Fanfic: A Valentine Blizzard 01/?
A Valentine Blizzard 01/06
By Marea67
About: Kevin/Scotty
Rate: Working up to an NC-17 (Hopefully)
Disclaimer: Written with love, not for money
Summary: Valentine's coming up and neither Kevin nor Scotty are looking for love.
A/N - Corona-virus is too depressing so I've kicked that one out of my story. :)
Not sure if it will be finished on Valentine's Day. The boys keep circling around each other too much, I think they need a firm push in the back. ;)
And allow for some "artistic freedom' where the story might be incorrect with weather-patterns and geography. It's not a documentary but a fluffy story. :)
*****
"Wandell! My office!" Kevin Walker barks as he passes by the desk of his assistant, Scotty Wandell, and he storms into his office, slamming the door behind him. Scotty raises an eyebrow. In the five years that he's been working for Kevin, he's never seen him like this.
He looks around with a quick glance. Everyone is avoiding him, except Janet.
"Great." He whispers to himself.
"It's been nice knowing you." Janet, the secretary to 2 of the 10 lawyers, whispers back.
"It can't be that bad." Scotty says, more to himself than to anyone else.
"He was angry and upset when he got in this morning. And I think that his meeting with Mr Benedict didn't go according to plan either." Janet sighs.
"What was the meeting about?" Scotty asks quickly, hoping to get an idea as to what could have angered his immediate boss in this way.
"I don't know." Janet whispers. "No one does, but there are rumors...." Whatever the rumors are, Scotty won't find out, because the door flings open again, nearly pulling it out its hinges and Kevin barks once more:
"Wandell! As in 'now!' and not after a lengthy tea-party with sandwiches!" Bam! Door closed.
Scotty grabs his notepad and, after another quick glance at his co-workers who are still all 'too busy' to notice, he trudges to Kevin's door. He knocks and enters. After having closed the door, he leans against it, notepad to his chest.
"Was that really necessary?" He asks.
In the short time it took him to walk to the door and get in, his fast-working mind has figured out that he did nothing wrong, that there is no reason for Kevin Walker to be angry at him and that it's highly unlikely that Kevin will fire him. Kevin is a demanding son-of-a-bitch, a shark of a lawyer, but he's also loyal to his staff and definitely not unreasonable.
Kevin looks at him, takes a deep breath and points to the chair opposite of him.
"Sit down." He says. It's not an order, but Scotty feels that he'd better not disobey him. So he sits down. "What I will discuss with you, cannot leave this office. Not yet. Give me your word that you won't breath a word. I don't need gossip right now."
For a moment Scotty feels offended. He never discusses cases with others, but he knows that Kevin knows this too, so he stashes any feelings of offence in the corner of his mind.
"You know me. If you tell me to keep my mouth shut, I will." Scotty only replies in his calm soothing voice.
Kevin seems to relax a little bit.
"I need you to do something for me... I have here a list of places and people I want you to call and I want you to cancel everything. I have another meeting with Mr Benedict in 15 minutes, so I don't have the time and I want this done quickly. You can use my office."
Scotty takes the list and looks over the names. Names he recognizes, because he helped Kevin find them.
"These are..." He doesn't finish his sentence. "Cancel? ... Everything? .... Your wedding-venue? Your honeymoon? Your...?" He's not allowed to move on, because Kevin interrupts him.
"Everything!." Kevin answers in rough voice.
"But... You're getting married next week. And you want me to cancel everything now?" Scotty is flabbergasted.
"I just quickly wrote down everything I could think of on such short notice. If you can come up with something, not on this list, cancel that too." Kevin says with finality in his voice.
Scotty doesn't know what to say. The upcoming wedding between Kevin Walker and Brad Spencer, had been front-page news in the gossip-papers for the last few months. Both men are well-known. They come from great families. Plenty of money to go around. This would the wedding of the year, if not the decade.
"If any of them wish to bill for damages, here are Brad's references." Kevin hands Scotty the information he needs. "If he wants to ruin our relationship, he might also damn well pay for it, because I won't!"
"Are you sure you want to do this? This will create such a huge mess…" Scotty tries to reason.
"Brad should have thought about that before sticking his dick up someone else's ass." Kevin answers with a shrug that hides his pain.
"Excuse me?" Scotty's jaw drops. "I... I ... I don't know to say. He always seemed so in love with you. So dedicated to you."
"Yeah, well, then he succeeded in fooling both of us. Because I thought the same thing." Kevin admits with a sour face.
