The World According to Vince - Jane Harvey-Berrick Page 0,39
a place somewhere in the middle?” Cady suggested gently.
“Maybe,” I admitted. “Probably.”
“You like him?”
“I do. That doesn’t mean I could date him, I’m sure he’d drive me crazy…”
“Yep, I’m sure of that, too. But you’re warming to the idea? Because he’s a nice guy? And kind of hot?”
“Again, maybe.”
“And he hasn’t called you ‘Faith’ for ages.”
“Ha, true!”
“And you’ve been avoiding him since the fashion show.”
I sighed. “Also true. It’s just … I can only deal with one unpredictable thing at a time. And I did make a decision about something else, something important…”
“Well, don’t leave me in suspenders!” Cady quipped.
I laughed then took a deep breath. “I decided that I’m going to leave Kryll. I don’t care about making partner anymore. If I’m going to work 14-hour days, I want it to be for myself. I want to look into setting up on my own. I could still freelance as a Mergers & Acquisitions consultant, but I could also explore doing more project work…”
“Like producing a fashion show?”
I grinned at her. “Exactly!”
“Because it was fun?”
“Because I could see the whole thing through from beginning to end. Because I negotiated the hell out of those contracts to make sure that the event made more money for Vince’s charity. Because I wasn’t just making money for the sake of it. And because I had the best time doing it!”
“Good for you, girl!” Cady smiled. “Those asses at Kryll take advantage. They’ll feel a cold wind when you’re gone.”
“Well, I’m not making any announcements yet; I need to look into a few more things first; but mostly, I need to get Vince’s trial out of the way.”
I slapped my hand over my mouth as Cady stared at me wide-eyed.
“His case is going to trial?” she gasped. “But I thought you’d agreed a plea bargain with the prosecuting attorney?”
“I had,” I sighed. “I wasn’t going to say anything yet, but with all the publicity Vince has gotten, the DA’s office is making noises, and Randolph Barclay really wants to make his name and get re-elected. I’m guessing that by being the man who took down the Canine Crusader, or something, he’ll prove that no one is above the law. I read an interview that he did just a couple of days ago where he says they can’t have vigilantes getting away with burglary. I guess he’s not a dog-lover.”
“Holy crap! Have you told Vince this?”
I winced.
“I’m still hoping that I can persuade Barclay that it’s not in anyone’s best interests to take this case to trial, but apparently there have already been some copycat vigilantes breaking into animal shelters, and not just here, but in other states, too.”
“Oh, that’s not good. Do you think you can still get a plea bargain?”
“Maybe. But it’s looking less likely every day.”
“And if not?”
“We’ll have to go to trial.”
“So, when are you telling Vince?”
“I’m still hoping I won’t have to…”
“But?” Cady prompted as my shoulders slumped.
“I thought I’d wait until after your wedding. It’s one of the reasons I’ve been avoiding his calls. Ugh, I probably shouldn’t have told you either. Are you mad at me?”
Cady groaned. “No, but is there any chance that Rick and I will need to cancel our honeymoon to pay for our best man’s fine?”
“Nope, because Vince has a great lawyer,” and I winked at her, raising my glass.
“Oh, baby, it sounds like Vince might get lucky!”
“Maybe,” I grinned, clinking my glass against hers.
Vince
Gracie, she was one of a kind. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. So how could I prove to her that we’d be fookin’ amazing together? Dinner? Nah, done that, lost me tooth. A picnic in the park? Nah, it was still February and cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. Maybe another playdate with the kids, then coffee and cake at my favorite café? Yes, that sounded like something she might agree to. I’d have to work on it. She’d also mentioned wanting to get together to talk about me getting community service or whatever from that old court case. But I didn’t want it to be about work all the time. I wanted to show her that we could be good, too.
Fook me, women were complicated.
And so was me best mate. I’d also been thinking a lot about how to get Rick to loosen up for his epic stag night, because I knew that just diving into my plan would have him heading for the hills. He needed the wheels of his sense of fun