"T his settlement is more than generous."
Luke did his best to prop his eyes open and look attentive as the couple sitting on opposite sides of the table launched into round seventy-three of the argument over their divorce. The other lawyers, a prestigious and expensive group from San Diego, weren't in any better shape. One of them had been on his phone for the last two hours, and Luke had a sneaking suspicion that he was playing solitaire .
If he hadn't already been scared away from the idea of marriage by his father's terrible relationships, days like today would have made him swear off it for life. He was just thankful that he didn't have to sit in on these conversations all that often. He'd specialized in litigation for a reason. He was only there because both clients were being sued for a real estate deal that went south, and Greg had asked for a consult .
"I'm going to go order lunch," he announced at one o'clock when his stomach grumbled loud enough to be heard over the bickering .
They'd held the meeting at a room rented out by the other team, hoping that a little extra pressure of wasting money would entice the pair to sign the paperwork they'd been arguing about for the last month. It wasn't working .
Luke headed to the receptionist's desk at the center of the floor to ask for delivery recommendations. The building was bustling, people in suits parading in and out while interns and secretaries dashed after them overburdened with files. For all that, it was almost silent, a plush carpet and industrial strength insulation keeping everything muffled .
The receptionists were happy to show him the stack of menus collected from local businesses, and he dragged his feet deciding between Thai and Italian. He'd just about decided when he noticed the receptionists rolling their eyes and hiding smiles behind their hands. His palms started to sweat, and he checked his tie and ran a hand over his hair on reflex. They weren't paying any attention to him, though .
Then he heard it. Made faint by the acoustics but getting louder, someone was sobbing. Loud, unnatural, dramatic sobs. As a well-dressed woman turned the corner, her voice rose to a wail, and he was finally able to understand her. His heart pounded as she wept loudly into the phone, her makeup pristine and her eyes dry .
"I don't understand why you have to make this so difficult," she said, heading right for him, and he fought the urge to hide. "This is already so hard for me." She tossed a folder onto the main desk with a bored flick. "I just need closure, Harry. I don't want to drag this out, but the lawyers are so mean," she whined. "Please, can't you just sign the papers ?"
Whatever the answer was, it wasn't what she wanted to hear, and her beautiful features crumpled in rage. "The hell you can't." She threw the phone across the room, very slowly calming herself until her face slid back into unlined perfection. "I need that couriered to New York," she told the receptionist, all traces of emotion evaporating .
Luke squared his shoulders as her eyes passed over him. At first, he was hopeful that his stepmother wouldn't recognize him, a host of lines crossing her forehead as she narrowed her eyes at him. It was a tiny, unconscious gesture that had always spoiled her flawless image .
"Luke," she said, glancing at her manicure .
"Meredith. Lovely to see you ."
"How is that artist of yours doing?" she asked with a sly smirk .
For a moment, he thought she meant Jay and wanted to scream. "Liam and I are no longer together," he said after a moment .
"That's such a pity. Your father will be so disappointed that he doesn't get to put more trust fund babies into the world." She smiled at him, teeth bared like a lioness. "Do tell Robert that I said hello." She clicked over to her phone on her towering heels, snapping her fingers at it until someone picked it up for her .
Words crowded Luke’s thoughts, insults and sly insinuations piling on top of curses and cruel sarcasm. Nothing came out. This was the kind of situation that Cody and Kurt thrived in, but he'd never been any good at. Meredith made him feel like that kid being shuffled from hotel to hotel because his father was 'too busy' for him. He just stood there, watching her get into the elevator with a triumphant smirk on her overfilled lips .
"Conference room seven is empty if you need a moment," one of the receptionists said, her voice kind as she pointed down one hall .
Luke took a shaky breath, nodding at her. "I need to order lunch," he said, waving the menus. "Six people ."
She gave him an encouraging smile. "We'll take care of it ."
Ducking down the hall, he was able to hide away and lock the door without encountering anyone. It was easy to see why this room was empty; it barely qualified as a closet, set up for just two people. There was a window, though, and he found himself looking out over the city trying to remember how to breathe .
He'd liked Meredith when his dad first brought her home. She had been young and energetic, playing tennis with him at the country club while his dad golfed. It was only after they'd gotten engaged that he'd noticed her monopolizing his dad's time .
