by Angel, Dark
She laughs, "Okay I’m going to get the coffee. You sit down there. You can read a magazine or something if you like."
She doesn’t wait for me to respond as she leaves quickly. I’m sure that she’s probably not supposed to leave her desk unattended for long periods.
I sit down and tap my phone on. I scroll through my apps, which has become kind of automatic whenever I'm sitting around. One minute I'm waiting, and then the next I'm either on apps crushing candy or flicking through pics. I’m a social media kind of girl and I like keeping in touch with friends. But with the way we're all glued to our phones, I’m waiting for an app to tell people to brush their teeth, go to the bathroom, and even wipe their asses. In fact, there’s probably an app that’s already doing that and people are probably already using it. It’s crazy the way that everyone’s obsessed with apps these days.
I laugh as I see the Zach post, "Holy crap! 100k likes!"
For better or worse, he’s popular now. Part of me wants to take it down. He was my boyfriend, even if he did cheat on me, and the longer this stays up, the more times I find out how many girls he slept with while we were together. Which is not healthy for me, and it doesn’t exactly help them either.
Either way, I have nothing to prove anymore and as I click on the delete button, I see a few hurtful comments, not only from Zach but his family members too. Some aren’t happy that I put a naked picture of him on social media. Especially his mom. Shit, if my mom cared maybe she would feel the same way if something similar had happened to me. Instead of wasting her life on drugs, she would've had my back, being there to protect me, hold me, and tell me everything was going to be okay.
I delete the post and feel like a better person for doing it. It was only supposed to be there for a day, not a week anyways.
I flick through a few magazines, none of them interest me and on cue, the secretary comes back with my coffee on a little tray.
"Thanks so much."
Then Mr. Williams opens his door; it’s as if everything is happening at once. "Karen, sorry to keep you waiting."
"No, it’s fine. Felicity was keeping me occupied."
Felicity smiles and then she answers a call. We both look at her for a split second, and then Mr. Williams says, "Come in. Bring your coffee with you."
I nod, "Thanks, I just got it." I quickly put the milk and sugar into the cup and follow him into his office. I look around like a little child in the candy store, wide-eyed and taking in his new decor.
"Wow, you renovated your office?"
He laughs, "Well, it needed some updating, and I thought that it was about time I caught up with the modern times."
He’s not joking. Before, everything in this room was antique, including the rug. Now, he has some modern statue in the corner of the room. I’m not really a fan of modern art, so I’m not even going to try and figure out what the triangle thing is or what the square pictures on the wall are supposed to signify. That’s one thing that I’m kind of old-fashioned about.
Anyway, I try and balance my coffee without spilling it while I put it on the glass table. If it were wood, then I wouldn’t worry about it so much, but because it’s glass, I feel as if I need to make sure that it doesn’t spill.
"I’m glad that you came to see me today. It’s been a while. You look so grown up. How can I help you?"
Mr. Williams has been our family lawyer for so many years. I remember when Dad died, he used to visit the house all the time. I remember coming to his office as a child with Mom. After Mom married Daniel he would drop by once in a while until Mom stopped being in the house and I stopped seeing him.
"Well…" I take a sip of my coffee, and then I realize that he’s sitting opposite me, just waiting for me to respond. I’m sure that he’s a busy man. "I was thinking that it’s been a year since Mom’s gone and we don’t know where she is, or if she’s coming back."
I wait for Mr. Williams to say something. Instead, it’s as if he’s frozen in time. I’m sitting opposite him, and he’s not even blinking through his glasses. So, I start talking faster and put the coffee down, which I’ve nearly finished. There's something about long silences that make me uncomfortable. "To cut a long story short, Daniel’s business is suffering, and he’s asked for some help. I have the money in the trust that the State froze when my Mom was on drugs, and I can help him. I just need to fill out the paperwork to get it done."
"Oh, I had a feeling that something was wrong. This is why I was going to call you."
"What made you think something was wrong?"
I'm still trying to internalize what he just said. Wow, I need to drink this coffee quickly. I’m half awake.
"Well, I wanted to make sure that you knew what was going on with the funds and to make sure that you were okay and not struggling with any money."
Why would he worry about that?
Mr. Williams continues, "There seems to be some confusion. It’s my fault; I shouldn’t have let him do it."
Now I’m the one who’s getting frustrated. I feel as if Mr. Williams is talking in riddles. What the hell is he talking about?
"It’s just that Mr. Morgan already been here to fill the preliminary paperwork for moving the trust out of unfrozen status and taking a lump sum payment. So it’ll make it a bit difficult if you needed any money for at least six months. He popped into the office without an appointment. Otherwise I would have called you earlier. Karen are you okay?"
I nod my head while suspending the coffee between my lips and my other hand. I was taking in everything that he had said, but it made no sense.
"When did Daniel come here?"
"Oh about two hours ago."
"Today?"
I can’t even comprehend what’s going on at the moment; it’s as if someone’s playing a sick joke. Mr. Williams seems perplexed and asks, "Did I say something wrong?"
I stand up and say, "Oh no, it's not that. As usual, you’ve looked out for my family’s interests since I was young and that’s never changed. I need to speak to Daniel and find out what’s going on."
