Advice of Counsel (The Samuel Collins Series Book 1) (33 page)

I waited long enough for her to tell me no, but she didn’t say
anything, so I gave her a long, intense kiss.  I wasn’t sure if she was teasing
me or if she really meant it like it felt; because it felt like she enjoyed it
every bit as much as I did.

One kiss wasn’t enough.  She was definitely not out of my
system.  I wrapped my good arm around her and pulled her closer and I went to
kiss her again, but she put her hand up to my chest and stopped me.

“You said one kiss,” she said.  She was looking me right in the
eye, and I got the feeling she was challenging me to something.

“I meant two,” I submitted, but she had squirmed out from
underneath my arm and was reaching for her coffee.

“As much as I enjoy kissing you, Samuel, it’s not a good idea.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“Why not?” she repeated.  “Whale, I can think of about five or
six reasons off the top of my head.  For one, you’re my boss.”

“That’s easy to fix.  You’re fired.”

Maddie laughed.  “Seriously though.  You’re also my neighbor. 
Can you imagine how awful to have to live next door to someone you dated? 
You’d have to sell your house because I was here first,” she said.  “Then
there’s the fact that I have two children to consider.  And last, but by no
means least, you have a girlfriend.”

I’d already thought of all those myself.  “That’s only four.”

“Oh, there’s more.  I just figured that would be enough to get
my point across.”

 “I get your point, but just out of curiosity what are the
other reasons?”

She set her cup down again without ever taking a sip.  “Don’t
you wonder why you have this sudden interest in me, Samuel?”

“What makes you think it’s sudden?”

She either didn’t hear me or she ignored me.  “Its onset
coincided with Oliver being kidnapped and you being shot.  Can’t you see that? 
It’s classic . . .
something
.  I don’t know the technical term for it –
when two people go through some crisis together and they come out of it having
these . . . these feelings for each other,” she said, waving her hands in the
air.

“So you have feelings for me?” I said.

“I didn’t say that.”

“You did too.  You said,
they come out of it having these
feelings for each other.
” I waved my hands just like she had done.

She was trying to be serious, but I was making her laugh. 
“What I meant was that in
some
cases it’s reciprocated.  But not in this
case.  And even if it was, it wouldn’t be something I could act on – not with
everything else I just mentioned.”

I was pretty sure she was wrong about her psychological
explanation for my feelings for her, but she did have a point. “Maybe you’re
right,” I said, trying to think it through.  “So let me get this straight . . .
I went through a traumatic experience and came out of it craving my next-door
neighbor?”

Maddie laughed.  “Hey, it could have been worse.  You could
have been stranded up there with Mrs. Howard.”

“Gross me out!”

Maddie laughed out loud.  She was standing there so casual with
this smile on her face, just playing with me, and it hit me that it wasn’t
worth ruining a great friendship over what in all likelihood was a post
traumatic crisis syndrome. 
There.  I gave it a name
.  I was more
comfortable with Maddie than pretty much any other person I knew, with the
possible exception of Landra.  And with Maddie, I didn’t have the excess
baggage of being in a relationship with her.  That wasn’t something I was
willing to throw away, so I’d just have to buck-up until I got over it, and
keep my damn hands and lips to myself.

“Try not to look cute until my syndrome passes,” I said.

*    *    *    *

I decided the best thing to do was stay as far away from Maddie
as possible until I got over my post traumatic crisis syndrome, which meant I
didn’t go into the office at all on Friday.  The grand jury had reconvened
after a 2-day hiatus while the missing photos were located – and they were
eventually located.  I had to believe that Calvin was instrumental in their
reappearance.  He had assured me that he would look into the matter, and from
what I could tell, there was no love lost between him and ADA assigned to
Landra’s case.

I passed the day watching talk shows, going through old mail,
and cleaning out my briefcase, and by the end of the day I felt absolutely
useless. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear that my brain had turned to mush.

Landra had called to check on me in the morning just after I’d
gotten back from Maddie’s.  I can’t say with certainty that I wouldn’t have
lied if she’d asked me anything about the evening before, but the topic never
came up so I didn’t have to decide one way or the other.

“Can I make you dinner tonight?” she’d asked.

“Absolutely.  Come over early.  I’m not working today.”

