Chapter 16

Thursday, two weeks later

Betty could close her eyes and see the pieces of the puzzle coming together in the case. Renfro had announced in their last meeting that another offer had been tendered for twenty-five million, but the partners felt they should hold out for a minium of fifty. He’d also indicated that he doubted the case would see the light of day in the courtroom. While he did not need to say the words, she knew part of the reason they expected the offer to double was because of the notes she’d followed up on in the file which had led her to the numerous cases that had been settled previously. Yet the hospital had taken no corrective measures to assure the acts would not occur again.

Betty opened her desk drawer for a pen and then removed her glasses as she noticed the three keys given to her by Evander. She had left them by mistake in the office, and as she picked them up they brought back fond memories. They took her to a time when she’d felt special. When she’d felt as if she was the only thing that mattered in his life. When he’d returned from Orlando and brought her lunch. The special date they had spoken of ended up being egg foo yung with plastic silverware on a beach towel on the floor of her office. He’d told Betty that since he had missed so much time from work and Mr. Ferguson was taking his family on vacation, he had to work a couple of double shifts. Since she was putting in extra hours, Betty did not feel she was in a position to ask for more time, yet she missed his touch.

Then one night he made an impromtu visit around midnight, and after they had sex he immediately left, which was very uncommon for him. During the act, not once did he say I love you, not once did he look her in the eye. Hearing the front door open, she turned the large knob with the H on it in her shower as far right as it could go. Stepping inside the stall, Betty heard his truck’s engine fade into the night, taking him with it. Leaning against the cold onyx tile, she heaved gasps of the dank air deep into her lungs. So many emotions begged to flow, yet she would not allow them. She was determined to be strong. But as hot steam covered the bathroom like a London fog, a tear fell. Betty slid down the tile, and as she sat on the floor with the water pelting her body, her forehead resting on her knees, she felt for the first time completely out of control. She had encountered her biggest fear. She loved this man. There was no denying it. But if he loved her, how could he do what he had just done? How could he take her body so savagely? How could he not say the words he had spoken to her before? How could he make her feel as if a part of her had been raped? Not physically, but a part of her that hurt so much more. This man whom she’d begged herself not to love had conquered her heart, and she was defenseless against anything he wanted to do to her.

A tap on the door pulled Betty from her trance.

“Wake up! I caught you daydreaming,” Carol said as she stood in the doorway. “Hon, have I got the lowdown for you!” Betty smiled as Carol closed her door, beaming with fresh gossip. “But first you gotta swear this goes no farther than this room!” Before Betty could utter a word, Carol said, “I was just downstairs with Patsy. You know, Burt Collins’s secretary? She told me that she couldn’t stand working for the man and then she just started rattling off things about him. About how he treats his wife and all, which to me was irrelevant. So then I asked her what he thought about you. And guess what she said. She said she overheard Collins and Murphy discussing this case months ago when you were working on Lopez, and they picked you because they wanted you to deliver the summation. The strategy they’re going to use is to allow Renfro or one of the other attorneys to go in there and fight with the opposition and then allow you to smile and be the good guy in the summation to the jury. So in answer to your question, darling, you got this case on your merit. It had nothing to do with color or anything else. They could have picked several of the other female attorneys here, but they chose you because you are the best and they know it!”

Betty smiled softly as thoughts of Evander churned in her mind and then said, “Thanks. I appreciate that.”

As the phone rang Carol said, “I thought you would,” and then exited the office to her desk. Over the speakerphone, she said, “Betty? Line two-oh-three.”

Betty lunged for the phone. Be Evander, be Evander, be Evander. “Hello, this is Ms. Robinson.”

“Hey, girl. That Negro called yet?”

“No,” Betty said to Jacqui, “but actually I haven’t thought about him all day.”

“Whatever.”

“Seriously. Girl, I have been too involved with this case to deal with him and his games.”

“Uh-huh, like I said before. Whatever. I know you, Betty. You can’t pull that on me,” she said as she bit into what sounded like a piece of fruit. “So is he still in town?”

“Yes,” Betty replied quietly as she walked over to close her office door. She then sat on her desk and eased off her shoes. “I called him yesterday and we talked for about five minutes, but he said he was too busy at work and that he would call me as soon as things slowed down a little. Well, he didn’t call, so I phoned him last night at home, but he was talking to his mom. Before you start, yeah, I know. He said he would call me back and that’s the last time I spoke to him.”

“Umm. So you think he’s got something else going on?”

“Jac, to be completely honest with you, I don’t know. And I really don’t care anymore. I mean we’ve had our fun and I’ve got too much going on in my life to allow this man to get inside my head right now. I just wish if he has changed his mind about all of this that he would at least have the balls to tell me.”

