Sixteen | Eva
Sixteen
Eva
“Hey, Brit,” I grumbled as I stepped to the side, watching my step as I tried to avoid getting my heel caught in the crack between the uneven sidewalks outside of my apartment. This morning was already starting rough, and it definitely acted like the Monday that it was. “How was Miami?” I asked once I avoided the disaster and made my way toward the subway. I was already running late and prayed that there wouldn’t be any further delays this morning.
“Miami was wonderful,” she cooed, making me jealous that I hadn’t been on a vacation in so long that I would probably need to pick up a copy of a how-to guide before attempting to take one. “But I feel terrible that everything apparently fell apart while I was gone.”
Her tone changed, and I knew that she had already heard the gossip from Gabi.
“When did Gabi call?” I asked, my features scrunching on my face. She waited a minute before answering, and I knew that she was stalling so she didn’t have to admit that they had already talked. While Brittany had been my best friend for as long as I could remember, she was also one of the biggest gossipers that I knew, aside from my sister. It just made sense that they would latch onto each other once they knew.
“Brit,” I coaxed as I slid past a lost couple holding up a map of Manhattan while blocking the sidewalk.
“We talked this morning. And I have to say, I’m kinda hurt that you didn’t call me yourself to tell me that you were so sick that your incredibly sexy boss—whom you’ve already fucked, I might add, had to come to take care of you.”
“I didn’t call you because I didn’t want to ruin your trip by having you worried about me when there was nothing that you could do from Miami.”
“You’re still avoiding the part about your totally fuckable boss,” she taunted. “You know, the one that you had sex with in the FILE ROOM AT YOUR WORK.”
I considered pulling the phone away from my ear as her voice boomed through it but decided against it to spare those walking close by from having to hear about my sex life.
“I’m gonna kill Gabi,” I muttered into the phone, instantly regretting telling my sisters about what had happened. I should have known that it would get back to Brittany before I could even talk to her.
“Well, you can fill me in on all of the juicy details later,” she said cheerfully. “I was really just calling to see how you were doing this morning... you know, with the whole Jeremy thing.”
I stopped in my tracks and froze. What the hell was she talking about?
“What Jeremy thing ?” I asked, moving to the side so people could get past me.
The phone was so quiet that I pulled it away from my ear and checked to make sure the call hadn’t been disconnected.
“Brit, what Jeremy thing are you talking about?” I snarled, his name instantly making my blood boil.
“Shit. I thought she had already told you.”
“Who had already told me what?”
My foot tapped anxiously on the cement as I waited while the blood pulsed in my ears as my blood pressure skyrocketed.
“Gabi was supposed to call you to tell you that Lance hired an attorney.”
“Yeah, I know. He supposedly got one of the best in Manhattan. What’s that have to do with—” My voice trailed off as it clicked and suddenly made sense.
“Fuck,” I muttered, letting my head fall back in frustration.
“I’m so sorry. I thought you knew,” Brit apologized. “I wasn’t trying to ruin your day by bringing him up. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Now I feel terrible. Is there anything—”
“I gotta go. I’ll call you tonight,” I interrupted, hanging up before she could object.
Brit was my best friend, so I knew she wasn’t going to hold it against me for hanging up on her. I had more important things to deal with this morning.
Thirty minutes later, my blood was still boiling as I got off the train and walked the few blocks to work. I was standing outside the building, trying to force myself to go inside, when I looked across the street and saw the building where Jeremy’s new law firm was located. Against my better judgment, I turned on my heel and marched over.
The inside of the building was nice but not nearly as extravagant as Ethan’s. Large crystal chandeliers hung above the receptionist's desk that sat square between two sets of elevators. There was an extensive directory on the wall behind the young girl sitting at the desk, looking completely out of place as if she didn’t belong there. I squinted my eyes, avoiding her as I looked for Jeremy’s floor number.
“May I help you?” she asked, moving to the right to block my view. I narrowed my eyes and looked down at her, glaring at the fake smile she offered.
“I’m here to see Jeremy Rollings. What floor is he on?”
I noticed a faint rush of color flush across her cheeks before she lowered her head and checked the computer in front of her. Knowing Jeremy, he was probably fucking her too.
“Mr. Rollings is located on the seventeenth floor. It’s the elevator on your right.”
She turned her attention back to her computer as the phone rang and she answered it. I walked to the elevator and pressed the button, waiting impatiently for it to come back down. A few minutes later, I was standing in front of another desk, waiting for the older woman with gray hair and a frown painted on her face to hang up the phone and acknowledge me.
