Chapter 20
Twenty
The next morning, Whitney woke up in such a great mood. Practically radiating joy, she hummed all the way through her hair and makeup routine, and took the time to make a fresh fruit smoothie for herself before heading to the office.
Full of energy, she walked to work and did so in record time. She checked her calendar. It was always extra-full on short holiday weeks, but she still had a little bit of time before her first meeting. She faced the stack of papers on her desk, but today, even that didn’t bother her. She met the task with enthusiasm, humming a little tune as she completed each one.
The first three meetings of the day went quickly, but her noon client was in a huff. A high-profile businessman with political ambitions, they’d been working through his sticky divorce for several months. He’d been trying to keep things quiet, pressing forward with financially motivated gag orders on his soon-to-be ex-wife, which Whitney was not really a fan of, but he was the type of client that impressed her father.
It was an abrupt call. He announced that he was withdrawing his divorce from her and moving to another attorney. His wife had seen the video, and not only did she accuse him of using her to find his next wife, but he didn’t want to get caught in the backlash of something so unprofessional.
She hung up the phone worried that this mess might cause some long-term reputational damage.
Although they weren’t trending on social media any longer, they were still seeing a huge uptick in people coming into the office. And as much as she’d like to believe it was just their business growing, she was pretty sure it was all connected to that darn video.
Later that afternoon, she and Carina pulled the team together. “We know Olivia has explained what we’re facing with this viral video,” Carina said.
“We wanted to gather everyone and thank you for pulling together a solid mitigation plan,” Whitney said. “You worked quickly, and your teamwork has not gone unnoticed.”
“We’re getting positive feedback from several of the new clients. They liked the new form,” one of the part-timers said. “I spoke to three on the phone this morning myself who said the same thing, that it gave them time to think about it and know what to expect.”
“Excellent,” Whitney said.
Olivia chimed in. “The schedule is full. As people are canceling appointments, we’re tucking the people who have completed their questionnaires into the open spots. You may not feel the relief for a while.”
“Thanks for the warning,” Whitney said. The new work booklets for potential clients were helping actual divorce cases, while moving those motivated only by the video out of the queue.
“I think this is a process we might want to continue long-term,” Carina said. “We have a little token of our appreciation for your help.” She handed an envelope containing a gift card to each of the associates.
“Thank you all for the extra effort while we get through this.” Whitney waited until the last of the staff left the room before she spoke to Carina and Olivia. “I love that we were able to pull together such attractive packaging too. It’s turning out to be a great long-term improvement.”
“It’s a game changer,” Carina agreed.
“Well, we better get moving, your first two appointments are already in the lobby,” Olivia said.
“Bring them on.” Whitney walked back to her office and pulled up the next appointment on her computer. She glanced behind her, remembering how Matthew had seen that video in the reflection. Reframing the picture with something matte was going to be a necessity. Meanwhile, she shifted her computer screen to get it off center.
The meetings went well, but toward the end of the second appointment, she noticed one of the firm’s senior partners, Grant, had paced by her door a few times. It was rare that he was even at this end of the building.
As she stood to shake Mr. Connors’s hand, she noticed her least favorite partner in the firm, Grumpy Grant as she liked to refer to him, again hovering outside her office.
She walked Mr. Connors out, and Grant practically stampeded her.
“What is it you and Carina think you’re doing? Turning away potential clients with information to help them reconsider getting a divorce?” Grant’s foot tapped. “You’re tossing money in the street.”
“I beg your pardon? We’re securing just as many clients with the new process, and I can assure you Carina has the data to prove it. Thank you very much.” Whitney was tired of Grant’s meddling.
“This is not how we work here at Barron, Winters Wall. We’re attorneys. Not therapists.”
“I’m well aware of my job, Grant.”
His lips pressed so tightly together they whitened against his skin.
“Why are you so upset about this?” she asked.
