Chapter 2
Kyle
Standing in front of the grill with a beer in my hand, I turned toward my buddies, Erik and Trent, who were busy leaning over the deck railing to check out the women passing below. We tried to get together at least once a month, usually on the weekend, and we started out at my house since I lived by the beach. Today was perfect: the early April weather, the mid-spring sun, sand, and calm waves were the reasons the beach was packed this Saturday. The only thing missing was Ian, but that would be changing soon since he was getting out of the service later this year.
“So are you guys coming to dad’s birthday party next weekend?” Trent asked us, taking a swig of his beer. “It’s just going to be a small family get-together.”
When I was younger, I’d spent most of my time at Trent’s house. His parents, Jim and Marla, had always made an effort to make both Addie and myself feel like we were part of their family. The fact that we were almost family by law had seemed like fate, then Brad had ruined it. Despite that, I continued to spend a lot of time with them. My grandmother took excellent care of my sister and me, but it was still nice to spend time at a house with a family, one with parents and children who loved each other and liked to spend time together.
Although, I thought, briefly checking on the burgers and steaks under the grill hood, Brad oftentimes dampened the mood at their family get-togethers. I hadn’t liked him before I knew he was a cheater and I liked him even less now that he’d hurt my sister. However, he had married Simone, appearing to have done the right thing. Still, I couldn’t stand the guy.
“Of course, I’m going. Did your mom tell you she invited Addie?” I paused, glancing over at Trent again. “Do you think your brother and Simone will be okay being in the same room with her?” I asked.
Not that I really cared about Brad’s feelings if Addie did go. But I didn’t want Simone to feel uncomfortable. It was maddening how Brad lucked out with a woman like Simone. He sure didn’t deserve to have such a loving, not to mention gorgeous, young wife.
Motherhood had somehow made her even more stunning, and whenever I saw her, like at the restaurant a few weeks ago, I’d find myself staring at her for too long. Even Erik looked, though neither of us would ever do more than that—and not openly, that’s for sure. Trent would kill us if he caught us checking her out. He saw Simone as a little sister and was highly protective of her.
She didn’t smile often, but when she did, even a little, it lit up her brown eyes and made you want to return it. Made you want to keep that smile in place for as long as possible. There was a sadness behind her eyes that I found compelling and I wished I knew more about her to understand why; however, we’d likely never get close enough to really know each other. Me being Addie’s brother, she shied away from me.
I looked out toward the ocean, thinking back… I still remember the look of complete shock on Simone’s face two years ago that matched my sister’s. But at least Addie had gotten out of a crappy relationship. Simone had stepped right into one and she was paying the price. She seemed pretty miserable whenever I saw her, which wasn’t often, and I knew from Trent that she could be a little guarded toward the rest of the family. No one could really blame her for that. It’s why we all tried to be extra nice to her and Stella. Brad, well, he could go to hell and stay there.
I shook my head, focusing on not burning anything on the grill, when another thought entered my mind. The idea of my sister and Brad seeing each other for the first time since they broke up was unsettling. I loathed the fact that Brad had damaged Addie’s relationship with his parents, which had waned significantly. She needed that sense of family, especially a motherly bond that only Marla could give since Grandma was gone. I was hoping that the relationship between all of us could be patched up a bit since Addie had moved back home a few weeks ago.
She’d tried to make a new life for herself in San Francisco after her breakup, but she never sounded truly happy when we would talk on the phone. After some discussion, Trent and I offered her a position at our law firm, acting as a legal secretary. It wasn’t what she went to school for, but she’d felt lost at the time, and I figured doing something out of her comfort zone might help her make a decision about what she wanted to do with her future. It had taken a lot of begging on our part and I understood her resistance. However, with more begging, groveling, promises, and a little guilt tripping from me about us being our only family now, she finally agreed.
God knew there were a lot of bad memories for her here, and seeing Simone and Brad wasn’t going to make her feel better. She had confided in me shortly after her breakup that she had worried that things were not going to work out with Brad. Even with those suspicions, it hurt like hell knowing he had cheated on her.
If Addie did attend this party, I hoped it wouldn’t convince her she’d made a mistake moving back here. And if Brad said or did anything… I’d beat the shit out of him again. He might act tough, but he knew to stay in line when I was around. That thought made me smile a little.
“I’m sure Simone will be fine,” Trent answered, then continued with a slight grimace, “but Brad will probably act like a douchebag.”
“You know, Brad’s actually a talented mechanic, but if he wasn’t your brother or had a family to support, I would’ve fired his ass by now,” Erik said with a snort. He shook his head, eyes scanning a small group of women playing beach volleyball. “Dude’s been acting strange lately; showing up to work late, making stupid mistakes. Always on his phone, openly flirty with female employees and clients, and being ruder than usual. Hopefully he’ll be on his best behavior since it’s your dad’s birthday.”