“Can I help you?” she said grumpily. I felt a low chuckle escape my lips as I thought about how Jeremy probably wasn’t screwing this one and wondering if that’s why she was hired in the first place. Remove all temptation and whatnot. While he had switched law firms after getting caught with his pants down, that didn’t mean he had changed his ways.
“I need to see Jeremy Rollings,” I said with as much cheer as I could muster. If I was going to get past grumpy ass, I was going to need to fake my excitement to see Jeremy. My cheeks physically ached from the smile I was forcing them to carry.
“Do you have an appointment?”
I gritted my teeth as my frustration mounted. I didn’t have the time nor the patience for this right now. I knew Lance had switched office buildings since the last time I’d visited him, so I had no idea where his office was in this building.
“Yes,” I lied. “He’s expecting me now, actually. So if you can please let him know that I’m here, I would really appreciate it.”
“I don’t see you on his schedule,” she countered before looking over her shoulder to an office behind her.
“Well, I’m on it now,” I said sarcastically as I rolled my eyes and walked past her, now knowing which office was his. I opened the door and stood there, staring at him as his eyes went wide with shock before shifting to pissed off.
“Hi. We need to talk.” I tried to force a smile, but I knew it looked as strained as it felt. Being around Jeremy did nothing but raise my blood pressure, but I knew that if I had any chance of getting him to help me, I had to be nice.
“What the fuck are you doing, storming into my office unannounced?!” he demanded, standing up behind his desk. It had only been three months since he walked out and left me, and apparently, he had been using that time to hit the gym. I couldn’t remember the last time that I had seen him in this good of shape nor did I remember his torso looking that defined under a dress shirt when we were together. While he had definitely made some improvements, he had nothing compared to Ethan. I shifted my weight, straightening my back as I tried to find my confidence.
“I was hoping to talk to you about you representing Lance,” I replied, trying to keep myself calm and collected as I held my hands at my sides. “My family would appreciate it if you reconsidered taking him on as a client due to a conflict of interest, given our past.”
“Who I take on as a client is none of your business, Eva,” he growled. “ Nothing I do is your business.”
“It is when you’re representing the asshole who’s married to my sister!”
“You and I aren’t together anymore. Therefore, I have no loyalties to you or your family. Lance is a client who is willing to pay whatever it takes to make sure he gets what he wants. It’s as simple as that.” He shrugged and let his hands fall to his sides.
It was a struggle to fight the urge to reach across and slap the stupid smirk off his face.
“You are such an asshole,” I spit out, regretting that I had come here to begin with.
It was stupid to think there would be any chance of talking him out of representing Lance.
Before he could respond, I turned to leave and ran into a broad, chiseled chest. Strong hands reached out to grab me, holding me in place as my ankle twisted in the thin heel I was wearing. I slowly looked up and found concern on Ethan’s face as he studied me before looking into Jeremy’s office.
“Are you okay?” he asked quietly, his hands still on my waist.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks.” I could feel Jeremy’s eyes on us as he stared.
“What’s going on?” Ethan asked, loud enough for Jeremy to hear.
I watched as Jeremy walked over, standing too close to me for comfort. Ethan’s hand curled possessively around my waist while he waited.
“This is Jeremy. My ex-fiancé,” I said unenthusiastically. “He is representing my sister’s abusive husband in a custody battle after she asked him for a divorce.”
“And who exactly are you?” Jeremy asked, his eyes narrowed as he pulled his shoulders back in an attempt to look stronger than Ethan. He wasn’t—not by a long shot.
“None of your fucking business,” Ethan responded, his eyes shifting from Jeremy back to me. “Are you done here?”
“Yeah,” I whispered so only he could hear as I continued to enjoy the comfort of his hands on me. As we turned to leave, I glanced over my shoulder one last time.
“Be sure to tell your sister that I look forward to seeing her soon,” Jeremy said, his eyes darkening.
I could feel my body tense as I turned to go back into his office. Before I could take a step, Ethan’s hand grabbed hold of my arm and led me down the hall and to the elevator. My blood pressure was sky-high, and my fingers trembled as the adrenaline shot through me. Once we were outside, Ethan walked me over to an empty bench and sat down while I paced back and forth. I closed my eyes and rolled my head back on my neck, trying to alleviate some of the tension. He didn’t say anything as he allowed me some space to get myself together.
“I’m sorry about all of that,” I mumbled, glancing quickly at him as I continued to pace in front of him.