"Give them time," Robert had said. "It's just new." Robert had apologized for not listening two years later with a summer touring Europe. Harry Carter had called when they arrived in London, complaining that his best friend had bailed on their biweekly drinks. It was the only time Luke had ever seen the friends fight .
He pulled out his phone, his fingers tapping the edge of the screen. Below the window, a silver Cadillac pulled out of the parking garage, forced its way into traffic, and ran a red light at the corner. He dialed .
"What's going on with the divorce?" he asked, speaking over Robert's greeting .
"Just a moment, sorry. I must take this call; it's my office." There were half a dozen voices in the background, the language musical and flowing, and Luke hunched over, shame creeping up his spine. He had no idea where his uncle was, or what time it was there. "Luke," Robert said a moment later, the background noise died down to a faint hollow note. "It's good to hear from you, kiddo. Have you thought about the charity auction any ?"
"I'm not calling about that," he said, frustration burning away the guilt. "I just had the extreme pleasure of running into Meredith while I was at a client meeting ."
"Ah." There was a wealth of bitterness in that tiny sound .
"She sends her best, in case you were wondering ."
Robert cleared his throat. "Of course she did," he muttered. "That's how it always is in divorces. People are so charming. About that auction ..."
"She was pulling her 'woe is me' routine into the phone when I ran into her. Trying to con Dad into just signing the papers." Luke dug his fingernails into his palm. "What's going on ?"
"I don't know everything," he said, his voice turning up at the end the way it did when he was lying through his teeth. "She was talking to Harry, you said? I should give him a call, make sure she doesn't wear him down ."
"Uncle—" Luke growled as his phone beeped with an incoming call. He was half a second from sending it to voicemail when the caller ID flashed Jay's name. "I have to go," he said. "We're not through with this ."
"Of course, kiddo. I'll call you tonight ."
He switched lines without replying, taking childish delight in the act. "Jay ?"
"Notification of Intent to File. What does that even mean?" The omega's voice cracked. "Why is none of this written in English ?"
Luke frowned at the panic seeping through the connection. "Breathe. You got legal paperwork? Is it about the house or your show ?"
"How can I tell? It might as well be written in Chinese," Jay said, his voice rising and making the line squeal with feedback .
"See step one: Breathe." Luke tried to keep his voice light. "Step two: Check the first page. There should be a big, bold section that starts with 'In Regards to' or something similar ."
"Sorry, sorry. First page. Where is the damned first page ?"
"I still don't hear any breathing," he teased, chuckling when Jay huffed several bellows-breaths directly into the phone. "Better, thank you ."
"Asshole," Jay muttered, followed by tearing paper. "Oops ."
"It's just a copy," Luke said before he could panic further. "Tear it to shreds if you want ."
"I just want to find the stupid first page," Jay growled. For all his bluster, his voice was shaking .
"It should have the name of the form across the top in big letters. 'Notification of Intent to File' or just 'Notice .'"
"Got it," he said a second later. "In regards to... In regards to... The filing with the 1st Superior Court of New York on September 3rd ."
"That's definitely about your trust fund, not the gallery show." He glanced at his watch, debating if he should send Jay to one of his coworkers. Rodriguez was a pro at family and estate law. Besides, even though he'd handled estate disputes when there were lawsuits involved, he wasn't licensed in New York. He definitely didn't need to keep spending time with Jay Collins .
"It's probably nothing, but I'll come by and take a look as soon as I get out of this meeting." He bit his tongue trying to cut off the flow of words, but they slithered out into the air. Banging his head against the window, he glared at his reflection from point-blank range. "It might be late, though ."
"Whenever is fine," Jay said immediately. "My sleep schedule is a little iffy at the best of times. I'll text you the address ."
Resigned to the inevitable, Luke stared at the ceiling. Intricate plaster designs and molding edged a plain white ceiling; no cheap acoustic tile here. The room felt colder for the lack. "I'll let you know when I leave the office," he said, his voice flat .
"Thank you so much. I really appreciate it ."
"Don't worry about it," he muttered, ending the call. "I'm just a complete idiot," he added to the cold glass .
"I hate you, and this is all your fault. —Luke" He stabbed the button to send the text to Kurt and Marcus with enthusiasm born of frustration .
"You're welcome.—Marcus "
He didn't bother resisting the urge to flip his phone off. Tucking it back into his pocket, Luke took a moment to make himself presentable. He padded back out to the lobby, the carpet too plush to drag his heels .
