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“Well, I’ve got to tell you, this was impressive, Presley. We’ve met with three other firms, and none of them made me feel certain that they were the right fit. You’ve managed to do that today. I think I speak for everyone when I say that you can go ahead and send over the contracts,” Dan Walker said, and his team nodded in agreement.
“What he’s basically saying is that he makes the final decision, so he doesn’t really care what we think,” Margo said as they all erupted in laughter. “But lucky for Dan, I think we’re all on board. Very impressive presentation. I know everyone is making a big deal about you being the first female partner at the firm, but I’m here to say that I think they’re the lucky ones.”
“I couldn’t agree more. I pride myself on recognizing talent. I’m guessing we have that in common, Dan.” Phillip folded his hands and smiled.
“Agreed. You’ve got to surround yourself with the best, and that’s always been the key to my success. We look forward to working with the best, and we’re happy to have you join the A.R.C. family.”
My hands were shaking as I smiled at the camera. I hadn’t expected a decision today, but to say this had gone better than I’d imagined was a massive understatement.
Grant and Ben were going to shit themselves when they heard that we’d signed them. Maybe now they’d get on board with my name being on the outside of the building along with theirs.
We said our goodbyes, and Phillip and I stayed on the call while he gushed about how well it all went.
“Proud of you. It was your first major test, and you killed it just as I expected you would.”
“Thank you. That means a lot,” I said, reaching for my coffee, in desperate need of a caffeine boost.
“So, you think two weeks is enough? We’re ready to have you back, but I don’t want to rush you.”
I cleared my throat, as thoughts of leaving had my chest feeling heavy. My dad was making a miraculous recovery, and I was thrilled about it, but I wasn’t quite ready to go back to the madness of my life.
“Do you think you can give me three weeks? I’d like to make sure Dad is settled after the nurses leave and keep an eye on him.” I knew that wasn’t the reason I was asking for the extension. My father was doing so well that the nurses were planning to leave earlier than expected. He’d have more than enough time to adjust to the change with the date we’d planned for. But here I was, buying a little more time.
It didn’t mean anything. I was enjoying myself. It was just like extending a vacation that you were enjoying. There was no shame in that. Then you return to your regular life, and you forget about the vacation because you’re back to doing what you love.
“I can absolutely work with that. I’ve got to say, small-town life agrees with you. You seem more relaxed and lighter. I thought being there and dealing with all of this was going to be stressful for you.”
“Well, don’t get too excited. Barbie’s coming home this week. Let the stress begin.” I chuckled.
“You’ll be fine. I could only hope Brianna would want to be there for me if I were in this situation, but I think we both know that won’t be happening. You might need to be the one that comes and takes care of me when I’m too old to take care of myself.” He chuckled, but there was a sadness there. Phillip had traded his relationship with his daughter for his relationship with the firm. He’d been married three times, and I hoped that Veronica would be the one to stay. She didn’t love the hours he worked, but I knew she loved him. I’d always put him on a pedestal for his work ethic, but for the first time, I wondered if Phillip had missed out. Thinking about the concern I’d seen on Cage’s face when Gracie stumbled into the kitchen last night. He was an amazing father. Phillip hadn’t had that presence in his daughter’s life. He’d dedicated his time and energy to the firm.
And was there anything better in life than his little girl clinging to him the way she did?
If you’d asked me a few weeks ago, I’d have said that Phillip’s legal accolades were the greatest gift one could ever receive.
But today, I was looking at life a little differently.
“You know I’d be there in a heartbeat. But you’re not quite that old just yet,” I teased.
“Damn straight. I’ve got another decade to conquer the world. I’ll keep you posted on the contract, and I’ll see you at the team Zoom meeting tomorrow. I think you’ll be seeing a different side of Ben and Grant after this meeting.” He smirked.
“One can hope. I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said before waving goodbye and ending the call.
I spent the rest of the day at the house with my father. He was fully walking on his own now, no more wheelchair. Carol had been relieved, and only Lexi was on duty now, and the night nurses were no longer necessary.
My mother would be thrilled that he was going to be back to business as usual. She hated when people struggled or were anything less than perfect.
We were having dinner in the dining room together, and he finished chewing. “Mom will be back at the end of the week.”
“Yes. That’s what she said. She’ll be happy to see your progress.” I popped a bite of pasta into my mouth.
He chuckled. “Yes. Having deficits doesn’t really work well for her.”
We’d never had a deep discussion about their marriage, and he never got involved in the arguments between my mother and me.
“Does that bother you? Her lack of tolerance for imperfection?”
He took a sip of his water before setting the glass back down. “I believe that most people’s strengths and weaknesses are one and the same. I was drawn to your mother for her drive and her demand for perfection, so I can’t fault her for it when it doesn’t fare well for me.”