“Don’t be,” he said coolly. He leaned back comfortably on the bench and rested his ankle on his knee as if he had all damn day to sit there. I hated that he had seen this side of me more than I hated that Jeremy was the dick I always knew he was. There was no loyalty where Jeremy was concerned—hence his cheating. I had no idea why I thought for a second that he would suddenly grow a conscience and agree to step away from taking Lance as a client.
“So, I’m gonna take a wild guess and say this is what had you so riled up during lunch last week?” Ethan questioned, his voice still calm as he extended his arm along the top of the bench.
“Yes and no. I’ve been stressed over my sister’s situation in general, but I didn’t know that Jeremy was the lawyer representing her husband until this morning. It was the final straw for me, I guess?” I scrunched my face, hating that I didn’t know what to say at this point.
An awkward silence fell between us, quickly replaced by the hustle of people moving about, trying to get where they needed to go.
“Apparently, I didn’t handle the news that well.” I let out an awkward laugh and continued to pace. He didn’t say anything. He just sat there watching me until I kept talking.
“My sister’s husband is an asshole. She came to my apartment a few weeks ago with her face covered in bruises after he beat the shit out of her. It wasn’t the first time, and I know it won’t be the last time unless she goes through with getting a divorce. The problem is that they have a child together, my nephew, Jackson. He’s only four, and he needs his mother.” I could feel my voice crack as the tears started welling in my eyes. “She’s my baby sister, and she works her ass off to take care of her son. She doesn’t deserve what he’s doing to her, and I know that she can’t afford to hire a better lawyer. He’s playing these games with her simply because he can. It kills me that I can’t help her.”
I blew out a deep breath and looked over at Ethan. He had a somber look on his face before he lowered his head and clasped his hands together, resting his elbows on his knees.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to drag you into all of this. I promise I’m fine now. We can head to the office, and I will make sure to keep all of my personal stuff out of my work day.”
“You have nothing to apologize for, Eva,” he assured me as he got up and stood in front of me. “I know first-hand how hard it is to get caught up in a nasty custody battle.” He paused for a minute, then ran a hand through his hair. “Who’s your sister’s lawyer?”
“Some guy she found online.” I sighed heavily as a frustrated chuckle slipped past my lips. “He was the cheapest, and she refused to let me help her pay for a better one. Jeremy is as ruthless as her husband. I’m terrified that this will end badly, and she’ll lose custody of her son because Lance can buy whatever outcome he wants. And the really shitty thing is that he doesn’t even want full custody—he barely spends time with him as it is. He would only be doing this to spite her because he can.”
“I know a guy. I’ll give you his info when we get back to the office.”
“Is he any good?” I asked cautiously. I knew that if Ethan was referring someone, they had to be good. What I really wanted to ask was how much this guy was going to cost us. I made good money, but that didn’t mean I would be able to spend all of it on a lawyer for my sister.
“He’s the best,” Ethan replied, tilting his head to the side. “And he owes me a favor, so let your sister know that she can get rid of the other guy and save that money for something else.”
“Ethan, you don’t have to do that.” My face fell as I thought about how pathetic I must have looked for him to offer something like that to help my family. I didn’t want nor need his pity. “Thank you, but I’ll look into things, and we’ll figure out a way to pay for his services. I appreciate you getting me his information.”
“I know I don’t have to,” he said softly, turning and gently grabbing my elbow to lead me to the office. “I want to.”
We walked in silence for a few minutes, my anger finally starting to subside. As we waited for the elevator up to our offices, I realized that I had no idea why he was even at Jeremy’s work to begin with.
“What were you doing at Hyde and Wilson this morning anyway?” I asked as the bell dinged and we stepped inside the elevator.
“I was meeting with a lawyer that Brent asked me to speak to. He’s working through his estate and his own custody issues with Karly and wanted to make sure that I spoke with his lawyer about the deal with Watson Investments.”
“Have you heard any more about what he wants to do with that deal?” I asked, realizing that I hadn’t heard any updates from him on what was happening.
“Nope. Right now he’s spending time with Chloe, and apparently, there’s a new woman in his life that he’s been seeing. We’re supposed to meet next week to talk about things.”
“Well, let me know if you need my help on any of it,” I offered as the elevator doors opened and we stepped out. “Thank you for your support today. I really appreciate it.” I smiled and lowered my head as I turned to head into my office.
“Not a problem. I’ll get that information to you in a few minutes. Let me know if she has any trouble, but working with Art should make things a whole lot easier for her from here on out.”
I smiled and nodded before walking into my office and sitting down behind my desk. Today was already turning out to be a crazy day, and it was barely nine o’clock in the morning.