Damaged Souls (Broken Man) (17 page)

“I’ll see you then,” Jack appreciated Mike being there for him as he stood up and shook his hand. “And thanks for all of your help.”

* * *

“This is nice,” Amanda seemed to relax as they settled down for lunch on the porch. “It’s a gorgeous day.”

I sure do wish Jack was here, Greg thought to himself as he wondered where this conversation was headed and he looked across the table at Amanda and Delaney cornering him. “It is nice, a little cooler than usual,” he made small talk as he took a sip of iced tea.

“So, where’s Jack today,” Delaney asked before taking a bite of salad.

“He’s meeting with the attorneys again,” Amanda replied and then changed the subject. “I wanted to talk to you guys about something.”

Please not that, Greg prepared for the inevitable. I can’t believe Jack told her about yesterday. This is my worst nightmare.

“Jack and I had a chance to talk last night,” Amanda confirmed Greg’s worst case scenario as he tried not to cringe. “And we both agreed that the two of you are adults now and should be treated as such.”

I can’t believe we are going talk about this, Greg could no longer hide his embarrassment as he tried to apologize. “Look, Amanda, I am so sorry about yesterday. I promise it won’t happen again.”

“It’s not that,” Amanda replied as both she and Delaney seemed to enjoy his public humiliation. “We all know it’s going to happen again, that’s not the issue.”

Oh no, we’re not going to talk about that, are we. Amanda doesn’t know I’m a virgin, does she. Please can we change the subject, Greg looked at the two of them with pleading eyes as he wondered what Delaney told her.

“Don’t worry, Greg,” Delaney reassured him as she took his hand and smiled. “You’re not in trouble.”

“Everything is fine,” Amanda echoed Delaney’s sentiments. “We just want the two of you to be careful and to take your time and enjoy the experience. With that in mind, Jack and I are going out of town after graduation Friday night, and we both feel comfortable leaving the two of you alone in the house. We trust you to act responsibly as adults.”

That is a relief, Greg realized he might get out of this conversation alive and didn’t know whether to thank Amanda or beg for her forgiveness before deciding on the former. “Thanks, Amanda, that means a lot to us.”

“You are welcome,” Amanda replied and smiled at his awkwardness. “And you know if either of you need anything or just want to talk, you can always come to me or Jack. You understand that, right.”

“Of course we do,” Greg replied as he realized that wasn’t going to happen, at least not on this subject.

At least not with him anyway.

* * *

This is not going to be easy, Jack thought to himself as he took a few final minutes to prepare for his meeting with Mitch and his attorney.

I think that will be adequate, he went over his list for what must have been the tenth time that afternoon. Timing is everything, Jack reminded himself as he visualized what he was going to say. You need to isolate him, you need to keep the attorneys out of it. It’s just an old fashioned street fight, just you and that fat piece of shit.

Jack was ready to hear the bell ring as he looked at his watch and realized he still had thirty minutes. Is everything in the room perfect, he questioned himself once again as he surveyed his surroundings. Chairs in proper spots, check. Water pitcher ready, check. Telephone within reach, check. The proper legal documents in order, check. Their backs against the wall, check.

Yes, Mitch was going to find out his back was against the wall, that his deal was falling apart, that his precious son was going to face consequences for his crime. No, maybe not the consequences he deserved, but consequences nevertheless. Consequences that were going to hurt him and his father.

This is all about my family, Jack realized as he prepared for battle. I will not let Greg and Delaney down again, I will not have my wife look at me as a failure. I will beat him and I will get what I want.

Or at the very least, I will go down swinging.

* * *

“Hey Greg, come on in,” Amanda was surprised to see him as she looked up from her notes. “Where’s Delaney.”

“She’s taking a nap with Logan,” Greg replied as he took a seat in front of her. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“No, my appointment isn’t until 4:30, I was just reviewing a file,” Amanda made sure he felt welcome as she put the file aside. “Is everything okay.”

“Yeah, I was just thinking about earlier,” he paused as he seemed to consider what to say. “I think it’s really nice that you and Delaney talk about everything.”

“I think it is too,” she replied and tried to figure out what he was trying to say. “We’ve always been that way, I think it’s probably because I’m not quite old enough to be her mother.”

“That might be part of it, but she really is just comfortable with you.”