I must have fallen asleep because I didn’t even hear her come
in.  She came back to the fortress and dumped her backpack on the floor and I
woke up disoriented.  It took me a good 10 or 15 seconds to even realize where
I was.  I decided I was going to stop taking my pain pills.

Landra came over and sat on the couch beside me.  She leaned
down and kissed me and ran her fingers through my hair.  “Hi,” she smiled.  She
had her hair up, with little wispy pieces hanging down around her face.

“You look pretty.  I like your hair like that.”

“Thanks.” She unwrapped a mint and popped it into her mouth. 
“Want one?” she asked, but I shook my head.  “How are you feeling?”

“Better, now that you’re here.”  I sat up and waited for the
aching to stop, then I stood up and stretched as best I could.  “What can I get
you to drink?”

“Water’s fine.”

When I came back in the room, Landra was sitting in front of a
big stack of papers I’d cleaned out of my briefcase and she was holding one of
the documents in her hand.

“Why do you have a copy of Sara’s will?” she asked.

I took the papers out of her hand and returned them to the
stack and sat down beside her.  “Because I prepared it.”

“Really?  You never mentioned it.”

“It wasn’t my place.  Besides, I assumed Mrs. Howard would have
told you since you’re a beneficiary.”

Landra snapped her head around.  “I’m what?”

“You didn’t know?” I said surprised.  “I didn’t think you and
Mrs. Howard had any secrets.”

She sat there in silence for a second, then she lit into me. 
“How could you let her do that?” she exclaimed.

“What do you mean, how could I let her?  All I did was act as
her attorney and draw up the document.  It wasn’t my decision who she did or
didn’t include as a beneficiary.”

“Look what I’m going through, all because I was Drake’s
beneficiary.  I can’t believe you would have let her do that!”

She’d attacked me out of nowhere and I was feeling defensive
for no reason. “First of all, they revised their wills before any of this
happened with Drake – before I even met you,” I started to explain, but she
interrupted me before I could finish.

“What do you mean,
they
?” she said.

Oops.  “The Johnses included you in their will too.”  I
couldn’t even look at her when I said it.

Landra covered her face and slouched down into the sofa.  “Oh
my God!  And Sara’s in and out of the hospital.  She’s going to die and they’re
going to come after me all over again.  Just like with my husband and just like
with Drake.”

“No one’s going to come after you,” I said.  “Now, calm down,
Landra.”

“Calm down?  Are you crazy?  My life is in complete upheaval
because some jerk left me as his beneficiary.  And I’ll probably rot in jail
because of it!  And now you tell me that not one, but two more people have left
me as a beneficiary.  I don’t need that kind of favor right now, Sam.  That
kind of favor could put me away for life!”

“You’re overreacting,” I told her, but I could see her point. 
I went to put my arm around her but she was as rigid as a post.  “Come on. 
Don’t worry about it.  Everything will be fine,” I tried to assure her.

“I’ve got to get them to change it back.  They have to take me
out.”

“We’ll talk to them,” I said.  “Now, come on.  Please don’t let
this upset you.”

“Okay,” she said, but it wasn’t convincing.

I made her look at me.  “We’ll take care of it.  I promise.”

She took a deep breath and nodded her head.  “Okay.”

I smiled at her and kissed her, and she tasted like
peppermint.  “Uhmm.  You taste good,” I said, and I kissed her again.

She rested her body against mine and I could feel her start to
relax and the tension leaving her body.  Sitting there, holding her close, I
realized how much I’d missed her while I’d been going through my syndrome.   We
stayed like that for a few minutes, not speaking, while I thought about
everything she’d just said.  I felt confident that nothing would come of her
concerns.  I had specifically addressed the matter of Landra’s inclusion as a
beneficiary with both Mrs. Howard and the Johnses, and they had all been
adamant about her inclusion.  At some point, I’d discuss that with Landra, but
I didn’t want to get into it right then.

“Will you stay here tonight?” I asked her.

“I’d like that,” she said.  She was resting her head against my
chest and I was playing with her hair.  “I’m sorry I yelled at you,” she said.

“Damn well better be.”

