“I’m doing well,” I said. “Everything looks great.”
“Yeah, it’s going well,” he said, smiling. “What can we do for you today?”
“I think it’s time I made some changes in my life,” I explained.
“I like how that sounds,” he replied. “Come on, let’s go into my office.”
I followed Anderson across the hall and into his office. Anderson had been a friend of mine since my father and him were in law school together. My father trusted him to carry on the legacy of the firm, just as he had trusted me. I didn’t quite hold up my end of things, but I was ready to get back in there.
“So, tell me what’s going on,” he said, laughing and sitting down behind his desk.
“I’m ready to jump back into things and put this degree to good use,” I said. “I want to bring in some clients that are maybe on a sliding scale. I don’t want to just deal with the richest of the rich anymore.”
He smiled. “You sound like your dad. I think this is all fantastic. What made you change your mind? I knew that you were struggling after they died, and you really didn’t like the field we were in.”
“A girl,” I said, laughing. “Not that she wants me to work, but she made me realize some things, some important things.”
I knew it sounded stupid to say a girl changed my mind, but I would be lying to myself if I thought that I could have come to this conclusion on my own. Josie was a force to be reckoned with, but she was also extremely kind and very intelligent. She knew as much as I did that I needed to chase my dreams, and I had the perfect outlet to do that.
“I can’t wait to meet her,” Anderson said. “Tell me about her.”
“Well, she’s a school teacher in West Palm,” I explained. “She, uh, she’s not like any girl I’ve ever dated before. She doesn’t have a fairytale story about growing up. She definitely has had her fair share of things thrown at her, but she is light and lively and really knows how to cut right to the core of me.”
“You haven’t known each other long?”
“No,” I said, laughing. “She kind of came out of nowhere and really just stole my heart. She’s really something else. She had a rough childhood, and she was forced to make some hard choices at an age when she should have been hanging out with friends, not becoming the leader of a household. But it’s really turned her into a humble and empathetic person. She doesn’t see the dark side of things very often. She reminded me that a lot of people go through tough times, but our dreams for the future are what keep us going and give us hope. I realized I had completely given up on everything when Mom and Dad died, and I don’t want to do that anymore. I want to know Dad would have been proud of me.”
“Well, she sounds like a smart woman,” he said, chuckling. “I’m really happy for you, Blaine. And we are all really happy to hear you are going to start working again.”
“Thank you, Anderson,” I said, standing and shaking his hand.
“I’ll send my secretary over to brief you on things and get you up to speed,” he said, reaching for the intercom. “Mary?”
“Yes, Mr. Brady?” she asked through the speaker.
“Can you get together all the files on clients and cases that we are currently considering, and then take them over to Blaine’s office and give him the rundown?”
“Absolutely,” she said, hanging up the phone.
“Thanks, Anderson,” I said, walking out of the office.
I sat with Mary and listened as she listed the potential clients who needed help but didn’t have the financial ability to hire the firm full-time. I took the files and thanked her, making a stack on my desk to start looking through. I knew I would be on my own with these clients until I could prove it lucrative. Then, I could hire a team to help me with this aspect of the business. I sat there flipping through the files, reading their testimonies and figuring out who I needed to start with. Just talking about Josie in Anderson’s office got my brain hooked on her, and I had to put down the file because I couldn’t focus. I picked up my phone and sent her a text.
Blaine: I can’t stop thinking about how sexy you are.
I sat there for a minute, smiling to myself as I looked through the next file and waited for Josie to text back. When she replied, it was a blushing emoji face, and I laughed, shaking my head. I told her she was definitely not blushing last night. That sentence sent images of our hot and sultry bodies clashing against each other in ecstasy. The phone buzzed again, and I looked down at what she wrote.
Josie: I forgot to turn the ringer off on my phone. When you texted, all my students burst into laughter.
Blaine: Whoops!
I laughed to myself, picturing her standing at the front of her class and having the students laugh as her phone rang. Then, she picked it up and saw what I sent her. I could already picture the blush moving over her face and the students giggling in the background. She was so damn sexy, even pictured as a school teacher. Of course, I might be picturing her a bit differently than she actually looked up there. I doubt she wore a skirt with a thigh-high slit and left her blouse unbuttoned several buttons so her bra would peek through. I mean, every guy in history has had the naughty school teacher dream at least once in their adolescence. Now, I had the real thing. I thought about her day and looked over at the clock, wondering what she was doing at ten in the morning. I wasn’t even sure what grade she taught, so it was hard for me to know what her schedule would be like.
Blaine: You have plans for lunch?
Josie: I do. I tutor kids on my lunch break every day.
Blaine: You are perfect.