Where is this going, Amanda tried to figure it out as she watched his facial expressions. “Don’t you feel comfortable talking to Jack.”

“Well sure,” Greg hesitated as he tried to explain. “We actually had a really good conversation the other night.”

“That’s good,” Amanda realized Jack wasn’t the easiest guy to talk to and that Greg rightfully wasn’t going to talk to him about Delaney. “Is there something you want to talk to me about.”

“I don’t know,” Greg reminded her of Logan as he looked down at his shoes.

“Greg, is it about Delaney.”

“Well, yeah,” he didn’t seem to believe she would have to state the obvious. “I know she already told you, but I have never been with a girl before, not like that.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that, Greg. Does it bother you.”

“No, not really,” he seemed very uncomfortable as he replied with an awkward smile. “It’s just that I want it to be special for her. And I really don’t know what I’m doing.”

He is so sweet, Amanda thought to herself as she enjoyed his honesty and tried not to smile. “Don’t worry, Greg, you guys will figure it out. Just be yourself. I know how much the two of you love each other and that is the first step.”

“You think so, what if I screw it up, what if I get too excited.”

“That is just natural,” Amanda replied as she again hid a smile. “You two will be fine, Delaney is trying to figure things out just like you. Just take your time and express the love you feel for one another. Trust me, Greg, it’s not rocket science.”

“I hope not,” he seemed relieved as he stood up. “Thanks for talking to me, Amanda.”

“You are welcome,” she managed to answer before he quickly escaped the room.

He is so funny, Amanda thought to herself as she smiled. He’s always been that way, refreshingly honest yet so shy. Delaney really is a lucky girl.

Both of them seem so young and innocent. I was nothing like that at their age and neither was Jack. Perhaps we sheltered them too much, Amanda considered that maybe they should have done things differently, maybe exposed them to the real world a little bit more. Who knows, maybe we didn’t shelter them enough, Amanda remembered everything that happened the weekend before and realized they had been right to protect them as they had.

But, they are going to be okay. Greg and Delaney are never going to have to go what Jack and I went through, having to figure everything out on our own, no one there to talk to or guide us through our young adult years. No, they are going to have all the support and love they need, Amanda decided as she reopened the file and prepared for her appointment.

Jack and I will make sure of that.

Chapter Nineteen

Are you ready, Jack,” Mike questioned him as he sat down at the conference table.

“As ready as I’m going to be,” he answered in the affirmative. “Your assistant knows exactly what to say, right.”

“Don’t worry, we went over it several times.”

“Good,” Jack replied as he checked his watch. “Timing is going to be critical. I just need you to go over what we reviewed and then just follow my lead, okay”

“I got it, Jack. Try to calm down a little before we get started.”

That’s probably a good idea, Jack thought to himself as he closed his eyes and tried to relax. Don’t get too excited, don’t show your hand too soon, he reminded himself as he visualized the process.

“Mr. Leach,” the sound of the intercom interrupted his thoughts. “Mr. Caldwell is here for his 4:00 appointment.”

“Have them take a seat for a minute,” Mike followed the carefully prepared script and smiled at Jack.

That will annoy him, Jack pictured Mitch having to wait for once as he tried to suppress the adrenaline rush for which he had prepared. You’ve got this, he closed his eyes and gave himself a pep talk as he went over the script one last time in his head. “I’m ready,” he opened his eyes and gave Mike the go ahead.

“Send them in please,” Mike instructed his assistant as they stood up for the greeting.

“Mitch, good to see you,” Jack welcomed him as he gave no indication of what was to come. “Steve, how are you,” he also welcomed Mitch’s attorney as they shook hands and he carefully directed them to their seats.

“Thanks for putting this meeting together,” Mitch tried to be civil while attempting to take over the proceedings as Jack hoped he would. “I’m glad we could come up with a suitable compromise on this matter.”

“I’ve provided a copy of the police report that documents the incident that occurred in the early morning hours of June 1st at the Caldwell residence,” Mike ignored Mitch and went throughout the formalities as he handed their adversaries a pair of manila folders. “The report finds that Jeffrey Gross acted in a criminal manner when he assaulted Gregory Leonard by kicking him in the head.”

“We already know that,” Mitch rudely interrupted. “We are familiar with the report.”

Of course you are, you practically wrote the thing, Jack thought to himself as he tried to control his anger. Just keep going Mike, stick with the plan.

