Chapter Eight John & Marie
When he got to the office the EMTs were loading John into the ambulance. They were pretty sure he was having a panic attack but took him in for an EKG just to be sure. He’d gone to the hospital with John and waited with him for the test results. The entire time, John made excuse after excuse for Kelly until Bastian firmly told him that covering for Kelly had completely destroyed his law firm, and he had no one to blame but himself. John had fallen silent and then just muttered. “She’s my daughter.”
“She’s a spoiled, entitled brat with no regard for anyone but herself.” Bastian knew he was being blunt and sharp but hoped it would get through to the man. “You’ve lost three wives and your law firm because you enable her behaviour.”
“She’s my daughter,” John repeated stubbornly, making Bastian roll his eyes. Thankfully, the doctor came in and informed them that John hadn’t had a heart attack and suggested John see a psychiatrist for an anxiety disorder diagnosis. Bastian brought him back to his car and went back to the condo to get started on his plan.
Despite being on vacation, he went into the office on Monday to watch the chaos that would ensue. When he arrived, he found out that three of their four interns had found other placements and the one who was left admitted to putting his name in for a transfer, too. John spent the morning on the phone, trying to convince the support staff to come back. Bastian sat in a chair across from John, listening to each of them turn him down and let him know, in no uncertain terms, that they quit because of Kelly and because John never did anything about her. They all had new jobs and would report the firm to the Better Business Bureau and the New York Department of Labour if he tried to hold back their last paychecks or vacation pay.
John had another breakdown when he finished, and Kelly, attracted by the noise, poked her head in, asking what was wrong. John turned around and lost his temper. Yelling that Kelly had ruined him and as punishment for her attitude, she was demoted to the office personal attendant. Bastian watched in amazement as Kelly, a grown woman of twenty-nine, had a full-on temper tantrum. Stamping her feet, folding her arms tightly across her chest, and scream-crying while telling her father he was being unfair and it wasn’t her fault his support staff couldn’t handle constructive criticism. Finally, she sat in a chair and just outright refused to work, prompting Bastian to get up and walk out. John demanded to know where he was going, and Bastian reminded him he was on vacation as he put on his suit jacket and picked up the paperwork he needed for the meeting he had at one.
“Vacation? Your vacation has been cancelled!” John blustered, standing in the doorway of Bastian’s office and looking at him like he had lost his mind. “We’re in the middle of a crisis here, Bast!”
“First of all, you can’t cancel my vacation; I’m your partner, not your employee, remember?” Bastian closed his briefcase with a small snap and walked around John. “Second of all, I have appointments and meetings I have to attend, so even if I weren’t on vacation, I wouldn’t be here this afternoon.” Leaving John stuttering in his wake, Bastian headed out to his first meeting, which just happened to be with John’s wife. As he drove, he debated calling friends of his in the NYPD and having them put a BOLO on Mirabelle’s car but decided to wait until after he met with Marie.
Not knowing where Mirabelle was and not being able to check in on her was making him extremely anxious. Whenever one of them travelled alone, they told the other one where they were going and where they were staying while they were there, supplied a loose itinerary of their plans and any significant deviations from their plans were sent in a text so if there was no contact for a few days, they could supply as much information as possible to police. It was a mutually agreed upon system that had worked for them since high school to give the other peace of mind, so not knowing and not being able to check in was new and very nerve-wracking for Bastian.
He was meeting with Marie at a café for coffee near where his next appointment was taking place. It was a Mirabelle find and was a light and airy place, with plants and a farm rustic atmosphere. They had several “private” booths that were partially enclosed, great coffee and delicious pastries, and it quickly became a favourite place to bring clients who wanted to meet in a more relaxed atmosphere. Bastian arrived early, set up his laptop and pulled up the paperwork with his new letterhead on it. Marie was about to be the first official client of Adrien no, I won’t tell you.” Marie tilted her head from left to right. “Okay is subjective. She’s safe, and she’ll be back late Sunday night, but she’s hurt and not sure what she wants to do. She’s even considering leaving New York.”
Bastian felt his blood run cold, and he came to a stop, swallowing hard. Leave New York? “Look, I know I fucked up, but I really was doing everything I could to get us out of there as quickly as I could. I just wanted to keep the peace so John and Kelly wouldn’t realize we were about to leave and take most of our client list with us.” He covered his face with his hands, leaning against a nearby bench as he struggled to control his breathing. “She's been my best friend since we were eight, Marie. I don't know how to live without her.”
“Well, the good news is, she doesn't know how to live without you either, but the fact that she's decided to try means you have some serious explaining and apologizing to do. You have until Monday to get your ducks in a row.” Marie patted his arm. “And, Honey, I advise you to get on that.”
Bastian nodded, the tightness in his chest easing somewhat.” “I intend to; I’m actually meeting with someone after this to do just that.” He smiled and started walking toward her car again. When they reached it, he gave her another hug, “Thank you for listening to me whine.”
“I love you both,” Marie hugged him back and fixed his tie when they separated. “But you're both stupid and blind when it comes to each other. For God's sake, Bastian, don't let her get away this time.”