Page 22 of Lost Room Lawyer
“Of course,” he said absentmindedly, as if it were clear that I was bound by school holidays due to having kids. “But I was never there anyway.”
“Really?”
“My father and I …” Nico intertwined his fingers. “We have our differences—putting it nicely.”
I had never questioned their relationship before, as Nico seemed on track to follow in Leonard’s footsteps. But now, seeing Nico’s distant expression made me realize that there are always two sides to every story.
Leo had been a good mentor to me, and I had learned a lot from him—including some practices and procedures that bordered on illegal. Moreover, Leo was a textbook hothead. In the four years he mentored me, I witnessed his rage only three times—and it was never pleasant. Given that, it didn’t surprise me that his second marriage had also fallen apart.
For some inexplicable reason, I felt compelled to change the subject.
“Do you usually travel during the summer months?”
“Not really,” he answered. “Last year was an exception.”
“Oh? Where did you go?” The moment I asked the question, I wasn’t sure if it was too personal. But it was difficult to treat Nico like someone I didn’t know. Even though we had never met before, I had heard so many stories about Leo’s firstborn that I felt like I knew him a little bit.
“I went to South Africa,” he replied.
“Oh yeah?” I was genuinely surprised. “With friends?”
“No, with my mother.”
Now I was speechless. “With your … what?”
“Yes, it might sound a bit unusual, but … we get along well. In a way, she’s my best friend.”
For a moment, I didn’t know how to respond. On one hand, it was sweet that he had such a good relationship with his mother, but … “What about friends?”
“Friends come and go,” he said dryly. “I go out with people. I have acquaintances. Dominic is the only true friend I have.”
“That surprises me,” I admitted. “You’re a good-looking young man with a law degree. You have so many opportunities ahead of you. Aren’t you interested in forming deeper connections with people?”
“I enjoy spending time with others, but there’s a difference between having fun and building deep friendships. I prefer to keep things light—have fun together and then go our separate ways.”
The words seemed to me like a lie, even though in our case they were exactly what would have happened if the universe hadn’t decided otherwise. I pushed the thought aside, because despite the fact that, for him, I would have been nothing more than a fleeting encounter—and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way—it still left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nico nervously tapping his right foot. Was he feeling the same way?
“I heard you moved around a lot,” I said to steer the conversation in a new direction.
“Yes, why?”
“Why?” I laughed. “That would be my question.”
“Oh, really, Mr. Lawyer?”
“Uh … What?” I was taken aback. Juri had always called me that—and so had other callboys.
Nico grinned. “What threw you off track just now?”
“Nothing … Nothing …” I said, focusing again on the road.
“My mother worked as an art teacher. She’s a stone sculptor. A very good one, actually. That’s why we had to move wherever she found work,” Nico explained with a shrug. “I understandwhere you’re going with this, Mr. Psychologist. But I don’t mind having just one friend. Better to have one good one than ten mediocre ones.”
“You’re probably right.”
“Do you have friends?”