"Are you even sure about it, that he cheated on you?" The question escapes Scotty's lips before he could think it over. Kevin's smile becomes sarcastic.
"Yeah. I am." He opens an envelope and throws the content in front of Scotty on the desk. Bewildered Scotty picks it up and he can see the well-taken, clear pictures of Brad with another man and there's no room for doubt as to what the two men are doing. The first pictures shows them half-naked and all over each other.
The last pictures shows them naked and with not so much distance between them now. Slightly embarrassed by the quite sexual and personal pictures Scotty places them back on the desk. When he looks at Kevin's face he can see how tight Kevin's jaw-line is. It's an indicator that Kevin is doing his utmost to control his emotions.
Slowly a replacement-anger builds up in Scotty. How could Brad do this to Kevin?
"I will call whomever you need me to call and cancel everything." He now says with an equally rough voice.
"Thank you."Kevin sighs. "I feel like I can't deal with it. I don't want to answer questions just yet."
"I get it." Scotty nods.
"There's something else... Mr Benedict has informed me that John Griffiths will be leaving this company as of today."
"Today? I hadn't even heard that he plans to leave?"
"Oh, he doesn't know it yet." Kevin answer with almost a little smile on his lips. Scotty's mouth drops and he leans closer.
"He doesn't know? He will get fired on the spot?"
"Yes. Again. Just between you and me. This doesn't leave this office."
"But that arrogant piece of trash is the prodigal son of this company!?" Scotty counters. It's not very professional to speak about one of the lawyers this way, but Scotty knows that Kevin can't stand him either. As a matter of fact he knows that most of his colleagues hate Mr Griffiths as well.
"Not when you're trying to get your hands under the skirts of the new intern, without her permission, and then when she complains, you call her a little tramp, obviously not knowing that the little 'tramp' is your boss' favorite niece...." Kevin grins. Scotty is just quick enough to cover his mouth with his hand, controlling the laugh that nearly escapes.
"Oh, that's ... sad." Scotty says, but his smile contradicts his words. "Couldn't happen to nicer asshole." Kevin hums in agreement at the same time that his phone buzzes.
"I have to go to Mr Benedict's office. He wants all partners to be there." Kevin says. Scotty nods that he gets it.
"I will take care of this." He holds up Kevin's list. "What about your family? Shouldn't they know?"
"I'll deal with them when I come back." Kevin replies, knowing that he can't avoid his mother that long, once the first news about the cancellations will come through.
*****
"Are you alright, hun?" Janet peeks around the door of Kevin's office.
"I'll be fine, don't worry, Janet." Scotty answers. His voice is stern enough to make her know that he can't tell her more. She knows him well enough to know that, when it comes to Kevin Walker, Scotty is completely loyal and guarded.
Sometime she doesn't understand it. Kevin is probably the most unpleasant person to work for. Sure, he pays Scotty well, gives Scotty credit for his good work, but at the same time, he's demanding and hardly gives Scotty some time off. Kevin has been working impossible hours these last few months and Scotty as well.
"Will he fire you?" She asks. Scotty looks up, not quite understanding her question.
"No. Why would he?"
"He was so angry."
"Not with me."
"No reason to be so mean to you then." Janet judges. Scotty sighs and smiles.
"I'll be fine. Don't worry. I just have a lot of work to do."
"In his office?" Usually Scotty only works here if Kevin is here as well.
"New case. Need to do some background searches." Scotty deflects.
"Oh. Need help?"
"No. I'll be fine. Just ... let me do my work. I'm alright." Janet doesn't quite believe it, yet she leaves Kevin's office and Scotty is about to call the next company on the list, when he deciphers what Kevin wrote next to it.
'Florist Jordan - Friend Scotty - pay in full. Own account.' Scotty feels a twinge of sadness for Jordan, one of his friends, who works at a florist and helps with decorating parties. He had really looked forward to do Kevin's wedding. Scotty decides to skip him so he can ask Kevin what he had meant.
His mind goes back to his colleagues at the other side of that door who only see the side of Kevin that he wants them to see. Arrogant, bossy, sometimes rude, unyielding, demanding and never asking Scotty for anything, but just assuming Scotty will fall into step with his orders.
Scotty knows that Kevin isn't really that person at all. It's just an attitude to make sure that everyone knows he means business. In a lot of ways Scotty is grateful for Kevin. Five years ago, he had stepped into this office, looking for a job, not sure if Kevin would even take his job-application serious.
