by JA Huss
I’m in the middle of my application when a woman appears, calls the two other girls by name, and then whisks them away through a door.
Yes, I decide. This is going to go well. I can already tell.
When my application is all filled out I take it back up to the receptionist. “Here you go,” I say.
“Thank you,” the woman says. “Is your contact information on there?”
“Yes,” I say.
“Great. We’ll give you a call.”
“Oh,” I say, looking over at the door where the other two women disappeared. “I thought—”
“We’re doing new management hires today,” the woman says. “But we have an introductory meeting set up for tomorrow morning, if you’d like to just jump right in.”
“I would!” I say, so excited. “Yes. For sure. I’m interested.”
“Great,” she says. “I’ll send your application up to HR and they’ll put you in the database. Just show up at the check-in desk tomorrow morning at nine and you can see if it’s a good fit.”
“Thank you,” I say, breathing out a sigh of relief. “I’m sure it will be.”
I turn, smiling like crazy, and walk back outside.
This is my door. I can feel it.
My future is here at Bright Berry Beach Cosmetics.
CHAPTER FIVE - JOEY
The first thing I notice when we arrive at my lawyer’s office is that there’re so many people in this lobby Huck, Wald and I have to push our way through just to let the receptionist know we’re here.
I figure, OK. They must be busy today. But when a woman calls my name and everyone in the lobby begins to shuffle towards the same conference room, I realize we are decidedly outnumbered.
My lawyers are not small-time dudes. They own this place. So there are two dozen partners here on my side if I need them.
They’re just not here in the room with me now, so it feels very unequal.
The conference table seats sixteen and there are place cards, like we’re about to sit down to dinner.
Wald and Huck don’t even get a seat. They have to stand behind me.
I sit at the head of the table, my two principal lawyers both sit on either side of me, and the rest of the thirteen chairs are filled with the Kane family legal team.
No one from the family even showed up. Not even the guardian, Michael Conner.
Just lawyers.
Wald leans down in my ear and says, “I think it’s safe to assume you’re the father.”
“Yeah,” I mumble back.
Then I sigh. Because I was worried. And I get it. I’ve been missing from this little girl’s life for five years. Haven’t even thought about her in ages. But ever since I picked up that phone, ever since I heard her voice, she’s all I can think about.
And if I wasn’t her father it was gonna be hard to make that stop.
Now it will never stop. I will never stop thinking about her. I will never stop picturing her as a baby. I will never stop feeling guilty about the moments I missed. Her first words. Her first steps. Her first everything.
Gone now.
And I missed it.
“Shall we get started?” the man sitting opposite me on the other end of the long table asks.
I swallow and nod. Start to wipe my hands on my pants and then catch myself.
He clears his throat and says, “The test results confirm that Joseph Boston is the father.”
Kinda knowing this was true five seconds ago and hearing it confirmed in this moment are two very different things. Because my heart immediately begins to beat fast, and my leg is nervously bouncing, and there’s a whooshing sound in my ears that I can’t turn off. I can’t fucking focus on anything but the wood grain of the expensive table in front of me.
It’s true. I’m hers.
And now I have a purpose. For once in my life, I have a purpose.
I will never stop until this little girl is in my life. I will do whatever it takes.
Huck grips my shoulder and I know, if I were to turn around, he’d be smiling big.
“However,” the man continues.
I force myself to look at him and pretend that I’m not in the middle of some bizarre psychological reaction. But I can’t really pull it off. I can’t whip out that well-practiced, cool, Boston Brother smile.
“The Kane family does not feel like you’d be a proper influence in Miss Maisy’s life and will be petitioning the court—”
“No way,” I say, standing up. “No way.” It takes every ounce of self-control not to jump on this table, walk down the length of it, and choke this guy out right now.
I want to fucking explode.
“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice—” the man continues.
But my lawyer stands and says, “We anticipated this. And believe me, if you think you’re going to pull this stunt and expect Mr. Boston to capitulate and cower in the face of the Kane family lawyers, you haven’t done your research.”
Whoa. Didn’t really expect that level of animosity from my side right out of the gate.
“Surely you must understand how upsetting this is for Maisy—”
“She called me,” I say, feeding off the bravado my team is displaying, the anger very clear in my voice even though I keep my tone low. “She called me and said her mommy wasn’t home. Who is taking care of her?”
“That’s a private matter, Mr. Boston.”
“The hell it is,” I growl. Pounding my fist on the table. “Either you arrange a time for me to meet Maisy this week or I will inform my brother, Johnny, that this matter should take precedence above all other family business.”
Total silence in the room. Everyone stares at me.
I don’t really know why I said it. Because I know what it implies. And it solidifies the vague warning my lawyer just hinted at when he informed them that they hadn’t done their research.
It’s a threat.
A Boston Brothers threat.
I don’t even know who we are, or what we do, or why all those people pay us billions of dollars every month. But there has to be a reason. And so my threat carries weight.
“You don’t want to do that,” the man says.
“No,” I say. “I really do.”
Even from this side of this absurdly long table I can see this guy clench his jaw.