“I don’t like it. It’s not the direction we’re taking this firm. You can’t just do whatever you want because you were born into the Winters name. You need to bring these ideas to the board.”
“I have control over this division,” Whitney said. “I’ll thank you kindly to keep your eye on your own.”
Carina walked up at that moment. “I couldn’t help but overhear. Grant, did someone complain to you?”
“No. But my secretary saw a copy of this.” He lifted a booklet in the air and shook it. “She passed it along to me. I’m glad she did.”
“We have full charge of the divorce and family law division, Grant. We provide our numbers every quarter, just like everyone else. And unlike in some areas, we are making money. As long as we continue to grow our portfolio and make money for this firm, I don’t think you should judge our approach. We aren’t inquiring about your practices.”
He lifted his chin. Everyone knew Grant hated change, but until now, he’d never thrown his attitude toward them.
“I’ll be watching.” He glared. “Those numbers better add up.”
He huffed off, and Olivia walked over. “I heard from one of the other assistants that he was on the warpath. It’s almost bonus time, and he’s worried that if our numbers are bigger than his, we’ll get a bigger cut of the overall bonus pool.”
“Well, he should keep his eyes on his own numbers.” Carina tsked and turned her back to the lobby. “What a drama queen!”
“I’m relieved it wasn’t the bigger problem he’d caught wind of.” Whitney muttered quietly to Carina before they parted ways to get ready for their next appointments.
Olivia carried a small box into Whitney’s office. “You only have fifteen minutes until your next appointment, Whitney. I grabbed this for you.”
“You’re an angel. Thank you.” She opened the box. “Carina, sit. We can split this.” She unwrapped the sandwich, handed half to her sister-in-law and took a quick bite into hers. “Mmm. I’m starving today. Whenever I eat junk the day before, I’m famished the next day. Too many carbs and hot dogs yesterday. Ugh.”
Olivia walked back into the office. “Excuse me. I just took this message.” Her hand shook as she slid a call slip onto Whitney’s desk.
“What’s this?” she asked.
Olivia bit down on her lip. “Your father wants to see you and Carina in his office at five o’clock.”
Whitney and Carina both stopped chewing.
“No hints as to what this is about?” Whitney asked hopefully.
“Not even rumors,” Olivia shrugged. “Sorry. I hate to ruin your lunch.”
“Like a last meal before execution? Yeah, thanks.” Only, Whitney was worried. She’d never been called into Dad’s office like this before. For her and Carina to be summoned together was a huge red flag. Had Grant run straight back to Dad over the booklet?
She and Carina ate in silence, neither of them wanting to talk about this ominous cloud of concern hovering over them.
Carina crumpled the paper as she took her last bite. “I better get to my office. I’ll meet you back here right after.”
“Yeah. I’ll be here.”
Carina walked out and Olivia popped her head inside the door. “You ready for your next appointment?”
“Yes, please send her in.” Whitney stood and greeted her next client; a single mother trying to get custody back from the child’s father. They’d gone through a lengthy process three years ago when he wanted more time with his son. Only now, he was being aggressive with the boy, and borderline abusive, although it would be hard to prove. She hated cases like this when the child was the one who stood the most to lose. It broke her heart when things came down to this, because usually it was driven by something that had nothing to do with the child.
At four fifty, Whitney walked her client to the door and assured her they’d find a solution. Carina stood next to the elevator, waiting for her.
“Any whispers what this is about?” she asked.
Whitney shook her head. “None. Maybe the Grant thing?”
“The timing makes sense. Why do I feel like a school kid who just got caught smoking?”
“We’ve seen how those end of the day meetings go. Not good, usually.”
“He can’t fire us. We’re family,” Carina said. “Right? Plus, we haven’t done anything wrong.”
They stepped into the elevator and took it to the fourth floor.
Dad’s secretary had already left for the day. His office door was open and William was standing to the right of his desk.