Scotty had always drifted from job to job, relationship to relationship and from one house to the next, until 5 years he had had enough. After yet another breakup that left him nearly empty handed and broken hearted he had decided to give up on men, and on love in general.
With no experience at working for a lawyer he had replied to a job-application anyway. He would never know why. It was just a hunch. He can still remember the way that Kevin had looked at him. He hadn't asked much, just looked at Scotty, almost looking through him, as if he was reading Scotty somehow.
Then he had placed the application back in the folder and somehow Scotty had felt disappointed that he wasn't even given a chance, but then Kevin asked:
"When can you start?"
"Tomorrow if you like." Scotty had answered, maybe a little too eager.
"Next Monday will do. Be here at 8. Don't be late. I hate it when people are late."
"Yes, sir." Scotty had been breathless. He had a job? He had a freaking job? Yes! He did!
And it had been the start of an amazing job. He had planned to stay for about a year, just to get his life organized. That was 5 years ago. He had to learn everything from Kevin, but Kevin was patient and Scotty liked Kevin's strictness. Everything had a place, it had an order to it. It was hard work, but Scotty had been willing to do it.
And he knows that Kevin likes the fact that Scotty is eager to learn, that he can adapt quickly and that he's always willing to go the extra mile. Scotty had gone from not knowing much to knowing exactly what Kevin wanted and when he wanted it. And they were quite a golden work-couple in that respect.
And it was good for Scotty personally. With the money he earned, he had bought a nice little apartment with a nice sunny balcony in a not-so-busy building. Just enough space for himself. One normal sized bedroom, a kitchen with doors opening up to previously mentioned balcony. A nice living-dining area and a small spare-room.
It was all he ever needed. Now he lives his life comfortably. Sleeping in in his king-size bed on Sunday or reading his Sunday-papers on the balcony, where he also keeps some herbs and spices. He likes to try out new cooking-recipes. He has a plenty of friends, but no one special. And his life is quietly moving along, no thrills, but no heartbreaks either.
Just as he's about to pick up the phone to call the next company on the list, he gets interrupted by another knock on the door. If it's Janet again, he'll probably get angry at her, because he can't do his job, when he sees who the woman at the door is. His face lights up.
"Mrs Walker!"
"Hi, Scotty, is my son just quickly out to the office or in a meeting slash at the courtroom?" Kevin's mother, Nora, asks.
"He's in a meeting, but it shouldn't last long. He's been gone for quite a while already." Scotty answers.
"I heard some rumors...." She starts. Scotty holds up his hands.
"I'm afraid you will have to talk to Mr Walker, I know nothing about rumors and I'm definitely not getting in the middle of them." He immediately replies. Nora laughs. She had expected this answer from him.
Thankfully Scotty doesn't have to explain anything more, because at that moment Kevin enters again and the first thing he sees is his mother.
"Oh, that is fast. You must have broken the speed-record to get here...." He says. Nora shakes her head.
"I was in the neighborhood anyway.... Now don't look at me like you don't believe me. I had an appointment with my dentist." Alright. Her dentist does have his office two buildings further up the road, so maybe it was by accident... "And while I was there I started to get some weird messages about your upcoming wedding. Weird, weird messages..."
"Scotty, can you get my mother some coffee and then leave us?" Kevin asks, not immediately replying to his mother. Scotty nods, leaves to get the coffee, comes back with it a few minutes later only to leave Kevin's office, but not without first giving Kevin an encouraging smile.
*****
It's nearly five when Scotty enters Kevin's office to archive some paperwork. Kevin looks at his watch.
"Scotty, I was wondering... I need to talk to you about something, but I'm a bit fed up with this office. I need a change of scenery. Would you like to join me for dinner?"
Scotty blinks. It's rare that Kevin asks him to eat with him. On the other hand, if that means....
"...Will we have dinner at your uncle Saul's diner? Where they serve the best hamburgers in town?"
"Yes. I'm afraid so... If you can handle it?"
"Oh. I'll gladly 'suffer' through it..." Scotty teases. It's true that Kevin's uncle Saul does make the best hamburgers in town, if not in California. "Are you buying?"
"Of course." Kevin smirks. Both he and Scotty know that he never has to pay for eating at his uncle's place.
*****
When Scotty enters the diner alone at six, because he drove up there with his own car, he can already see Kevin sitting in 'their' booth. It's the table in the corner, reserved for Saul's family only. The first few times he came here with Kevin they always sat in that corner, but once, when he came alone, Saul had immediately made the table for him, saying Scotty was extended family. It had moved Scotty more than he could ever tell.