"Luke, man. There you are." Greg slapped him on the back with a huge grin. "We're done here." He held up the paperwork, almost giddy in his relief. "They finally signed it ."
Staring at the sloppy signatures, it took all of Luke's willpower to swallow the urge to throw something. "That's great," he said faintly .
"Yeah," Greg said. "I'm off to celebrate. You game? Drinks are on me ."
It was tempting. "I've got some other work to do," he said through his teeth. "Some other time ."
Greg nodded, sliding onto the elevator as the doors were closing without another word .
Luke stared at the cheerfully bland artwork on the nearest wall, listening to the bustle of people around him. He'd been so convinced that this meeting was going to take all day that he'd already sent Vivian home. He had nothing but time .
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out to vent some of his frustration and growing paranoia on Kurt, but it was only Jay. Staring at the address, he wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. Instead, he got on the next elevator to the garage and took the long route around the city .
* * *
T he smell of paint was the first thing that hit him. He'd always heard that scent was the strongest sense tied to memory. He could believe it as his mind was crowded with a rush of things he'd rather not think about .
It took him a little bit of trial and error to find the right door, following the ringing of Jay's unanswered phone. Leaning his shoulder against the door, he took in the familiar scene in front of him and tried not to smile. More than one fight had started after a moment like this, but right then he couldn't bring himself to find it anything but adorable .
Jay was painting. Perched on his stool, he was completely oblivious to the world around him as he layered brown paint over gray with small, precise strokes. There was fresh paint smeared across his forehead, still shiny in the bright afternoon sunlight. He'd also gotten paint splatter on the top layer of papers scattered across the big supply cabinet just inside the door .
Luke tore his eyes away from the tempting curve of the omega's lips as he bent to mix a new color, his tongue stuck out between his teeth in concentration. Flipping through the pages of paperwork, he pulled a pen out of his jacket pocket and started taking notes .
"When did you get here?" Jay's voice was hoarse, and he grabbed a bottle of water off the table next to him, looking it over carefully before taking a drink .
Glancing at his watch, Luke was surprised to realize that it had been the better part of an hour. "You were adding the brown," he said, leaning in for a look at the canvas. Originally, it had looked like another abstract, but now he could see buildings and shapes starting to emerge .
"Sorry. I paint when I'm anxious." Jay crossed the room, his back and knee popping as they stretched. "Did you get a chance to look at everything ?"
Luke nodded. "Your stepfather is a piece of work," he said grimly, straightening his stack of notes. "He's claiming that your mother is the rightful owner of the lake house because the executor of your father's estate never prevented her from occupying the property ."
Jay's throat clicked as he swallowed, crossing his arms. "Can he do that ?"
"I doubt it." Waving his notes, Luke pointed to a few of the things he'd written down. "I have to call Marcus and see if he was able to find out who the executor of the estate is. It's not your mother. If it was, they would have started with that. There are usually provisions for continued property use during the time of the trust..." Jay was staring at him blankly, so he cleared his throat and tried again. "Your father wanted you to enjoy the house, so he put in his will that you and your mother can use it anytime you want. You'd still inherit it when you were old enough. It's not an uncommon provision. It keeps things from getting run down from too long sitting vacant." He flipped a few pages. "Even if there wasn't something like that, he'd have to prove that there was a reasonable expectation on your mother's part that she was the owner. Like I said before, she never contested the will, so she is well aware that she doesn't own that house ."
"She got the house we lived in and Dad's stocks," Jay said. "I remember the lawyer going over the value of everything. He had to keep repeating himself because she was crying so hard ."
"There is a problem, though," Luke said, flipping to one of the last pages. "Unless they spontaneously decide to withdraw their claim, you will have to appear in court." Jay cursed under his breath, a muscle in his jaw twitching. "It's just a formality, but it does mean a trip across the country ."
"What if I don't?" he asked .
Luke pursed his lips. "If you knew who the executor was, and trusted them, you could let them handle it. Or you could hire a lawyer in New York to go for you, which is probably what your stepfather will do. This is just an intimidation tactic ."
"That's what he does," Jay said. "He tried it on Aunt Carol once. She laughed him out of the room." His lips twitched in a fond smile. "I always wanted to be as ballsy as her ."
The curve of his mouth was distracting, vibrant red and bruised in the middle where he'd been chewing on his lips. Luke had to look away. "I'm going to call Marcus and see what he's found out. Then we can discuss your options ."