He nods, "I think that’s the best thing to do. It seems that there’s some confusion. I know there is a big decision as to what to do – the State of California will only freeze funds for so long. If your mother truly has abandoned you, the State wants you to decide what to do with the trust money. Besides, as I said, you could fight the ruling. Technically Mr. Morgan and your mother - they’re married, but there is a way around it all. The money’s yours. All you have to do is take it. I can do the rest."
As he walks up to the door with me, I’m still trying to take in everything that he’s said, but I find it difficult. I can't process it. I feel as if I’ve been betrayed. I've completely open myself up to Daniel—even slept with him—and not once did he mention coming to see Mr. Williams.
"I’ll be in touch soon. I just need to figure out my next moves. The whole thing’s caught me by surprise." He does an odd thing and takes off his glasses. Something that I’ve never seen him do, even as a child.
"Let me walk you to the elevator."
I nod, because it’s obvious that he’s not going to take no for an answer.
"Sure."
We walk in silence and he presses the button once we reach the elevator. He says the one thing that he’s apparently been dying to say, "I’m your family lawyer. Not Daniel’s. If you need anything or have something that needs doing, I’m by your side."
His sincerity takes me by surprise. So much so that even as the elevator doors open, I can’t take my eyes off of him. There’s something about seeing someone without glasses that makes them look completely different. It’s as if they’re revealing their true self to you. This is how I feel right now as I look at him. He no longer sounds like a lawyer, but more like a friend.
I smile to him and say, "I can handle myself." I don’t shake his hand. Instead, I give him a kiss on the cheek. Maybe it’s crossing a line, but I don’t care. I walk into the elevator and say, "If there is an
issue. I won’t hesitate to call. Thank you, Mr. Williams."
As the elevator door closes he says, "You don’t need to book an appointment, you can just walk right in."
Once he disappears out of sight, I pull out my phone and start typing a message to Colt. I need to speak to him first. Something’s completely wrong about this setup, and I feel that Daniel thinks that we’re complete idiots. No one takes me for a ride. To think that I was the one that told Colt that he was harsh on Daniel.
I hate being taken for a ride, particularly by a man who I gave my body to the previous night.
Colt
I drive back from the gym and pull into the driveway. Working out did nothing to alleviate the non-stop desire coursing through my body; my head's still in the fucking gutter. I feel a thin line of sweat zigzag its way down the chiseled ridges of my chest and I imagine it's Karen's tongue.
What? Don't look at me like that. I'm not as savage as you think. Sure, I'd like to fuck Karen for 24-hours straight if I could, but I also give a shit about her. There's a feeling that I have for her now that I swear I've never fucking had for any other woman, period.
"Where’ve you been? I’ve been calling you like crazy!"
Speak of the devil, I think, a smile washing over my lips as I nearly walk into her. I'll admit, I'm already thinking about bending her over the couch.
"Hey, babe. I was at the gym and I haven't checked my phone. I thought that you were doing your nails?"
I secretly love it when she’s flustered; she starts talking too fast and her hands become animated. Her words fly past me and I'm mesmerized by her lips. The way the sun catches the thin coat of gloss.
"I went to see Mr. Williams."
"You did what?" I ask. So much for being mesmerized. Now I'm just confused.
"I'm sorry I lied, but I had to see him. Things between the three of us are so good—better than I ever thought possible—so it made sense for me to make sure that everything was sorted out properly."
"What do you mean by everything?"
"The money," she says, her hands dancing around her face. "And he’s been with my family for so long that I had to see him … alone. Before you guys saw him."
She can see the confusion on my face. "Who are you even talking about? Who is Mr. Williams?"
"Oh … the lawyer. You don't remember him? He came to the house a couple of times."
It's coming back to me. I nod, "Old guy, around so high, bald, glasses. Sure, I know the one."
She rolls her eyes. "You make him sound like an elderly hobbit or something, but yeah, that's him. Anyway, let's just say my meeting was a bit of shock."
"What, you mean the hobbit tried to take you back to the fucking shire?" I laugh. I'm trying to make her laugh too, but it's clearly not working.
"I'm serious, Colt! This isn't funny. Daniel’s already tied up the funds."
"What do you mean?" I ask. She's right; this isn't funny anymore.
"What I mean is that I can’t even sign over any of Mom’s trust to any account to save his business because he’s already made the decision and screwed us over. And he did it this morning!"
I run my hand through my hair; none of this makes sense … us being called here … everything Daniel's told us. He made it sound like he was fucking desperate for the money and that he needed us to agree for it all to go through. If he needed our agreement, why did he tie up the funds?
"This morning?" I ask. "But after what happened…" I trail off and Karen finishes my thoughts.
"After we were all together and so happy the first thing he did was screw us."
"After everything that happened?" What the fuck does any of this mean?
"Exactly!"
What the fuck is Daniel up to?
Has he been pulling the wool over our eyes this whole fucking time? He's been making it sound like he needed money for the company, but now I’m wondering if the company needs the money at all.
There’s only one way to find out. If we go to his office, we can see for ourselves. It’s been over a year since I’ve been there, but I still remember how to get there.