Erik owned his own auto shop where they made modifications on cars to enhance their performance, specifically for street racing. When Brad decided to marry Simone, Erik had done him a huge favor by offering Brad a full-time position with benefits. We all knew how lazy he was, spending more time on his video games than looking for a job and taking care of his young family. Out of friendship and loyalty, Erik had gone out on a limb for him. And did Brad act like he appreciated it? Nope. Granted, Brad did have some talent with cars, but how Erik put up with him on a daily basis I would never understand. We were all hopeful that the punk kid we’d barely tolerated growing up had finally changed his ways for the better. Unfortunately, spending any time with him only proved that he hadn’t. If anything, he seemed to move further into the asshole category—especially recently.
“I wouldn’t hold your breath,” Trent added, dryly. “If not for Simone and Stella, I’d say, go for it. Fire his ass.”
Erik and Trent had a laugh, but I think Trent meant every word—especially the ‘fire his ass’ part. I couldn’t help but agree with him. I pulled the meat off the grill and the three of us moved over to the table to eat. The pub-styled table allowed us to continue looking over the railing toward the beach below.
I would never get tired of this view. My house was pretty badass, especially the rooftop deck where we were currently relaxing with panoramic views of the beach and pier. I’d found this three-story gem within a month of house hunting and couldn’t pass it up. It had four bedrooms and three baths. That might be considered overkill for a bachelor like myself, but I figured one day, in the very distant future, I would have a family and this house would be perfect for that. Although, the cynical part of me wondered if that was really in the cards for me. My own father surely hadn’t been a great role model on how to be a husband or father. After my parents divorced, their combined actions had destroyed our family with little thought to the consequences—including how it’d affect Addie and me. I often wondered if I would ever feel confident in taking on a parenting role myself. Would I be a better man than the one I shared DNA with?
Being able to afford this house so early on in my career was a little bittersweet. Sadly, my grandmother passed away a year ago, and she’d left a large inheritance for Addie and me. While I made a great living practicing law with Trent and his father, I would never have been able to afford this place without the money from my grandmother.
“Dude, check out the view over there,” Trent said as another group of bikini-clad women walked by. “Buying this house was the smartest decision you ever made.”
I laughed. Trent sounded like an excited kid who just saw a shiny new toy.
“There are a couple of girls over there I wouldn’t mind getting to know a little bit better,” Erik added, still gazing at the volleyball girls. He’d hardly touched his steak. Trent, too.
I smirked at Erik’s wistful tone. I think all the jumping and sand all over their sweaty bodies was really what was on his mind. We were all in swim trunks and T-shirts, and had plans to use my beach access later. The whole point of today was about relaxing, in whatever form that came.
Plus, none of us had a girlfriend, and were in no hurry to change that, so we could look all we wanted. We all had our fair share of casual hookups, but none of us were ready to settle down just yet.
Erik had been pretty serious with his high school sweetheart, Willow, back in the day. They continued to date for a year after we graduated but when Erik started focusing on street racing, she was out. She said it was too dangerous and that he had no time left for her after spending all day at the shop and the evenings at the races. She probably had a point, but racing was his passion. She moved out of state shortly after they broke up and he hadn’t heard from her since.
I thought about Ian as Erik and Trent continued to eat while discussing how to approach the women playing volleyball. Ian had an off and on relationship with his high school girlfriend, Jenny. They finally called it quits for the last time about three years ago. Since then, he’d been fairly quiet about who he was dating. The fact that he lived across the country made it harder to razz him about any of his hookups.
Trent checked his phone when it wouldn’t stop pinging. Erik deftly plucked it out of Trent’s hand and held it back. “Seriously, man? What did we all agree on when it came to our guys’ weekend?” he asked, disgruntled. He chucked the phone back—at Trent’s head. “No work, all play, remember?”
“It’s not like I was going to answer!” Trent shot back, glaring. Having caught it before it hit him between the eyes, he smartly put his phone away. “It was just an update on a case of mine that I’ve been keeping close tabs on.”
Like me, Trent was an admitted workaholic and, also like me, we loved the single, bachelor life. He liked dating a new girl every couple weeks. He didn’t seem to have a problem finding women who agreed to his no-strings-attached dating, much to the disappointment of his mom, who would love to have more grandchildren. We were both twenty-six and having slaved through four years of college plus three years of law school, it was time to have some fun and recharge. Not take our personal lives too seriously. That’s why weekends like this were perfect.
I laughed at their bantering as I grabbed all the empty plates, dishes, and bottles and stepped inside to put them in the kitchen sink to take care of later.
When I walked back out, Trent glanced over at me as he headed down the back steps right behind Erik. “So, Erik and I came up with a game plan on how to start mingling with those volleyball babes over there,” he said, glancing back at them briefly. “Time to officially jumpstart this weekend… You ready, bro?”
I smiled, grabbing my sunglasses and followed suit. “Hell, yeah I am.”
*****
The following week in the office had flown by. Addie knocked quietly on the doorframe then entered my office. “Morning, Kyle. I have the Wilson files you wanted.” She hefted up the files in the crook of her arm. “What do you want me to do with them?”
It was early Friday morning and things were already busy. It was always like that right before the weekend. Addie had only recently started working with us, but she was already proving to be a great addition to the office. It made me extremely happy to have my sister back home and I loved being able to spend time with her at the office as well.
