Lawfully Yours (18 page)

“Why don’t you admit it? It’s so obvious you’re more than merely her former boss.”

“Jerry, you are my client, but right now you are acting like an ass. Please leave. Without Susan. Good night.”

Jerry silently gets up, walks past Jordan, and leaves.

“You okay?” Jordan asks, concern etched in his voice.

“You were my knight in shining armor.” I leap up, trying to kiss him.

He takes a step back. “We’ll have to be more careful than ever,” he says, darkly. “I’ll walk you down to the garage to make sure you leave here safe. Then call me here when you get home.”

I pick up my things and shut down my computer. “I’m ready.” I walk out of my office, Jordan silently behind me.

I brace myself for the fall out at the firm but none comes. Jordan’s been as uncomfortable as I am, waiting for somebody to say something about what happened. In a way, not hearing anything is worse. I’m stuck wondering when the issue will arise again, a zombie awakened. Client problems never stay buried for long. I’ve already found that out the hard way.

CHAPTER 28

I hope things get better soon because January has been terrible. My relationship with Jordan is unfortunately back to how it was before Florida. He doesn’t have Marty full-time anymore, but his work schedule which was slated to improve, hasn’t. In fact, it’s gotten worse. He picked up a large development deal in the town of Rocky Hill, and he’s going all out to handle it.

His new associate doesn’t seem to be much help. He constantly complains about her when he calls at night, unless he remembers I don’t want to hear about my replacement. His success rate is about fifty percent. Sometimes I change the topic, other times not. I understand he’s stressed. It’s hard for me to think our being together actually makes me see him less. Since he doesn’t have me to do his work, he has less time to see me.

Worse, he’s balancing his Rocky Hill deal with a new zoning matter for a national client. Since the zoning hearing is in Massachusetts, he’s been there for most of January. That means I haven’t seen him outside the office at all.

I tell him I understand, and I really do. The work pressure at the firm is hard to bear. But all I want from him is a few hours. Even a few minutes would go a long way. Long enough for our
lips to touch, so I can feel how much he cares.

Unfortunately, he keeps telling me we’ll have to accept the situation a little while longer. And although I understand his pressure, I admit I’m starting to get pissed.

February brings his aggravation with his new hire to a whole new level.

“She’s not getting it,” he huffs. “It’s been a month now. She has a solid background in real estate deals, but she is still not doing what I need her to do. The Rocky Hill hearing is in a week.”

“I can pinch hit for you. Just ask me.”

“If she’s paid to do it, why should you do it?”

“Because she’s not doing it, and you need it done.”

“She’s trying to. I think. I can’t understand how the girl doesn’t catch on.”

“It might be because you’re barking directions without giving explanations.”

“I don’t do that.”

“I wish you were here so you could see my eyes roll.”

“That’s not all I wish I could see you do,” he answers slyly.

“If you were able to stop working for more than five minutes, you would be able to see what else I can do.”

“If Kathy would do her job, I’d have more than five minutes.”

“Then show her how to do it right. It will take less time than doing everything yourself.”

“If you think I’m such a terrible teacher, then you show the girl. Come to the wing tomorrow. I’ll tell Bill I need to borrow you back for an hour or two.”

“Do you know you keep referring to her as a girl?”

“She’s young, and obviously inexperienced. What’s the big deal?”

“I’m guessing I’m not much older than her. Do you think of me as a girl?”

“Trust me, you’re all woman. So, are you going to come by tomorrow or not?”

“Yes. She and I will have a giggly girl fest. First I’ll teach her commercial real estate and then we’ll give each other pedicures.”

“As much as I don’t like her, I think I’d like to see that. See you tomorrow.”

The wing seems an entirely different office now. It’s bustling. Amber and Bev are busy typing away. I walk into Jordan’s office and leave the door open.

“You came. Thanks for helping me out.” His voice reveals affection and relief. Lowering to a whisper he says, “This isn’t a chance passing in a hallway. But it is the first time people will see us together since you transferred to Bill. You okay?”

“Fine, whatever. Let’s get this over with.”

“I’m not entertaining any inappropriate pictures of you in my head. You know that, right?”

“Look, I’m as fine as I’ll ever be. Let’s go. Show me who, and where, Kathy is.”

He nods and takes me to the conference room I used to use.

So here’s Kathy. Long brown hair. Large blue eyes. Very tight shirt. Thin and pretty. Great. Exactly what I need to see.

