Page 9 of The Meeting
“Hi, is this Ms. Winters?”
“Yes.”
“Hi, my name is Chase Romano. I received your file about your current business predicament with…” He looked through the papers again. “An Andrew Jones.”
Her sigh came over the line. “Yes, it’s a bit of a messy situation.”
“I’d like to schedule an appointment for you to come in so we can discuss the next step to take in this matter. Are you free Monday at two?”
“Of course. I’ll be there. Thank you so much!”
He pulled out his notebook and made notes on the next steps he wanted to take in her case to get everything settled. Situations involving business partners generally ended incredibly unpleasant with a business split. However, their situation was unique in she designed all the products and he handled the website and business aspect. Without a designer, he wouldn’t have anything to post. But without someone to handle the site or learning it herself, she wouldn’t have a way to sell her products.
When he finally finished the last file in his basket, he looked up at the clock. Several hours had already passed, and it was well past 8 p.m. on a Friday night. Somehow he didn’t even notice Eileen saying bye to him and locking up the place. He stared at all the work he finished and gave himself a mental pat on the back. This was the first night in two weeks that he would not be bringing a box of files home, and the first weekend he wouldn’t be working since he started the business.
He grabbed his briefcase, and then, on second thought, set it back down on his desk, and left. He didn’t need it. Not tonight. The drive home was quiet, as always. The streets were busier than normal, being it was a Friday night. He pulled into his apartment complex and walked toward his apartment. Just as he was unlocking the door, Abi’s door opened.
Abi stuck her head out. “Hey Chase! I thought that was you. We are eating pizza and having game night. Care to join us?”
His stomach growled. It had been far too long since he had eaten and the only thing waiting for him was a frozen microwave dinner. “I wouldn’t want to impose.”
“You are not imposing in the slightest. Go throw some sweats on and head on over! No excuses!” And then she shut her door.
He chuckled to himself.Well, okay then. No excuses.
Chase took his time as he changed into sweats and a t-shirt. Part of him just wanted to spend his free night relaxing on the couch and watching a movie, but the other part of him wanted to make friends in the area. He knew he needed to branch out more. Not that he was an introvert by any means. He was actually an extrovert. But with all the time he had been spending at work and chatting with clients, he was becoming drained.
Gone were the days where he would head to the bar at night. It was something he loved doing with his friends before he moved. Now, he didn’t have any friends. Abi and Logan were the closest people he had to friends in this city, and he didn’t even know them that well.
Opening his fridge, he peered in and saw a case of beer he had purchased a week ago and forgot about. He pulled it out. It was better than going completely empty-handed. Abi had the door open within a few seconds of him knocking on it.
“Hey! Come on in!”
He stepped into her place, which was identical in layout to his own place. There was a board game set up on the table off to the right. Logan stood up when he walked in and came over, shaking his hand.
“Help yourself to some pizza,” Abi said.
He smiled and grabbed a few slices before sitting down at the table. Offering everyone a beer, Logan was the only one to take him up on it.
“Chase, this is my friend Kailynn.”
Kailynn’s auburn hair was tucked into a messy bun on the top of her head. Her face lacked any makeup, but she was a beauty who didn’t need it. She wore a fitted tank top that hugged her body, showing a slim figure. When she stood up to grab another slice of pizza, he watched as her sweatpants clung to her legs.
She smiled at him over a bite of pizza after she sat back down. “Hi, you’re my lawyer, right?”
He hadn’t made the connection before, but now that she said it, it dawned on him. She was the same person he had talked to on the phone earlier. The same one he was meeting on Monday to discuss a plan of action.
“That would be me,” he smiled. Then he looked down at himself. “I normally look more professional than this.”
“I know.”
He looked up at her, confused, racking his brain for a time when he had met her.
“We ran into each other… literally. It was earlier this week.”
The memory came back to him. She had been standing outside of Abi’s apartment. He had forgotten a client file at his place and ran home to get it when he ran into her. He put a hand on his forehead. “I’m sorry about that.”
She waved a hand in the air. “It’s quite all right. It was an accident.” She winked at him before taking another bite of her slice.