She lifted her head and looked at me with those big brown eyes
and smiled.  “I have a great idea.  Why don’t we get a couple pounds of shrimp
and rent some movies, and we can have a picnic in your fortress.  Lay a bunch
of blankets down in front of the TV . . . get a bottle of champagne.  And if
you’re real nice, maybe I’ll even give you a back rub.”

“That’s why I date you.  Because of your great ideas.”

“You want to?”

“What, am I stupid?  Hell yes, I want to.”

Monday was back to business as usual.  I’d gotten off the pain
pills completely over the weekend and I was thinking with a clear head again. 
I greeted Mrs. Howard at the door to accept my muffins, then I took them and a
big mug of coffee with me in the Suburban and ate breakfast on my way to the
office.  My shoulder and arm were mobile again and I was feeling pretty much back
to my old self.

I got to the office to find Penny already back in the kitchen
making coffee.  Maddie hadn’t arrived yet, but I was anxious to see how I felt
about her now that I was clean and sober.  It had been a great weekend with
Landra, and Maddie had cropped up in my thoughts only a handful of times since
Friday.   I felt like I was ready to test the waters again, and I didn’t have
to wait long.  Maddie’s heels clicking down the hall alerted me to her
presence.  I braced myself.

“Good morning!” she said cheerfully.  “How was everyone’s
weekend?”  She was juggling three paper sacks full of groceries so I reached
over and took two from her before she dropped them.

“Good morning, Madeline,” Mother Hen cooed.  “I had a wonderful
weekend, thank you.”

“Why do you always get paper?  The reusables are so much easier
to carry,” I asserted. I set the bags down on the counter and gave her a quick
sideways glance.

“Good morning to you too, Samuel,” she said, unfazed by my rude
behavior. Maddie set her bag down and looked me up and down.  “You look great!”
she said.

So do you
, I wanted to say, but I kept my mouth shut. 
There was still something there, but in a very toned down version of what I had
experienced the previous week.  The syndrome was definitely passing.

*    *    *    *

I was ensconced in my office an hour later when Maddie buzzed
me on the intercom.  “Calvin from the DA’s office is here,” she informed me.

“I’ll be right out.”

I sat back in my chair and took a deep breath, trying to slow
my heart rate.  Calvin had told me that he would call when he heard something,
but I never expected a face-to-face.  And I wasn’t sure how to interpret his
visit.

I went out to the reception area and found him talking with
Maddie.  She looked at me and smiled.

“Can I get you another cup of coffee?” she asked me.

“No, thanks,” I said, and I turned to my guest.  “Coffee?”

“No thanks.  Your assistant already asked me,” he said, and I
couldn’t help notice how he smiled at Maddie.

“Come on back,” I told him.

Calvin took a chair in front of my desk, but I was too wound-up
to sit.  He wasn’t saying anything and I feared the worst.

“All right.  Just let me have it!” I said irritated.

Calvin looked morose, then he broke into a huge smile.  “The
grand jury no-billed it!”

It took a few seconds for it to sink in.  “They no-billed it?”

“They no-billed it,” he repeated.

“You son-of-a-bitch!”  Part of me wanted to punch his lights
out for dicking me around and the other wanted to give him a bear hug.  “They
no-billed it!” I said laughing.

Calvin shook my hand.  “Congratulations.  I wanted to see your
face when you heard.”

My mind was racing.  I’d done my best not to think about the
case ever since Landra had testified, but the ordeal had taken a toll on me.  I
felt incredibly light, like a huge burden had been lifted off my shoulders.

“When did you find out?” I asked.

“Just now.  I came straight over when I got word.”

I had to sit down.   Every time I leaned back in my new chair,
I thought about Landra breaking my old one, and this time was no exception.  I
ran my hand through my hair and stared out at nothing.

“They no-billed it,” I said to myself.  I couldn’t believe it
was over.  “I’ve got to call Landra,” I said, and I picked up the phone and
speed-dialed her number.

“I’ve got to run,” Calvin said. “We’ll talk soon.”

“Thank you!” I called out to him.

He turned around when he got to the door.  “Hey, does your
assistant have a boyfriend?”

I hated the feeling that surged through my gut at the question,
and I thought twice before I answered.  “I don’t think so.  Ask her.”

He closed the door behind him just as Landra answered.

“They no-billed it,” I told her.  I had a huge smile on my
face, and I only wished that I could see the look on her face.