“The report also finds that approximately fifty minors were illegally served alcohol at said party and that the alleged assault occurred during an altercation between Gregory Leonard and James Mitchell Caldwell, Jr.,” Mike obliged Jack by stretching out the proceedings.

“Where are you going with this,” Mitch interrupted again as Jack could sense his annoyance. “We have an agreement already. This other stuff is irrelevant.”

“Just a formality, Mitch,” his attorney attempted to calm him. “We have to review all information. Go ahead and proceed Mike.”

Mike pretended to be flustered as he bumbled to find his place and remember what he was saying. He’s pretty good at this, Jack almost smiled as he could tell Mike’s make believe incompetence was annoying Mitch.

“Umm, let me see,” Mike finally continued. “We have an agreement here, to be signed by both parties, that states that neither party will hold the other side criminally or civilly liable in this matter and that all claims, legal or otherwise, will be rendered meaningless and without merit from this day forward.”

“There you go,” Mitch treated Mike like a buffoon as he reached for the file. “Let me see that.”

“One second, Mitch,” Jack finally spoke up as he intercepted the file. “I want to take a look at it.”

Jack purposely took his time as he pretended to read the file and captured Mitch’s reaction out of the corner of his eye. That is priceless, he enjoyed Mitch growing impatience as he furrowed his brow and began tapping his pen on the table. He can’t stand it, not being in control.

“Do you think we can get another copy,” Mitch couldn’t wait any longer as his face started to turn red.

“Oh, I’m so sorry Mitch,” Jack answered as he poured a glass of water and didn’t offer him any. “We only have one copy.”

“What is this,” Mitch showed his annoyance. “We have an agreement, Jack. Let’s get this thing signed and be on our way.”

“Not so fast,” Jack replied before taking a sip of water. “I wanted to tell you about a very interesting conversation I had with Jeff Gross yesterday. It was really eye opening.”

“What are you talking about. We had an agreement.”

“Now you’ve got it right, Mitch. We had an agreement,” Jack stressed the had as he stood up and circled his prey. “But fortunately, my conversation with Jeff enlightened me. It kind of brought me to my senses, if you know what I mean.”

“I have no idea what you mean,” Mitch stood up and tried to intimidate Jack.

“Have a seat, Mitch,” Steve was a calm voice of reason. “You may want to hear what he has to say.”

“I have no interest in what he has to say. We had a deal and he broke it,” Mitch raised his voice like a child who was about to take his ball and go home. “I’ll see you in court.”

“Mitch, sit down,” Steve repeated himself more firmly.

Jack was surprised with how quickly Mitch complied with his attorney’s order. I’ve got him now, he thought to himself as he decided to go for the whole ball of wax. “Are you done, Mitch,” Jack antagonized him further.

“Fuck you, Jack,” Mitch replied with daggers in his eyes.

“I have three depositions here,” Jack ignored Mitch and continued. “The first one is from Delaney Boyd. I’m not going to go into detail, but in it, she asserts that Mitch Caldwell, Jr. sexually assaulted her during the early morning hours of June 1st at the residence of James Mitchell Caldwell, Sr. Photographs backing up her claim are included.”

Jack paused as he walked behind his opponents and dropped off a file before walking back around the table and taking a sip of water. “The second deposition is from Gregory Leonard. Mr. Leonard was the first one on the scene and he backs up Ms. Boyd’s story and also relates a pithy little comment made by your son with regard to his assault of Ms. Boyd. Quite a charmer, your son, and fortunately his quote was memorable enough to be recalled by Mr. Gross, which brings us to the third deposition.”

“Alright, we get it,” Mitch’s attorney interrupted the proceedings. “What do you want.”

It’s not going to be that easy, Jack thought to himself as he felt sorry for Steve, just an attorney doing his job. No, they are going to hear everything.

“I’m not quite done,” he again paused as he dropped off the second file and continued his story. “Mr. Gross is quite the conversationalist, and apparently, your son shares his love of words,” Jack took his time and enjoyed watching Mitch as he seemed ready to jump across the table at him. “Unfortunately for you, it seems Mitch Jr. might have shared a little too much with Mr. Gross, and I have here a sworn statement that not only documents their conversation but also backs up the stories of Ms. Boyd and Mr. Leonard.”