Page 2 of Who's Your Daddy
“Lo, enough with the drama.” He runs a hand through his auburn hair, then laces his fingers on the dark wood desk again.
Yeah, he’s drained. He’s just better at containing his frustration. One look around this room tells me all I need to know. Brian won’t walk away from this as easily as he’s letting on. Every detail of his office screams his name. The perfect view of the Manhattan skyline through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the dark mahogany floors he requested during the last remodel, the open floor plan with the leather couches and oversized fish tank that he stops to stare at when he’s deep in thought.
Rather than give in and admit that he finds this just as unappealing as I do, he sighs.“I’m dealing with this the best way I can. If we want the firm running,and we all do,then the trust dictates that Sullivan, Callahan, and I have to live and work at 100 West 3rd Street for three hundred and sixty-five days.”
“In Jersey,” I remind him, unable to keep from grimacing.
“Yes, it’s in Jersey. And I get that you don’t like that?—”
“It’s the armpit of America, what is there to like?”
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And that small run-down building is the exact opposite of the office we work in now.
“How will I get to work? I live in New York.”
“You could move in with us?” Sitting back in his leather chair, he chuckles.
I don’t even acknowledge the ridiculous statement. There is no way in hell I’d live with the three stooges. I’d kill one of them within the first week. Probably Cal, he makes even the most reasonable person lose their mind.
“You’ll have to lease an apartment for me in Jersey.” The words taste bad leaving my mouth. Who in their right mind would willingly leave New York City? And forJersey?
“Done.”
“What?” My throat constricts.
“We’re only allowed one paid staff member and you and I both know that you care too much about this firm and Terry’s legacy to let us take anyone else along.” He puts his hands behind his head, elbows out, and tips back in his chair, relaxed for the first time in this conversation.
Damn. He’s got me. Of course, a lawyer as good as he is would talk me into arguing for something I don’t even want.Because I definitely don’t want to live or work in Jersey, and I definitely don’t want to set foot in Terry’s derelict starter office, let alone spend forty hours a week there for the next year. I visited the building a few years ago, and the spider-infested space is scary.
God, I hate bugs.
“Does it even have running water and electricity?”
“No clue.” Brian huffs. “He told me about this plan after Sloane filed for divorce a couple of months ago. I thought I’d have plenty of time to talk him out of it. If I’d known he’d have a heart attack and drop dead at sixty-five, I would have pushed the subject earlier.”
It wasn’t so much of a drop. He was already on his back when it happened. In bed with a woman younger than I am. I close my eyes and shake away the images that plague me every time I think about where the man who was like a second father to me died.
My parents have always been entirely too open about their sex lives, so maybe it shouldn’t bother me. But I’d give just about anything to erase the knowledge of how Terry spent his last few moments on earth.
And we aren’t the only ones who know. Everyone does. The woman he was with hasn’t stopped blabbing about it to anyone who will listen.
Everyone also assumed Terry would leave this place to Sully, Cal,and Brian when he retired. Although Brian isn’t Terry’s son by blood, he went to law school with Sully and was long ago virtually adopted into the Murphy family.
So their new status as full equity partners was expected. But leaving this massive office with its twenty non equity junior partners, fifty associates, and almost a hundred other employees, while they spent a year in another state has us all on edge.
The only other option would be to dissolve the firm, sell the building the trust now owns, and start over. Yes, some of the associates might move with the new firm, but we would need all new retainers, not to mention moving a firm our size would be entirely too much work. Also, Terry’s money from the sale would be held in trust for ten years under this option which wouldn’t help the guys at all.
Receiving the news less than two weeks after Terry’s death has only added to the stress. They haven’t even had a chance to grieve. None of us have.
“How long do I have to decide?” Guilt keeps me from meeting his eye. Instead, I focus on the collection of framed diplomas and certifications on the cream wall behind him.
He clears his throat and straightens. “We have one month from the date of his death to move into the apartment and get the office running. And ninety days to get Sloane and T. J. to move in with us.”
Whoa.Lungs seizing up, I force my attention back to my boss.
His only response is an arched brow.
“Oh no.” I splay a hand over my chest. “I’m not talking her into this plan. She and I may be friends, but that doesn’t automatically mean I can convince her to move back in with her ex. I’ll have enough to deal with just getting the place running on time.”
