by Claire Adams
“Oh, Aiden, I’m so sorry.” Her voice broke and then she went quiet.
“Yeah, I guess distracting myself with our date isn’t working, but I do feel better after talking to you. I was going to ask if you had your schedule.”
“I’ll be off on Thursday, so you don’t have much time to plan something that will blow my mind.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “No pressure, huh? However, if you want mind-blowing, maybe we should stick with what we do best and skip the date. I’ve got a few tricks I haven’t shown you.”
“I bet you do.”
My phone buzzed out a text reminder from Layne, and I released a heavy sigh. “Well, that’s my cue; I can’t stall any longer. It’s time to get dressed and go meet the assholes who are suing me.” Lexa began coughing as if she were choking. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, my water went down the wrong pipe. Did you say you’re meeting them?”
“Face to face for the first time. I wanted to reach out after the accident. My sister’s boyfriend was a nice guy. We got along okay, and he seemed to make my sister happy. But I was dealing with losing everyone and spent weeks in a fog.”
She was silent on the other end, and I wished I hadn’t said anything about it. I didn’t want to bring her down with my problems. “Well, I better go. Layne, my lawyer, will have a fit if I’m late, and I’ve got enough skulls to crack as it is.”
She sniffled as we said goodbye, and I hoped she wasn’t upset. The last thing I wanted from her was pity, but she knew that. She had a good heart and cared, and I hated that I might have brought her mood down, too.
I dragged my ass out of bed, showered, and threw on the clothes I had laid out the night before. I was prepared, even though my mood wasn’t quite in check. I had already decided it would be good to show these people a little bit of my temper, but when I arrived at the office forty minutes later, Layne had other ideas.
“You let me do the talking. The last thing I need is your temper making things worse.” He’d been pacing the room since I came in; it was a wonder he hadn’t worn a hole in it.
“Are we doing this here?” I knew it was standard practice to meet in the boardroom and figured that’s where Layne would prefer. There wasn’t anything to throw in there, other than the chairs, and if he thought for a moment I wouldn’t, he was wrong.
He straightened his cuffs. “No, I’m giving you time to cool down, and besides, they aren’t here yet.”
“I’m as good as I’m going to be, and I don’t know what you expected since these dicks are trying to ruin my life.” I looked across the room to where Layne stashed his mini bar and wished I could have a drink to take the edge off, but that would have to wait until after.
“These pricks lost their son. Try to remember that when you go in there guns a blazing in full ‘beast mode.’” He straightened his collar and smoothed down his pants like he was prepping for a photo op.
I stood to close the distance between us. “You’d do well to remember who you work for.”
He held his hands up in front of him. “Aiden, please let me do all the talking. You don’t have to say a word, and you know it would be better if you didn’t.” I pegged him with a hard glare as his secretary opened the door.
“Gentleman, the Pattersons and their lawyer are here and waiting.”
“Thanks.” He turned and met my eyes releasing a long breath. “Are you ready?” What he was really asking is would I remain calm and let him do the talking.
“Yeah, let’s do this.” I headed out of Layne’s office, glancing at my father’s door on the way, and then headed to the boardroom.
Inside were the Pattersons, an aging couple whose body language spoke volumes about their moods. Mr. Patterson was relaxed in his chair with a look of boredom, like he didn’t want to be there. But Mrs. Patterson was sitting up taller, posturing herself as if she were a noble queen waiting to be crowned with my riches. I sat right across from her, edging forward in my seat to show her I was prepared to fight. She looked away as my eyes met hers. Nice try, lady.
Layne took his seat next to me and across from the Pattersons’ lawyer, Stephen Blanc, whom both Layne and I knew quite well. He had always been a twitchy little fucker, and my father had hated him.
“I don’t think introductions are necessary, but as a formality, I’m Layne Connor, and this is my client, Aiden Walker.”
