by Cookie Jones
“Yeah, after I pack. I have to head to Colorado for a consultation that’s scheduled for tomorrow.”
“Yeesh, you gotta sit on standby?” I asked him and he shook his head.
“No, this consult is important so the firm paid for the ticket in advance and they’re sending me with a team,” he said and I had to admire the way Buddy played off the fact that he was basically a hot shot. “So what about you? You know you’re welcome to stay for as long as you need,” he told me and I shook my head.
“Nah, it’s like I said, I was only in town for the night. I gotta keep going towards Miami; beach fun and gorgeous women await me.” I grinned and Buddy chuckled while he shook his head.
“That’s your line for every city, when is it gonna be enough for you?” he asked and my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “I mean when are you gonna put this life behind you, man?” he asked me and I shrugged.
“I don’t think I ever will. I told you before it’s like an addiction. Who knows, when I get tired of seeing the U.S., I’ll fly to the UK and leave my mark there. I like to travel, I like to be free, you know this,” I said and Buddy nodded.
“Yeah, yeah…but how old are you now? Nearly thirty? Haven’t you ever thought about settling down?”
“Coming from you? I don’t exactly see a wife and kids around, Buddy,” I said. Yeah, the comment came out a little sharper than normal. But I hated when he tried to have these ‘get your life together’ talks with me. My life was together; I just lived it differently than others.
“You know I have a plan, once they make me an executive at the firm I can fully settle in Austin and start on the legacy,” he said and gave me a ‘c’mon man’ look. “You know I care about you, I just don’t want to see you waste away or anything,” he said and I took a deep breath.
“Don’t worry about me, Buddy, you know I’ll be alright,” I said and he looked at me a long time before giving in on his argument.
“Alright man, I gotta go pack. Don’t feel like you have to leave, mi casa es su casa,” he said while he disappeared around the corner.
I shook off the unsettled feeling of having that conversation thrown on me and pulled out my phone to make an appointment to get my car serviced before I continued east. Once everything was set up, I went upstairs, packed whatever I had lying around the room and then went to find Buddy to wish him a see ya later.
“You leaving?” Buddy asked when he saw me with my duffel walking into his huge master bedroom.
“Yeah, I’ve gotta get the car serviced and then it’s sunrises and mojitos for me,” I grinned and he chuckled.
“You know, while you’re on the east coast you should visit…home…maybe,” even as the words left his mouth Buddy knew how unlikely that would be.
“Don’t even get me started, Bud. Plus, they wouldn’t even want me in Connecticut anyways, not to mention that’s far more north than I want to be for the next couple of months,” I said and he shook his head, but fondly.
“It’s just a suggestion, wouldn’t hurt to connect with some people you haven’t seen in years…” he hinted and I groaned.
“If you mean my ‘family’, you’ve gotta be kidding me. Plus, I call…you know, at least once a month or something like that. They’re not missing me up there,” I said dismissively and Buddy shrugged.
“It was just a suggestion, I’ll be going up there soon for Thanksgiving, so if you want a home cooked meal, you know you’re always welcome at my mom and dad’s.”
“Holy shit…Thanksgiving is coming up?” I asked and Buddy rolled his eyes at me.
“Dude, you have a calendar on your phone, use it from time to time. I mean when’s the last time you’ve even been near Connecticut?” he asked me and I shrugged.
“Since I left…or actually since I last visited New York, that’s pretty close,” I said and Buddy sighed.
“You know, I understand that you and your parents have fundamental differences, but it wouldn’t hurt to at least see them and try to keep in touch better.”
Buddy was in full lecture mode today and I wondered what spurred it on. First the crap about settling down and now this, it’s like he was trying to tell me something…something I vehemently didn’t want to hear.
“Buddy stop trying to get me to grow up, I will in due time…maybe.” I lightened the mood with a sly grin and Buddy gave in with a chuckle. “So anyway I came up to say see ya later and all.” He and I clasped palms and I pulled him in for a bro hug, then as usual we bumped fists. “Who knows I may even come up for Thanksgiving which is in…?”
