Forever. (This. Is. Not. Over. Book 3) (14 page)

             
“Jasmine, I won’t marry her.”

             
“Thank you,” she says as she jumps off of me and onto the bed. “Now I have to tinkle. I don’t wanna get another UTI messing around with you.” She gives me a playful shove on the leg and then hops off the bed, heading for the bathroom. I wait until I hear the door close before I lean over and check my cell phone. I see I missed Nat’s phone call.

Nat decided to head to Harvard for law school instead of Yale with Mac and me. He stays in the city with Dena
, whom he married last year, and in the same apartment building as Cadence and his wife Lola, who’ve been married for a year and half now. Cadence went to Harvard after graduating from University of Cambridge and moving back from London. The move to Harvard was smart—in theory. Nat and Cadence will be close to the Boston scene. I understand what they’re doing but I wasn’t about to go to law school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a city where my father is the mayor and my mother is the First Lady. Nat, however, isn’t calling to chat and shoot the breeze. I’m sure he wants to know what’s going on with Jasmine. I hurry and call him back as Jasmine begins to run the faucet water, something she does so that I won’t hear her using the bathroom.

“Jake
,” Nat says as he answers.

             
“Yeah.”

             
“So did you tell her about Winnie?”

             
“Just did it.”

             
“And?”

             
“It went as expected. She’s asking me to call it off.”

             
“You can’t do that, Jake.”

“No shit, Nat.” I run my hand over my face. Nat’s been bullshitting around about starting a law firm with Mac, Cadence and me in
two years when we graduate law school. He’s worried that we’ll struggle to get clients in Boston, a town where everyone’s a lawyer. Therefore, he’s talking about joining his father and brother at their firm first to get some of their clients. He thinks that’s smart; I think it’s owing another man your livelihood. I’d rather owe my wife my livelihood than another man. So he can pussyfoot around about joining Mac, Cadence and me if he wants to but I’m telling you, if keeps playing hard to get,
Blair and March
, will quickly turn into
Blair and Associates
. And guess which one he’ll be.

“Listen,” Nat whispers. Dena must be around somewhere. “I want to start this firm eventually but I’m not doing it without leverage. I’d rather go to my father’s firm where he has clients and a roster of politicos and then branch off.”

              “And risk being called a goddamn spinoff? Grow some balls!” I whisper.

“I have balls! If you ask me, Cadence, Malcolm and I are the only one with balls around here.”

“Are you fucking serious? I’m about to sound like a bitch right now and say take that back. You’ve got to be kidding me. Cadence has more balls than me? A man who majored in poetry?”

“Jake, listen, I’m with Dena-Jo’s hillbilly ass because she has connect
ions. Mac’s with Laura’s crazy ass because she has connections, Cadence is with Lola because she has connections and you need to be with Winnie for the same reason. Cadence, Mac and I are doing our part, what the hell are you doing? We need to start selling ourselves ASAP! We need to start putting the bug in people’s ear right now if we want clients by the time we graduate. So drop Jasmine and make this happen with Winnie or you’re out the business.”

“I’m out of the business? Are you serious?” I laugh. “Did you just say that to
me
?”

“Jasmine can’t help us. Winnie can. Damn, grow up, Jake. You don’t marry for love, you marry for leverage.”

“Nat, leave me the fuck alone. You’re not speaking to a damn amateur. If I said I’ll end it with Jasmine, that’s what I’ll do. Now don’t you have a demanding ass wife to pretend to honor and obey? By the way, good job on that. No one would ever know that you’re full of shit. You’re almost as good as Malcolm.”

“Funny. You and Mac love that joke. Pretty soon I’ll be the one saying it to the two of you.” He ends the call.

“Jakie!” Jasmine yells out from the bathroom.

“Yeah, baby.” I toss the phone on the bedside table.

“Let’s go for a ride on the bike! Are you too tired?” She giggles.

“I’m Jacob Blair, I’m never tired
,” I say as I drag out of bed. “I’m getting dressed.” Damn. How in the hell am I gonna end this?

              “Jake.”

             
“Yeah.” I say to Nat as we stand outside the elevator doors. I’m waiting to get on as he comes out dressed in sweats and a tee. I look him over like he’s lost his damn mind. “It’s 20 degrees outside—where the hell is your coat?”

“Upstairs. Listen
—”

“Upstairs? Don’t you think you should at least put on a light jacket?”

“Jacob did you—”

“What are you trying to prove?”

“Jake, stop trying to distract me.” I let out a deep breath, put my hands in my pockets and

close my eyes. Here we go with Nat’s ‘play-by-the-rules’ ass. “Did you meet Jasmine at Starbucks?”

              “Yes Nathaniel, I did.”

“And?”

              “And, what?” I open my eyes and look over his ruddy ass. Nat’s a Dane but he’s a red one; auburn hair and light brown eyes. My mother is slightly obsessed with him:
I will always be a good Catholic girl,
she told me one day,
after all, I named all of my kids after characters in the bible. But that Nathaniel March … you know, King David was ruddy. Young, handsome and ruddy. Just like our Nat.

“Jake
…” He looks around at the lobby filled with people and then nods for us to move to the side. “That divorce between you and Winnie nearly killed the business five years ago. How in the hell can we be the go-to guys if we don’t have our shit together?”