Blanc shifted forward in his seat. “These are the Pattersons, Greg and Vicki, the parents of the deceased Shawn Patterson.” I didn’t move a muscle, but I wanted to remind them that their son wasn’t the only one missing from the table. “It has us concerned that you’re not finding the dollar amount acceptable. We feel that this is a fair deal, one your client can afford, and we’d like to get this thing settled.”
“We’d like you to explain the amount in question and see if we can work out something a little bit more reasonable. The amount you’ve asked for is quite well over half of my client’s estate, and while we do sympathize and mean no disrespect, we can’t quite figure how you’ve come to such an amount.”
“My son’s life is priceless, Mr. Connor.”
I met the woman’s eyes, and she stared down into her lap. There was something in her eyes for a fleeting moment that reminded me of Lexa, but I banished the thought. I wouldn’t let the resemblance distract me. I took a deep breath and glanced toward Layne.
He straightened a stack of papers he’d removed from his briefcase and slid them across the table to Blanc. “We feel this is more in line with proper respect to your son’s memory. Please understand this is not my client’s way of taking blame in all of this, but he’d like to offer this amount with his condolences.
Blanc sifted through the papers and then nodded toward Vicki, who shook her head and passed them to Greg. “This is not acceptable.” She folded her arms in a stubborn way and then straightened her posture.
“Could you explain why?” Layne addressed her directly.
Blanc spoke up and shook his head but then motioned to her not to speak. “Please do not address my client. I’m more than happy to explain-”
“Then do it.” My voice was so rough, it was as if I’d gargled acid. “You know, I knew Shawn. He was a nice guy, and I can’t imagine he’d like any of this, but know something else about him, too. He was a dreamer, and he wouldn’t have seen this much money in his lifetime. So unless you can prove to me that he would, I’m not settling.”
“How dare you make this about Shawn’s experience in life? If anything, this has to do with his life being cut short and those experiences, as you call them, being ripped away from him. He was a dreamer, but he had big plans for a bright future.”
“You mean sucking off the Walker tit? We both know that Shawn wanted to marry my sister. How am I to know he would have gotten a decent job and supported her on his own?”
Mrs. Patterson clutched her neck and leaned away from me. “My son wouldn’t want a dime of your family money.”
“But you would?” Layne placed his arm on mine to call me off of her.
She turned to her lawyer. “I’m not taking less than I’ve asked for.” She stood and dragged Mr. Patterson up by his arm. “I don’t have to sit here and take more abuse from this spoiled brat. It’s a good thing my son isn’t around marry into your awful family.”
I rose to my feet and glared across the table her. “You’re no prize sow yourself, lady. And, I’m glad he’s not here to see what an embarrassment his own mother is.”
Things heated up from there with Blanc and Layne trying hard to intervene, but I wasn’t going to sit back and take it from the old bitty. She gasped again and then stormed to the door where she paused to glance over her shoulder. “We’ll be in touch.”
“Way to go; you’ve made things worse.” I pushed past Layne and stepped in front of Blanc.
“You know this is wrong, and you won’t win this case. I realize they’ve lost a son, but I’ve lost my entire family. I will not lose my home, too
.”
“I’m trying to reason with them, but they believe this is necessary. Good day, men.” He went around me and headed for the door. I could sympathize; they had him a tight position, but I wasn’t about to let him win this, and he knew it.
“I told you not to talk. Why don’t you ever listen to me?”
“Because you’re a pussy, and if you don’t work this out, you can pack up your office along with the whole building because this is what’s going, do you hear me? This fucking place!” I turned and hurried out, hoping that the Pattersons weren’t still in the parking lot.
She doesn’t need this shit? Well, neither the fuck do I!
Chapter Twenty
Lexa
I had only been off work for a solid minute when Aiden’s first text came through my phone. I glanced at it and smiled.
Are you off yet?
I stopped at the soda machine and typed back. Yes. How are you?
Still blowing off steam and planning a mind-blowing date.
Any hints? I didn’t think he’d say, but it was worth the shot.
