Chapter 18
You. Have. To. Be. Kidding. Me.
I watch her drive away. My inner self is unraveling. Yeah, I can be a heartless shark, but this go around I wasn’t. I’ve been working to kill the deal. The more time spent with her here in this world of paradise proved to me that this isn’t paradise. This is their home, and I am a fool for trying to make her into what the rest of society deems normal. Commercial deals aren’t black and white. They don’t move quickly. So many factors come into play with paperwork for zoning, rights, easements, and so forth.
Leland and Lawson broke their grip on my shoulders and arms as soon as her truck was out of sight. I know this is a bad idea, but I can’t help myself. Anger gets the best of me. My body turns and my fists find its way to each of their cheeks. Both men stumble backward in shock. It’s pretty obvious that I’m not a fighter. Not physically, at least. I’m thankful that Leland doesn’t come back at me, but Lawson lets off a full swing, connecting to my face.
Pain radiates through my face and with unspoken understanding, I’ve somehow fucked up and hurt the woman who is the glue of everything in our lives. He and I trade blow for blow until we are both bloodied and exhausted. My punches are nowhere near as hard as Lawson’s. The back of my hand swipes away at my bottom lip where a fresh cut oozes blood. I move my jaw around, trying to relieve the pain from settling in. Lawson stands, hands ready, as I am hunched over, trying to catch my breath. Fuck, it hurts.
“You two got it out of your system?” Leland asks.
We both stand and face the massive man while he crosses his arms over his chest and tips his chin to the sky. The papers Collins threw at my chest are now in his hands.
“He hurt my sister. He’s lucky he’s not dead.” Lawson spits blood on the ground and points to me.
“I love her,” I shout.
“Then what is all of this shit?” Lawson points to the papers Leland is now holding. I’m breaking a sweat and Lawson is unphased that we were just in a physical altercation.
“I don’t know,” I admit. I wouldn’t lie about that.
“So, someone forged your signature?” Leland adds.
“No, it’s mine,” I say with defeat. It is my signature, but those aren’t the paperwork that I had drawn up. “Listen, I was leaving work early or going in late. I had mounds of paperwork. The documents I submitted to the courts, and the county, were to not obtain eminent domain. At least that is what I drew up. It must have gotten switched.”
“Don’t you read before you sign,” Leland mocks. Words dig into my skin like daggers. That’s one of the first things you learn about being a lawyer. Read. The. Documents.
I fucked up big time.
“I just… I needed to see Collins. I swear, I trusted that I had the right documents. I didn’t fully read all the documents, I was distracted. I just wanted more time with her, she … is… God!”
“And here we are.” Leland casually taps the papers on his leg.
Everything he has built and protected is now in the hands of the local government. They decide if he stays or if he goes. It’s my doing that it has come this far.
“I’m going to fix this,” I say.
“You can’t.” Leland shakes his head. Frustration finally coming to the surface of a man who genuinely has held everything together for so long. “They have a buyer. I can’t afford to outbid for my own property.”
“Let me try …”
“Just stop! For fuck’s sake, just stop!” Leland finally loses it. He bundles the packet of papers in his hands and tosses at my feet.
“Leland…” I stand and attempt to reason with him.
“No! I’ve been quiet about what was going on with you and my sister because for some fucked up reason she likes you—well, loves you.” He points toward where Collins left. “But now is not the time to spread your ‘I love you’s’ because we have lost everything.”
“Yeah!” Lawson pipes in.
“You stop.” Leland points at him. His voice raised and my whole body recoils at his tone toward his brother.
“What?” Lawson genuinely looks confused.
“You’re just as at fault for this situation!” Leland swirls his hand in the air, then juts his fingers at Lawson and me. Illustrating the altercation and escalating the situation.
“How?” Lawson, still confused by his involvement.
“That girl…” He points in the distance again. “Gives her time for so many things other than herself. This city boy here is the first time she’s been happy in a long time. Instead of seeing how to make it easier for her to be happy, all of us have failed her.”
“Leland,” Taylor speaks up behind him, hoping to break the tension. As kind as the gesture was, it was the wrong move.