"What will it be?" Saul asks, after meeting the men with a joy.
"The usual for me." Kevin answers. Scotty smiles, knowing that it is means that Saul can surprise him with whatever he wants to create for Kevin.
"Make that two." Scotty smiles.
"You won't regret it." Saul says and he disappears into the kitchen. As usual, Kevin doesn't waste time with pointless conversation.
"I know that you had planned to take a vacation at the same time as me. Did you make any plans?" Kevin asks.
Scotty wants to reply that it wasn't really like he had a choice, with Kevin gone on his honeymoon there wouldn't be much for him to do anyway, but on the other hand, he's aware that Kevin had made sure that Scotty would get an extended paid vacation because Kevin would be gone for a honeymoon that would take 4 weeks.
"No. I didn't really have any plans. Just sleeping, hanging on the couch, binge-watch some shows and just relax in general."
"I'm a bit in weird spot right now..." Kevin starts carefully. "You see, with Griffiths gone, and so fast, his cases needed to be divided and they gave me, or rather us, the Comber-case."
"Seriously? ... But... But that case has been dragging for months! It's massive!"
"It gets worse. I had quick look at it and Griffith's assistant is an idiot. The information and testimonies from different witnesses have been misfiled. It's a huge mess. Yet, Benedict is convinced that we can sort that shit out and show up in court, all professional and ready to fight."
"Benedict has no clue! That file has been a gigantic mess from the start. Griffiths and his assistant were too stupid to be well organized. Comber himself is semi-delusional, he has committed fraud on a gigantic scale. There are about 30-40 different families...."
"... 87. So also 87 statements.... who are now all tangled up..." Kevin interrupts.
"87? Sorting out the file will take weeks!"
"We have 5 weeks before we go to court."
"4 weeks of vacations and 1 week to get organized? That's not going to work." Scotty can feel the request, to cancel his vacation, coming.
"That is the problem I'm in as well. The Comber-case will be highly publicized. We could make a huge impact if we win this case for the 87 families who started this case against Comber. Some of the stories are heart-breaking... But... I've worked my ass off these last months because I wanted 4 weeks off for my honeymoon.
You worked long hours with me, and for that I'm grateful. I really am. You deserve your break as much as I do. But... I want the Comber-case... I really do."
"So, you're going to cancel your vacation and you'd like me to do the same?" Scotty asks, not sure he wants the answer.
"I may have an unorthodox solution." Kevin says. Scotty smirks.
"You? Unorthodox? ... Who woulda think such a thing possible?" Scotty's sarcasm makes Kevin smile too. Just has he's about to answer, he closes his mouth again, because his uncle shows up with their meals.
For a moment neither of them says something as they attack their hamburgers and fries, suddenly realizing that they are both hungry and perhaps also not interested in continuing their conversation. But after a few minutes Scotty can't contain his curiosity any longer.
"So? What is unorthodox solution?"
"My mother made a suggestion that, at first, I considered ridiculous. She suggested that I go on a vacation anyway. She thinks that I need to heal my broken heart first. That I need to get Brad out of my system and get my life organized again. Take a step back and relax."
"Sounds like good advice. It may not be smart to immediately throw yourself in your work again." Scotty nods in agreement with Nora Walker.
"I kinda agree with her. I would like to take a break. Just have a moment to breathe in and breathe out and let it all go. But...."
"... You want the Comber-case..."
"Yes. So? How can I take a break and still have the case I want... I can do that by taking the case with me. On my vacation. If I work on it a few hours a day, it will help me to see the trees through the forest and I can still take time to do fun things."
Scotty remains quiet, not sure where Kevin is going with this, and - more importantly - what Scotty's part in this is supposed to be.
"Here comes the unorthodox part... Ahm... My mom suggested I'd go to our old family-home in the mountains.
It's a gorgeous place, there's snow, you can skate, ski, make snowmen, have fun, there's a village close-by, about a 20-minute drive, so it's not entirely isolated. It has 9 rooms with ensuite bathrooms, a huge fire-place, a wonderful kitchen, with an oven that my mom used to make the most delicious cakes in. There's tv and even internet."
"That sounds lovely. If I were you I'd leave tomorrow." Scotty encourages, feeling a twinge of jealousy.
"Yeah, I would... Except..." Kevin takes a deep breath and then asks. "I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?"
Scotty nearly chokes on his salad.
