Page 13 of Soaring Free
It’s not a face punch, but I spoke with the hospital’s CEO this morning. We will be switching from Brown, Lewis, & Williams to Smith and Harrington by the end of the month. They’ve been wooing us for a while, but I was holding out because of loyalty to Shane. Also, my golf buddy is going to spread the word through the club that Shane is persona non grata at the country club.
Finn
WTH? You guys are making me look bad. Now I HAVE to go punch him in the face!!
Me
No physical violence that could hurt my court case, please.
Finn
Don’t think I didn’t notice you said “physical violence” so any other warfare tactics are acceptable then… did you hear that Liam?
Liam
There are so many other creative options outside of physical tactics…
Finn
But seriously, if you need anything around the house, please call me.
Me
Of course, but let’s be honest, I would’ve called you to fix anything at the house even before this bullshit.
Vivian
It’s going to be OK, Sav. We’ve got you!
Chapter nine
“Now do you see why I was so sneaky this morning? But also, I still wanted to have my fun.” My sister pops open her Diet Coke and lifts it in a toast before taking a sip. Her smug grin confirms she is quite pleased with herself. She may have been playing games this morning, but she always keeps things interesting and I wouldn’t change anything about my scheming sister. I’m convinced her husband has to be part saint, though.
“I knew you were up to something, but I wasn’t sure what to expect and it definitely was not that,” I admit as I drop onto the couch in her office. After signing the retainer, Savannah went on to explain how Shane froze their assets and basically left her destitute if it weren’t for her family. I don’t know what Shane was thinking when he played that card. Anyone who knows of the Callahan family knows that Savannah wouldn’t be penniless for long between the wealth of her father and siblings. For crying out loud, her brother istheJack Callahan—pretty sure his wealth is even comparable with my own family’s. But that’s also on brand for Shane. He is shortsighted and can only see what’s right in front of him; he lacks the vision to understand, predict, and plan for the long game.
“It’s no secret you and Shane Williams hate each other, but why is that? You’ve never told me why there’s such bad blood between the two of you. It went from him going on holiday with us to you two being sworn enemies.” Pippa raises her eyebrows, apparently signaling that it’s now story time.
“To be honest, I don’t really know. We went to law school together, and for the first year, maybe even almost the firsttwo years, I thought we were friends. That was the summer he visited us in the Hamptons. We were both competitive and took studying seriously, so I assumed we both wanted to pursue excellence. Iron sharpens iron and all of that, right?” I shake my head in disappointment at how things turned out and at my own failure of not seeing the truth behind the situation—or the man. “Apparently, I was mistaken.” In hindsight, I shouldn’t have assumed the guy was my friend for as long as I did, but I was oblivious to the competition we were allegedly in against each other. “I never cared how many times he scored better on an exam than me or vice versa, just that we both did well, but I guess Shane paid very close attention to that.”
“So, he was jealous that you were smart and hard working? Boo. Come on, man. That’s not even a good story, Theo.” Before Pippa dismisses my story, I decide to tell her a story I’ve never actually told another person.
“You forgot handsome and charming, but as my sister, I’ll let it slide.” She makes a gagging sound as I continue, “I think the turning point was the last month of our second year. We had an exam coming up in constitutional law that we were planning to study for together. We were supposed to meet in front of the library, but I didn’t see him, so I started walking around looking for him, assuming he started studying early. I walked into one of the study rooms in the back of the stacks, and lo and behold, I found Shane.”
My sister leans forward as I take a dramatic pause. “And? What was he doing? Was he stealing the exam? Was he screwing the teacher? Was he plotting a murder?” She nearly bounces with excitement from the impending drama.
“Ha! No, not quite. He was making out with a girl he had pressed up against the wall. She was dating this complete douche in our class, and I loathed the guy, so I never told him about his girlfriend cheating on him with Shane in the library, but Shane was weird after that.” That’s being generous, actually, Shane was livid at me … but I never understood why he was so mad at me when he was the one making out with someone else’s girlfriend.
“So, what did you do?” Pippa taps her fingers excitedly on her desk.
“Nothing.” I shrug.
“What?!” Pippa shrieks in confusion.
“I didn’t do anything. I didn’t approach the guy to tell him his girlfriend was cheating, but I told Shane if the guy ever asked, I wouldn’t lie for him. He got really pissed I wouldn’t have his back—over cheating—and blew up at me about how I was going to use this against him and something about having the ultimate trump card in our competition.”
“What competition?”
“Exactly. Pippa, I had no idea the guy was so consumed with beating me. I thought we were friends.” I shake my head. “Anyway, after our second year, he got downright hostile after I got that international law internship. I mean, the guy was even pissed I went to his father’s funeral a year after law school.”