Jay nodded. "I'll clean up my brushes," he said, then flushed as his stomach growled. "Are you hungry? I can order dinner if this is going to take a while ."
Glancing around the crowded studio, Luke debated the lack of seating and his self-control. "Why don't we go to Milano's?" he asked, gesturing to the papers. "It's the best Italian food in town. We can get a booth and spread out ."
Stomach grumbling loudly, Jay grabbed his brushes. "You're just afraid of getting paint on your suit," he said, pushing his hair back and spreading the paint that was smeared across his forehead into the strands .
Luke swallowed hard, resisting the urge to curl his fingers around that delicate wrist. "You have paint on your forehead," he said, sticking his nose in the air .
Jay cursed without heat, clearly resigned to his lot in life. Scrubbing at the patch, he managed to smear it into his eyebrow .
"I'm going to step outside and call Marcus." Luke ducked out the door before he could do something stupid .
"I'll meet you at your car," Jay called after him .
Escaping into the elevator, Luke stabbed at his phone. "I told you to stop me from doing something stupid, not enable me. I don't date artists," he hissed .
"Marcus is in the shower," Teddy's dry voice replied, "but I'm glad things are going well with Jay ."
"You, too?" Luke groaned. "Why are you all against me? What are you even doing at Marcus’ place ?"
"I’m helping him with some research. And I had nothing to do with all this," Teddy protested, and Luke could just imagine him adjusting his glasses. "I didn't find out until last weekend. At the monthly dinner. That you missed. Again ."
"Fuck." Luke stalked out of the elevator, heading for his car. "That was last weekend ?"
The other alpha hummed. "Do I need to add you to my reminder system?" he teased. Luke couldn't help but laugh. Teddy was notorious for forgetting appointments. He'd programmed his system from scratch to nag him into remembering everything from birthdays to meals .
"No, please. Not that. Anything but that," Luke said. "Just forward me the calendar again, and I'll work it into my schedule ."
"Next month is Kristoff's birthday, so you better not miss that one. Also, you should bring cookies to appease the monster. Greg says he mentions your peanut butter cookies every day ."
"I'll book my flight tonight," he promised as he unlocked his car, scribbling a note on his notepad .
"So tell me about Jay," Teddy said. The best thing about the second oldest of the frat brothers was that he was smarter than all the rest of them combined, but didn't have the social skills or patience to play games. That was also the worst thing about him. "I remember him, a little. He was always quiet. A business major, wasn't he? How did he end up being an artist ?"
"He was always an artist," Luke said, shaking his head to try and dislodge the image of paint on smooth, bare skin. "He just did the business degree because his stepfather insisted. I'll call Marcus back in an hour. It's not a problem, really. I'm just helping him with Jay's case, and I wanted to see what he found out ."
"Is that why I've been searching the city development records from the last forty years?" Teddy asked thoughtfully. "That explains a lot. The Danvilles are a big name in this area ."
"Did you find anything?" Gripping his phone too tight, Luke leaned forward in his seat, resting his arm against the steering wheel .
"Not a whole lot." Teddy cleared his throat, his voice rueful. "The house has been in the Carter family since it was built. Never sold. Marcus did seem excited that I found a name and address on the property tax forms ."
"The estate executor ?"
"You'd have to ask Marcus. All I know is that fifteen years ago, the name was changed from Carol Collins to a Stan Kowalski ."
Luke whooped loud enough to echo through the parking garage. "That's great. Thanks, Teddy." Across the garage, Jay rounded the corner with his eyebrows raised and the barest hint of a smile curling his lips. "I've got to go, but let Marcus know that I'll call him later ."
"Glad I could help. I'll text you about those flight reservations ."
Shaking his head, Luke ended the call .
"Please tell me that was good news," Jay said as he climbed in. He'd washed his face, but there was still a dark spot where the paint had settled into his skin .
"Marcus and Teddy found a lead. Does the name Kowalski ring any bells?" He pulled out of the parking garage as Jay considered the question .
"I don't really remember." He picked at the edge of one nail. "I was only thirteen when Aunt Carol was diagnosed with cancer. She had people coming in and out for a while. Doctors, nurses, all kinds of specialists. She sent me back to my mom when school started so that I wouldn't have to watch her get sick ."
Luke cleared his throat. "Well, Marcus will definitely get in touch with him, so we should know more about who he is in a few days ."
They were quiet as they drove through the early evening traffic to Milano's .