Elliot
Ghosts of Weddings Past
“Colby? Can you bring me the files for the Smith case, please?”
My paralegal pops her head through the doorway. “Sure thing, but you’ve got less than five minutes before the staff meeting starts and you know how your father is.”
A low growl crawls up my throat as I search for a paper on my desk that I could have sworn I placed here yesterday. “Oh, trust me. I’m aware.”
She winks in my direction. “Just wanted to offer the friendly reminder. And rumor around the office has it that he’s introducing the new front receptionist during the meeting.”
That bit of information makes my head pop up. “Really? He found someone already?”
“You know your dad. He wouldn’t let us go more than a few days with a vacant spot. Time is money, remember?”
“Trust me, that phrase haunts me in my sleep.”
Colby laughs and then juts her head toward her office. “Let me get that file for you and then we need to run over there.”
“Thank you.”
It’s a typical Monday morning at Thorne Family Law Group, everyone bustling about, trying to get their ducks in a row after the weekend, but today, I feel even more off-kilter.
A few weeks ago, a woman got shot because of my actions in my job, and I can’t shake the feeling that there was something I could have done to prevent it.
This wasn’t just any woman, though. This was Rhonan’s neighbor turned girlfriend, who turns out, is also carrying his baby.
Vienna Lewis came to me last month, asking me to file divorce papers so she could finally leave her scumbag of an ex. She warned me of what he was capable of, but soon after he received the papers, he showed up in Blossom Peak and threatened her and Ellis’s life.
Ellis, Rhonan’s poor five-year-old daughter, is going to have to live with the memory of being kidnapped and held at gunpoint because I didn’t tell Rhonan that Vienna was in danger.
I couldn’t.
That damn attorney-client privilege kept my hands tied and my mouth shut, and now I’m just grateful that things didn’t turn out worse than they did.
Becoming a lawyer was the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do, but in the past few years, I feel like I’ve lost a spark for it.
Of course, I think that’s largely in part from working for my father.
When he first took over the practice, he kept things very similar to how my grandfather did.
Then after a few years of me working for him, the gavel started to come down.
Less pro bono work. More billable hours.
And worst of all, he’s limited my ability to donate my time to the community law council that my grandfather started to only one night a month because he wants to keep me as busy as possible. If I’m working for free, I can’t work after hours for the firm.
I used to go to Charlotte to volunteer once a week before Tori came into my life and then I was trying to recover. But time is money, as he famously says.
Seems money has gotten to his head even more than it did when I was a kid.
I glance at the clock on the computer and notice I have one minute to make it to the conference room or my father is going to serve my head on a platter for breakfast.
I grab my phone, slide it into the pocket of my slacks, and rush down the hall past other attorneys’ offices, sliding through the door seconds before my father does, his jet black hair slicked back, grays shining proudly at his temples.
Anyone who’s ever seen Henry Thorne II and me in the same room knows exactly whose son I am. My father and I are practically doppelg?ngers, except for the twenty-nine-year age difference, of course.
“Good morning,” my father bellows, commanding everyone’s attention, and the room quiets almost instantly. “Cheers to another week of keeping the wheels of justice turning!”
Echoes of agreement resonate through the room, but I fold my arms over my chest and fight the urge to roll my eyes. I think someone could record my father during these meetings at this point and just play the soundtrack on repeat and no one would know the difference.
“Well, I won’t keep you long this morning, seeing as how we’re all busy. But the biggest reason for our meeting today is to introduce the new front receptionist to you all.” His eyes meet mine and one of his eyebrows arches, causing my pulse to climb.
What the hell was that about?
“This face will be familiar to most of you since our new employee was around the office quite a bit last year. Due to some personal circumstances, which I won’t get into, she had to leave.
But, now she’s back and eager to start fresh by helping to keep Thorne Family Law Group running like the well-oiled machine that it is. ”
My heart is hammering in my chest violently as I prepare for whoever is about to walk through that door. But no amount of preparation could have made seeing the woman’s face again feel any less horrific.
“Please welcome Tori to the Thorne Family Law Group family.”
The silence in the room feels deafening as everything plays out in slow motion.
