not something I ever expected to say about the woman.
“Okay,” I said, putting the agreement on the table in front of her. I pointed out the couple of revisions Daryl’s attorney had made, so that she could read them, and then I flipped to the signature page.
“And, if you’re really sure, you can sign right there,” I said, pointing to the signature line and holding a pen out for her.
She looked at Sven lovingly, took the pen from me, and signed the agreement. She tossed the pen onto the agreement and turned to Sven, who wrapped her in his arms and lifted her off the ground.
Great. I’m surrounded by people making love look like the easiest thing in the world today.
“Okay, I’ll get this right back over to Beth Erickson so that she can get Daryl’s signature. Once I have the final version, I’ll get it to you.”
“Kate,” she said, looking at me sincerely. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“Good luck, Dot.”
She and Sven left, arm in arm.
I went to the printer and scanned in the agreement and then emailed it back to Beth with the subject line “The Ark of the Covenant.”
Someone knocked on my door frame and I looked up to see Jared standing there.
“I hear congratulations are in order,” he said, beaming at me.
I held up the signed agreement. “Just got it signed.”
“That’s fantastic. Joe has been wandering around for the last half hour telling everyone how you worked a miracle.”
“Well, at least he’s not overselling it.”
“Not at all. Well? We need to celebrate.”
I nodded. This did seem like an occasion worth celebrating.
Mags appeared next to Jared. “Did I hear that we’re going out to celebrate Kate’s lifesaving settlement?”
Jared laughed. “It’s a must. Tell your friends. Tonight after work?” Jared asked.
“I had some plans, but they should be transferable,” I said, thinking of Adam’s hostage negotiation scheduled for tonight. “Where should we go?”
“There’s a new place called the Trunk that some of my friends just opened,” Jared said, with his hands shoved in the pockets of his slacks. “Let’s go there. It’s at twelfth and K.”
“Perfect. I’ll let my friends know,” I said.
“Okay. Say about six thirty? So we have time to go home and drop the suits?” he asked, with a light tug on his lapel.
“Even better,” I said.
Jared tapped my door frame and walked away.
“You think Logek will come?” Mags asked.
“I’m going to call her. She’s been lying low all week after the breakup. She needs to get out.”
“Good. Brad and I are in.”
I picked up my phone and figured I should call Logek first, since she might take more convincing than Adam.
“Hey, Kitty Kat,” she said, answering on the first ring.
“Hey, sweetheart. How are you?”
“Angry. Which is an improvement from sad, so I’ll take it.”
“Good girl. So, you’re coming out with me tonight.”
“I am?”
“Yes. A whole group of us. One of my bosses and Mags and her guy … and Adam.”
“Hm. The plot thickens.”
“I just settled a case that they’ve been fighting over for two years, so one of my bosses said a celebration was mandatory. And I was sort of supposed to platonically hang out with Adam tonight, anyway.”
Logek was quiet, and I got the feeling she was getting ready to fight me on it. “Logek. You’ve been hibernating all week. It’s time to get out. You need some fun.”
“Mmm,” she moaned. “I’m not sure I’m ready.”
“You’re ready. You’re fucking Logek McLean. No man gets more than a week of your sad time.”
She laughed. “You really should have been a motivational speaker.”
“It’s not too late. Maybe that will be my next career change.”
“Fine,” she said with an exaggerated sigh. “What’s the plan?”
“Meet at my house after work? Get to the bar about six thirty?”
“Okay. See you soon.”
All in all, easier than I thought it would be. Next, I called Adam.
“What’s up, Shaw?”
“Really, Adam? Are you really going to keep up this contrived buddy thing of calling me by my last name?”
“Not making it any more believable for you?”
“Not a bit.”
“Good to know. So, Kate, what’s up?”
“Change of venue for tonight.”
“I don’t think we’d picked a venue.”
“I settled a big case, so Jared thought we should get a group together to celebrate.”
“Oh. Okay. Where are we going?”
“I guess there’s a new bar called the Trunk that just opened?”
“Oh, yeah. Some of my friends actually own that place.” I’m guessing college friends, since Adam had mentioned knowing Jared Mann from college. “So, meeting there?”
“Yep.”
“What time?”
“Six thirty?”
“Sounds good. See you soon, Kate.”
When I set my phone down on the desk, Mags popped her head into my office. I gave her the thumbs-up and she smiled.
“Logek is meeting at my house. Do you want to meet there and have a glass of wine and then head over together?”
“Best idea I’ve heard all day. I’ll let Brad know to meet us there.”
It was already two o’clock by the time I was eating my lunch, which consisted of leftovers from what I’d made the night before. I was just putting my Tupperware back in my drawer when Tony came in and sat down in one of the chairs in front of my desk.