"What?"
"If you have no further plans, and you're just as interested in the Comber-case as I am... and I think you are.. then the only solution I see is to bundle our efforts and go there together.
I know it's not the most perfect solution. But I promise you that you will have plenty of time off to relax and that you can do things you enjoy. You did once tell me that you loved to spend winters with your Canadian grandfather."
"I did." Scotty agrees quietly, as a dozen memories flood back to him.
"I don't need an answer from you straightaway. I'm aware of the fact that I'm ambushing you with this."
"You are." Scotty agrees, absent-mindedly picking the last bits of lettuce from his plate. He has no idea what to answer.
"Okay. Let's table this conversation for now. Just think it over, sleep on it, let me know. I won't hold it against you if you don't want to do it. I am aware that I've been asking a lot from you these last few months and that you need your rest. So, be your honest self when you make your decision."
"Thanks. I was really looking forward to some time off..." Scotty starts. "But... I will think it over..." He promises. Kevin seems happy with this answer and they order desserts and coffee and neither of them brings up the topic of the Comber-case or the request to change the vacation-time.
*****
Scotty sighs with relief when his head hits his pillow. He's tired and confused and he can't seem to make up his mind. Of course, he's aware of the importance of the Comber-case. It's been bugging him for a quite some time that this case doesn't get the attention it deserves.
He's fairly sure that between Kevin and himself they can get it organized and ready for court... But his vacation... He wants it... He wants to sleep in and have pajama-days. Just read a book or maybe binge-watch a good series. He read raving reviews of the new Perry Mason-series....
But, damn it, the Comber-case... A lot of people need help... But he's tired and he wants his break.... But it would mean spending 4 weeks alone with Mr Walker somewhere ... No real freedom to be himself. He can't very well have a pajama-day with Mr Walker going through the files, can he?... What kind of vacation would that be...?
His mind turns in circles and he can't catch his sleep. Just as he's wondering if he should get some warm milk to calm himself, he can hear his telephone buzz. Scotty shakes his head. Who would call him this late? He hopes that it's not his friend Jordan with another break-up story.
So he lets it buzz, until silence falls, then curiosity gets the better of him. Someone left him a message. Well, if Jordan needs his help, then he should be the shoulder to cry on, no? He listens to message, expecting to hear Jordan's voice, but instead he hears Kevin's.
"Hi, it's me. Listen... Forget what I asked tonight. It's impossible. I'd be asking too much of you as it is... We both need a break... Time off... Get our batteries recharged...
I will call Mr Benedict tomorrow and say that we can't take on the Comber-case. That it's just too much. And that I really want my vacation. And that the same goes for you. It was stupid of me to say 'yes' to him in the first place. So... Forget it. I'll take care of it. Bye."
Scotty turns to his other side. So, 4 glorious weeks of vacation coming up then? Good. It's just what he needs. His mind starts to conjure up the things he could do, but as he drifts off to the land of dreams, he dreams of his grandfather and Canada. And snow. And he dreams of 87 families who need help...
END OF PART 01/06
By Marea67
About: Kevin/Scotty
Rate: Working up to an NC-17 (Hopefully)
Disclaimer: Written with love, not for money
Summary: Valentine's coming up and neither Kevin nor Scotty are looking for love.
A/N - Corona-virus is too depressing so I've kicked that one out of my story. :)
Not sure if it will be finished on Valentine's Day. The boys keep circling around each other too much, I think they need a firm push in the back. ;)
And allow for some "artistic freedom' where the story might be incorrect with weather-patterns and geography. It's not a documentary but a fluffy story. :)
*****
"Wandell! My office!" Kevin Walker barks as he passes by the desk of his assistant, Scotty Wandell, and he storms into his office, slamming the door behind him. Scotty raises an eyebrow. In the five years that he's been working for Kevin, he's never seen him like this.
He looks around with a quick glance. Everyone is avoiding him, except Janet.
"Great." He whispers to himself.
"It's been nice knowing you." Janet, the secretary to 2 of the 10 lawyers, whispers back.
"It can't be that bad." Scotty says, more to himself than to anyone else.
"He was angry and upset when he got in this morning. And I think that his meeting with Mr Benedict didn't go according to plan either." Janet sighs.
"What was the meeting about?" Scotty asks quickly, hoping to get an idea as to what could have angered his immediate boss in this way.