“Damn it! No, stop. Taylor, I lost you and now I’ve lost the place where I raised my siblings. My home.” Leland looks heartbroken. I never really realized how much weight he carried. “Where we created our own family. I’ve let my mom down, I’ve let Collins down, and I’ve let everyone in our community down by not looking after this situation harder.”
“I’m fixing this.” I stand tall. Determination courses through my veins.
“You can’t,” Leland says, again. “Just… go home. You too Taylor.”
“I’ll leave, but I am never leaving you again. I don’t care what I have to do, but I am going to prove to you I’m staying and you will fall back in love with me.” Taylor walks away, leaving us all stunned.
We stare at him proclaiming his love for Leland. Refusing to leave and has a plan to make his words into actions. Leland drops his face and shoulders in defeat. I look at a slightly bloodied Lawson who has his hands on his head and he looks to be on the fine line of jumping off the cliff into a bottle of Jack.
“I am determined to fix this situation.” That’s the last I say to them before I spit blood and walk away. I jump in my car and head home to get cleaned up.
I walk into my empty and bland home. Everything is neatly arranged, except for Collins’s stuff. Auto books with grease prints on the corner of the pages and spine of the book, filled with post-it notes throughout. Her ratty t-shirts that smell like sunscreen and sweat. An unusual pairing of smells that brings complete contentment to my life. I crave the simplicity of natural fragrance. Collins is a ball of mess and randomness, but she brightens my day. Her presence causes me to take a step back from the life I was living and see life in its purest and rawest form.
She showed me what it was like to love someone with no conditions or expectations. Just being present.
I had a conference call with my dad this week discussing the possibility of permanently staying in Hawaii. I love Collins and I love the direction our relationship was going. There is no playing of parts between us.
How do I go back to a life without Collins in it?
I step into the shower and let the water fall on my sore, battered body.
I have to fix this…
My reflection in the mirror greets me when I step out of the shower. A tattered soul that is covered in empty spaces of this life with materialistic things. Bruised cheek, split lip and cut above my eye all add to my discolored torso. Damn, Lawson did a number on me. I hiss as I bandage up the cut above my eye.
I throw on my favorite pair of house pants and head to my office. House listings are scattered among my immaculately clean desk. They were houses that had my style but still had a lot of what Collins liked. A place where she could feel comfortable. The number one thing I asked for was a big garage where she could park her car. For the first time in my life, I could give her a place for her and me to come home to. My new normal became my addiction. I thrived off her; craved her; craved the life she helped me see and provided that alternate universe I begged so much to be a part of.
I picked up the phone to give my dad a call. He was a part of this initial deal over a year ago and used me to be a sounding board. It was his idea to bring me out of here in the end to have a smooth transition. At least that’s what he thought.
“Harry here.” His smug voice filters through the phone.
“Father.” I am struggling to keep a calm voice.
“Victor! How are you?” Happy? He sounds gleeful to hear from me.
“I’ve been better.” I rest my hand on my face, gently. “Remember last week when we talked about the county acquisition?”
“Yes, how’s it going?”
“My motions and request were to not to proceed with the deal. I know I pushed that out, but what was signed and sent was in favor of the eminent domain deal. After further research and review, the property would not be a good investment,” I explain.
“Why not? The environmental and appraisal report I ordered seemed like it was perfect.”
My gut recoils in disgust. “Why would you order that?”
“Well, I’ve been told that you are barely in the office anymore. You’ve been hanging out with that mechanic crew.”
“You knew I was seeing Collins. It’s been a couple of months.”
“Let’s be real. The relationship is not serious. But this deal is serious. It will be an extension of new clients for the strip mall that they want to go…”
“I’m sorry, what?” Realization hits me like a freight train. “Did you change my motion? Did you change the paperwork?”
“Ok, yes, I did. You were out of the office. The way your assistant made it seem as you were slacking on your responsibilities. I’ve never known you to be so careless. Listen, it’s done now. I’ll finish the deal. We have a board meeting in three days. This can’t be virtual, so pack up. You’ll need to be in the main office at three o’clock.” Mumbled voices in the background distract my father, and before I can protest, he ends the conversation. “I have to go. Let’s get you back on track, Victor. This playtime is over. It’s back to business.”