“So, darling, Joe tells me you settled that two-year-old case he had.”
“I did.”
“Did you kill the guinea pig?”
I chuckled. “No, Tony. No rodent killing necessary.”
“What do you know? That was always my sugges
tion.”
“Nice, Tony.”
He smiled. “So, have you talked to your landlady at all?”
Oh man, do I not want to have this conversation with him. He was fidgeting with one of the cuff links on his shirt, not making direct eye contact.
“She was over last night to measure the back porch on my duplex. But I’m guessing that’s not why you’re asking.”
He cracked his knuckles and looked a little flushed. “Well, we went out once. It was great. She said she’d go out with me again, but I haven’t been able to pin her down on a date. I’m just wondering if I’m getting the shine-on.”
“Oh. Well, I did sort of get the impression that she isn’t looking for a relationship.” I finished the statement with an awkward sorry to be the bearer of bad news expression.
“Hm. Okay. Well, I didn’t ask her to move in or anything, so hopefully I didn’t scare her off. This lady’s got me ass over end, if you know what I mean.”
I laughed. Tony “ass over end” was definitely a new position for him.
“Well, put in a good word for me if you get the chance, okay?” he asked.
I didn’t have a lot of “good words” about Tony that ever came to mind, but his sincerity now made feel for the guy. “Sure, Tony.”
He got up and left my office without another word. Insecurity was a new look for him. I think I preferred it to his usual macho womanizer crap.
Mags and I were part of the Friday five o’clock mass exodus from the building. Once we were outside, Mags turned to me before heading off toward her own car. “I’m going to run home and change and then I’ll be over. Text me your address.”
“Will do,” I said.
I texted Mags as soon as I was in my car, and then I headed home. I’d changed into some jeans and a cute shirt by the time Logek was walking through my front door.
Looking at her, you’d certainly never know the girl had been nursing a heartbreak all week. Her blond hair was bouncy and her face was as perfect as it always is. I had one brief moment of wanting to go work on my makeup more after seeing her, but then decided that was silly. I was who I was. More makeup wasn’t going to turn me into Logek. And I really was okay with that (despite my occasional flutters of Logek-induced insecurity).
“You look perfect,” I said.
“I was just thinking the same thing about you.”
She followed me into the kitchen and I was working on opening a bottle of wine when there was a knock at the front door.
“That’s probably Mags.”
“Cool,” Logek said, heading out to answer the door.
I set three of my super-cute animal print wineglasses on my kitchen table and poured the wine by the time Logek and Mags reappeared.
Mags looked deliberately casual in some perfectly cut jeans and a plaid shirt that was what I would call “Hollywood flannel,” since it was too sexy and fitted to be referred to as just a flannel shirt.
“Ladies,” I said, holding out a wineglass to each of them. “Here’s to…”
When I trailed off, Mags jumped in. “The assholes who help us recognize the good guys when they come along.”
“Amen,” Logek said with a laugh. She clinked our glasses and drank. “So, what case are we celebrating tonight?”
“I told you about the guinea pig case, right?” I asked.
“Yes. So you settled it? Or did the thing finally die?”
I laughed. “I settled it, thank you very much.”
“Brilliant. How?”
“By advising a lonely fortysomething to try online dating,” Mags said.
“Diabolical, Katie,” Logek said with a chuckle.
“Hey. It was well-intentioned. And they actually look really happy together. So far.”
Logek raised her glass again. “Here’s to ‘so far.’” We clinked glasses again and drank.
“So, Miss Kate,” Mags said, turning her glass between her hands. “I wanted to ask you a question.”
I frowned. “Of course. What?”
“These glasses are adorable,” she said suddenly, raising her glass etched with zebra stripes up to the light to inspect it closer.
I looked at my own glass, with leopard spots. “Aren’t they? Gift from Adam’s mom. Well, my landlady.”
“So cute,” Logek agreed.
“So … was that your question?” I asked.
Mags made a half laugh, half snort thing. “No, sorry. I got distracted.”
“Well, let’s hear it.”
“Brad and I want you to draft our contract.”
My jaw fell open. “Oh my god, Mags! I’m so happy for you,” I said, hugging her tightly.
“Good for you, girl,” Logek added, also wrapping Mags in a quick hug.
“But you know I don’t draft contracts. The firm has an attorney for that,” I said.
Mags grimaced. “Please. Frank just opens form contracts and inserts people’s names. And even that he manages to screw up sometimes. Besides, you’re a friend to both of us. And you’re obscenely fair, and you’re so protective that you’ll worry over every single provision like lives depend on it.”
