both fell silent for a moment. “Well, I know you’re probably busy. I only wanted to let you know how much I appreciate the flowers.”
“I’m glad you like them. Are you going to be busy this weekend?”
“Probably not. Why?”
“The rest of my week will be really busy, so I may not be able to call you until then.”
“It’s no problem. We’ll talk whenever you have some time. Go back to work. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay. Talk to you soon.”
* * *
He disconnected and inhaled deeply. I need to see her. He walked back into the room and met the smiling faces of his friends. “Don’t you people have work to do?”
“We do. So the quicker you spill the beans, the quicker we can get to it,” Brad said.
Audrey rubbed her hands together with glee. “Come on. What’s she like? Is she pretty? Nice?”
Terrence knew they wouldn’t leave until they had answers, so he brought up the picture of him and Janae on his phone and handed it to Audrey.
“She’s gorgeous.”
Brad leaned over her shoulder. “I agree. She’s a beauty. Where did you meet her?”
Terrence shot a quick glance at Donovan, then back to Brad. “At the concert.”
Brad’s eyebrows shot up. “I thought you said she wasn’t a groupie.”
“She’s not,” Terrence snapped.
Donovan jumped in and told them what transpired the night of the concert and the rest of the weekend. “She seems like a really nice person.”
“Does she live in San Francisco, Terrence?” Audrey asked.
“No. San Jose.”
“Hmm, a long-distance relationship can be tricky, especially with all the traveling you do,” she noted thoughtfully.
“I know,” Terrence replied. Although it wasn’t as if he was thinking relationship. He didn’t do relationships. At the same time, he couldn’t get her off his mind.
“Man, I don’t think it’s wise for you to get caught up in this kind of thing. Maybe you should just sleep with her and move on. Like Audrey said, she’s geographically undesirable,” Brad said.
Terrence knew Brad meant well, but couldn’t stop the surge of annoyance that welled up.
Audrey punched her husband in the arm. “That’s not what I said, Brad. I said a long-distance relationship is tricky, not impossible.”
The anger on Terrence’s face was plain.
“Way to go, Brad. And why would you tell him to ‘just sleep with her and move on’? Didn’t you see the look on his face when she called?” She rolled her eyes and jumped to her feet.
Brad’s face reddened, and he tried to backpedal. “I’m sorry, Terrence. I didn’t mean it like that.”
“For a man who’s supposed to be able to read facial expressions and body language as an integral part of his job, you can be so dense sometimes.” Audrey turned to Terrence. “Terrence, if you feel she’s special, then you should go after her.” She shrugged. “That’s my two cents.” She glared at her husband, snatched up her belongings and stormed out.
“What does that mean?” a confused Brad asked.
Donovan chuckled. “Man, you stepped in it this time. What your wife is trying to say is, as a lawyer, you should have been able to look at Terrence’s face when Janae called and know that she’s more than some booty call.” At Brad’s continued blank look, he shook his head. “You really don’t get it, do you?”
“No. What am I missing?”
“In all the years you’ve known Terrence, how has he behaved when it came to women?”
Brad shrugged. “More or less had a take-it-or-leave-it attitude.”
“And, even when he dated?”
“He still seemed somewhat detached. As a matter of fact, I don’t remember seeing him with the same woman twice.”
“When you look at Audrey, what happens to your facial expression and your body language?”
His eyes widened. “I...oh...you’re right. I’ve never seen him look like that before.”
“Bingo.” Donovan stood.
“I’ll be in my office,” Terrence grumbled, annoyed they were talking about him as though he treated women badly.
Brad stood quickly, following them out. “I’m sorry, man. I didn’t know.”
“Terrence will be fine. You should probably start with your wife, since she thinks you’re dense,” Donovan said with a laugh.
* * *
Terrence sat at his desk staring out the window when Donovan closed the door and took a seat on the sofa.
Neither spoke for several minutes, and then Donovan asked, “You okay, man?”
Terrence slowly rotated in his chair. “I’m cool.”
“I don’t think Brad meant any harm.” He chuckled and shook his head. “But he pissed Audrey off. You know how protective of you she is.”
Terrence smiled faintly.
“What are you going to do about Janae?”
“I’m going to see her.”
“You’re serious about her.”
“I’m not serious about anyone.”
He shook his head. “What do you need me to do?”
“I’d like to go on Saturday.”
“I’ll make sure the jet is ready and get you a car. When do you want to fly back?”
“Depends. No later than Sunday, though. We both have to work on Monday.”
Donovan nodded and stood. “I’ll let you know when everything is finalized.”
“Thanks, D. And tell Audrey to go easy on Brad.”
“I will, and you tell Mrs. Lewis we didn’t do anything to you. She was fussing and asking if we upset you when I came in. I swear you’ve got better protection than the president.” The fifty-something-year-old secretary watched over Terrence like a mama bear protecting her cub.
“What can I say?” Terrence shrugged. “I’m leaving in about half