No, but I hope you like sword-fighting transvestites.
I laughed out loud as one of the other nurses, Tasha, stepped in front of me and put her money in the machine. “Who are you giggling with? A hot boyfriend?”
The word boyfriend rattled me a bit. “No, he’s a friend.” I shook my head and typed: You better be joking.
You said to be creative. I warned you.
“The way you’re smiling, no, that’s a boy crush smile. He might be a friend now, but I have a feeling it will end up more.” She slid her money in and made her selection.
As she walked away shaking her head, I couldn’t help but wonder what Aiden would think about her opinion. I didn’t think he wanted things to be too hot and heavy. He had a lot going on in his life, thanks in part to my parents, and I wanted badly to ask him how his day went. I hadn’t gotten any calls that my parents had shown up down in the ER lobby, so I guessed it wasn’t a bloodbath.
How did things go? I figured I could keep the question vague enough and do no harm.
No change. They won’t budge + I’m not settling = Impasse.
Suddenly, my heart felt like someone had it in a vice. I hated that my parents were being so stubborn and mean. And, all I could say was: I’m sorry, Aiden.
No worries. Call me later.
Will do. I burned with guilt as I hit send: guilt because I didn’t want to stop seeing him, and guilt because I couldn’t tell the truth. I battled with my own impasse.
I left work and headed over to pick up Bre for dinner night with my parents. I told myself to keep a good attitude, and hopefully conversation wouldn’t fall on the subject of Aiden. I didn’t think I could hold myself together long enough for that. And with Bre knowing what she knew, I surely didn’t want her stirred up.
We arrived with a few minutes to spare, so we sat in the car as I collected myself. “Why are you so nervous? It’s not like it’s the first time you and your parents have disagreed on something.”
“Yeah, but they met with Aiden today, and not an hour after, he and I discussed our upcoming date together. He even told me I help make things better.” I gave her a knowing glare, and her eyes widened.
“Oh, shit. You’ve got to end things with him now. If they find out about him, our dinners are going to be even more awkward.” She pulled out her compact and swiped on some gloss.
“I know, I know. But I like him. I’m not going to stop seeing him. I need to tell him the truth and hope he doesn’t hate me.”
“Hate you? He’s going to be devastated. Now, let’s take a deep breath and get this night over with.” She glanced at me and shook her head again as if she couldn’t believe my actions. I couldn’t believe them myself.
I followed her to the house, and we went inside where Mom’s vulgar taste in furnishings assaulted our senses.
“Come right in, dears. Dinner is ready.” Mom carried the salad to the table, and we hurried in to join her and Daddy, who was already munching on a roll and drinking tea.
“Gregory, dear, put down that roll and say hello to the girls.” She lowered herself into her seat and took a sip of wine.
“Hello, girls.” Dad put down the roll to peek inside the dish, making a face as he dug around for a potato. Pot-roast was one of my favorites and something Mom had requested most often for family get-togethers. If Shawn had been there, you’d think that everything was normal.
“So, Bre, how are things?” Mother smiled and waited for her to answer.
She swallowed a bite of her own roll and then folded her napkin in her lap. “Great, thanks. I’m still seeing Daniel, and things are good.”
“Well, that’s nice to hear, I wish my daughter would find someone to settle down with.” Mom turned her attention to me. This was the same old conversation every time, and I wished so badly that I could tell her who I was seeing. I held my tongue and smiled.
Bre offered up an awkward rebuttal. “I’m sure she will when the time is right. Could you pass the salt?”
As I passed the salt, my mother turned the conversation toward me. “Well, I hope you find a nice young man. Someone with money would be nice, though if all the wealthy men around here are the same as that damned Walker boy, I’d wish you’d marry middle class.”
“You mean Aiden?” The words spilled from my mouth with enough acid in my tone to eat a hole in the table.
Mom looked up at me with surprise in her expression. “Don’t tell me you’ve had the honor of meeting him; he’s an impossible asshole. Promise me you’ll stay clear of him.”