People greet her, some with cautious smiles, a few with half-hearted hugs, and my father places his hand on her shoulder in support.
Meanwhile, I’m frozen in place, wondering if time has stood still or if I’m dreaming.
My pulse is pounding in my ears and a sharp sound buzzes through my head, the kind that hits right before you pass the fuck out.
Tori Michaels, my ex-fiancée and the only woman I ever pictured a future with, strides into the room wearing a black dress, silver heels, and her signature smile.
But she looks different too—more on edge, more timid than I’ve ever seen her, and her eyes—they look haunted.
Why do you fucking care, Elliot? You should be much more concerned with why the hell your father hired her and didn’t bother to tell you.
“Thank you, everyone. I’m really grateful for the opportunity to start fresh here,” she says, her eyes meeting mine instantly.
The last thing I want to do is make eye contact with this woman right now, but the physical control I have over my body is momentarily incapacitated.
“I promise to do the best I can to keep everyone organized. Just give me a few days to settle in, okay?”
A few small chuckles are all she gets in response before my father clears his throat.
“I expect everyone to make Tori feel welcome here, and I do mean…everyone.” His eyes lock on mine for a beat before he directs his gaze elsewhere.
“Now, let’s get back to work. Quarter two is closing in a few weeks, and I want to see the numbers we projected earlier this year. ”
Almost everyone casts a glance in my direction as they exit, leaving me, my father, and the Wicked Witch of the West alone.
Fuck. Why on earth does Dilynne’s nickname for her have to be so fucking perfect?
“Elliot,” my father starts, but the sound of his voice finally snaps me back to the present.
“I can’t believe you—”
“Elliot,” Tori interjects, but I hold up a hand to stop her.
“I don’t want to hear anything you have to say.”
“That’s enough.” My father’s voice booms through the room before he regains his composure. “Now, I know this probably blindsided you—”
“You think?” I cut in.
“But I didn’t make this decision rashly. In fact, I think the two of you should talk before you leave this room.” He moves for the door, but casts us both a backward glance before he leaves. “Just remember, Elliot… Everyone makes mistakes. It’s what we learn from them that matters.”
The door shuts behind him with a quiet click, and I can feel Tori’s eyes on me. But I refuse to look in her direction.
“Elliot…”
There are so many thoughts racing through my mind right now.
I’m not going to lie and say I haven’t envisioned what a reunion with the woman that broke my heart might look like, but nowhere in those fantasies did I imagine this.
Showing up unannounced and as the newest employee at my family’s law firm.
And what’s even more surprising is the lack of any lingering feelings of love I thought might still be there.
When I look at her, I just feel regret. And now, worry too—because it’s taken me so long to get back on stable ground. The last thing I want is for her to shake the foundation I’ve been fighting tirelessly to rebuild.
“What the hell are you doing here, Tori?” They’re the only words I seem to be able to form past the storm inside my head.
Her eyes find the floor as she clears her throat. “Well, like I said to everyone, I was looking for a fresh start.”
“And you thought here…” I wave my hand toward the window. “You thought Blossom Peak would be the best place for that?”
“It was my home once before, Elliot.”
“Oh, I’m aware. We were supposed to build a life here together, but I guess your boss had a better fucking offer.” Irritation presses at my temples as my jaw tightens.
Tori’s eyes fill with tears. “You have no idea how much I regret what I did to you.”
“Wow. That’s big of you to say.” I cross my arms over my chest. “Are we done here?”
Her eyes widen. “Your father said we should talk…”
“I don’t give a shit what my father said, Tori.” I head for the door and whip it open, sending the heavy wood smashing into the wall behind it. Heads turn to find the source of the noise, but I keep my line of sight on my father’s office, prepared to give him a piece of my mind.
The bastard doesn’t even look up from his desk when I barrel through his door and slam it shut behind me. “You’d better watch it, Elliot…”
“Or what? You’re going to fire me? At this point, I think I’d take the unemployment so I don’t have to step foot in this office again.”
He slams his hand down on his desk. “That’s enough!”
“You had no right to hire her! What the actual fuck, Dad?”