“How are you feeling about all of it?”
“Terrible, because it’s all my fault, and it’s costing George a huge amount of money.”
When Dad found out Ash and I were involved in the creation of Diego Sanchez’s new foundation, he went ballistic. He’s not a fan of immigration, and he was incensed that my brother and I wasted his law firm’s billable hours on the foundation. We ended up quitting our jobs over it, and George Carter broke his contract with Murphy, Hamilton, and Walker for legal counsel, which had been Ash’s role in the firm. Then George hired me as his in-house legal counsel. Needless to say, Dad wasn’t happy, and he sued Carter-Jenkins for breach of contract.
“George knew exactly what he was getting into,” Wendy says. “And you didn’t ask him to break the contract. He did that all on his own.”
“If he hadn’t broken it, he couldn’t have hired me, and while I didn’t ask him to do that, Ash did.”
“True, but again, that was George’s choice. He would have broken that contract regardless. He despises your dad. He only ever agreed to work with your dad’s firm in the first place because he knew it was Ash who would be working with us.”
“Is it terrible that I wish we could launch a PR campaign against my dad, telling the world what he’s doing—what he did to me and Ash?”
Not only is there a lawsuit, but Dad also forbade us from talking to our mom or sisters. We’re obviously not going along with that, but we’re being discreet, to protect them from his wrath. Dad also kicked Ash out of his home in our parents’ pool house, and he won’t let us set foot on his property. Not that I care much about the property itself, but it’s where my mom and sisters live, which makes it harder to spend time with them since they’re up in Evanston and Ash and I live near downtown Chicago. Plus, my brother and I were unable to attend Tonya’s high school graduation party, which nearly killed both of us. I spent a good part of that day on Wendy’s couch.
“That’s an understandable wish,” Wendy says, “but you know it’s not George’s style. And it’s not yours, either,” she adds.
I hang my head. “I know, but Dad’s going to get away with being a jack… terrible human once again.”
“You can say that word in front of me. I won’t be offended. But back to your dad—one of these days, he’ll get what’s coming to him. I can feel it.”
I plant my elbows on my desk and steeple my fingers together. “I don’t know. Sometimes it seems like the worst people never get punished for anything, especially when they’re rich.”
“Let’s hope that’s not what happens here.”
“The bad side of Dad ever going down, though, is it’ll hurt my sisters and mom.”
“Yeah, that’s something to consider. Have you or Ash talked to your mom lately?” she asks.
“No. When this all happened, she said she wasn’t going to let what was going on with Dad change anything between her and us, but it has.”
“There was no way it couldn’t. Maybe she needs time to figure out how to navigate it. And she has to prioritize your sisters’ needs over yours, since they’re still teenagers living at home, but you and Ash are adults. This situation is difficult for the girls, too.”
“You’re probably right.”
Wendy grins at me. “I know I’m right.”
I rest my chin on my hands and smile back at her. “I’m glad you came to see me, even if we didn’t cuddle.”
“I love hearing you say the word ‘cuddle’ almost as much as I love actually cuddling with you,” she says. “Not many men would use that word.”
“It’s quickly becoming one of my favorite words to say.”
twelve
“I’m not ready to meet Andrea this weekend,” I tell my mom on the phone after work, “but Randall’s going to meet her for me.”
“Randall?” Mom squeaks out. “Randall Hamilton?”
I can’t help but grin. “Yes. We’re dating.”
“You’rewhat?Why didn’t you tell me?”
Mom has known about my crush on Randall for a while now, but I didn’t tell her what we’d been up to the past month or so.
“It only became official yesterday,” I explain, “and I was so thrown off by what you told me last night that I didn’t have the energy to tell you about him.”
“Oh, honey, I can’t tell you how sorry I am for hiding the truth about your father and not telling you about him or about your sister in person.”