I hang up the phone before he does, so I lose my mind. This whole deal has gone to shit, and it’s worse than what I thought.
That bastard.
I aspired to have the same business acumen as him. But now he’s crossed the line. Changing legal documents, keeping tabs on me, and went behind my back after I said no to the acquisition. He also downplayed my relationship with Collins.
The time here has made me realize that the cutthroat country club life I led was soulless.
Time to make a change.
Raising my phone to type in the number of someone I hope will support my next steps. I won’t go down without a fight.
“Mr. Withers here.”
“Evening, sir. It’s Victor.”
“What can I do for you?” He sounds confused. We’ve only spoken in the office. I admit I haven’t built a working relationship, or any relationship at all, but he’s Massey’s dad.
“I’d like to ask you some things about the new motions that were run through this week on Leland’s garage. I know you’ve known my dad for a long time. Did you know?”
He lets out a huff of annoyance. “I saw the paperwork after you signed it. I couldn’t think of why you would do that and then continue to see Collins. It’s why I haven’t approached you. I may not be as close to their family as my daughter, but they are good people. Massey just told me what happened. That’s one of the first things you learn at law school. Always read before you sign.”
“Fair point. I have a feeling my dad changed the motions without telling me. The documents I prepared a few weeks ago were to terminate the request. I wasn’t aware my father changed them when I came to work and printed them to turn them in before the deadline. My assistant just handed me a stack that she said I printed and needed to sign. I admit, I was distracted and acted carelessly.”
“You do know your dad has done this before? To me and some other partners. It’s why I left New York and started this branch. I needed to distance myself from him and his antics. When he insisted you come out for this deal, I was hesitant. But you do good work and I couldn’t go against the client’s wishes when they requested you.”
“My dad’s done this before?”
“Oh, yeah. A lot.”
“I never knew.”
“He’s always been someone that gets his way. Doesn’t like to be wrong or showed up. Since you started seeing Collins, you’ve become your own person. Plus, not being so close to him, you can start to see things from a different perspective.” Mr. Wither’s clears his throat, releasing some tension his voice once had. “Collins has always brought out the best in people and she is a good woman.”
“I never knew there were people like her.”
“She’s always been good to Massey. Massey always had trouble finding friends who didn’t put her down or hang out for the wrong reasons. Collins just clicked with her. Leland is a smart man, and we both know how much Lawson cares for Massey. I had peace of mind knowing she would be safe when they hung out.”
“I can see that.” I bite my lip and cringe at the self-inflicted pain. For a moment, I forgot about the physical fight from earlier. “If I send you some documents, can you proofread them tonight and submit them in the morning? I have a board meeting in New York I’ve been summoned to attend, but I need this done. I need to make this right for them.”
“If it’s getting out of that eminent domain, then count me in. I’d love to smack that smile off your dad’s face.” Humor dances at his words.
“I couldn’t agree more! Mind if we keep this between us?”
“Don’t mind at all. I look forward to it.”
I end the call with Mr. Withers and spend the next couple of hours writing up motions and then another document for a town meeting later this week. Bringing in a few big wigs to get an idea of what they will see and hear from the community. I need to do whatever I can to save this small community.
After I’ve written, edited, and then read again, I send everything to Mr. Withers. My eyes scan over one of the listings that has me thinking of my woman. Even if she chooses not to take me back, I can never return to New York the same way. Texting a confirmation for an offer to the realtor about the perfect property. I watched Taylor say he was staying and reveled in the conviction in his tone. He’s going to do whatever he can to win Leland back, and I take that cue.
I know what I want. The life I led was full of empty and colorless promises. It was a slow black-and-white film. Collins… Collins came in and dumped a can of the brightest color in my life. The first time I saw her, she was carrying a surfboard three times her size, wearing a bikini that fit perfectly, and showed a strong dislike for money. She is an anomaly, a rare diamond.
I spend the entire evening on the computer. Tomorrow morning, I will get back my bag and head for New York, temporarily. Make my way to the city that will leave me overcome by the feeling of being drowned in a sea of concrete.
I’m ready to take on any fight my father has planned. Each decision made will end with Collins back in my life.