Rodrick
Rodrick
R odrick McTavish wasn’t going to let his older brother set him up. Hell, it was bad enough that he had to ask his brother for a job after he passed the bar but working at one of the largest law firms in town was a bonus. Plus, he’d taken a lot of shit from his older brother growing up. As far as Rod was concerned, Alex owed him more than one. If they were basing it on beatings alone, Alex owed him a few thousand—but he’d only collect the one favor, a job at his older brother’s firm.
He didn’t need to work. He and Alex were both set up for life from their grandfather’s estate, and working wasn’t something that either of them had to do, but they both loved the law, and playing golf every day wasn’t really his thing. Rod felt as though he had the best of both worlds—more money than he’d ever be able to spend and a profession that made him want to get out of bed every morning and put on his suit. He knew that his grandfather would be proud of both of them for what they had accomplished.
Honestly, he knew that it was his new sister-in-law’s idea to set him up with her friend. He hated the idea, really. Rod might be suffering a dry spell right now, but he certainly didn’t need his brother’s new wife fixing him up. He was happy and working his ass off trying to make a name for himself in his brother’s company. He didn’t want to rest on his laurels and have everyone think that he got the job only because he was Alex’s little brother. He wanted to prove to them all that he had what it took to be a damn good lawyer, and that took time and dedication—neither of which led to a very exciting dating life.
He had foolishly agreed to have one drink with Evie Jones and then, he’d come up with an excuse to get the hell out of that bar before she’d even be able to order dinner. Sure, that made him sound like an asshole, but he didn’t really care. He’d make his new sister-in-law happy, and he’d be able to get on with making money and forming relationships with people who really mattered—his clients.
Rod walked into his brother’s office for their morning meeting. He hated having to report to his big brother daily. He felt like his leash was not only tight but short. Sooner or later, he knew that Alex would cut him a break and let him have a little bit of leeway. “Hey, man,” Alex said, looking up from his chair behind his desk.
“How are you this morning?” he asked.
“Good,” Alex said. “You?” he asked.
“Ready to get the day started. What do you have for me today?” he asked. Alex had slowly started giving him new clients. They were mostly smaller cases involving arbitration between couples before having to go to court. He specialized in divorce cases, but he only saw one case go to court. His brother said that was because he was a good lawyer and got couples to cooperate and compromise before they took things to the next level, but he was sure that it was because the couples weren’t to the point that they wanted to kill each other yet. That helped a whole lot when it came to arbitration.
“I’m giving you four new cases. Two are going to be a bit different from what you’re used to,” Alex said. “The couples aren’t anywhere near ready to talk things out and compromise. You’re really going to have your work cut out for you.”
“Hell, I might even see the inside of a courtroom for a change,” he said.
“Are you still stuck on that?” Alex asked. “I’ve already told you, little brother, a good lawyer solves the problem without having to go before a judge or jury.” Alex always called him, “Little Brother” when he thought that Rod had a lesson that he needed to learn.
“Got it,” Rod lied. He just wanted to get out of Alex’s office and get on with his day. He’d say whatever his big brother needed to hear to do that.
“You ready for your date with Evie tonight?” Alex asked.
“It’s more like just drinks,” Rod corrected. He just hadn’t told Evie that part yet. The woman thought that he was meeting her for dinner, but he didn’t want to blow his plan and come right out and tell her that he only wanted drinks and to cut out early. No, it was better that he’d stick to his ruse and pretend that something came up and he had to leave early. He’d apologize profusely and promise to call her to reschedule, but he wouldn’t.
“Does she know that it’s only drinks?” Alex asked.
Rod shrugged, “No clue, but what she knows and doesn’t know isn’t my concern,” he said.
“Listen, this woman is one of Nova’s best friends. She was there for my wife when she was going through one of the worst periods of her life. Don’t hurt her, man. If you don’t want to go out with her, come up with a reason to cancel, but don’t be an ass to her.”
Unfortunately, Nova didn’t feel the same way about the situation. “Your wife threatened to cut off my balls if I skipped out on this date, man. There is no way that I’m going to bail on Evie. I’ll show up, have a drink with her, and see how things go.” He knew exactly how they were going to go—he’d get an unexpected phone call from his buddy, Luke, and haul ass out of there.
“She’s a nice girl,” Alex said. “Just don’t hurt her, man.”
“Right,” Rod said. “Don’t fuck it up and don’t hurt her. Anything else?” he asked.
“Nope,” Alex said. He handed Rod the files from his desk and stood. “I’ve got to cut out for the morning. It’s parent’s day at Jack’s school and he’s asked Nova and me to be there.”
“That’s great, man,” Rod said. He knew how important being a stepdad was to his brother. He took his new responsibilities very seriously. “He’s a lucky little guy to have you both.”
“Thanks, Rod,” Alex said. “If anyone needs me, you have my cell number. But don’t need me,” he ordered.
Rod chuckled, “Right,” he agreed. “I’m sure that the ship won’t sink while the captain is away. Have fun, man,” he said. He walked Alex out to the private elevators and waved as the doors closed on him. When he was alone in the office, he’d often felt like a kid whose parents left him alone for the first time. It made him feel almost giddy like he wanted to jump on the beds and drink from the milk carton—but he didn’t have time for that kind of shit. No, he was going to contact his new clients and set up meetings with them. Then, he’d spend the day in boring arbitrations and hopefully have time to run home for a quick shower and change of clothes before he had to head out to meet Evie. He was going to do the exact opposite of what his brother had just ordered him to do. He was going to fuck things up, but he’d try not to hurt her. He never liked to do that to a woman, even if he was being forced to go out with her. He’d never intentionally hurt her.