“Betty, let me tell you something about men. They don’t think like us, so no, if he didn’t want a relationship, he would not just come out and tell you. See, men are just put together differently. I think deep inside they mean well, but they are all dogs, and I don’t mean that in a negative way. They are just . . . different. And we keep expecting them to react like a woman with a penis, and that ain’t gonna happen.”

“I know, I know, I know,” Betty said, wanting to change the subject as she looked down at her dangling feet. “So did you ever hear from that Harry guy?”

“No, and I don’t plan on hearing from him either. Tell me something. And I need you to be honest with me, okay?”

“Yes, I do,” Betty whispered as she closed her eyes and answered Jacqui’s question before it was asked.

“Damn, you know me too well. Well, girl, if you really and truly love this man, and you feel it in your heart, what are you gonna do? What is it worth to you?”

“I don’t know. That’s the problem. I just don’t know what I’m gonna do. I mean I sit here and for five minutes I think of ways to break it off and then the next ten minutes I think of ways to win him back.”

“So you do think he has something on the side.”

After a pause Betty replied with a long sigh, “Not really, I don’t know. I mean the more I think about it, things started to change after I got this case. And I try to look at it from his point of view. I was hardly ever there during the Lopez case, and what do I do? I go out and get a bigger case.”

“Betty? Don’t do this.”

“Do what?”

“Don’t do what you’re doing. Don’t blame yourself for what this asshole is doing. I mean he knew you were an attorney from day one. You don’t have a nine-to-five job, and cases like this one come with the territory. He knew what he was getting into, so if he’s that petty, then he’s got a problem, not you. But don’t blame yourself for what this jerk is doing!”

“I’m not, Jac. Trust me, I’m not. But you do have to look at both sides of the problem, and I think it takes two to tango. I mean it would be easy just to say he’s a dog, but I believe there’s more to it than that.”

“Well, tell me this. Deep in your heart . . . do you really think—”

“I used to. Now I’m not so sure anymore.”

“Used to what?”

Betty held her breath and then said, “Used to think he loved me.”

“Damn, you do know me too well.”

“I mean he acts the same . . . but different. Know what I mean? Seems like he’s just going through the paces sometimes.”

“Are you sure all of this changed when you got the case? Or was it after you told him you loved him?”

Betty gazed at the carpet, not wanting to answer the question. The question that had kept her awake the previous night.

“Well, anyway, girl, do you think it’s worth salvaging? And if so, what are you willing to do to keep him?”

As Betty opened her mouth to answer, Carol said over the intercom, “Miss Robinson, Renfro on two-oh-four.”

“Thanks, Carol. One second, okay?” Betty said as she eased from her desk and put on her shoes. “Jacqui? Dear, I got a call coming through. Can I call you back later?”

“You know where I’ll be. But before you hang up. Could you just answer my question?”

Betty stood in front of the window and looked down on the people walking below as she said to her best friend, “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him. Okay?”

“’Bye, sweetie.”

Gathering her composure, Betty said, “Hello Mr. Renfro. How can I help you?”

“Yes, Robinson. I would like to discuss a few points with you on the case. Would you grab your files?”

Betty reached for the files in her bottom drawer as the case momentarily chased the thoughts of her love life from the forefront of her mind.

As Betty drove home with a box full of files to go through, she had a firm grasp on the case and felt that if the rumors were in fact true, she could not wait to give the summation. Stopping at a red light, she reached into her purse for her phone and dialed it without looking down. “Yes, this is Betty. Is Evander there? Thanks, I’ll hold.” As she held the phone to her ear she had no idea what she was going to say. But as he said hello the light turned green and she knew she had to say something. “So how are you?” she said in the driest tone she could muster.

“Fine. Beep, I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to call you back last night. I kinda fell asleep. I had to be in here this morning at four.”

“Oh, that’s fine.” she droned. “So. How’s your mom doing?”

“My mom? Oh, my mom’s okay. Same old story. Jo running her crazy with those kids of hers and her sorry husband and also Shawn.”

“Evander? We really need to talk.”

“About . . .”

“About us.”

“What about us?”

Betty did not want to get emotional. This was not a card she was going to give him the benefit of seeing. But she needed answers. “Evander, things have changed. And I know you know what I’m talking about. We hardly touch each other anymore. We never talk like we used to. I mean if there is someone else, Vander, trust me, you can tell me,” she said with a smile in her voice and fear in her heart that he would do just that. “I’m a big girl. I can take it.”

