Just because she had suggested he hire someone, it was not her fault if he couldn’t control his baser urges. What if the woman hadn’t become possessive? Would they still be in the affair? Warren’s entire logic on why she should forgive him was ludicrous. For some reason, he felt that as a man, he was entitled to make at least one mistake and be forgiven. That was the craziest thing she had ever heard. So after sharing an exclusive relationship with him for a little more than a year, she’d ended things and blocked his number.
Deciding to change the subject, she asked, “How was the wedding?”
The wedding she was asking about was that of Redford St. James and Carmen Golan. Redford was the best friend of Westmoreland cousin, Sloan Outlaw, and Carmen was the best friend of Sloan’s wife, Leslie. Iris had gotten to know both Redford and Carmen from attending several Westmoreland events.
“The wedding was beautiful. They wanted a small event, so fewer than a hundred people attended. It was held at Carmen’s church in DC. Dillon and I extended our trip to visit the Westmorelands in Atlanta.”
A short while later, Iris ended the call with Pam. Leaning back in her chair, she glanced out the window at the majestic Los Angeles skyline. Although the dreams she and Pam had shared for their future in college hadn’t exactly come true, what they did have wasn’t bad.
Pam had wanted a bright and fulfilling career in Hollywood, with the intent of one day becoming an A-list actress with an Oscar under her belt by her fortieth birthday. Pam had been on her way to fulfilling that dream when she was cast in several movies. Just as she was getting bigger roles and starting to make a name for herself, she had to give up her blossoming acting career to rush back to Wyoming and care for her ailing father. Instead of returning to California upon his death, Pam remained in Wyoming to become a guardian for her three younger sisters.
Iris didn’t know of any other person who had a bigger heart than Pam, and although her dream of winning an Oscar never came to fruition, she was blessed in a bigger way when she met and married Dillon Westmoreland. He was a dream come true, just what Pam, as well as her sisters, had needed at that time in their lives.
Now Pam was a happy wife and mother of three. Two sons, Denver and Dade, and a daughter, Destiny. Although Pam never fully achieved her dream of becoming an A-list actor, she helped others achieve their dreams by owning and operating several acting schools in Wyoming, Denver and DC.
Iris switched her gaze from the window to the picture on her wall. A picture of her two favorite men. Her father, Stuart Parkett, and her husband, the one true love of her life, Garlan Michaels.
In the picture, they were out on a boat fishing, something they liked doing together. No one knew that less than a month after that picture was taken, she would lose Garlan, and a year later, her father. Both had been killed in accidents doing things they’d loved.
For her father, it had been riding his prized motorcycle. He’d taken his Harley out one Sunday morning, and a driver, still too drunk from the night before to be behind the wheel of a vehicle, had run a stop sign and killed her father instantly.
Her thoughts then shifted to Garlan. Right out of college, she had met Garlan when she accompanied Pam to an audition. She was convinced she fell in love the moment she saw him, and they got married six months later. Garlan was seven years older and a well-known stuntman in Hollywood. Less than a year into their marriage—ten months to be exact—Garlan was killed while working on a major action film.
She would never forget the phone call she got, informing her that he’d been taken by life flight to the hospital, only to arrive and be told he was gone forever. It was only with Pam’s support that she’d gotten through that period in her life. Her father had been too filled with grief himself to do so. She had loved Garlan so much and knew without a doubt that he would forever hold a special place in her heart. And she would always be grateful to him for their son.
She shifted her thoughts to what Pam had said. Matt had asked about her. Iris inhaled deeply. Learning that he had asked meant something to her when it really shouldn’t. Matt was a nice guy, but like she had told Pam, thanks to Warren, she was still raw.
After losing Garlan, she had dated only when it suited her. Because of the nature of his work, Garlan had made her promise that if anything were to happen to him, she would get on with her life and not live one filled with grief.
It had taken two years before she had gone out on her first date after his death and she had spent the entire evening comparing the man to Garlan. The same thing occurred with the dates that followed. None could compare. Nor had there been any instant attraction, easy banter, or anyone she’d enjoyed spending much time with.
