Page 8 of Soaring Free
“Odds on how long Shane walks around without a black eye from a member of the Callahan family—and maybe even one from Murphy Callahan himself?” Vivian raises an eyebrow and a very valid point.
“After this little stunt? I’d guess less than seven days.” Even less than that if he steps foot in Forrest Falls.
“I’ll bet seventy-two hours, even if I have to do it myself. Walker taught me how to throw a punch.” She smirks and I laugh because the idea of my sister, who is everything good and sweet in this world, punching someone is comical. “What? I can do it. I’ll just channel my inner mama bear.” She growls—well, attempts to, anyway.
“Well, first off, your shoulder is still healing from being shot, and second, if you were to get in any kind of physical altercation with a man, I suspect your man would bring down the full force of the FBI on that individual. Hmm. Maybe that’s not the worst idea, let’s hold onto that as plan B.” I wink at her but not totally kidding. When the FBI got involved in Vivian’s husband’s murder, it also brought a handsome FBI agent into her life, and they both fell pretty quick and hard for one another. Walker is a great man,and I know he is a much better man than we assumed her first husband was. He had us tricked—apparently, my sister and I had both made poor judgement when it came to the men we married. But I don’t recognize this version of Shane; this is not the man I married. I knew he could be ruthless in the courtroom, but he never was toward me. I guess things change.
Vivian and I talk through a few other logistical concerns with suddenly not having money, and as I think of additional financial needs, I send multiple texts to Jack.
Jack
Who do you want for an attorney? Is there someone you have in mind? Otherwise, if you really want to hit him hard, I can fly someone in from the firm I work with in New York. Daphne’s firm has some incredibly vicious litigators.
“Have you thought about that at all? Who will you hire if you aren’t using someone from Brown, Lewis, and Williams, which I’m assuming we are all officially declaring him and his firm persona non grata after this little stunt of his.” My sister rolls her lips over her teeth contemplating something and hums before continuing, “You know, it’s okay if you want to hire someone from Chase’s firm. There’s no bad blood between us, and honestly, I feel awful for his daddy and brothers and everything they’re dealing with in the wake of what happened.” Chase Riley was Vivian’s high school sweetheart, and their breakup was mutual with the two of them on good terms for years. Chase may not have personally harmed my sister, but it’s still hard to overlook everything that happened in the last year. Some people may assume that our family hates the Riley family for everything that happened, but we all know where the blame belongs, and where it does not. Daddy is still best friends with Chase's Uncle Frank, and Chase’s brother Max is one of Jack’s best friends and works for him. In a town the size of Forrest Falls, it's hard to avoid anyone for too long anyway.
“Although, Chase may very well be too nice of a guy. I personally would love to see someone wipe the floor with Shane. He may be one of the highest paid white-collar criminal defense attorneys in the state, but divorce proceedings are a different kind of battle.” My sweet sister is out for blood—and I am here for it.
“You know, he made this personal when he put his selfish demands over our girls’ well-being, so I think it’s only fair that I return the favor.” I tap my chin and my eyes narrow as a brilliant idea comes into focus. I can’t help the cunning smile that spreads across my face. “And I think I know exactly which pain point of his to push—and where I can find a really big stick to do just that.” I grab my phone to respond to Jack.
Me
I have an idea—and I think they will be perfect.
My soon-to-be ex-husband is going to be so pissed.
It’s a low blow and I know he will never see it coming.
It’s perfect.
Chapter five
“Lady Smith-Harrington, are you planning to join me for breakfast today, or will I just have to see you at dinner?” I call up the stairs as I hear Gigi’s footsteps pitter-patter down the hall and scamper down the stairwell.
“Daddy, this morning it’s actually Princess Gigi,” she emphatically proclaims with a deep curtsy. She has accessorized her outfit with a hot pink crown, which I recognize from her Halloween costume last year. “But yes, my fair knight, ‘tis my pleasure and delight to join you for us to dine together this lovely morning.” She suddenly has a British accent and is trying so hard to keep a straight face. I bow as I apologize for the confusion, and that’s enough to make her bust out in giggles.
“We need to be in the car and out the door in twenty minutes, and I just finished the waffles. Do you want apple or orange juice, Princess?”
“Apple, please, kind sir.”
I pour her a glass before grabbing the plate of sliced fruit from the counter and add it to the spread on the kitchen island.
We have a formal dining room, but unless we’re hosting my family or company, almost all of our meals are eaten right here—just the two of us. I never would have imagined at forty-seven years old that my days would be filled with princesses and tea parties, but I also wouldn’t change anything about my life. Well, I might add someone to it, but finding the right partner has been harder than figuring out how the hell to do a Dutch braid, which apparently, is not the same as a French braid.
I check my watch and see we’re okay on time. I’m fortunate to have a lot of flexibility with my job and a great team that supports the day-to-day needs of the firm. I’m not above using the perks that come with being a named partner, and also one of the legacy partners at Smith and Harrington. But I like taking my daughter to school whenever possible.
Smith and Harrington was founded by my great-grandfather and his best friend. Two generations later, my father, Henry Theodore Harrington, and my mother, Millicent Gwendolyn Smith, were the first generation of Smiths and Harringtons to also unite in marriage. People assume when I introduce myself as Theodore Smith-Harrington that I’m giving them my full name, but my middle name is actually Ares, like the Greek god of war. Our grandparents loved to tell the story of how Henry and Millie hoped at least one of their children would become a powerful litigator in their own right—and between my sister and me, we have more than fulfilled that dream.
The firm has grown over the years and now has over eighty attorneys, and more support staff than I can count, so when we expanded into Forrest Falls almost six years ago, I was more than happy to volunteer to lead the smaller office. Our headquarters location in Nashville is managed by a team of named partners, including multiple cousins of mine, and of course, my parents, even though they rarely practice these days. I was thrilled when my little sister decided to join me in Forrest Falls and help run our smaller team of fifteen attorneys here in town. I liked the idea of raising Gigi in a smaller community, and we still spend plenty of time in Nashville. Our brother Van lives in London, but thankfully, technology allows him to be active in Gigi’s life, even across the pond.
“What’s your special today, kiddo?” I take a big drink of my coffee, something I never knew I would need until I became a single parent but now is a requirement for me to function daily.
“We have art today, and we are starting a new sculpting unit that I’m so excited about! Then after school, we have a tea date, my fair knight.”
“It would be my honor, Princess Gigi.” She has been talking about the sculpting unit for weeks and I bet the upstairs playroom will soon be transformed into an art studio as well if Gigi gets into it like I suspect she will. I’d rather try to sculpt something than learn how to knit. My sister Pippa gifted Gigi a knitting kit for Christmas in part because my daughter likes arts and crafts, and in part as a subtle dig at my domestic skills because Pippa knew Gigi would ask me to do it with her. It was not my finest skill demonstration—even though I did try—we both ended up laughing at how terrible at it I was. My project looked more like a giant knot than anything else, and nowhere near the scarf I was allegedly working on. Overall, I think I do pretty well for a single dad, but it’s also a bit of a joke that I try to be a homemaker sometimes. I went through one brief phase of making sourdough bread and my siblings won’t let me live it down.
Gigi finishes her breakfast and runs up the stairs to brush her teeth before we head out for school drop-off. My house manager will be arriving soon, but I don’t like to leave a large mess for Gloria. I know I grew up with a silver—okay, platinum—spoon, but our parents still taught my siblings and me the importance of treating staff members with respect. After I finish putting the plates in the sink, my phone vibrates with a text from my sister. I slide on my reading glasses as I unlock my phone.
Pippa