“They no-billed it?” she repeated.

“They no-billed it.  And I am so in love with you.”

The line went silent, then she broke down sobbing.  She was
crying so hard she couldn’t even talk.

“Hey . . . are you okay?  Landra . . .?”

“I’m just so relieved,” she cried.

The truth was that I could have cried myself, I was so
relieved.  “I am too,” I told her.

“I couldn’t have gotten through this without you, Sam.  And I
can never repay you for everything you’ve done for me.”

“Well you can start by coming down here and having lunch with
me.  We’ll go out and celebrate.”

“I’d love that,” she sniffed.  “But I’m going to have to go
home first and change clothes.  I’m in my workout gear.”

I flashed back to the first time I’d met Landra in her little
black and pink number and I was tempted to meet at her house instead, but I had
too much work to get out after my 2-day absence.

“Whenever you can get here is fine,” I said.

“Okay.  I’ll hurry.”

“Landra,” I called out before she hung up.

“Yeah?”

“I can’t wait to see you.”

“Me too.  Bye Sam.”

When I got out into the reception area, Calvin had just walked
out the door.  I was going to be pissed if he’d asked Maddie out, and I
wondered if she would have said yes.

 “Did he tell you?” I asked Maddie.

“Yes!  And I’m so happy for Landra!  Did you call her?”

“Yeah.  She’s coming down for lunch,” I said.

“Congratulations.  I know this has been rough on you too.”

“You know, I didn’t realize how rough until I found out it was
over.  I can’t even imagine what a relief it must be for Landra.”

“Bless her heart.  You should get her flowers.”

Never in a million years would the thought have occurred to me,
but I had to admit it was a good idea.  “Who would I call to do that?” I asked.

Maddie laughed.  “How about I run over to Travis and make up a
nice arrangement for you to give her?” she offered.

I took out my wallet.  “Is $75 enough?”

“Plenty.”  She was standing there looking like she wanted to
say something, but nothing was coming out of her mouth.

“What?” I asked.

She looked down like she was embarrassed.  “I need a favor.”

“Well what is it?”  Now I was concerned.

“I need a small advance on my paycheck.”

“Is that all?  Damn it Maddie, I thought something was really
wrong.  Take whatever you need.  Tell Penny.  She’ll take care of it.”

“I don’t need a lot.”  I could tell she felt like she needed to
explain, but I didn’t need to hear it.

“Take whatever you need,” I repeated.

Maddie smiled and I felt a twinge of my syndrome.  “Thank you,”
she said.

“You’re welcome.  Go get my flowers.”

Maddie hadn’t been gone for more than 30 seconds so when the
door opened again right away, I assumed she’d forgotten something.  But when I
went out to the reception area, I found a courier instead.

“I have a delivery for Samuel Collins,” he said.

“I’m Samuel Collins.” I signed his pink slip and he handed me
an envelope and left my office.

I checked out the return address; it was from Dick Stollens’
office.  I sat down at Maddie’s desk and found her letter opener and I pulled
out the envelope’s contents. 
Settlement Agreement and Release
.  It was
a 6-page document settling all claims asserted in connection with Maddie’s
employment with Datacare and releasing all parties to the suit.  There was a
settlement check attached to the agreement with a handwritten sticky note from
Dick that read:
 Please call me after you have had a chance to review.

I set the check aside and started reading the document.  The
release language was pretty generic, and he had included a non-disclosure
provision and a disclaimer of future employment with Datacare. 
Like Maddie
would ever consider working there again, you asshole!
   I read through the
whole document and then picked up the check again and stared at it.  I had to
admit it was pretty tempting, but in the end, it wasn’t my decision.  I’d have
to consult with my client.

It was closer to an hour when Maddie finally got back with the
flowers, but they looked so good I couldn’t say anything.  She’d arranged them
in a big rustic-looking basket and there were deep purple flowers, mixed with
giant yellow and orange sunflowers, and all different shades of green and
purple foliage.  Even I was impressed.

Maddie set the basket down on the coffee table in the reception
area.  “Sorry it took so long.  They were packed.”

“That looks great,” I said.

“Why are you sitting at my desk?”

“Oh.”  I got up, and let her have her seat.  “A courier came by
right after you left.  We need to talk.”