“Is everything okay?” Whitney asked. “Is Mom?—”
“Your mother is fine.” Dad’s words fired off at a clip.
Whitney let out a sigh of relief, but the warning flags were snapping. Dad never spoke to her in that tone.
“We have a problem,” he said.
“Okay?” Whitney glanced at William, looking for some clue as to what was happening, but he couldn’t even look her in the eye, nor did he look pleased with his wife.
“Maybe we should have family gatherings more often,” her father said.
“Yesterday was fun,” Whitney said.
“Yes, and apparently there are some things that distant cousins know that are going on right under my nose.”
“Excuse me?” Whitney looked toward William again, but he wasn’t offering any support.
“It seems you’ve become somewhat of a celebrity. In fact, Katie informed her parents she wants to grow up to be just like you.”
“That’s so sweet,” Whitney mused.
“Don’t be impressed. She wants to make videos for social media.”
Panic crawled inside her gut. “I’m not on social media.” Maintaining her composure the best she could, she didn’t elaborate, and prayed it was a coincidence.
His eyebrow raised. Just the one. “You may not have any accounts on any of the platforms I’ve had my staff check, but you are on social media. All over it. And you two are well aware of it, because you wouldn’t have your team working like undercover agents, canvassing our lobby to keep it on the hush-hush.”
“It’s not as bad as you think,” Whitney said.
“I’d thank you not to tell me what I should be thinking.” He was not happy with her.
“Yes, sir,” she said quietly.
“I know that you two are not running a dating service. I know that people do crazy stuff on social media and that things can take on a life of their own. What I don’t know is why my family started hiding things from me. And you, Carina, hiding it from William. I expected more from you.”
Whitney couldn’t utter a word. She could barely swallow.
Carina muttered an apology, but her eyes were on her husband, who wasn’t looking at her. Whitney knew that had to be killing Carina.
Her father looked so disappointed.
“We’ve slowed down the influx of lookers. We’re on it. I promise. We will not allow people to shop our lobby for dates like some 1980s nightclub.”
Her father didn’t look pleased. “The awards night is just around the corner.” He leveled a stare at her. “Here’s what we’re going to do. I’m asking that you, Whitney, send your regrets. I cannot risk someone bringing that video into that room in front of our peers, or the press. It would spread like wildfire. We’d be a mockery.”
“If that’s what you want.” Whitney’s throat tightened, making it hard to swallow.
“Carina, you will accompany William. That’s all.” William and Carina walked out of the office.
Whitney stood there, wanting so badly to have the right thing to say, but there were no words. She turned and walked out.
Carina and William were just ahead of her, and she could overhear her brother.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me what happened, Carina.” William’s arms tensed as he marched toward the elevator. “I’m your husband. I wasn’t prepared when Dad called me in. I had no idea what was going on. Do you know how that looks?”
“I’m so sorry,” Carina’s voice shook. “We’re handling it.”
Whitney’s heart ached that this mess had upset the people who meant the most to her.
William got in the elevator and faced the buttons.
Whitney stepped next to Carina and squeezed her hand. “I’m so sorry,” she mouthed.
William got off on the second floor. “I’ll meet you downstairs in thirty minutes.”
Carina nodded.
As soon as the doors closed, she turned to Whitney. “I’m telling William about our conversation with Grant today too. I can’t keep this from him. I feel horrible.”
“I know. It’s fine. This has turned into one big mess, and it’s so stupid.”
“We have it handled finally, and now it blows up, kaboom, on us.” Carina threw her hands up like an explosion around her head. “Worse than the fireworks. Aye, this is my first real fight with William. I hate it.”
“I do too.”
Carina hugged Whitney. “I know.” They went their separate ways.
Whitney walked into her office and sat down at her desk.
She updated the records from her last two meetings. She’d just shut down her computer when William walked in and sat down.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “We thought we had it handled, and it’s the internet. Everyone knows you can’t believe everything on the internet. Right?”
