Chapter 13 Long Game
LONG GAME
“Aaaaah!”
The smile filled his face when Anya screamed in delight as the rollercoaster made a sharp turn tilting his body, his stomach lurching slightly.
She wanted fun and he served it to her on a silver platter.
Never call him boring again!
The car they were in slowed, then chugged its way up a steep incline, building the anticipation for the last drop.
“This is awesome!” she yelled over the noise.
“Yes, it is!” he shouted back.
When the car finally came to a halt a minute later, they were released from their seats and got off on the platform.
“The Goldrush was a good start. Off to the Cyclone.”
He grinned. “You’ve got it lined up?”
“That’s the only way to do it. Build the suspense. After this we are hitting the Air Racers, Afterburn, Cobra Strike and lastly, The Fury.”
“Are you going to want to go through these all multiple times?”
He wasn’t sure how much his head could take spinning, tilting and plunging if it was an all-day event. Not to mention his gut. There was a slow churning going on as if someone was stoking a fire that would force his contents up.
At least she didn’t want to hit every single rollercoaster. Only the high-level thrillers.
He hadn’t expected her to go right at it but wasn’t disappointed either.
“Nope,” she said. “Once on each, then we can chill and lower our heart rates the rest of the day. Some food, drink, and lounging. I want to hit the new Shore Club after some water slides.”
“That works for me.” Anything to get her out of her clothes and into a bathing suit.
It’d been a decade since he’d seen her in a bikini.
His teenage mind would never forget her floating on a blow-up flamingo, then turning to ride it like a horse.
She’d always been one to goof off and have fun. A smile and laugh.
He didn’t think she’d have a problem with his jokes.
She hadn’t.
The problem was him pushing the limit.
He wouldn’t make that mistake again.
Hours later, after their last thrill-seeking ride, his feet hit the platform and thankfully were steady.
“I can’t believe you took the day off for this,” Anya said when they were walking to get some food. “Or that you could last minute.”
Thursday worked the best for him this week and he’d hoped the crowds would be less.
“I didn’t have court and there was no way I was passing up this opportunity. It’s better to come during the week than the weekend and you were off. Last weekend being the holiday would have been crazy.”
Memorial Day week and people were still on vacation so it’d be busy, but he didn’t care enough to pass on her agreeing to this date.
He made more progress on Saturday night with Anya than he had in the three previous dates.
Was it the kiss that did it?
She wanted to have fun and that was exactly what he had planned. There was no way he was losing any traction now that she’d given him another chance.
If that meant giving these rides another whirl and hoping he didn’t puke in front of her, he was going to do it.
Who knows? She might try to get him to barf as her form of revenge for everything he’d done to her as a kid.
If it happened, he’d laugh right with her.
It hadn’t and after some food, he’d be back to normal.
“I’ve been busy too,” she said. “And I’m working at Fierce tomorrow night. I’ve got a closing in the morning.”
“Good for you,” he said.
“Yeah. It was a fast one from a few weeks ago. I’ve got some confidence back now.
And some money to hit my account. Everything appears fairly solid on another home under contract.
The inspector will be out next week, so I’ll go through with my client.
The house is only four years old, so I see no worries. ”
“What about your father’s business?”
He saw the listing go up yesterday. Just for the building, not the business. A smart move on their part.
“One day on the market. For the price, I’m not sure we’ll get hit this fast. There is a guy in my office who wanted to go in with me. He said he has contacts and can sell it faster.”
Matt laughed. “He wanted the commission.”
“Of course he did. Majority of commissions are split between two realtors. You know that. He thought he could bring someone in he knows before it hit the market and claim it all or something. I told him if he has someone interested, he can set up the tour or go in and look at any point.”
“Do you want that?” he asked.
They were walking the grounds and skirting people to get to the restaurant they were going to eat at. The urge to grab her hand and hold it was strong, as he tried to keep his food down. He’d rather sit and talk than grab some food on the go and sit on a bench.
She shrugged when he looked at her. “Anything to get it sold. It’s not as if I can stage it. Commercial buildings are new for me, but I have to be the one to do this for my parents. The stock is thinning fast.”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
“It is. They will keep marking it down until most of it is gone. Not everything will sell and I’m not sure what they will do with it.”
