by Jessica Marx
“I know everything is going to be fine, babe. We’ve come too far to let anything get in our way now.” He kisses me on the head.
“Let’s see if you still feel the same way in a little while,” I say with a laugh.
We grab our things and leave the hotel room hand in hand.
Shane
The room is ripe with nostalgia. Sitting around the same dining table with the family that spent so many nights feeding me and treating me as one of their own is a comfort I almost forgot existed.
There’s more than one conversation going on. Plates of food are being passed around. Everyone is talking loud over the others - and I love it. I feel like I’m home again.
“I wish I was here to see your face when Shane showed up,” Abby says, addressing Dan.
She was always great at putting people on the spot. Big Dan glares at her while putting a forkful of mashed potatoes in his mouth.
“At least I’ll be here for the rest of the drama.”
“It’s so nice to have all my babies back,” Mo says, ignoring Abby and beaming around the table, “I don’t even remember the last time we were all here together.”
“I’m not sure, but I know it’s been a long time,” Tommy answers.
“So what did you do while you were hiding out upstate, Shane?” Abby asks.
“I wasn’t ‘hiding out’,” I reply.
“Well, whatever it was you were doing, it seems to have worked out. You look fabulous.”
Zach eyeballs her as she looks me up and down.
“‘Fabulous?’” I mock her, “is that college speak for hot?”
Abby blushes, “shut up.”
“I thought so,” I wink.
“Are you back for good, Shane?” Mo asks, tentatively, “or are you planning to go back upstate?”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I reply, taking Beth’s hand and squeezing it.
“We should really figure out what to do about the situation Beth seems to have gotten herself mixed up in,” Dan says in a serious tone.
“I didn’t get myself mixed up in it, dad,” Beth replies.
“Well, whatever the case,” Dan answers, gazing at Beth, “you need to protect yourself. What were you thinking talking to those men without a lawyer?”
“Dan,” Mo says soothingly, “let’s just enjoy our meal first.”
Dan grunts. Beth places her hand on my thigh under the table. Just like old times.
Beth
I smile reminiscing about the old days. Mom, Abby, and I are working in an old familiar rhythm together, clearing the table and washing dishes. The men are still sitting around the table talking about some sports game.
We’ve done this many times over the years - but not with Shane. It warms my heart to know he’s sitting in the other room with my father and brother - and Abby’s boyfriend. He belongs here. We belong here.
I bring the coffee pot to the table. Abby follows with the pie my mother baked. Mo’s so happy to have a whole brood to care for. My mother brings a cup of tea for herself and joins us.
The men finish their discussion. It’s time to address the issue at hand.
“So Beth, let’s hear what they told you,” Tommy says.
“Again?” I say. We’ve been over this already.
“Yes. Now that we’re all here, we can make sure we’re all on the same page.”
I take a breath so I can once again relay the story - this time to everyone.
“Basically, that Chad has been making some dirty deals with the government - most importantly - one politician they have been investigating,” I take a sip of my coffee. Everyone is looking at me, waiting quietly. “They were very interested in what we did when we visited the Bahamas. They asked if I ever accompanied him to the bank there, what else we did, who we saw. We were there fairly often - you know - for a tropical location that requires a plane ticket.” I continue, “They wanted to know about my involvement with any of the Westbrook’s development projects - which, as you know - is none.”
“You didn’t say anything stupid, did you?”
“Dan,” my mother scolds.
“Just asking,” he responds.
“The FBI is fairly sure you have no involvement, but of course they have to go through the motions,” Zach says in a business tone.
“I just don’t understand how you all got involved - and how you found out about everything,” I say, looking around the table.
“You can thank your boyfriend for that,” Abby answers, “not Chad - Shane.”
I roll my eyes in response, “I will, once I understand what you mean.”
Abby takes a breath. readying herself to break it down, “It all started when Shane and Chad had dinner.” She looks around the table. Abby loves story telling as much as she loves being the center of attention, “Chad flat out told him what he was planning with his ‘downtown project’. He’s so arrogant, he didn’t think it would matter who he told. Anyway, he had his councilman buddy push through a request for government funds to build low income housing. Of course, he would be doing that - but not how it’s usually - or supposed to be - done.” She continues dramatically, “the complex would have been built with a separate entrance in the back for the handful of small, government funded, ill maintained apartments he would have to cover his ass. Then, the majority of the building would be upscale, high rent, units.”
She takes a bite of pie and chews as we all wait for her to continue, loving the undivided attention. “In a nutshell, he gets money from Uncle Sam to help the less fortunate, then pisses it away on some luxury development, making him and his cronies a huge return on their ‘investment’.”
Zach chimes in, “like many developers, he was also taking bribes from contractors for the rights to build. He was also padding the Councilman’s pockets. It’s not his first rodeo. He learned from the best. The Westbrooks have apparently been working this scheme for years.”
“It’s also where your little love nest in the Bahamas comes into play,” Abby adds, “He couldn’t just put all that money in the bank. So again, just like his daddy, he opened an off shore account to stash his cash.”