Dad offered a less emotional summary of their day. “Your mother and I went to talk to him about the settlement. He all but insulted your brother and was very disrespectful to your mother and me.” He stabbed a carrot slice with his fork.
Mother aimed her fork at me. “He went off the handle and even compared me to a prized sow. I’m not settling for anything less than what I’m asking. He had the nerve to ask us to prove the amount was fair. Fair is having your son at the dinner table every night.”
Dad chewed another bite and then swallowed. “I wish Shawn had never met Allison. We’d still have our son.”
“Well, I was appalled that he didn’t seem to care one bit about our family and our loss.”
My emotions were going in all directions. I couldn’t wrap my head around Aiden being disrespectful about my brother and wondered if that was true or an overreaction from my mother. Then something else came to mind, something that bothered me even more. “Did you mention me?” I hoped my parents hadn’t said anything to out me.
Mother dropped her fork. “Why would we mention you, darling? We’re trying not to drag you into this mess. Besides, what would it gain us by doing so now? We’d like to at least get this thing to court before springing you on them.”
“What does court have to do with me?” I wondered if they planned to pull me out in court and make me testify about Shawn and Allison’s relationships.
“You’re a grieving sister, and our Mr. Blanc said it could play into our hand later, something about not desensitizing you to the competition just yet.”
“If you don’t want me involved, then why have me show up there at all?” I couldn’t believe they’d planned to use me. My head was buzzing and throbbing with all the thoughts cluttering it like a swarm of bees.
Mother cut her meat with a scowl, and I wondered if she was picturing Aiden. “It’s only if needed, and besides, it wouldn’t hurt you to help out if you can.”
I wanted to push my chair back and storm away, but I didn’t want to make Bre angry. Instead, I bit my tongue and tried to eat my dinner. Mom’s cooking had nothing on Aiden’s maid, Mattie.
Thinking of him made my guts twist even more, but I choked down another forkful to keep my mouth too busy to speak up. There was no chance I’d ever have any type of relationship with him where he and my parents would get along. And, no chance of us ever having a s
it-down meal together where we shared our lives and polite conversation the way we had when Shawn was alive.
“Are you listening to me, Alexandra?” Mother tapped her fork against her plate, and I lifted my eyes to meet hers. “I asked you if you could help out.”
“No, I believe you told me I would. It’s not like either of you have cared much about my opinions on this lawsuit, so maybe it is best that I stay out of it.” I released a long breath as Bre met my eyes for a moment, as if to tell me again how much I needed to stop seeing Aiden.
“I think you’ll change your tune when we end up with his money. You could take some time away from that job of yours and go on those lavish vacations you always dream of. It could go a long way, especially after your father and I are gone. It’s more money than any of us will ever need.”
She spoke like it was the most practical thing in the world, and my stomach turned thinking that if she won the money, it would one day go to me. If there was anything left that she didn’t spend, that is. I didn’t want it. Not a dime.
“If it’s more money than you’ll ever need, then why are you, so hell bent on taking it from a man who has lost his entire family?” Bre’s words shocked me as she had spoken my thoughts.
“I beg your pardon?” Mother glared up at Bre as if she had no right to speak.
“You said you don’t need it, and quite frankly, I have to agree with Lexa.”
Mother laughed nervously as if she had no idea what to think of Bre speaking up. “Well, thank you for your opinion, Breanna. I’ll be sure and remember that the next time I consider your opinion on personal family matters.”
Bre stood from her chair. “You’re right, Mrs. Patterson. I’m not family. I’ve only sat at this table as a friend of Lexa’s our entire lives because I care about her. And for once, I wish you’d consider for five minutes what you’re doing to your daughter and think about someone other than yourself for a change.” She stormed out, and I dropped my fork on my plate and pushed my own chair back.
“Way to go, Mother.” I hurried out after Bre and found her waiting in the car.