“Betty . . . Betty, if the truth be known, there is no one else in my life. I know things have changed and I can see that we don’t act the same around each other either. I would be willing to say it’s all my fault. But half the time I would call you and we would discuss the doctors in your lawsuit or we would discuss what Collins said or Renfro did, and while I want to be a part of all of that, in all honesty, Beep, I miss what we were. What we had the weeks before you got this case. Seems we grew so much closer after Lopez, and as soon as you got the big case . . .”

“We started growing apart,” Betty whispered.

“Betty, there is no one else. I would never do that to you. My love has grown too deep and wide and I respect you too much to ever do that. You know, we have not really kissed since that day we were in your office? I mean, I always feel I am talking to the attorney and not the woman I fell in love with, and it’s scary, especially after what happened with Yolanda. Her career sorta broke us up. Don’t get me wrong, I know it’s a package deal and I do love to hear about what you are doing at the firm. But, Beep, I love you.”

“Evander, please don’t say that if it’s not true.”

“Aww, Beep. Baby, you know I love you. But I’m sorry. I fell in love with you, not the attorney. The you that can’t tell jokes to save your life. The you that always hides those stuffed animals under the bed when I come over. That’s the Betty I miss, and since this is going to be a trial that will last at least six months, I guess subconsciously I was preparing not to see her for a while.”

“Evander?”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry. I know that’s not what you are asking from me, but I should have been more conscientious of your feelings. I just get so wrapped up in my work, and since I have never . . . well, since I have never loved a man like I love you, it’s hard for me to walk that tightrope sometimes. It seems the more of you you give, the more I need. Facing Amitrust or Midway is cake. Knowing how to love you . . . well, that’s the part that’s hard for me.”

“I know, baby. This is new to both of us.”

“Do me a favor? If you are ever feeling neglected again, please, just tell me? Okay?”

There was silence on the phone and then Evander said softly, “Thank you. And I love you too.”

After another long conversation with Evander on the phone at home, Betty worked on the case until the early morning. As the clock struck one, she closed the last file, and returned it to the box from which it had come, and went on-line to check her E-mail.

She had been corresponding with the gentleman she knew only by the moniker DLastRomeo for several weeks and was fascinated by the fact that he, unlike most men on-line, never asked her for her phone number or tried to flirt with her. He seemed to actually enjoy conversing, and if something was important to her, he acted interested in it. As she signed on, she heard the computer say, “You’ve got mail,” and a smile came to her face as she saw it was a letter from him.

   Hello, DeltaDream:

Thanks for replying to my last letter so quickly. I just wanted to write to say it was refreshing to visit with you on-line. So often I notice that people have forgotten what a friend is as it relates to the opposite sex. I am glad to consider you a friend and it is my sincere hope that I can be a true friend to you as well.

Today was a tough day for me. As I may have mentioned. I own a financial planning firm. I closed a deal with this law firm and found out today they were exercising their right of recession. That’s when a company backs out of a contract.

Betty laughed for the first time in hours. He still doesn’t know I’m an attorney. How cute.

Well. they did not call me to tell me. They did not write me to tell me. They did it by fax at four-fifty on the tenth day. We were ten minutes from earning a substantial commission, and nine months of work went down the drain with a simple four-line faxed letter.

Unfortunately in this state when that occurs you don’t get a percentage or even a referral fee. You just get . . . well, I guess you catch my drift.

So today I called to talk to the senior partner and he would not come to the phone. He just had his secretary tell me the firm was not interested and that they expected their check for the initial deposit to be returned within thirty days. The senior partner is a trip. If I told you how far this idiot has advanced in this firm, you would never believe it.

“An idiot partner? Trust me, I can believe it,” Betty said aloud.

I called a few friends in my industry for advice and found out he took the plan we spent so much time working on to our competitor. In fact, he told the other financial planner he wanted the exact same program I had presented to him. They drew it up for him in less than two hours and stole the commission we had worked so hard for over the past nine months.

I’m sorry to get so deep in this letter because I usually contact you to keep my mind off work, and I know I sound bitter. But to be honest, I have been consumed by this situation. These are things they don’t teach you in business school. Well, anyway . . .

I appreciate your prayers, and yes, I have gotten over the reading of the will. Yeah, it got to me, but I must move on. I guess it is not for me to know the whys of it at this point. I just trust that one day I will.

Thinking of you . . .

Until . . .

Drew

In spite of the tone, Drew’s letters always had a way of brightening her day. This day in particular she needed to hear from him. Betty wanted to reply immediately, but she knew if she did, she would go into detail over either her problems with Evander or her fears regarding the case, and neither was an issue she wanted to revisit. So she turned off her computer and desk lamp and went to bed.