“I need you to search the court records from last month. I want to make sure they are in compliance with the ruling made,” I told her.
She gave a nod. “Sure thing. Anything else?” she asked.
“I could really use some coffee,” I said. When I looked up she had her eyebrow raised in question. Knowing she had a smartass response ready, I quickly added, “Please.”
“Just this once.” She laughed as she exited my office.
I rubbed my eyes behind the glasses that I wore while working, then went back to staring at my computer and finished up the last of this morning’s slew of emails before getting to my paperwork. Filings, court appearances, meetings with judges, other lawyers, research… it was endless, but I loved it.
Jim had started the law firm twenty years ago when he got tired of working for other people. Now he was ready to retire and was prepping Trent and me to take over. We provided and specialized in many legal services, but our bread and butter was family law and mediation. However, Trent and I kept up-to-date in other areas of practice to give us a broader appeal.
Jim only worked on special cases now and pretty much let Trent and me run things as we saw fit while he played endless rounds of golf or played grandpa whenever he could. He was counting down the days to when he could fully retire. Right now, we had one junior associate, a paralegal, a receptionist, and Addie, our legal secretary. The operational work was done between me and Trent, but with our increasing caseload, we’d have to hire someone for that soon. I was proud of the work we did and that our firm was growing. I just wished my grandmother could see how successful I was. It was because of her that I had my strong work ethic. She was the first person to encourage me to go into law, turning elements of a bad childhood into something positive and helping others.
As well as we were doing, Trent and I were more ambitious. We planned on expanding the firm in the next five to ten years, and eventually move our offices to a more modern and bigger space. We also wanted to move closer to downtown San Diego rather than staying near the airport, which wasn’t an ideal spot with the loud planes taking off and flying overhead. Currently, our office was small, but everyone had their own space to work in. There was also a basic break room, and a small conference room for meetings. It wasn’t glamorous like those law firms you see on television dramas, but it served its purpose and kept our overhead low.
“Hey, Addie, do you want to do lunch today?” I shouted from my office, knowing she could hear me since her workspace was only a few feet away.
“Yeah, that sounds good,” she shouted back.
“Hey, assholes, you going to invite me?” Trent yelled from his office, which was across the hall from mine.
“Well… I guess, if we have to,” Addie answered, sighing loudly. Those two had teased each other since childhood and could go back and forth all day. I shook my head at their relentless banter, but mostly, I was glad Addie had settled in without any issues.
Once lunch rolled around, the three of us walked a couple blocks over to our favorite Mexican restaurant since the weather was perfect for a quick stroll. Living in Southern California provided us with many options, but Anita’s was definitely a favorite of ours. With the spring tourist season in full bloom, we had made a reservation in hopes of not getting caught up in a crowd of clueless visitors.
We were seated in the back corner of the restaurant, which suited me just fine. I enjoyed watching people come and go.
“Hi there, can I get you all something to drink?” our server asked. He was a young guy, and once he spotted Addie, he couldn’t keep his eyes off her.
“Yeah, I’ll have an iced tea,” Trent answered, looking the menu over.
I glared at the waiter. “I’ll have the same, and I would appreciate it if you stopped checking out my sister,” I added. I heard Trent chuckle next to me.
Addie glared at me then turned to our waiter with a sweet smile on her face. “Ignore him, he’s just a big jerk. I’ll take a Diet Pepsi.” As soon as the waiter left, she asked, “Was that really necessary?”
I just shrugged my shoulders. I didn’t step in when she dated Brad, even though I knew he wasn’t good enough for her. I should have protected her and not let her get tangled up with him. Instead, I’d let her do what she wanted—and look how that turned out. I would never fail in my brotherly duties again.
After we got our drinks and ordered, Trent cleared his throat. “So, what time are you guys coming over for the party tomorrow?” he asked in an effort to stop an argument from starting. It worked like a charm.
“Do you think Mom needs any help getting things ready?” Addie asked. We’d been referring to Jim and Marla as Dad and Mom since we were kids. It felt natural at this point, even if Addie hadn’t talked to them much in the last two years.
“Probably,” Trent said, after some consideration. “We plan on eating at one so why don’t you guys get there around eleven. Mom would never ask for help, but I know she would appreciate it.”
Marla loved to cook. I couldn’t remember any get-together at their house where she hadn’t cooked the meal herself. She reminded me a little bit of a 1950s housewife you would see on TV; the main difference was how Jim treated her. He viewed her as an equal and was always appreciative of all the effort she made to create a comfortable home for them. He never acted like it was expected. The love they had for each was evident to all those around them.
“We’ll be there,” I responded. Addie nodded in agreement, but quickly looked away, keeping her eyes on the pedestrian traffic. I knew what she was thinking.
While I was excited to share in Jim’s special day, I was also expecting Brad to find some way to ruin it. And I wasn’t sure how Addie and Simone would deal with seeing each other. I took a sip of my tea, hoping Jim’s celebration didn’t end up being a complete disaster.