"Get in the car!"
I don’t need to tell her twice. I can see the hurt and confusion in her eyes. She’s feeling completely fucking used.
"What are you going to do?" she asks as she clicks her seatbelt into place and I start the engine. I suspect that she thinks I’ll punch Daniel right in the face and ask questions later. But if that's what she's thinking, she's fucking wrong. And no, it's not because I've grown soft. Fighting just isn’t on the agenda.
"We’re going to talk to him," I say, calmly. "Find out what he’s up to."
Then I turn the wheel and back the fuck out of the driveway. If we're going to do any talking, we need to get to Daniel’s office in record time. I'm not sure when he's going to leave the office for the day, and I'll be fucking pissed if we miss him. This isn't something that can be handled in a series of text messages. We need to talk face-to-face.
"Maybe we're being too hasty," Karen says after a few minutes of silence. She's been looking out the window, deep in thought. "There could be a perfectly good explanation for all of this."
"I thought you were pissed about all of this?" I ask. I’m driving like a bat out of hell because if I'm being honest, I’m fucking pissed right now.
"Please slow down!" she screeches, bracing herself when I accidentally run a red light.
I turn to look at her, and her eyes are firmly shut. Fuck, she’s right, I don’t need to scare the shit out of her. Besides, getting there quicker won’t solve the problem. Nor will getting into an accident. My head’s spinning out of control. I'm thinking about everything Daniel's told us until this point … the pleas for help … and of course the way that he was in the bedroom.
"Has everything really just been a big fucking lie?"
She’s shaking her head. "I don’t know Colt. You’ve known him a lot longer than I have. And I don't have any answers. What do you think of it all?"
As we stop at a light, I turn to look at her. I have to tell her the truth. "I don’t know Karen. That’s the truth. I’m in as much shock as you are at the moment."
That’s an honest statement from my heart. She puts her hand on my leg and says, "I believe you. I’m not sure if it will make a difference what he says."
She has a good point; how will we know if his explanation isn’t another lie? He seems to be good at that; maybe being with Clara has changed him in ways we're only now learning about.
"I was thinking the same thing. At this point, with your meeting at Mr. William's office, the evidence is pretty fucking damning. What could he say to change things?"
She’s quiet, probably pondering my words. Then I hear her phone vibrate. "Shit, he’s calling me."
"Karen, don’t pick it up. We’re nearly there. Just five minutes and we’ll be there."
She nods her head and then she points ahead as we get near Daniel’s parking spot.
"That’s weird."
"What is?"
"His car should be here, but I don't see it."
I shake my head, "Maybe he's parked somewhere else. He wasn't home, so he should be here." I'm trying to stay positive.
"I'm not so sure," she says, scanning the parking lot.
Karen could be right. It’s a bit too much of a coincidence. Then it starts to hit home. What if we don't get the chance to talk to him?
I decide that there’s only one way to settle this whole thing, "Let’s go see if he's in his office."
She nods, but I see that the tears have started to stream at the realization that everything we've been told this summer could be a lie. The guy she's opened herself too, could've played her. I don’t know what he's up to, but we’re about to find out. I hold on to Karen, feeling the need to protect her.
***
"Hi, is Daniel in?" I ask the secretary as we reach her desk.
"Yes. I’ll take you up to his office."
A wave of relief washe
s over me. At least we didn't miss him. But that relief quickly turns into a bundle of anxious energy with the realization that we're about to confront Daniel face-to-face.
Karen replies, "There’s no need. We know where it is."
Janice shakes her head, her brown bangs swaying with the movement, "You don’t. He’s not on the same floor anymore."
I guess that's not surprising. It has been a while since we've both shown up here. As the receptionist walks us through the bare office, the realization that Daniel’s business is coming to an end really hits home. Maybe he wasn't lying about that part.
"Shit, it’s quiet in here." I look at Karen, and she keeps walking at a steady clip. It’s as if she doesn't know what to think. I stop and kiss her on the forehead just before Janice leads us to the door of Daniel's office. I can't help but wonder how long Janice will last here, seeing as nearly everyone else has been let go by the looks of things. She may be next on the chopping block.
I whisper to Karen, "Daniel wasn’t exaggerating about things being bad. The office hardly has any traders. It looks like one of those ghost towns you can walk through in the Mojave deserts."
There's a solemn look on her face as she nods her head. Once we get to the office, Janice knocks on the door once and doesn’t wait for a response before turning on her heels and walking back to her desk. As soon as the door opens, we see him. There's a surprised look on face as he raises his head from his computer.
"Karen, Colt, what are you two doing here?" Daniel asks.
I stand and look at him, not knowing what to say first. I can tell by the expression on his face that he doesn't know what to say or think either. We've never shown up at his office like this unannounced. Fuck, we've never shown up at his office before, announced or unannounced.
He stands up from his desk and walks toward us.
Karen sits in one of the leather chairs, but I can't sit. A bundle of anxious energy is swirling through my body, threatening to explode.
"Why did you lie to us?" I ask. Fuck small talk. We're here for answers.
I watch as Daniel furrows his brows and a deep crease appears across his forehead. In that split second, he looks aged by about 10 years.