After her son was born, she spent the next six years giving him all her attention, which left no time for dates. It was only when she felt comfortable leaving him with a babysitter that she began dating again. That’s when she had met Karlton Robinson, an accountant who leased the office building next to hers. Karlton was handsome and nice, but since his office was next door he had a tendency to pop in on her all the time, which she’d found annoying.
Iris made it clear to him and any man she dated that she was not interested in ever marrying again, which hadn’t seemed to bother any of them. They hadn’t wanted marriage either. But Karlton decided, after they’d dated for almost a year, that he’d changed his mind and wanted a wife. She hadn’t been hesitant about cutting him loose.
A few years later, she had met Warren on a business flight to London. Like her, he had lost his spouse years earlier and had no intention of ever marrying again. They had hit it off immediately. What she liked about her relationship with Warren was that, since he resided in Philadelphia, he wasn’t constantly underfoot. After dealing with Karlton, who would show up at any time, she found Warren to be a breath of fresh air. She and Warren had seriously dated for a little more than a year before she’d ended things and blocked his number.
Another thing she refused to do was to get involved with a man with a dangerous occupation or hobby. She had lost a husband to the former and her father to the latter. She refused to go through that type of pain again. Karlton had been an accountant and Warren a CEO. Both were what she considered safe jobs.
Matt Caulder, the attorney, might be just the man she needed…if she were interested. There had been instant attraction between them, conversations with him had definitely been easy, and she’d certainly enjoyed the time she’d spent with him at Cheyenne’s birthday bash.
Although she was looking forward to seeing him at the gender reveal party, she had to stick to her decision not to become involved with anyone for a while. Now that her son Garlan was in his second year of college at Harvard, she had gotten used to being an empty nester and had more free time on her hands to do whatever she pleased. She spent that time visiting museums, shopping with friends and traveling to locations to check off her bucket list. She also spent a lot of weekends at her Hermosa Beach house. It had been Garlan’s primary home before they married, and he’d decided not to sell it. Instead, it had become their private retreat, and they always looked forward to the weekends they’d spent there together. After Garlan’s death, it had been hard for her to go back there without him. Then, after Garlan Jr. was born, the beach house became a place they’d both enjoyed. He’d grown up loving it there.
Smiling, completely satisfied with her present agenda, she glanced at her watch. It was time to get back to work.
* * *
“How is the Gaskins case going, Dad?”
Matthew Caulder glanced up from the papers spread out on his desk and smiled at the young woman who’d entered his office. She was his heartbeat. Since she’d been born, he’d been determined to be the best parent to his daughter and vowed never to give his heart to another woman. That’s the reason why, for years, his best friend, Dominic Saxon, had referred to Matt as the king of one-night stands. He had long ago shed that type of reputation. When Deena became of dating age, he needed to set an example for what to expect from a man. One-night stands weren’t it.
“The case is going okay. We’ll be taking it to trial in a few weeks,” he said, tossing his ink pen on his desk and leaning back in his chair. The law firm of Caulder and Stallings had been in business for over fifteen years and employed nearly thirty people. He was looking forward to the day when another Caulder would be added as a partner. Namely, Deena.
From the first, she had told him she wanted to earn that right. That meant working hard to set herself above the other associates in terms of her expertise and her ability to not only take on cases but also win them. She didn’t want being the daughter of the founding attorney to have anything to do with it. He had agreed but doubted it would take her five to seven years to become a partner. Already she had won every case she’d taken on since coming to work for him a year ago.
He believed that traveling abroad for a year after passing the bar—compliments of her godfather—had a significant impact on her success. When she returned to the States and came to work, she had done so with her sleeves rolled up, ready to tackle the cases assigned to her.
Another thing she’d done was to move into her own apartment. He understood her need for independence and knew it had been time. Even so, he hadn’t been ready for it. She was no longer his little girl. She was a young woman he was proud of. They’d always had a close relationship and he hoped they would always continue to have one.