“One step at a time,” he said. “Selling out now gives them money to pay down any debts.”
“That’s the plan. There is a big sign up saying the store is closing and the hours are reduced. My father can’t be there all day. My mother either. I’ve been going over and helping when they ask.”
He cringed. “Did I take you away from it today?”
“No,” she said. “My parents are there all day. I’ll stop over after my closing and then before my shift at Fierce tomorrow. The business is closed on the weekends now. If someone wants a viewing, I’ve got to go in since there is inventory remaining.”
They reached the restaurant, got in line, and then a host seated them.
“I hope it sells fast,” he said.
The minute they were alone, she said, “My mother informed me you two disagreed a few days ago.”
The lawsuit was ready to be filed. It wasn’t just the money paid back that the Emersons were going for, but putative damages.
Amber wasn’t happy Matt was going down that road as hard as he was, but he had a reason for it and explained that.
“I asked her to trust me and she is. What about you?”
“I am,” she said. “I understand more of why you’re doing it. Everyone settles and you’re trying to at least get them what is owed. My mother isn’t a vengeful person and she’s struggling with this. Shelly doesn’t have millions of dollars.”
“No,” he said. “But you know what she did with the money she embezzled, correct?”
“Yeah,” she said. “What a joke.”
“You’ll get back what she took. And you’ll damn well at least get back what she earned on it. She won’t want jail time. I know her defense attorney, Anya. We are friendly. The guy doesn’t like to go to trial.”
“Then why would she hire him?” she asked.
“The DA loves him. He’s good at getting cases off the docket quickly and without fuss. They will come to terms.”
She snorted. “That doesn’t sound like she’ll be held accountable.”
“She will be,” he said, reaching for her hand. “I’ll make sure of it. Your parents are going to get more than they had stolen. They should get all the interest that Shelly made with the investments she set up with that money and then some.”
The police discovered the accounts Shelly had hidden. Elliot’s former employee had confessed that she worried she’d be out of a job when the business sold and set up her own retirement fund that had never been offered to her.
Shelly had convinced herself it was okay to steal for something she thought was owed to her.
“I don’t see how my parents are going to get that money,” she said.
“Trust in the process. Her attorney will want to settle with us. They are going to offer to make restitution plus damages to avoid jail time. Shelly is going to need your parents to back down or say they are satisfied and everyone can move on.”
“You’d settle and give up your percentage or whatever it is you’d get from this lawsuit? Doesn’t that go against everything an attorney stands for in their job?”
He laughed. “No. And yes, I’d give it up. Anya, I’m not a bad guy. This isn’t about making money off of you and your family. It’s about helping a family friend.”
“That’s what I am?” she asked angling her head.
“I’d like you to be more,” he said. “We are figuring that out. Or you are.”
He knew what he wanted. He was waiting for her to catch up.
“I am,” she said.
“Second, civil suits rarely pay in full. They end up being a debt someone has or their wages garnished. This isn’t like a business being sued that might have insurance to cover that loss.
You’ll get out of Shelly what is due back and some extra in the process for a reduced sentence.
What she has invested has done well. If she hands that over, anything extra comes from her selling her house or making small payments to your parents the rest of her life.
I think your parents will be happy to receive what they are owed.
Then the sale of the business. They should be out of debt and have a nice retirement egg for your mother to care for your father comfortably. ”
“That is all I want out of this,” she said.
“I mean it. I know my mother said she didn’t care if Shelly sold her house, but that was only if it was for them to get what was stolen.
Now, there is no way my mother wants her homeless, although Shelly could still move to a modest apartment, but my mom wants this over with quickly because she doesn’t need the added stress of this in her life. ”
“I’m going to make sure you and your parents get it. I promise you that.”
“Lawyers aren’t supposed to promise things they might not be able to deliver,” she said.
“They aren’t, but I am.”
“I appreciate it, but I won’t hold you to it.”
He wanted to argue but decided it was best to let her have the last word.
He was playing the long game and she could win the short one.