Chapter 1
Friends Are Chosen Family
Gale Fears
“Imust say, I am glad that you agreed to take the Avery case,” Father said. “It was the right thing to do.”
“Perhaps, it was,” I said. “But that doesn’t change the fact that our chances of winning are slim.”
“They are,” he said. “I agree. This will not be easy. But you took a step forward, and I am proud of you.”
“I would be prouder if you took a bride for yourself,” Mother said. “I am getting along now, and I want to be able to see my grandkids before I die.”
“Mom!” I groaned. This was one of the reasons I avoided family dinners. In fact, it was something I didn’t want to do at all. Coming here and pretending that everything was okay with my father was draining. I still couldn’t believe he had done something like this. I had always seen him as a hero, and now, I find out that it was all a lie. I didn’t even want to look at him, but I had to do it for Mom. She didn’t need to know what Dad had done. She had always been a good mother and a loving wife. She didn’t need to get involved in this. So, I had suppressed my anger and shown up for dinner, and now I regretted it. Somehow the topic always turned to my love life.
“What is this about you and Stella getting back together?” she asked. “Will I finally be getting to see my son walking down the aisle?”
“Mom, there is nothing there,” I said. I had to lie and pretend in front of the world but admitting to my mom that there was anything going on with Stella seemed too final. It made me feel as if there was really no way out of the net she had cast around me. So, I told my mother there was nothing going on, even though I knew I couldn’t keep it hidden for long.
“Now, I know a lovely girl,” Mom said. “Mrs. Lucius’s daughter. Lovely girl. Intelligent, elegant, and sophisticated. Will be a good match for you.”
“She is boring,” I said absentmindedly.
“She is,” my father agreed.
“Well, then,” Mom said. “Mr. Kumar’s daughter is studying law too. She is highly educated, and I assure you, she is not boring.”
“Mom, you are marrying a lawyer to a lawyer?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “You should know, lawyers are workaholics. You fought with Dad about it all the time. If you set me up with a lawyer, you should give up your dreams of grandkids. Neither of us will have the time for it.”
“Well, then Mr. Burns—” Mom said.
“Come now, leave the boy be,” father said, cutting her off. “When he finds someone, he will marry her. If you ask me, he should get back to that Stella. She set him straight. Got him to clean up and get into his studies. She was good for him, even if she was rather spoiled and prissy.”
I rolled my eyes and turned back towards my food. He didn’t know that Stella was blackmailing me by using the evidence she’d gathered against him. The less he knew, the better. At that point, I didn’t know who to trust.
“Father, will you do me a favor and never mention her again?” I asked.
“I would be happy to if you just told me what the hell happened between the two of you,” Father said. “She is back. I mean, at that Gala, the two of you were really chummy and all over each other. The newspaper is reporting you guys as a couple. Why don’t you just admit it and make it official?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “I don’t want to talk about this.”
“A stupid decision,” he grumbled. “Was it because of that secretary? Did you leave for some office whore?”
I slammed my hand on the table and shouted, “Dad! That’s enough.”
“So it is,” he said slowly.
“She is my secretary, not a whore,” I said, clenching my teeth. “And you are a fine one to talk, Dad. Or have you already forgotten the mess I am in because of you?”
“Alright,” Dad grumbled, looking away. “Just wanting what’s good for you.”
I sighed and threw my napkin on the table before getting up.
“Gale, you haven’t finished your dinner!” Mom said. “And what did you mean by all that?”
“Excuse me,” I mumbled and walked off. I really needed a drink.
∞∞∞