“I want to see her and I want to see her now.”
Another man stands. An older man. Skinny, nice suit, expensive watch. He smiles when he looks at me. “Mr. Boston,” he says. “We have concerns about your parental fitness.”
“Too bad,” I say. “I’m her father. I have rights.”
“Our clients have rights as well.”
“Where is Charlotte?”
All thirteen of them look at each other.
“Where is she?” I ask again.
“We don’t know,” a woman says. “She went missing while traveling through the Gulf of Mexico and—”
“She was really lost at sea?” I ask. Because I thought that was just a cover-up for… I dunno. Rehab or something.
“The yacht was found capsized in the Straits of Florida almost a year ago now,” she explains. “There’s been no sign of her since. She is presumed dead, but it will be several more years before that can be legally finalized.”
“Legally finalized,” I say.
The woman nods.
“I want my daughter,” I say. Then I place both hands flat on the table, lean forward and say, “And I am not fucking around.”
Total. Silence.
I glare at them. Finally, after several awkward seconds the woman says, “Can you give us the room? Perhaps we can come to some kind of agreement?”
“Sure,” I say. I turn around and walk out, flanked on both sides by Huck and Wald.
“Holy shit,” Huck says, walking straight for the lobby door. Once we’re out in neutral territory he says, “They hate your fucking guts.”
“Yeah, tell me something I don’t already know.�
��
“What was that?” Wald asks.
“What was what?” I say, kinda snapping at him.
“That… threat. You’re gonna tell Johnny?”
“What else was I gonna say?”
“What’s Johnny gonna do?” Wald asks.
“I don’t know. OK?” I look at Wald, then force myself to take a deep breath. “I don’t know what he’ll do. But if I ask him for a favor he’ll help me.”
“Well, they must have an idea of what he’ll do,” Wald continues. “Because shit just got real back there.”
I didn’t tell anyone about what I saw at the Bossy Building that night Johnny had me, Jesse, Zach, and Emma go up into the spire to watch his little… money-making ceremony. Not even my best friends. Because I don’t understand it. Or maybe I do, and I just don’t want to accept it. I’m not really sure.
But it’s no secret that Johnny Boston is crazy.
Not the insane kind of crazy, though he could be that too. But the terrifying kind of crazy. The kind of crazy that involves baseball bats and night sticks. Which is a lot more terrifying than guns, though he uses those too. Beating someone with a bat is a whole other level of violence than guns. Hell, if Johnny Boston wasn’t my brother I’d never even look at the guy, let alone talk to him.
“Well… if they know what’s good for them,” I say, letting the anger simmer inside me, “they’re gonna come up with a way for me to meet Maisy. And they’re gonna be quick about it too.”
“I say hell yeah,” Huck offers. “Hell yeah, you threaten those assholes. Keeping your kid from you. And Charlotte’s gone missing? What the fuck is up with that?”
“I don’t know,” I say. “I don’t know her anymore. Probably never did. We were barely together a month before she got pregnant and after the baby was born, she cut me out, changed her number, and disappeared. She probably got sick of being a mother and just… took off. Or faked her death. She’s that kind of girl, so fuck Charlotte.”
“She could really be dead,” Wald says.
I don’t say anything. Because the only thing I want to say is, So fucking what? And that’s just… a very typical Boston brother response. A very instinctual response that I wish I wasn’t having in this moment. But I have no feelings for Charlotte anymore. She didn’t have to walk away like that. And yeah, I get it. I didn’t have to walk away either. But I made a grand gesture. I made an effort. She’s the one who blew me off.
So fuck her.
The lobby doors burst open and all the Kane lawyers start pouring through them.
I lock eyes with the woman who was speaking to me and say, “Where the hell are you going?”
She averts her eyes and says, “Your lawyers have the details,” as she walks past.
We go back in, meet the lawyers in the conference room, and one of them—Jack, his name is—says, “Have a seat, Joey. They’ve made an offer.”
“Better be a good one,” Huck says, already pulling out a chair to sit down.
Wald doesn’t sit. I take the same chair I had.
“So here’s the deal,” Jack says. “The Kane family doesn’t like you.”
“No shit,” I say. “But they don’t need to like me.”
“They kinda do, Joey,” my other lawyer, Steven, says. “Maisy has been living in the Kane family estate her whole life. They have been present. She knows them. You have never met your daughter.”
“I wasn’t given the chance.”
“I understand, Joey,” Jack says. “But on paper it looks really bad. You’ve been living in Asia for the past… what? Ten years?”
“You technically still live in Japan, correct?” Steven asks.
“I don’t have to live there,” I say. “I can live anywhere I want.”
“Understood,” Jack says. “But the Kane family isn’t going to let you take Maisy out of the country. So they are rightfully worried that there might be no point in you seeing her.”
“How do you fucking figure?” Huck asks.
And I gotta hand it to Huck. Dude is always on my side.
“If he goes back to Tokyo,” Jack says, talking to Huck now, “that could have negative mental health consequences for Maisy.”
“He won’t go back,” Huck says. Then he looks at me. “Right, Joe? Fuck it. We’ll stay here.”