"I don't know." Janet whispers. "No one does, but there are rumors...." Whatever the rumors are, Scotty won't find out, because the door flings open again, nearly pulling it out its hinges and Kevin barks once more:
"Wandell! As in 'now!' and not after a lengthy tea-party with sandwiches!" Bam! Door closed.
Scotty grabs his notepad and, after another quick glance at his co-workers who are still all 'too busy' to notice, he trudges to Kevin's door. He knocks and enters. After having closed the door, he leans against it, notepad to his chest.
"Was that really necessary?" He asks.
In the short time it took him to walk to the door and get in, his fast-working mind has figured out that he did nothing wrong, that there is no reason for Kevin Walker to be angry at him and that it's highly unlikely that Kevin will fire him. Kevin is a demanding son-of-a-bitch, a shark of a lawyer, but he's also loyal to his staff and definitely not unreasonable.
Kevin looks at him, takes a deep breath and points to the chair opposite of him.
"Sit down." He says. It's not an order, but Scotty feels that he'd better not disobey him. So he sits down. "What I will discuss with you, cannot leave this office. Not yet. Give me your word that you won't breath a word. I don't need gossip right now."
For a moment Scotty feels offended. He never discusses cases with others, but he knows that Kevin knows this too, so he stashes any feelings of offence in the corner of his mind.
"You know me. If you tell me to keep my mouth shut, I will." Scotty only replies in his calm soothing voice.
Kevin seems to relax a little bit.
"I need you to do something for me... I have here a list of places and people I want you to call and I want you to cancel everything. I have another meeting with Mr Benedict in 15 minutes, so I don't have the time and I want this done quickly. You can use my office."
Scotty takes the list and looks over the names. Names he recognizes, because he helped Kevin find them.
"These are..." He doesn't finish his sentence. "Cancel? ... Everything? .... Your wedding-venue? Your honeymoon? Your...?" He's not allowed to move on, because Kevin interrupts him.
"Everything!." Kevin answers in rough voice.
"But... You're getting married next week. And you want me to cancel everything now?" Scotty is flabbergasted.
"I just quickly wrote down everything I could think of on such short notice. If you can come up with something, not on this list, cancel that too." Kevin says with finality in his voice.
Scotty doesn't know what to say. The upcoming wedding between Kevin Walker and Brad Spencer, had been front-page news in the gossip-papers for the last few months. Both men are well-known. They come from great families. Plenty of money to go around. This would the wedding of the year, if not the decade.
"If any of them wish to bill for damages, here are Brad's references." Kevin hands Scotty the information he needs. "If he wants to ruin our relationship, he might also damn well pay for it, because I won't!"
"Are you sure you want to do this? This will create such a huge mess…" Scotty tries to reason.
"Brad should have thought about that before sticking his dick up someone else's ass." Kevin answers with a shrug that hides his pain.
"Excuse me?" Scotty's jaw drops. "I... I ... I don't know to say. He always seemed so in love with you. So dedicated to you."
"Yeah, well, then he succeeded in fooling both of us. Because I thought the same thing." Kevin admits with a sour face.
"Are you even sure about it, that he cheated on you?" The question escapes Scotty's lips before he could think it over. Kevin's smile becomes sarcastic.
"Yeah. I am." He opens an envelope and throws the content in front of Scotty on the desk. Bewildered Scotty picks it up and he can see the well-taken, clear pictures of Brad with another man and there's no room for doubt as to what the two men are doing. The first pictures shows them half-naked and all over each other.
The last pictures shows them naked and with not so much distance between them now. Slightly embarrassed by the quite sexual and personal pictures Scotty places them back on the desk. When he looks at Kevin's face he can see how tight Kevin's jaw-line is. It's an indicator that Kevin is doing his utmost to control his emotions.
Slowly a replacement-anger builds up in Scotty. How could Brad do this to Kevin?
"I will call whomever you need me to call and cancel everything." He now says with an equally rough voice.
"Thank you."Kevin sighs. "I feel like I can't deal with it. I don't want to answer questions just yet."
"I get it." Scotty nods.
"There's something else... Mr Benedict has informed me that John Griffiths will be leaving this company as of today."
"Today? I hadn't even heard that he plans to leave?"
"Oh, he doesn't know it yet." Kevin answer with almost a little smile on his lips. Scotty's mouth drops and he leans closer.
"He doesn't know? He will get fired on the spot?"
"Yes. Again. Just between you and me. This doesn't leave this office."
"But that arrogant piece of trash is the prodigal son of this company!?" Scotty counters. It's not very professional to speak about one of the lawyers this way, but Scotty knows that Kevin can't stand him either. As a matter of fact he knows that most of his colleagues hate Mr Griffiths as well.