“A week, Nick, honestly,” he said and I laughed.
“Right, right, I’ll keep in touch,” I said with a wave and that was my staple to head out.
All that ran through my mind was the excitement of discovering a new city. I had been saving Miami for a while and couldn’t wait to experience the fair weather there during the otherwise would be cold months of fall and winter anywhere north of Florida. I had made a friend in California who was moving out to Miami and invited me to come live with him for a couple of months; he appreciated my lifestyle, but like Buddy he had a career and a ‘plan’. His job would require him to be away from Miami for a while and he needed someone to watch his house; of course it’s Nick to the rescue. I’d have to get a new bathing suit and learn how to say croquetta with the proper Hispanic pronunciation.
Getting my trusty Honda Accord Hybrid serviced didn’t take as long as I expected. I had to give in and trade my flashy Audi that I had all throughout college. If I was going to take on the cross country life, I had to be just a little sensible. Thankfully, the Honda didn’t look too much like a chick car and my killer smile made up for the rest. When I got into the long stretch of driving to Florida, I thought about what Buddy said about visiting New Haven for Thanksgiving. Being back in Stamford would be crazy weird, I hadn’t been home in about four years.
Hell, no one in my neighborhood has seen me with long hair, I’d probably look like some outsider yeti to all those polished ‘elites’. Just thinking about the circles my parents were in, as well as Buddy’s parents, made my skin crawl. That was where the deliberation ended; forget it, no way was I going back there for Thanksgiving. I’d simply call as usual. With that I turned up my stereo, pumping Biggie, and cruised on to Miami.
I got to the city as the sky was darkening about eighteen hours later; yeah, I sped a little to cut time in half. I stopped at a gas station to fill up and let Alex, the guy whose house I’d be sitting, know I was close by. As I looked up from my phone I saw a sleek black jaguar prowl up to the gas pump on the other side of mine. Of course I appreciated a nice car and my eyes were already waiting to see who’d emerge from the car.
One long leg emerged before the other and then a brunette head led the full emergence of the beauty before me. She had to be a model, there was no other explanation. She had those nice high cheekbones, plump pouty lips, high arched brows, and delicate features, though her jaw was defined in a feminine way. She had long flowing mahogany hair and when she glanced over at me her green eyes were made to capture attention.
“Hi.” I smiled at her confidently, but not overly so and she gave me a polite, but small smile. Then she ducked her head and focused on putting gas in her car. I guessed I’d have to try harder. “I’m Nick, what’s your name?” I asked her and she glanced up at me again, though I was relieved not to see annoyance or anything on her features.
“I’m Selena…” she said and seemed to be waiting for me to say something else. When all I did was nod, she tilted her head at me a bit, definitely curious now. “Is this how you usually approach women?” she asked me and I chuckled.
“Yes and no…where are you from, you have a sexy accent. Pardon my forwardness,” I said and she smirked.
“Thank you, I’m from Brazil originally,” she said and that definitely meant she was a model.
“So are you in Miami for a shoot or…?” I asked and she smiled.
“A fashion s
how yes, maybe you should come…though only if you have something better to wear than shorts and a tank top,” she said and pointed a regal finger at my outfit.
“I’m sure I can pick something up, maybe you can help me shop,” I smirked at her playfully and she entertained it.
“Well, take my number and let me know when you’ll head to the mall,” she said and I whipped my phone out fast, but took care not to be too eager. She stepped around the gas pump and took the phone from my hand. Her eyes touched on my car and I liked that she didn’t seem bothered that I wasn’t driving a BMW or Jaguar like herself.
“I’ll be disappointed if you don’t call,” she said and then walked back to her side of the pump and finished with gassing up.
Then she was gone and I remembered that I had yet to put the nozzle back in my own gas pump. I grinned to myself as I continued on to Alex’s house. Miami was definitely looking to be a great next move for me, already I had a gorgeous woman to spend some time with.