“I can’t stay here,” Wald says. “Corporate offices are in Tokyo.”
I don’t want to glare at Wald, but I kinda do. Because first of all, I’m not asking him to stay. And second of all, we can do whatever the fuck we want. We own the goddamned place and this is modern day, OK? It’s called ‘choose your favorite teleconference app.’
“This is their point,” Jack says, drawing my attention back to him. “I get it, Joey. You want to see Maisy. And the Kane lawyers conceded that if you’re truly serious about being a part of Maisy’s life, if you’re a stable and positive influence, if you have a residence here she could spend time at, they’d be willing to give you a chance.”
“A chance?” Huck roars. “It’s his fucking kid!”
Jack glares at Huck and says, “I’m not talking to you, Mr. Newtown. I’m talking to Mr. Boston.”
Huck opens his mouth to say something but I put up a hand. “It’s fine, Huck. I got this.” Then I look at Jack. “What do they want me to do?”
“Prove to them that you are all those things.”
“And how do I do that?” I ask. “Hm? How?”
“They’ve invited you up to the family estate this weekend. So… you go. You behave. You meet your daughter. And you show them you’re just a normal thirty-four-year-old billionaire.” Then he smiles at me.
“And do not,” Steven says, “under any circumstances, use Johnny’s name in these negotiations again.”
“Yes,” Jack agrees. “They were not happy about that… threat.”
I ponder this deal for a moment. “So I just… go up there. Alone?”
“If you have a steady girlfriend, that would help,” Jack says.
I say nothing. There is no girl. There has never been a girl like that. Charlotte wasn’t even that kind of girl.
“Bring her along,” Steven adds. “Let them see how normal you are. That you have a steady personal life and are… settling down.”
“And I don’t know where you’re staying, but you need a place. A real place. Not the Bossy, either—”
“Don’t worry about that,” I say, holding up my hand. “I have no plans to move back into the Bossy.”
“Where are you staying?” Jack asks.
“With me,” Wald says. “We’ve rented a penthouse in the Chester Hotel.”
Jack is already shaking his head. “No. Not good enough. No hotels, Joey. You need a real place. Go buy something. Like… today.”
“And what is this?” Steven asks. Finger waving at me, Huck, and Wald. “What’s going on here?”
“What’s that mean?” Huck asks.
“You know what that means, Mr. Newtown. What is this relationship? Business?”
I glance at Wald, then back to Steven. “Yeah, it’s business.”
“Is that it?” Jack asks.
“Why does it matter?” Huck growls.
“Because we’re talking about a custody hearing, Mr. Newtown. That’s why. And while the court is completely comfortable with non-traditional couples, poly relationships are a whole other matter.” Huck is about to say something in response, but Jack puts a hand up and says, “I’m gay, so I’m not being a dick here. I’m being real. What is this?” And then he repeats Steven’s finger waving.
Huck, Wald, and I look at each other, but none of us has an answer.
“Well, you’d better figure it out,” Jack says. “Because believe me, there will be questions.”
I sigh as they both get to their feet. Apparently the meeting is over.
“We’re good?” Steven asks, tapping a stack of papers on the table and tucking them into a file.
“So by Friday I need a steady girlfriend and a h
ouse.” I huff out a laugh that has nothing to do with amusement.
“That would be helpful. And I’m going to advise you to not bring these two to any more proceedings,” Steven says, motioning his head at Huck and Wald. “The optics are confusing.”
I nod. Because he’s not wrong. No one can ever figure out what Huck, and Wald and I are to each other.
I’m not even sure I know.
I stand up and Huck follows my example. Wald takes care of the farewell formalities because my mind is spinning right now and I can’t make myself care about goodbyes.
We’re all quiet as we make our way down to the parking garage. Wald is driving. Huck gets in back, and I take shotgun.
All three of us slam our doors at the same time and then Huck leans forward as Wald starts the engine, and says, “You need a girlfriend, dude. And I know just how to get one.”
CHAPTER SIX - BROOKE
I am the perfect Bright Berry Beach Cosmetics representative. I fucking nailed this outfit.
Not gray and pink. Fuck that bitch and her outfit too.
My skirt and cropped tailored jacket are both the palest shade of pink and my loose camisole is the perfect shade of cream. The skirt is a little long for my tastes, coming in at just above the knee. But it’s tight. Successful, intelligent, powerful women like to show off their shapes.
As long as it’s done tastefully.
I did my research for this job. I know what a BBB salesperson looks like and she wears tailored clothes in muted pastel color or, in the winter, shades of gray with pastel accents.
OK. Maybe that chick yesterday did have a great outfit. But she’s in the wrong season now and I’m not. My outfit blows hers away.
And while this look has nothing to do with the real me, it’s not about me. It’s about them. It’s always about them.
“No,” I tell my image in the mirror as I put on several strings of long necklaces. “This is all about me. And I’m not working it. I’m… just preparing for it. Like everyone would.”
The girl in the mirror doesn’t agree with me. But that’s OK. She’s Old Brooke and I’m New Brooke. So she can fuck off.