"Not when you're trying to get your hands under the skirts of the new intern, without her permission, and then when she complains, you call her a little tramp, obviously not knowing that the little 'tramp' is your boss' favorite niece...." Kevin grins. Scotty is just quick enough to cover his mouth with his hand, controlling the laugh that nearly escapes.
"Oh, that's ... sad." Scotty says, but his smile contradicts his words. "Couldn't happen to nicer asshole." Kevin hums in agreement at the same time that his phone buzzes.
"I have to go to Mr Benedict's office. He wants all partners to be there." Kevin says. Scotty nods that he gets it.
"I will take care of this." He holds up Kevin's list. "What about your family? Shouldn't they know?"
"I'll deal with them when I come back." Kevin replies, knowing that he can't avoid his mother that long, once the first news about the cancellations will come through.
*****
"Are you alright, hun?" Janet peeks around the door of Kevin's office.
"I'll be fine, don't worry, Janet." Scotty answers. His voice is stern enough to make her know that he can't tell her more. She knows him well enough to know that, when it comes to Kevin Walker, Scotty is completely loyal and guarded.
Sometime she doesn't understand it. Kevin is probably the most unpleasant person to work for. Sure, he pays Scotty well, gives Scotty credit for his good work, but at the same time, he's demanding and hardly gives Scotty some time off. Kevin has been working impossible hours these last few months and Scotty as well.
"Will he fire you?" She asks. Scotty looks up, not quite understanding her question.
"No. Why would he?"
"He was so angry."
"Not with me."
"No reason to be so mean to you then." Janet judges. Scotty sighs and smiles.
"I'll be fine. Don't worry. I just have a lot of work to do."
"In his office?" Usually Scotty only works here if Kevin is here as well.
"New case. Need to do some background searches." Scotty deflects.
"Oh. Need help?"
"No. I'll be fine. Just ... let me do my work. I'm alright." Janet doesn't quite believe it, yet she leaves Kevin's office and Scotty is about to call the next company on the list, when he deciphers what Kevin wrote next to it.
'Florist Jordan - Friend Scotty - pay in full. Own account.' Scotty feels a twinge of sadness for Jordan, one of his friends, who works at a florist and helps with decorating parties. He had really looked forward to do Kevin's wedding. Scotty decides to skip him so he can ask Kevin what he had meant.
His mind goes back to his colleagues at the other side of that door who only see the side of Kevin that he wants them to see. Arrogant, bossy, sometimes rude, unyielding, demanding and never asking Scotty for anything, but just assuming Scotty will fall into step with his orders.
Scotty knows that Kevin isn't really that person at all. It's just an attitude to make sure that everyone knows he means business. In a lot of ways Scotty is grateful for Kevin. Five years ago, he had stepped into this office, looking for a job, not sure if Kevin would even take his job-application serious.
Scotty had always drifted from job to job, relationship to relationship and from one house to the next, until 5 years he had had enough. After yet another breakup that left him nearly empty handed and broken hearted he had decided to give up on men, and on love in general.
With no experience at working for a lawyer he had replied to a job-application anyway. He would never know why. It was just a hunch. He can still remember the way that Kevin had looked at him. He hadn't asked much, just looked at Scotty, almost looking through him, as if he was reading Scotty somehow.
Then he had placed the application back in the folder and somehow Scotty had felt disappointed that he wasn't even given a chance, but then Kevin asked:
"When can you start?"
"Tomorrow if you like." Scotty had answered, maybe a little too eager.
"Next Monday will do. Be here at 8. Don't be late. I hate it when people are late."
"Yes, sir." Scotty had been breathless. He had a job? He had a freaking job? Yes! He did!
And it had been the start of an amazing job. He had planned to stay for about a year, just to get his life organized. That was 5 years ago. He had to learn everything from Kevin, but Kevin was patient and Scotty liked Kevin's strictness. Everything had a place, it had an order to it. It was hard work, but Scotty had been willing to do it.
And he knows that Kevin likes the fact that Scotty is eager to learn, that he can adapt quickly and that he's always willing to go the extra mile. Scotty had gone from not knowing much to knowing exactly what Kevin wanted and when he wanted it. And they were quite a golden work-couple in that respect.
And it was good for Scotty personally. With the money he earned, he had bought a nice little apartment with a nice sunny balcony in a not-so-busy building. Just enough space for himself. One normal sized bedroom, a kitchen with doors opening up to previously mentioned balcony. A nice living-dining area and a small spare-room.
