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Holy fuck!
“I... umm...” Austin shook his head, the simple statement before him one he wished to hear since the moment he first accepted the job with Boyd & Bernstein at Law. He blanched and blinked his eyes. “I don’t know what to say,” he spit out.
“You sayyes, boy.” Rodger leaned forward and returned his fingers to his mustache. “Steven and I built this place from the ground up. And it has simply got to continue to be led by strong leadership. You have the education. You have a proven track record. And you have the experience—and expertise. That’s it, Templeton! You’re the future of the firm.”
His brain dizzied, swimming in a thick fog as the words crashed in around him—the opportunity he’d wished for, hoped for. The promotion he’d fought for.
“Let our old bags of bones start to think about retirement knowing our legacy is in good, competent hands,” added Steven.
The dream sat before him, the opportunity laid bare on the table, ready to be seized. Austin’s gaze fell to the floor as uncertainty flooded his heart.This is it, Austin! This is what you’ve always wanted!He bit his lip and lifted his gaze back to Steven.Then why doesn’t it feel right?
“What about Chicago? I’m not done.” He shook his head, stupidly pointing out the window as if they could turn and see the unfinished work two thousand miles in the distance.
Rodger waved off the question. The hardware squeaked beneath him as he shifted his weight. “Don’t worry about it, Templeton. We’ll get Smith out there to finish up whatever it was you started. The future of the firm ishere. In California. The money will always be in L.A. You know that.” He frowned. “Hollywood divorce rates are sky high. You’re just not gonna find that in the Midwest. It’s a different specialty, still a market for our name, but we need your expertisehere.”
Steven nodded in agreement. “You’re more valuable to us here. Your absence in this place is noticeable.”
His heart shattered, the impact of their words crashing into his soul, a tidal wave of emotions swirling in his gut as Casey’s face clouded the vision. He bit the inside of his cheek and tasted blood. Forcing a smile on his lips, he nodded. “That’s umm, really quite the offer. I didn’t expect any of this,” he muttered, brushing the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.
“We should have prepared you for it sooner, kid, not sent you packing. That’s our error.” Steven crossed his arms over his chest and lifted his eyes to meet Austin’s.
“Take the job, partner.” Rodger tapped his hands on the table, matching each word for emphasis. “Boyd. Bernstein. And Templeton.At Law...” His hands rose, punctuating each word and popping his fists open and closed like fireworks in the sky.
An image of the sign out front appeared in Austin’s brain, his name included beneath the two legendary founders.
I’ve wanted this for so long.
Austin inhaled, sucking the air into his lungs, feeding oxygen to his brain. “When do you need an answer?”
Steven squinted. “You need to think it over?”
Austin nodded and bit his bottom lip again. “I’m sorry. It’s the wedding...” He dropped his face into the palms of his hands and dragged his fingers along his cheeks. “There’s just a lot going on. It’s hard to absorb it all.”
“Monday then. Take the weekend and call me Monday.” Steven eyed him, dropping his hands to the table.
His legs went numb—the blood flow in his body seemingly at a standstill—frozen in the moment with his brain and stunned alongside his heart. Austin wiggled his toes and stood, bracing himself against the table. He nodded and extended his hand for another round of handshakes.
“Thank you for the opportunity,” he murmured and retreated to the door.
“Templeton?”
Austin turned, his gaze falling on Rodger.
“Your career started here, and it can end here too.” His words sliced into his soul, the veiled threat bouncing off his heart and inciting shivers to skyrocket through his body.
Austin nodded and left, staggering down the hallway toward the safety of his office. He slammed the door and twisted the lock. As he dropped into his chair, the weight of the conversation rested heavily on his psyche. “Holy fuck,” he choked out and closed his eyes, willing the pounding in his head to disappear. “What just happened?”
His phone vibrated in his pocket, and Austin tugged it free, expecting Josh’s name to reappear.
But it didn’t.
His eyes clouded over, his vision darkening as his heart leapt, lodging deep in his windpipe. He read the message,I need to see you, Austin.
Swallowing the vomit rising in his throat, his lips betrayed him. “Princess?” he whispered before losing the battle and upending his stomach in the wastebin beneath his desk.
