Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Carson was furious about his father calling a meeting and deeply resented the massive number of texts he’d woken up to expressing shock about his parents.
Everyone he’d ever met wanted the dirty details and would expect a response they weren’t going to get, as he had other, more pressing things to think about.
On the way to check in at Rachel McDavid’s home, he called his grandfather.
“Morning. I can’t believe you took that beautiful woman home and didn’t have a sleepover.”
“Quit spying on me!”
“You need to get a freaking life, Carson. That woman is drop-dead gorgeous, and you took her home? What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Nothing is wrong with me. We’re just friends, and she has a son, and why am I even explaining myself to you?”
Spencer cackled with laughter. “You’re so defensive because you know I’m right. When I was in my prime, I would’ve been hard-pressed to let someone like her get away. Underscore ‘hard-pressed.’”
“Ew, and thank you for the advice, but that’s not why I called.”
“What’s up, sonny boy?”
He told Spencer about the meetings his parents had requested and his siblings’ plans to blow them off.
“You’ll have to deal with it at some point, I suppose,” Spencer said with a sigh.
“No, we don’t have to deal with anything. It’s got nothing to do with us.”
“Carson, come on. Of course it does.”
“No, really, it doesn’t. We’re adults, Gramps, and they can’t make us be part of this reunion story, or whatever it is, if we don’t want to be.
We don’t care about their explanations. We want them to leave us alone and stop making salacious headlines that we have to then answer questions about.
I had three hundred texts this morning! Do I have time to deal with that?
Absolutely not. We want nothing to do with it. ”
“That’s fair, pal, and if anyone gets why you feel the way you do, it’s me. I had a front-row seat for the whole mess, and I’ve told Corbin more than once that he and Kate are lucky any of you speak to them, let alone work for them.”
“What if we wanted to start our own firm?”
“Oh jeez,” Spencer said with a groan. “It was a request to meet. Don’t go straight to the nuclear option.”
“We’re not nuclear. We’re simply considering our options.”
“Well, because you’re partners, three of you have airtight noncompete clauses in your contracts that would prohibit you from taking any of your clients with you or working in the family law sector in Southern California for two years after you leave the firm.
At least that’s the case with our firm. I’m not sure what Kate did with your sisters.
So unless you can live for two years without an income, I’d say you’re stuck where you are. ”
Carson understood enough about California’s rigid anti-noncompete laws to know that partnerships were often exempt. Their younger brothers, who were not yet partners, could start a new family law firm without waiting, but he, Julian and Griffin could not.
“I could go into private investigations that aren’t related to family shit, and the others can change specialties if they choose to.”
“You say that as if it would be so simple, Carson, when it wouldn’t be. Changing specialties midcareer is like starting over from scratch. Julian and Griffin won’t want to do that. They’ve got too much time invested in family law.”
“Maybe not, but don’t tell me we couldn’t open a general services practice and do just fine.”
“I won’t tell you that, but I will tell you to think long and hard before you make any rash decisions.
Starting a law firm from the bottom up takes more effort than you can imagine.
I worked sixteen hours a day for ten years to get that place off the ground.
It was all-consuming. That firm ruined my marriage and alienated me from my son for a time.
Tell me you’re hearing me when I say you do not want to start your own firm. ”
“I hear you, but maybe us working for them has run its course.”
“Would you have said that yesterday, before TMZ aired out your family business once again?”
Carson sighed. “Probably not.”
“Then don’t make an emotional decision you’ll come to regret. Despite the reputations each of you has earned, you’d still be starting from scratch because your clients belong to your father’s firm.”
“What if the clients want us and not him?”
“They can’t hire you. I wrote that noncompete.
Trust me when I tell you it’s bulletproof.
Take a breath, buddy boy. This too shall pass, and you’ll be glad you didn’t make an impulsive decision that would take over your lives for years to come.
I’m going to call your father and tell him to leave you guys out of whatever’s going on with him and Kate. ”
“That’ll just piss him off. He’ll say we went running to you.”
“And I’ll say of course you did, because who’s always there for you guys? Me or him?”
“Burn,” Carson said with a snort of laughter.
“I got this. Carry on with your day and quit talking about starting your own firm. I busted my ass so you wouldn’t have to.”
“Have I told you lately that I love you, Gramps?”