“Kathy, this is Sue, who will show you how to do some of our projects. Sue, thanks again for helping us out.” Jordan walks back to his office and closes his door.

“Okay, Kathy, let’s see what you’re working on. Hopefully, I can make your life easier.” She shows me her projects and I walk her through the right way to do them.

Two hours later, I’ve given her all my tips. She learned fast enough so I’m not sure what Jordan’s problem is with her. I get up to leave.

“Let me take you to lunch as a thank you,” Kathy urges.

“Oh, sorry. Thanks for the offer, but I’ve got to get back to Bill’s work.”

“Please go with me? We’ll eat fast.”

“Can we eat in less than half an hour?”

“No problem, the cafeteria awaits.”

She buys our lunches and we get a table by the huge glass window overlooking the river. It’s early to eat, which explains our fortunate seating. “Just like Jordan’s office,” she sighs.

“Yeah, his office is pretty good. You don’t know whether to stare at the river or the gold décor.”

“Him.”

“Excuse me?” I choke.

“I’d rather look at him. That’s the problem. By the time I realize I’ve zoned out, I’ve missed half of what he said. How did you handle working with him?”

“I’m not the best person to ask. Working with him had its . . . challenges.”

“Is that why you moved to Comm Lit?”

“No, I transferred because I wanted to broaden my skills. Hey, would you look at that, it’s later than I thought. I’ve got to go back to my office. Thanks for lunch.”

“At least you have an office. It’s terrible working in a conference room.”

“Yes, I know.”

Carefully carrying my soda and plate full of salad, I hustle back to the safety of my office.

“How did it go with Kathy?” Jordan asks me.

“The good news is she’s not stupid,” I answer.

“That is good news. I’m glad there’s hope.”

“The bad news is she’s distracted because she has a crush on you.”

“You’re kidding. A crush, huh?” He lets out a howl of laughter. I’m less amused.

“You poor thing,” I grind out. “It must be so tiring, having this issue come up every time you get a young associate.”

“Hey, when a guy’s as fine lookin’ as I am, these things are bound to happen.”

I hope he busts a lung from all that laughter.

“Maybe I should stop going to the gym,” he muses, “though I haven’t gone in about two months. I’ve been relegated to lifting free weights at home.”

“I’m hosting the world’s smallest pity party in your honor.”

“Wait—people want to have sex with me and throw me a party? Man, I’m on fire!”

Not wanting to go deaf from his raucous laughter, I hold the phone away from my ear until he’s done. “You’re on fire, huh? Glad you’re hot stuff. Too bad your tremendous ego is leaving me cold.”

“I’m just sayin’, they must all be looking at somethin’.”

His ego is out of Alien. “True, you are a lot to gaze at. It must be tough to put up with all this adoration. Women wanting you all the time. And yet, you deny them.”

“I want to do more than deny them,” he says, his serious tone returned. “I want them to snap out of it. I’m asking you, do you have any ideas what I can do to discourage them? What turns women off?”

“Why, yes, I do have an idea. Be sure to talk to them for no more than five minutes a day. I hear that works wonders.”

“I get it, now we’re talking about you. I told you already, I’ll be done next week.”

“You wanted the secret, I’m simply supplying the formula.”

“I was going to tell you this after my project’s done, but considering how snippy
you’re acting, I’d better tell you now. I’m taking you out for your birthday.”

“For a whole hour? Or do I get two? If we’re going out to dinner, I can eat fast to minimize your lost time.”

“Very funny. You’ll love what I’ve got planned, I promise.”

I calm down a minute to let his words sink in. “All right. I’m sorry. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, but don’t you want to know what’s in store?”

“If you say it’s going to be great, then I trust you.”

“I want to give you something to look forward to. We’re going wine tasting in Litchfield County next Saturday. It will be last year’s bouquets due to the time of year, but it should be fun.”

“I’m sure it will be.” I grin widely. “Suppose I’m snippy in Litchfield?” I tease.

“I’m sure you will be. That’s why I’m taking you to a place where there will be plenty of wine. It will either soften you up or make you pass out. I’m good either way.”

“Optimist.”

He laughs. “I’ll miss you until then. ‘Night, beautiful.”

CHAPTER 29

It’s an uncharacteristically warm day. Overcast, but not threatening. The drive through Litchfield County to the vineyards is beautiful. The wine tour’s samples from the prior season are delicious. The tour, though muddy, a lot of fun. It’s all ending much too soon.