“Pfft, and Buddy was trying to get me to think about kids,” I muttered to myself and chuckled.
***
When I pulled up to Alex’s modern beach house near South Beach, I had to smile to myself. What was better than being able to stay in a really nice house until the wind took me elsewhere?
“Nick, my man!” Alex came walking out of the house with his arms spread wide and he gave me a big hug as soon as I stepped out of the car.
“How ya doin’?” I asked him and he gave his staple one armed shrug and wave.
“Oh, you know, everything’s all breezy. I wish I could stay a little longer though and hang out for a bit, but I have to fly out really soon. Let me take you through the house real quick, man. I can’t thank you enough for agreeing to do this,” he said as he led me to the huge brass double doors of the house.
“Aw, man, you know it’s no problem, you afforded me my next adventure!” I said and Alex laughed.
“You’re awesome man, literally you do what you want and it makes sense,” he said with conviction and I laughed.
Alex showed me through the house, told me what plants to water, what codes I needed to know and whatnot, then with a last thank you he was out. Took a load off on the couch in the living room and pulled out my phone to text Selena and what do ya know? She texted me right back. Guess we’re going shopping…I grinned to myself and then went to get a quick shower, I needed to transform from the California beach body to a suave and stylish Miami native in order to keep Selena’s attention.
Chapter2
Clary
“Hey, Clary, how are ya?” my dad’s gravelly voice came through the receiver and I instantly knew something was up. For one, he hardly ever called me at the office he knew he had a better chance of getting me on my cell.
“Hey, Daddy, what’s up? You sound weird,” I said and he sighed heavily. I put down the case file I had been looking over and stood up to face away from my desk. New York City stretched out before me just on the other side of the window.
“Yeah, well…just found out that Price passed away,” he said and I gasped in shock.
“Mister Price? How could that happen? He was perfectly healthy.” My voice was pitched high with shock and then a sadness touched my chest because Mr. Price had been a friend of Dad’s.
“Apparently, he had cancer and didn’t tell anyone about it. When he found out, he was already in the late stages and didn’t want treatment so…now he’s gone.” My dad’s voice was melancholy and I felt for him even though we were states apart.
“Aw, Dad, I’m sorry to hear that. When’s the funeral, I’ll be on the first flight out,” I said and he took a deep breath.
“Well, the funeral and such will be in a few days so you have time. Don’t feel like you have to up and leave, take care of things in the office first,” he said and I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me.
“Of course, I’m actually wrapping up a couple of cases and I’ll be free by Wednesday. I’ll make a flight for Thursday then,” I told him and there was a pause on the other line. “Daddy?”
“I’m sorry, it’s just that…it was just a shock! I couldn’t believe he hid this from everyone and then refused treatment? Now his business is unstable, apparently no one can find that son of his, I just feel so terrible for his wife…”
I wanted to reach through the phone and give my dad a hug. He was very empathetic and felt for everyone, it was what made him such a trustworthy and loveable guy.
“I’m sure, with some time, things will work out. Meanwhile, is there anything I can do? Do you think it’ll be alright for me to give Mrs Price a call?” I asked curiously then chewed on my bottom lip while I waited for his answer.
“I’d give her a couple of days before calling, she’s still in shock that he’s gone, even though she knew what he was doing and helped keep the secret…”
I hated that dad sounded so sad. It made me want to get on a plane right then and there, but I did have to wrap up some things at work before I could fly back to Connecticut. I tried to distract my dad by updating him on how things were going in New York concerning the law firm. Our family had lived next door to the Price’s all my life, Mr. Price owned…or had owned…a successful investment holding company. It was in their family for generations and was even on the Fortune 500 list. Mister Price only had one son, Nick, and though I don’t know any specifics, I knew that Nick ran away from his inheritance after college and barely visited home anymore. He was practically estranged from the family. I couldn’t imagine what Mrs. Price was going through in having to take care of things on her own.
