“Oh, don’t sweat it, son. It will all blow over soon enough. We are seriously considering making Marilyn a partner in the next two years. But, as I said on your first day here, we need to know if she can handle the pressure that goes with the territory. Another test will be to see how well she is able to work with others. Although she is as tough as nails and the best civil attorney we’ve seen in a long time, she does not work or play well with others. She sees it as a strength, but it is the only thing that counts against her as far as we are concerned. Now, if you can get her to soften up a bit and become a team player, she would be on her way. Of course, there is a valuable place in the company for the man who delivers a new junior partner to us. At Farthington and Wright, we take care of our own, sonny,” he explained, slapping me on the back for good measure.
“Thank you, Mr. Farthington. I appreciate the confidence you have in me. And I’m very sorry about what happened. I will do my best to bring out the team player in Marilyn Alexander if she will still talk to me, that is,” I laughed sheepishly.
“Between you and me, son, I think every hot-shot attorney needs a loss now and then to keep them humble and grounded,” he winked as he placed his aged arm around my shoulders.
“Now, you just go ahead and take the next week and a half off–paid leave–while we decide on a more solid position for you at the firm, with all the perks that go with it, of course. And don’t you worry about a thing,” he reassured me. I thought of Farthington as a well-intentioned grandpa who just wanted to see the kids grow up to be successful.
I had already decided on how I would spend my week’s break, and I couldn’t wait to tell Billie Jean about my plans.
* * *
It took about24 hours to make all the arrangements and get there, but it was worth it. Seeing the look on Faith’s face when she saw Billie Jean and I made the whole trip worth it.
My twin brother, Keith, and I had to grow up in separate foster homes for most of our lives. He got a raw deal with a dysfunctional family who struggled to make ends meet, and I lucked out with a wealthy family who left a decent inheritance for me which I only came into at the age of 25. I promptly gave Keith half of my inheritance. But that had been a big mistake.
“Hey, brother. How are you doing?” I asked, genuinely concerned. Two-year-old Faith, his daughter, was busy playing with Billie Jean. She squealed with delight as Billie Jean licked her stubby toes.
“Well, I just take it one day at a time, bro. You know?” replied Keith, who had slipped into a depressed state since his baby-momma skipped out on him, leaving six-month-old Faith behind. She had disappeared without a trace and had only called him once in all this time. She had latched on to Keith for the money–he had lived large with his share, which attracted the wrong sorts of people. By the time Layla realized it was all a sham, she’d already had a baby with Keith–her sure ticket to a better life. She tried to trap him into marriage, not knowing that Keith was determined to remain single. So, Layla ditched Keith and Faith, disappearing into the night when Keith had been working the graveyard shift at the security company.
It wasn’t long before Keith turned to painkillers to numb the hurt and strain. He had refused any further help. “Look, bro. We know what it’s like growing up in the system. I will never let that happen to my kid,” he promised. This vacation was a bit of an overdue celebration as Keith was finally drug-free and on the road to recovery. Faith grew up beautifully thanks to his dedication and a great support system in the form of a great day-care facility and babysitting service.
“Hey, thanks for inviting us to this Fairytale Princess convention thing. Faith is going to love it,” he gushed excitedly. He would do anything for his daughter, and I would do anything for them both.
“No problem, but I have a few other surprises for Miss Faith Miller too. We are gonna catch a pet theater comedy show and visit a shark reef. Then I was thinking we could maybe visit the Barbie exhibition…What do you think, Faith? Does that sound like fun, sweetheart?” I teased her and got a great big sloppy kiss on my cheek for it.
“Uncle Chris, you’re the best! I love Barbie, Barbie Barbie…” she chanted as she hopped around Billie Jean, who wagged her tail excitedly without knowing why.
We had a wonderful afternoon catching up, but Faith got tired and had to go through her evening routine. So, Keith took her off to their room, which was down the hall from Billie and my room. Billie settled down to watch some television and nap. I was grateful that the hotel room had a large secure balcony for when she felt claustrophobic indoors. I decided to leave the sliding door to the balcony ajar for Billie Jean and popped off to the bar. Keith would meet me for a drink once he was sure Faith was asleep.
I was nursing my beer at the hotel bar, contemplating whether to order a chaser to go with it, when I heard a familiar voice a few yards away.
“Look, I think you are an excellent pool player, and I thank you for the drink. But I am really not here to socialize. I am here for work, alright?” That was the unmistakable voice of Marilyn Alexander.I’ll be damned! This is too good to be true!
A roughneck cowboy wannabe was trying to hit on her. He was trying too hard to come across as a cowboy–and he had a city-boy overtone to his contrived Southern accent.
“Well, darling, why didn’t you tell me you were a working gal? I’ll pay good money to touch your sweet ass, come here–”
“Hey, buddy–” I interjected, punctuating it with a well-placed punch. “She said she’s not interested, now beat it!”
I half-expected him to put up a decent fight, at least. But he simply said, “Who the hell are you? You’re gonna pay for this, pretty boy.” And he slunk off, holding his jaw.
I guess the one thing you learned early when you’re waiting to get adopted is to defend yourself.
“Chris Miller, are you following me?” she asked, relief written all over her face.
“I was about to ask you the same thing, but I was wondering whether to interrupt or not. You seemed pretty into him,” I replied, and we both laughed heartily.It’s so good to hear you laugh. It’s music to my ears.
“Thanks for rescuing me. I appreciate it,” she said sincerely. I noticed that there was a sparkle in her eyes.
“You’re welcome. Look, Marilyn, about the file and the evidence, I–” I began.
“It’s ok. These things happen, I guess. I’m not used to having to rely on someone else at work. But I guess that is what being a team player is all about, right?” she waved a fist to indicate that she was a team player.Oh, Marilyn. That’s exactly what we need to work on, or you’ll never make junior partner. I have to do my best to get you there. You deserve it.
“So, what are you doing here anyway?” she asked curiously.
“Well, after that fiasco on the ‘Cami D’ case, the firm is still trying to figure out what my job description actually is, other than being your PA. So, I’m on vacation until they work out the details. I figured that living in San Diego is the closest I have ever been to Vegas, so I might as well check it out,” I explained.
“Hmm. So, you’re saying that the bigwigs didn’t send you here to check up on me? You know, an all-expenses paid spy mission?” she asked in a mocking tone.If only you knew that I was hired to keep tabs on you, it wouldn’t be so funny. But no, this was purely coincidental. How strange.I laughed out loud.