“The Fixie Chicks? Oh, and I really liked the one where people kept showing couples being ripped apart in pictures and plastering the words, ‘Exes and Next, Please.’ They’re creative. Gotta give them that.”
“I didn’t see that one. Yeah, it’s better than hashtag ‘LawyersofLove.’”
“Which ironically translates to LOL,” he said, laughing, “which is what this whole mess makes me wanna do. It’s laughable. I can’t believe people are so easily entertained.”
“I can’t even believe this is happening,” Whitney said. “What am I going to do?” William looked tired, and Whitney knew she was the reason for his stress right now.
“All that will blow over, and Dad will get over it too. But, Whitney, Carina has never kept anything from me before.”
“I know. It wasn’t an intentional betrayal. It snowballed. Please don’t be mad at her.”
“I’m not mad. I’m worried.” William’s jaw pulsed. “You don’t think she’s unhappy in our marriage, do you?”
That had come out of the blue. “Absolutely not. She adores you, and Chloe, and this family. What is going on in that head of yours?”
“I don’t know. This. Her not telling me about it. Dinner with Marie and Brad the other night. She told me she couldn’t come and then she showed up. It was odd.”
“Weren’t you happy to see her?”
“I was. Until then, I wondered if maybe she was covering something up.”
“William, we work with divorces and unpleasant family situations every single day. You know how crazy your wife is about the statistics. I made a comment to her about not making time for the dinner that night. She realized she needed to make you the priority. I promise you. There is absolutely nothing wrong with your marriage.”
“You’d tell me?”
“Absolutely, but I’ll tell you the same thing I told her. You two are making huge adjustments to make time for Chloe, which is awesome, but you need to do the same for yourselves. For each other. I don’t want to see you become one of our statistics. It takes two people to make a marriage work.”
“That’s good advice.” He leaned forward. “Personally, I think what you’re doing for your clients is what you just did with me. You’re shooting straight, and advising and counseling a fair piece of advice. Don’t stop being who you are.”
“Thank you for that.”
“And while we’re doling out advice, Carina didn’t tell me about the videos, but she mentioned a certain handsome artist who might have caught your eye.”
“She did?”
He nodded. “I may or may not have poked around a little to see what I could find out about him.”
“Do I want to know what you found?” She braced herself.
“Nothing to worry about.” He sat back looking pleased. “Seriously. Not a thing. And I’m happy for you.”
“Well, then I guess I can keep my date with him this Saturday without feeling bad.”
He got up. “I love you, sis. Sorry Dad came down so hard on you. Missing a rubber chicken meal isn’t really all that much like punishment.”
“Yeah, don’t bring me home a doggy bag.”
William walked out of Whitney’s office, and she saw Carina headed that way. She watched them walk out of the building arm in arm.
She was squaring away the things on her desk when she saw a file folder with Olivia’s writing on it that hadn’t been there earlier.
Pressing the intercom button on her phone, she rang Olivia’s desk, not surprised that she’d already left for the day.
Whitney opened the envelope clipped to the folder.
Whitney,
I have no idea what this meeting with your father is all about, but we both know how those end of day meetings can turn bad. I want you to know that you are a wonderful attorney, and everything you do is within the law, but with thoughtful care for the people involved. That is special.
Just in case something crazy happens, I’m here no matter which way life turns us.
Your friend,
Olivia
Whitney swept a tear from her cheek. She was blessed with smart, kind, caring people.
She sat there at her desk thinking about the possibilities they’d brainstormed at lunch that day. About possibly having a subsidiary business focused on the prenups. If she’d somehow thrown all their progress off course for family law in this practice, she had options.
Would Dad allow her and Carina to carve out their divorce and family law practice from the firm or give his stamp of approval for her owning the secondary business for prenups and premarital services?
Everything happens for a reason.
If nothing else, today had given her time to pause and consider where she was, what she wanted, and where she wanted to go with her life—in business and personally.