“Alright, I’ll let you go, baby girl. See you Thursday?” Dad asked after I updated him on everything new for the week.
“Of course, I’ll even try to get in a little earlier than Thursday,” I said and he made a vague grunt on the other line. After that and a few pleasantries we ended the call and I turned back to my desk and the two huge case files sitting front and center.
“Miss Richards? Your five o’clock appointment is here to see you.” My assistant’s voice came across the intercom and I sighed, I had completely forgotten about my five o’clock. Usually, I don’t schedule appointments so late, but I needed to hire one more junior partner for the firm to be finally, finally set up and moving in the right direction. My dad had started his own business law firm right out of law school and it’s grown ever since. Now there is one major office back home and I’m heading up the second one in the city where most of our newest clients are based.
“Go ahead and send him in, thanks, Stacy.” I buzzed her back and about seven minutes later there was a knock on the door and Stacy walked in. She announced Mister Rowling and was followed by a tall, quite handsome man dressed in a business suit with a briefcase in hand. He was clean cut with his dark brown hair combed back and gelled and reminded me vaguely of Ryan Reynolds.
“Hi, good to finally meet you, I’m Clary Richards, but you can call me Clary.” I shook his hand after he approached my desk and Stacy left us to it.
“Likewise, I have to say, I’m so relieved you called me in for an interview.” He smiled charmingly and I gestured for him to sit.
“Well, your resume is impressive Mister Rowling, I was surprised when I came across it that no one else had snatched you up yet,” I commented and he sat forward in the chair.
“Please, call me Jayce, and yeah, I had left my previous firm thinking I’d go into private practice, but then thought better of it and realized I just didn’t like the current firm I was at…so here I am,” he said easily and I nodded thoughtfully.
“Well, I’m glad to be the first to snatch you up, your resume is quite impressive. Could you tell me a little more about the Goodman’s case you worked on? That was something that really caught my eye,” I said referencing one of his previous firm’s bigger clients.
Jayce launched into a re-telling of the case and the interview went well. He had an answer for all of my questions and never missed a beat.
&n
bsp; “Well, Jayce, I think you’ve given me all I need here. I’d love to offer you a position on board as a junior partner for Richards and Richards.”
Jayce’s face lit up and he stood when I did, his hand taking mine in an enthusiastic shake.
“That would be absolutely great, I’d love to work here,” he said and I appreciated his enthusiasm.
“Great, we’ll be in touch,” I told him and soon he was leaving my office with a satisfied grin.
Once I was alone again, instead of packing up and going home for the day, I stayed to expedite the statement I was working on for court. I had back to back appearances in court on Tuesday and Wednesday; depending on how long things took on Wednesday, I could probably catch a late flight to New Haven. I spent about four hours extra in the building before I forced myself to go home once I saw the janitors start their work through the glass doors of my office. I packed up and then made my way to Midtown from the Lower East Side; I was definitely exhausted by the time I walked into my condo.
My cell rang and I saw that it was my best friend Gina; we had been close since high school and went to Harvard together, as well. I went to live in New York and she stayed in Boston where she’s in her final stretches of becoming a fully certified pediatric cardio-thoracic surgeon. I answered on the third ring as I set my briefcase and purse down in the living room and collapsed onto the couch.
“So guess what?” she said enthusiastically and I smiled, already anticipating her often over-excitement.
“You won the lotto and want to take me on a month long vacation to Europe?” I asked and she groaned on the other line.
“No, I wish, but I’m coming home for Thanksgiving!” she said and I gasped, my entire expression infusing with excitement.
“Seriously? I haven’t seen you in years, I’m so excited!” I said and then checked the calendar on my tablet and saw that Thanksgiving was actually next week, I figured I’d just take a mini vacation in Connecticut and stay through to Thanksgiving.
“I know, me too, but hey don’t tell my parents or anything I’m going to surprise them,” she said.