“But how did you all get involved?” I ask, glancing from one face to another.
Tommy answers, “Well, Shane called me after he met with Chad. I don’t have the jurisdiction to deal with something of that magnitude.”
Abby interrupts, “but the FBI does.” She grasps Zach’s hand and looks at him lovingly.
“Yes,” Tommy continues, “the FBI does. I know Zach has some contacts since he’s in the academy, so I called Abby.”
“Who of course was more than happy to involve me,” Zach smiles, “turns out, they had already been investigating councilman Peterson for a while. This was just more ammunition. They weren’t aware of the scope of the Westbrook’s involvement. Until now.”
“They found that out after Zach gave them the little bit of information he got from Tommy,” Abby adds proudly.
“What’s going to happen to them?” I ask, “the Westbrooks?”
“Well,” Zach starts, “from what I understand, Arnold is in pretty deep. He’s going to be looking at some hefty fines and serving time.”
“Chad is going down as well. Is surprising that he never told you about any of this,” Tommy interjects, “apparently he’s been very loose lipped about it all.”
“He’s loose lipped in more ways than one,” Abby comments. I scowl at her.
“I think it’s the booze that makes him talk,” Shane chimes in for the first time, “he had a nice buzz going when he started telling me about it all. I wonder how many business dinners he’s opened his mouth at?”
“Or how many of those women he was seeing. Maybe someone wanted revenge,” Abby adds contemplatively.
“What about Claire?” I ask.
“Claire is fucked,” Tommy says plainly.
A concerned look crosses my face. Tommy addresses me, “she may or may not have known what was going on - that h
as yet to be determined. Even if she doesn’t do any time, all of their assets and money are going to be seized. She will be left with nothing.”
“I should reach out to her,” I say softly. I feel for her. Without Shane entering the picture, that could have been me. If the Westbrooks weren’t found out now - it would have happened at some point. Maybe when I was in too deep. I would be in the same boat.
“Do not even think about it,” my father asserts, “you got out of there just in time. Your name is clear - for now. Don’t get yourself tangled up in their affairs.”
“He’s right,” Tommy agrees, “you already cut your ties. Settle whatever unfinished business you have with your clients and stay away from the Westbrooks. Once this all goes public, you will want to be as far away from their affairs as possible.”
I think about the newlyweds and their center hall colonial that’s supposed to go to closing soon; the other new clients I have, I’m going to have to figure out what to do. I’ll have to look for another brokerage to work for. Shit. This is going to be hard. Starting over with Shane is easy. Starting my career over somewhere else - is not.
“I wonder what’s going to happen with my clients. I’ll have to look into the legalities of it all,” I say, my mind filling with thoughts of all the things I’m going to have to do and take care of.
“I’m sure everything will work out for the best, hon,” Mo consoles me, “it usually does.” She looks from me to Shane and smiles.
The table gets quiet as we think about everything that was said. I hate that it’s all happening, but I love that my whole family played a part in it. Sometimes it takes misfortune to bring everyone together. I squeeze Shane’s hand.
“So,” Abby starts, turning to Shane, “what’s your deal?”
“My deal?” he replies, smirking.
“Yeah. You’re back. You’re obviously dating my sister,” she eyes our hands which are clasped together on the table, “you don’t live here though. You said you’re ‘never leaving again’ but you also have some other life somewhere else. So, what’s your plan?”
“Really, Abby?” I say, rolling my eyes.
“It’s fine, Beth, she has a right to ask.” Shane looks around the table, “I’m sure you are all wondering the same thing anyway.”
Abby smiles triumphantly. Once a bratty little sister, always a bratty little sister.
“I’m sure you all know that Dan and I have discussed the past and are moving forward,” Shane starts solemnly. My father gives him a nod. “Beth and I would also like to move forward,” he smiles at me. “So, my deal,” he exaggerates the word and looks at Abby, “is this:”
Shane takes a breath, all eyes are on him as he continues, “I was able to start S.P.A. Construction with help from my Uncle Mike upstate. He’s the only relative I know of, other than my mother. We were never close, but when we left Lawson in a bit of a hurry, he was the only other responsible adult I could think of to turn to.” He looks at my parents, then continues, “he took us in. He got me a job with a friend of his as a laborer. I did really well. I picked up on things quickly. It wasn’t long before he made me job foremen, then sent me out on my own to deal with potential customers and do estimates.” Shane looks proud as he tells the story, “my uncle recognized my accomplishments and saw my potential. He made me an offer that changed everything.”
Each of us is rapt in Shane’s story. When he came back, we learned that he has a successful business, but none of us really knew how he got from here to there.
“Uncle Mike offered to give me the financial help to start my own construction company and be a silent partner of sorts. The friend I was working for was close to retirement so he agreed to sell his equipment and there were no hard feelings or competition between us and him.” He continues as we listen silently, “in exchange, my uncle asked that I take my nephew under my wing. He’s not much younger than me and was headed down the wrong path. He wanted me to show him how to work hard and teach him the business - so I did. That’s how S.P.A. Construction came to be.”
“That’s pretty cool, Shane,” Tommy says.