“Don’t be a sap. But I love you, too. Talk to you later.”
Carson hung up laughing, cheered as always by his delightful grandfather.
However, he needed to do something about the spying.
God forbid he decided to have a woman stay the night.
He didn’t need to hear about that the next day.
He’d enjoyed his grandfather’s commentary on his boring life, until he’d had something he wanted to keep private.
Not that Cresley would be at the house again, but someone else might be, and that was no one’s business but his.
When he’d agreed to live at the house while his grandfather was “temporarily” in assisted living, he hadn’t consented to full-time surveillance by a bored old man, even if he loved that old guy more than just about anyone in the world.
They’d be having a conversation about who was in the surveillance business and who was not during their weekly card game tonight.
On his way out of Beverly Hills, he swung by Ty’s school to make sure there was no sign of Marlon lurking about.
Despite his resolve to keep her firmly in the friend zone, Cresley was still a client.
He needed to stay vigilant as the custody battle played out.
He was doing his job by checking on Ty, but he needed to know they were both safe for his own peace of mind, too.
Seeing no sign of Marlon, he continued on his way to the Valley to check in with the employee he had positioned at Rachel McDavid’s home.
She’d recently shot and killed her ex-husband when he’d broken into the house where she and her sons had been staying after she was awarded full custody.
With Bryan dead and the threat neutralized, they were now back in their own home, but he wasn’t taking any chances that some friend or relative of Bryan’s might show up to even the score.
He’d put his best guy, Anthony, on the job of keeping her and her kids safe. When Carson arrived, Anthony was pulling into the driveway after delivering the boys to school.
“How’re things?” Carson asked him.
“Better today. The kids wanted to go to school to be with their friends.”
“I hope the other kids are nice to them,” Carson said, speaking from the experience of having kids mock him during their parents’ oh-so-public divorce.
“They’d better be, or I’ll hunt them down,” Anthony said with a teasing grin. “They’re nice kids.”
“How’s Rachel?”
Anthony shook his head. “Not great. She’s having a hard time with having taken the life of her sons’ father, even if she knows it was to protect them. I heard her tell a friend that she’s not sure how she’ll live with that.”
“He wasn’t breaking into their house to shower them with love and affection.”
“That’s what I told her.”
“You’re not becoming involved here, are you?”
“Nah, nothing like that. I feel for her, though. It’s a tough thing.”
“You got relief lined up?”
“Darius is coming at four after the kids get home. I’ll be back in the morning.”
“All right.”
“How long are we keeping this up?”
“I don’t know yet. I need to talk to Julian about the plan. Will let you know.”
“Sounds good, boss. I don’t mind sticking around. She’s good people, and so are the kids.”
“Don’t cross any lines.”
“Never would.”
He should be giving himself his own advice, Carson thought as he got back in the SUV and called Julian, wondering if he’d come up for air yet from his big night out with Isla.
Julian answered on the second ring. “Hey, what’s up?”
“I’m just leaving Rachel McDavid’s after checking in with Anthony. Wondering how long we’re going to keep twenty-four-hour surveillance there. The cost is adding up.”
“I know. I’ll talk to her today about how she wants to proceed and let you know.”
“Okay.”
“Question for you,” Julian said hesitantly.
“What’s that?”
“What’s going on with Cresley?”
“Nothing. We were both going to the premiere, and I offered her a ride.”
“You were holding hands with her.”
“She was wearing three-inch heels and was trying to keep up with us rushing to get out of there after the shit hit the fan. Why the inquisition?”
“She’s my client—and yours.”
“Is she? Really? I had no idea.”
“Cut the shit, Carson. You know what I’m asking you.”
“Nothing is going on with her other than me providing surveillance for her and her son as needed, during which we’ve become friendly. That happens. Doesn’t mean anything.”
“Call me crazy, but it looked like more than that to me.”
“Call me crazy, but you’ve got your head up your ass lately, and now you’re seeing things that aren’t there through your brand-new rose-colored glasses.”
“Fuck off with that. Why can’t you just admit you’re into her?”
“Because I’m not! Unlike you, I don’t fraternize with clients. Quit making a federal case out of it.”
“Wow, low blow, brother. You feel better calling me out like that?”
“Did you or did you not get involved with a client?”