             
“Nat, if you give me this same speech one more time—”

“All I’m saying is straighten this out with Winnie, resolve your issues with Jasmine and let’s get back to work. That’s what it’s all about
, right? Creating an empire, making money, making sure
Blair, March and Blair
stays on top.” He smiles. I raise an eyebrow to him. “We need to talk about the name again. I think that after all these years, I can be forgiven for heading to my father’s firm for six months.”

             
“You sold out. You lost heart.” I slap him on the back before walking back towards the elevator. “If this were the mafia you’d be at the bottom of the Boston Harbor. Both you and Cadence.” Cadence hasn’t been a part of the business since he slept with Laura. After that everyone picked up and moved from London. Within a week, Blair and Associates started its Boston office and made that the headquarters while Cadence stayed in London getting small business owners out of traffic tickets.

             
“Just listen to what I’ve said about …” He looks around. “You-know-who.”

             
“I hear you, Nat.” Speaking of Cadence … I take my cell phone out of my pocket to call him. I need a favor. “By the way, where are you headed?”

             
“Dena just talked to Laura. Looks like they need a referee over at Aunt Angie’s.”

Jasmine

(
nostalgia
.)

“Is this call necessary,
Daddy?” I hear Roman say into the phone.

             
“I don’t know son, you called me,” Malcolm says in confusion. “Is it?”

             
“How are the clouds?”

“The weather’s pretty good
.” Malcolm smiles as we cruise down Gate Street. I glance up and see a grey cloud passing over the moon. I love when that happens.

             
“Hmm.”

“That was a loaded
Hmm
, is there something that I should know?” I look over to Malcolm and see that he’s smiling.

             
“I wonder if they’re necessary.”

             
“The clouds? Well, for rain they are. They make sure grass grows so that cows can eat, so that they can make milk, so that you can eat gelato.”

“They’re necessary.”

“They are.”

“Are you driving?”

              “I am. I’m actually on my way to Grandma’s right now so I’m about to see you.”

             
“Is that necessary?”

“Well, uh, your U
ncle Carlo asked me to come. So yeah, it’s necessary.” Malcolm stops at a red light and looks at me in confusion. “Are you upset that I’m coming? Should I meet your Uncle Carlo somewhere safe, where you won’t be?”

             
“That’s not necessary.”

             
“Okay … is this a new word you’re trying out here?”

             
“Uncle Cadence taught me it!”

             
“Ah.”

             
“Did you hear me say it?”

             
“I did.”

“And how did it go?”

              “It actually went quite well. I’m glad Uncle Cadence taught you that new word.”

             
“Yeah, it was necessary.”

             
“So are you excited about tomorrow and your brother singing in a play?”

             
“Do I
have
to go, daddy?”

“Yes
, you do … it’s necessary.”

“Ahaha!” Roman cracks up in the phone. Malcolm looks at me and I can’t help but laugh with Roman. I may hate Roman’s mother but those kids of hers are a hoot. “Well,” Roman says gaining his composure, “if you don’t mind
…”

             
“Uh-huh.”

“I might like some French fries.”

              “Roman, it’s almost ten at night; you should be in bed.”

             
“But I’m hungry.” Oh Malcolm, don’t do it. The nutritionist in me desperately wants to extol the virtues of children eating meals that are packed with vitamins that keep them full longer, instead of quick fixes such as French fries that leave them irritable and wanting more. I listen to the words that form in my head and suddenly realize that maybe I should be taking my own advice.

             
“I’ll stop by Chick-fil-A before they close,” Malcolm says.

             
“Thanks! See you later. Bye!”

             
“See you when I get there.” Malcolm smiles and ends the call, presumably proud that he’ll be contributing to the obesity problem of America’s youth.

             
“Oh. Malcolm, starch and grease this late at night?”

             
“I know, don’t tell Red,” he says as he spots a Chick-fil-A while putting his phone in his coat pocket.

             
“Danielle doesn’t like the boys eating fries?”

             
“Absolutely not. She always talks about how fat travels through your bloodstream and leads to half of the world’s diseases among the twelve and younger set.”

“I told her that a couple of years ago. Wow, she listened to my advice?”

“Well, you are a nutritionist, Jasmine.” He pulls into the Chick-fil-A drive-thru line.

             
“Yeah, but she always teased me about my college major. She had no idea what I would do with it.”

             
“Look at you now; you’re informing us of the effects of starch and grease on a child’s body, and you’re helping to keep our kids alive … Hi, can I get a large waffle fries, please?”

“I can’t believe she took my advice and actually
repeated
it,” I say to myself as Malcolm pulls up in the line. I look around the parking lot and shake my head is dismay. Just sad. Parents are rushing in to get a load of greasy waffle fries to kill their kids before the place closes at ten.

“Hi
, there,” I hear a guy say. I look over to Malcolm and notice the drive-thru guy batting his lashes.

“How’s it going?” Malcolm says as he reaches in his coat pocket to take his wallet out.

“You’re that lawyer aren’t you?” Gay Guy says.

             
“I am,” Malcolm says with a smile as he pulls out a ten-dollar bill.

             
“
Um
,” Gay Guy says with pursed lips and a grin on his face. He sexily slides the bill out of Malcolm’s hand while trying to maintain eye contact.

             
“I’m taken,” Malcolm jokes as the ten-dollar bill finally leaves his fingertips.