“Yeah, it is,” Abby agrees, “but S.P.A. does well upstate, how is that helping you here on Long Island?”
Good question, Abby. Shane and I talked about it several times since he’s been back, but now that he’s laying it all out like this, it’s making more sense. It’s also unclear how he’s going to bring his reputation and find a clientele to keep him as successful as he’s been. I’ve been so focused on him and I, I never really thought that much about the details.
“Well,” Shane raises his eyebrows, “my nephew, Nicky, has been doing very well. He’s quite the prodigy. I’m also an amazing mentor,” he laughs lightly at his own humor, “he’s going to take over S.P.A. upstate, and I’m going to start it down here. I will still own a portion and have to go up and check on things, but it’s close enough to do that a couple of times a month. I figure with this community center going in, S.P.A. will get a lot of publicity and will take off in no time.”
“I’m so proud of you, Shane,” Mo beams, “I always knew you would do something great.”
My father gives her a look.
“What happened to your mother, Shane?” she asks, “I never knew her well, but we heard you took her with you when you left. I always wondered what happened to her also.”
“Thanks for asking,” Shane smiles back at her, “she’s actually doing very well these days - much better.” Shane looks around the table again. We all knew his mother was an alcoholic, but we never really spoke about it. “We lived with my Uncle Mike after we left Lawson. He saw what bad shape she was in and knew about alcoholism all too well - their own mother was an addict,” he says sadly, “he helped convince me to get her help. It was hard - really hard - to handle. We pushed her - more like forced her - to get the help she needed. It was a tough battle, but now, she’s been sober for four years. She’s dating a really nice guy who takes good care of her.”
“That’s amazing,” I say.
“It is,” he replies, “so in the end, having Dan here,” he lifts his chin at my father, “force me to leave, was one of the best things that happened to me.”
Abby looks at Shane like he’s crazy.
“Really. I mean, it sucked. I missed Beth like crazy. I missed Tommy - all of you. But if I hadn’t left, I don’t know where I would be right now.”
“Wow, dad. You're a good dude,” Abby says, “and to think - we all thought you were such a jerk for so long.”
“Abby, watch it,” my mother warns.
“Well, this has been an enlightening evening,” my dad says, “and I’m so happy my reputation is no longer tarnished,” he says in a sarcastic tone, glaring at Abby, “but I have to get some sleep. I have a long shift coming up.”
Big Dan stands up, sips the last of his coffee, and places the mug on the table, “let’s try and avoid any drama with the Westbrooks. Keep in touch with your contacts Tommy, Zach,” he advises his fellow law enforcement officials, “and stay away from the Westbrooks,” he adds, looking at me.
Even though I’m adult, my father still thinks it’s okay to tell me what to do. I don’t mind. He’s usually right anyway - even when I don’t want to admit it.
We each wish him a good night and he walks upstairs to get some sleep.
“So, what happens next?” Abby asks.
Shane
What a shit show Beth has gotten herself into. She’s been questioned twice more by agents Flannery and Borgman. She’s still not in any trouble, but I’m not sure they believe her one hundred percent yet.
Chad told way too many people his business - why not her?
I believe Beth - I know she is being truthful. Why didn’t Chad ever mention any of this to her? Could it be that he wanted to protect her? Or maybe he didn’t trust her to use it as revenge if she found out about his secret love life. I don’t think we’ll ever know the answer. Chad’s a dick. I’ll just be happy he never got Beth
involved and leave it at that.
For the most part, everyone in town knows about the big scandal at this point. The Westbrook’s name isn’t worth a dam anymore. Beth got out of there just in time - thanks to me of course.
I guess this whole thing started with me. No one else shared what they knew. Maybe there were many more people quietly involved in these scams than we’ll ever know. I can’t be the only honest business man, can I? Maybe I’m the only one that had enough at stake to care to make a difference. Again, who knows?
This whole thing is just crazy. As long as Beth is safe and sound, that’s all that matters.
Beth
“What do you think we should do?” I ask Shane.
We’re laying in bed, spending yet another night in his hotel room. I have no home anymore. I cleared my things out of Chad’s house, which is going to become government property at some point anyway. I’ve been ‘living’ in my parent’s house - if you can even call it that. I stay there about once a week and leave my belongings there.
Shane might be fine living in a hotel temporarily, but I’m not loving it. Don’t get me wrong - I love being with Shane - I’m very happy, but I would like a home. My parents have been good enough to take me in, but it’s not my house.
“I’m working on it,” Shane answers.
“I know,” I start, “but do you think it’s a good idea to just move in together?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Shane asks, like it’s a crazy question.
“We’ve only been dating a couple of months now. Isn’t that fast?”
Of course I want to live with Shane, but I don’t want to rush things. I don’t want him to feel like just because my life got raked through the mud, that he has to take me in. I never want Shane to feel trapped.
“We’re going to be together forever. What’s the difference when we move in together?” he answers matter of factly.
I sigh, “I love you so much. What did I do to deserve you?” I snuggle up against Shane’s side. The heat from his skin warms me.