We make our way back to his car. “Thank you for such a great time.”

He takes my hand to give it a kiss.

I can feel myself blush. “Are we going back to Hartford now?”

“Not yet. Taking you out for your birthday should include dinner, don’t you think?”

“Sure. I just didn’t know how much time you had.”

“I’ve got a handle on my work, sort of. Now that the hearing’s over, I still have everything else that needs to be done. But I’m not dealing with any of that at this minute. I’m with you now, and it’s your birthday.”

“It’s not the seventh yet,” I tease.

He shoots me a grin. “I say it’s your birthday. Don’t argue with me.”

“Hmmm. We should argue about something. How about where we’ll eat?”

“Already taken care of,” he says as we drive off.

It’s a short ride to wherever it is we’re going. “Here we are,” he says cheerily. We’ve arrived at an antique colonial cottage. The painted sign has grape vines stenciled around the words Vineyards’ Inn.

“Come on,” he says, getting out of the car. We head to the front of the cottage where the restaurant is.

“Grant,” he says to the hostess. A gray haired woman walks us to the back of the restaurant to a table with a little sign that says: “Reserved.” It’s directly in front of an old, ornately carved stone fireplace that has a fire burning. The fire’s heat feels good and I hold out my hands to it. The temperature outside has dropped, and I’m trying to stave off shivering. The fireplace gives our table more light than any other in the candlelit dining room. The shadows thrown around us create a very pretty picture.

“Were you ever here before?” I ask as we take our seats.

He laughs. “No. I don’t recycle restaurants. Why?”

“You might have known to request this table. It’s perfect.”

“I got the table referral from Andrew.”

Mentally flipping through the firm’s employee directory yields nothing. “Andrew who?”

He grinned broadly. “Andrew Jackson. I had this place charge an additional twenty dollars to my credit card so they’d hold the best table.”

Wow. “That was very sweet of both you and Mr. Jackson.”

“Trust me when I tell you it’s my pleasure. Especially when you’re being nice.”

“Then I’ll be nice.”

“No, you won’t. But, fortunately, I’m so attracted to you, I’m immune to your less accommodating moods.”

“Immunity can be temporary.”

“I’m pretty confident in my inoculation. I could irritate you to test my theory, but today is your birthday.”

“It’s not today. My birthday is the—”

He shoots me a look. Smiling broadly, I shut up.

The waitress walks over and Jordan asks for a bottle of wine I’ve never heard of. I’m not able to read a thing on the French menu but he orders dinner for both of us. He’s refused to translate what he’s getting for me. I enjoy the novelty of someone trying to figure out what I like.

The steak and fish dishes we’re served are a welcomed sight. The plates are so artfully arranged they should be in a museum. He lets me choose the one I want but it’s more fun to share so we can taste everything.

Eventually the restaurant empties out. He and I could stay here forever as far as I’m concerned, but it does occur to me that being locked inside a closed restaurant might have its drawbacks. “Thank you so much for dinner. It was wonderful. But we should probably get going.”

“Why?”

“The wait staff has already started to clean up. In a minute they’ll break out the vacuum. We’ll have to scream over the whirring noise to hear each other.”

“No loud noises yet.”

“Yet,” I emphasize.

“The night is still young.”

“I’d say it’s more middle-aged, turning into geriatric.”

“Leaving now would be a bad choice.”

“You drank too much to drive? I didn’t think you had that much wine.” I try to gage how I’m feeling. Hmmm. Light-headed. Giggly. Feel no pain. Uh-oh. Not a good idea for me to take the wheel. I frown.

“No need to worry about getting back home. I booked a room here at the Inn,” he says nonchalantly.

“You what?”

“Now you don’t want to spend time with me?” He mocks impishly. “After all that whining you did over the past two months?”

“Stop smiling, I can’t tell if you’re serious.”

He pulls a room key out of his pocket. “I booked this place weeks ago. I checked us in when you went to the bathroom, right after the appetizers.”

The key chain is embellished with grape-designed scrollwork. It sure looks authentic. I guess he’s serious.

The first thought that filters through my shocked mind is silly. I have no toothbrush. Ooh, not good. The first time I wake from a night of passion will be with no way to combat stinky morning breath. Shake off the nervousness, Sue. Who cares about a toothbrush? It’s time to be honest with him and say how I really feel. “I’m really touched by all this, Jordan,” I manage through my tight throat.