“Okay.”  She stuck her purse under her desk and looked at me,
waiting.  I could feel the syndrome trying to rear its ugly head.

“Dick Stollens has prepared a settlement agreement and
release.  I’ve had a chance to look it over and it looks okay.   We just need
to agree on the amount.”

“Okay,” Maddie said.

“You know how when you asked what figured we’d settle on, I
told you I’d know when I heard it?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I think I’ve heard it.  I’m going to suggest we take
it.”

“Whale, of course I’ll go by whatever you say, Samuel.  What
did they offer?”

I couldn’t keep up the pretense any longer and I broke into a
huge smile as I handed her the check.

Maddie stared at the check for a second, then she stood up with
such force that it sent her chair rolling back five feet.  She looked at me
with huge eyes.  “Is this for real?” she said in disbelief.

“It’s for real.”

She looked back down at the check and then back at me, and then
she screamed louder than I’d ever heard her scream before.  “Fourteen million
dollars?  Oh my God!  Fourteen million dollars!”  She screamed again even
louder than the first time.

I was laughing just watching her jump up and down, then she ran
into my arms and we hugged each other and jumped up and down together like a
couple of nerds.  We separated and Maddie picked up the check and we looked at
it together, then she screamed again and we hugged and jumped up and down
together again.  We were so engrossed in our celebration that we didn’t even
see Penny come in, but when we separated again, there she was looking perplexed
but delighted by our performance.

“What did I miss?” Penny asked.

“Sit down,” Maddie told her, and she pushed Penny down by the
shoulders into her chair.  “We’ve settled my case,” Maddie said.

“Oh, that’s wonderful, dear,” Penny said, looking from Maddie
to me like there had to be more.

“For 14 million dollars!” Maddie said, and this time Maddie and
Penny were screaming together, jumping up and down.

“
And
. . .,” Maddie continued, “The grand jury no-billed
Landra’s case!”

“Oh Samuel, that’s great!” Penny cooed.  “This is really a
special day!”

The three of us were huddled together in a group hug when
Landra walked in and we didn’t even hear the door open.

“Hello?” Landra said.

The three of us turned towards the door and shouted more cheers
when we saw her.

“What’s going on?” Landra asked.

“We’re having a double celebration,” I said.  I picked her up
and spun her around, then I planted a big kiss on her lips, and set her back
down.  “We settled Maddie’s lawsuit for a figure I’m not allowed to disclose. 
But let it suffice to say that there are enough zeros in it to make us very
very happy!”  I’d give her the figure when Maddie and Penny weren’t around, but
I felt like I had to impress upon them the importance of the non-disclosure
provision.

“Congratulations!” Landra said, and she and Maddie hugged.

“Same to you,” Maddie said.

There was a whole lot of hugging and kissing going on in the
office that day.  It was a day I would never forget.  My whole life had
changed.  I’d been given my girlfriend back and I’d made my first million all
in the scope of one hour.

We locked up the office and the four of us went out for a
celebration luncheon, which turned into a celebration happy hour, which turned
into a celebration dinner.

We’d ended up at Morton’s and I’d just eaten a steak the size
of a cat.   Landra had gone to the ladies room and Penny had gone home.

“Did he ask you out?” I asked.

“Who, Calvin?  Yeah.  Why, is he a creep?” Maddie asked.

Girls are always so suspicious.  “No.  He’s actually a very
decent guy,” I admitted.

“Then why isn’t he married?”

“I don’t know.  But just because a guy’s not married doesn’t
mean he’s not a decent guy.  I’m a decent guy and I’m not married.”

Maddie smiled.  “Who says you’re a decent guy?”

“Did anyone ever tell you, you have a mean streak?”

Maddie laughed.  She looked very mischievous in the mood
lighting of the restaurant.

“You’re going to quit on me, aren’t you?” I asked.  It was the
first thought that had occurred to me when I looked at the settlement check. 
Not,
I’m going to be a millionaire;
or even
I kicked Dick’s butt
;
but
Maddie’s going to quit on me
.  And it bummed me out to think of
being at the office without her.

“Probably,” she said.

“Well, that sucks.”

Maddie smiled and rested her hand on top of mine, then she
looked me directly in the eye.   “Thank you.”