“Um. Thank you?”
“It’s a compliment,” Mags said with a big smile. “So you’ll do it?”
“Of course I will.”
Mags did a little happy dance while sitting, careful not to spill her wine.
“Have you ever been signed before?” Logek asked Mags.
“Nope. Came close a couple of times, but I always backed out when it came time to ink the contract.”
“Can you teach me that?” Logek asked with a chuckle.
“Signed before, I take it?”
“Oh yeah. I’m what Kate calls a ‘serial signer.’ You’d think I’d learn.”
“My mother always told me, ‘Why buy the pig when you can get the sausage for free?’”
Logek and I both burst out laughing.
“Mags, you make so much more sense to me now,” I said.
“So what made you decide to sign this time?” Logek asked.
“Finally realized this guy didn’t make me feel like I was buying a pig.”
“Aww. That’s so sweet,” I said with mock solemnity. “I think I might cry.” I made the motion of whisking some fake tears away.
“Seriously. I think that needs to be on a T-shirt,” Logek said. “So, first time under the big C-word. Nervous?”
“I almost said no. Didn’t see the need. But it matters to him. And I love him.” Mags shrugged.
I made an involuntary aww noise.
Then Mags added, “Besides, it’s only seven years. I figure I can stick out anything for seven years.”
My aww sound went away.
“I think,” Logek said, looking a little more thoughtful, “that if humans were meant to mate for life, one of the bills to lengthen contracts would have passed by now.”
Good point. Every few years, it seemed, there was a bill on the ballot to change the duration of the standard contract. Usually people trying to extend it to ten years. The occasional overambitious bill pushing for twenty years. Once in a while, we even get a push to change the contract to five years. Ultimately, the argument that everyone has the choice of whether or not to extend the contract kills the arguments to lengthen. And, good ol’ traditional values always seem to defeat the argument to shorten the contract.
“But some people do stay together,” I said.
Logek nodded. “I think people like the idea of being together forever. It just doesn’t seem to work as well in practice.”
Mags laughed. “Fuck forever. I’m good with seven years. I’ve never even had a pair of shoes I’ve kept that long.”
“That is so sweet—comparing Brad to your love for shoes. Now I know it’s serious,” I said, smiling.
I finished the wine in my glass and looked at my watch. “Should I call a cab?” I asked. I looked at each of them for assent, reaching for my phone. “Six minutes,” I said, setting my phone down.
Mags grinned. “Looks like we’ll have time to finish that bottle of wine.”
I divvied up the rest of the bottle among our glasses.
“So, did I hear you say that Adam is coming tonight?” Mags asked.
I paused, took a deep breath. “Yeah. He really wants to be friends, even though I’ve made it abundantly clear that I’m not feeling all that friendly toward him.”
“He knows you’re getting emotionally attached but he likes you enough to still want you in his life, regardless of the complications. What a dick,” Mags said with a scowl.
“I’m so glad someone understands my plight.”
CHAPTER 13
Fifteen minutes later, we pulled up in front of the Trunk. There was a crowd milling around outside and I was a little worried there might be a wait to get in. To a bar. Seriously? This town did not have enough to do. The outside was pretty cool, though. The facade of the building had a rustic, nautical look, a little like what you’d picture a sunken pirate ship to look like.
We walked toward the front, winding our way through the crowd, to a thick-shouldered bouncer with a clipboard. For a bar. But I think I mentioned that.
“Hi. Is there really a wait to get in?” I asked.
The bouncer looked at me a minute and then smiled. “It’s opening weekend, so it looks like everyone had the same idea.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize it just just opened.” Because when you say a word twice, it apparently changes its meaning. The bouncer just shrugged his burly shoulders.
Suddenly Jared appeared behind him and tapped the bouncer’s shoulder. “They’re with me,” he said.
“Oh, sure, Jared.” The bouncer immediately opened the rope and let us through. Like movie stars. So that’s what that feels like.
We walked through and I grinned at Jared.
“Pretty slick, boss man,” I said.
Jared shrugged like it was no big deal. “Owners are college buddies. That’s all.”
As intimidating as Jared looked in his thousand-dollar suits in court, he certainly dressed down nicely. He was in nice jeans and a white button-down shirt that showed off his broad shoulders and narrow waist. It was the first time I’d seen him without a tie.
“Come on. Let’s get you ladies some drinks,” he said, smiling at each of us in turn.
“Jared!”
We all turned when we heard someone call his name. Brad was standing in front of the bouncer, who was looking over his shoulder at Jared. Jared nodded and Brad was let past the rope. I glanced at Logek and she was staring at me with wide eyes.