“Then my effort was worth it.” He pauses. “But what else are you thinking?” he asks, head cocked to one side.

“I’d like to stop by a Walmart.”

“Let me guess, you’re worried about toiletries and whatnot?”

I nod, feeling foolish. But he just laughs.

“Ah, yes, Ms. Logistics. If I had told you to pack, you would have known the surprise.”

“Florida was a surprise. I still had a suitcase,” I point out.

“You have a suitcase now. What difference does it make who packed it?”

“I don’t understand.”

“I packed for you. That’s your second surprise. Let’s go up to the room. You can survey the contents I concocted for your overnight bag, and then tell me how bad I am at thinking like a woman.”

I grin. “I’m excited and afraid.”

We go to our room, which is in a separate annex of the Inn. It’s small but cozy. The fireplace is obviously in working order, it has a log inside and matches on the end table. There’s an olive green fringed rug in front of the hearth, covering a good portion of the old pinewood floorboards.

He hands me a tanned leather overnight bag with gold hardware. A ribbon ties its handles together.

“The bag is gorgeous, I love it.”

“The intent is for you—us—to use it a lot. Open it up.”

I untie the ribbon and peak in. It’s too dark in the bag to tell what’s in there. I pull out the items one by one. Toothbrush, toothpaste. See? I didn’t even need to worry about morning breath. Women’s trouser socks in blue, brown, and black. Red cashmere V-neck sweater. Panties.

“Want explanations?” He’s grinning, too.

“It looks like you did pretty good,” I admit.

“I bought socks in three colors because I had no idea what shoes you would be wearing. For the sweater, I picked red because you look even more stunning when you wear it. I didn’t pack you a hairbrush because you always carry one in your purse. Pants would be too tricky for me to guess, so I didn’t try. As for the panties—”

“This I have to hear.”

“I selected what you want to wear, not what I want you to wear. So, bikini briefs. Cotton. I paid attention in Florida.”

“I am sorry I wasn’t at the store while you picked my underwear. That would have been very amusing to watch.”

“Yeah, it wasn’t my most comfortable moment. I got lucky with sales help, and that eased the tension somewhat. You left an item in the bag.”

I delve back in. The last item is wrapped in tissue paper. Taking it out, I rip open the gold seal holding it closed. Two night garments are inside. One is a knee length cotton nightgown with a floral pattern. The other is a red negligee. The negligee isn’t too mortifying. It’s built like a one-piece bathing suit, only it’s made of lace.

He winks at me. “I didn’t know what kind of mood you’d be in, so I thought it best to give you options.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“That’s a first. Just say you like them.”

“I love all of it, everything you bought me. I love the effort you put in.” I feel my eyes get teary. “I am truly amazed by your thoughtfulness.”

“That works.”

“You don’t need to try so hard, you know. I’m just happy to spend some time together. It means a lot that you cleared your calendar to be with me.”

“It’s not a matter of my clearing my calendar. Don’t get mad, but it’s actually easier not to see you when I’m busy with work. Because if I do see you, I know I won’t be able to stop. Then none of my work gets done and chaos ensues.”

I blink hard, taken aback. “Think of how that affects me though.”

“I know. I’ve spent some time trying to figure out solutions. A part of me thinks it’s fine to casually date you. A bigger part of me says I need to find a more permanent way for us to spend time together. I don’t want to push you into anything, but I don’t want to get hurt either.”

“You’re afraid I may wind up hurting you?” I say, picking my jaw up off the floor.

“I’m already sure I’d be badly hurt if you ended this. Not to mention that
my jugular’s exposed, professionally speaking. The cold facts are not great. Even beyond the sexual harassment aspect.”

“Really? What could be worse than that?”

“Older boss arranges for young associate’s raise, achievement award, and bountiful year-end bonus. Immediately thereafter, older boss seduces young associate. Then he transfers her to another division of the firm in an attempt to hide their relationship.” He pauses, giving a bitter laugh. “It’s actually worse than Larry’s proposed scenario.”

“That’s a harsh read, don’t you think?” I say gently.

“You earned the business rewards, so I’m guiltless there. But your transfer to Bill, not to mention the older boss—young associate seduction thing, is true enough.”

“I had input in the situation, too. Don’t beat yourself up about pursuing me. If you did, it would be ironic.”

“Ironic? How?”

“Because you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

His mouth drops open, his eyes wide. I leave him to let my words sink in, gathering up my new belongings and taking them into the bathroom with me.