It was all he ever needed. Now he lives his life comfortably. Sleeping in in his king-size bed on Sunday or reading his Sunday-papers on the balcony, where he also keeps some herbs and spices. He likes to try out new cooking-recipes. He has a plenty of friends, but no one special. And his life is quietly moving along, no thrills, but no heartbreaks either.
Just as he's about to pick up the phone to call the next company on the list, he gets interrupted by another knock on the door. If it's Janet again, he'll probably get angry at her, because he can't do his job, when he sees who the woman at the door is. His face lights up.
"Mrs Walker!"
"Hi, Scotty, is my son just quickly out to the office or in a meeting slash at the courtroom?" Kevin's mother, Nora, asks.
"He's in a meeting, but it shouldn't last long. He's been gone for quite a while already." Scotty answers.
"I heard some rumors...." She starts. Scotty holds up his hands.
"I'm afraid you will have to talk to Mr Walker, I know nothing about rumors and I'm definitely not getting in the middle of them." He immediately replies. Nora laughs. She had expected this answer from him.
Thankfully Scotty doesn't have to explain anything more, because at that moment Kevin enters again and the first thing he sees is his mother.
"Oh, that is fast. You must have broken the speed-record to get here...." He says. Nora shakes her head.
"I was in the neighborhood anyway.... Now don't look at me like you don't believe me. I had an appointment with my dentist." Alright. Her dentist does have his office two buildings further up the road, so maybe it was by accident... "And while I was there I started to get some weird messages about your upcoming wedding. Weird, weird messages..."
"Scotty, can you get my mother some coffee and then leave us?" Kevin asks, not immediately replying to his mother. Scotty nods, leaves to get the coffee, comes back with it a few minutes later only to leave Kevin's office, but not without first giving Kevin an encouraging smile.
*****
It's nearly five when Scotty enters Kevin's office to archive some paperwork. Kevin looks at his watch.
"Scotty, I was wondering... I need to talk to you about something, but I'm a bit fed up with this office. I need a change of scenery. Would you like to join me for dinner?"
Scotty blinks. It's rare that Kevin asks him to eat with him. On the other hand, if that means....
"...Will we have dinner at your uncle Saul's diner? Where they serve the best hamburgers in town?"
"Yes. I'm afraid so... If you can handle it?"
"Oh. I'll gladly 'suffer' through it..." Scotty teases. It's true that Kevin's uncle Saul does make the best hamburgers in town, if not in California. "Are you buying?"
"Of course." Kevin smirks. Both he and Scotty know that he never has to pay for eating at his uncle's place.
*****
When Scotty enters the diner alone at six, because he drove up there with his own car, he can already see Kevin sitting in 'their' booth. It's the table in the corner, reserved for Saul's family only. The first few times he came here with Kevin they always sat in that corner, but once, when he came alone, Saul had immediately made the table for him, saying Scotty was extended family. It had moved Scotty more than he could ever tell.
"What will it be?" Saul asks, after meeting the men with a joy.
"The usual for me." Kevin answers. Scotty smiles, knowing that it is means that Saul can surprise him with whatever he wants to create for Kevin.
"Make that two." Scotty smiles.
"You won't regret it." Saul says and he disappears into the kitchen. As usual, Kevin doesn't waste time with pointless conversation.
"I know that you had planned to take a vacation at the same time as me. Did you make any plans?" Kevin asks.
Scotty wants to reply that it wasn't really like he had a choice, with Kevin gone on his honeymoon there wouldn't be much for him to do anyway, but on the other hand, he's aware that Kevin had made sure that Scotty would get an extended paid vacation because Kevin would be gone for a honeymoon that would take 4 weeks.
"No. I didn't really have any plans. Just sleeping, hanging on the couch, binge-watch some shows and just relax in general."
"I'm a bit in weird spot right now..." Kevin starts carefully. "You see, with Griffiths gone, and so fast, his cases needed to be divided and they gave me, or rather us, the Comber-case."
"Seriously? ... But... But that case has been dragging for months! It's massive!"
"It gets worse. I had quick look at it and Griffith's assistant is an idiot. The information and testimonies from different witnesses have been misfiled. It's a huge mess. Yet, Benedict is convinced that we can sort that shit out and show up in court, all professional and ready to fight."
"Benedict has no clue! That file has been a gigantic mess from the start. Griffiths and his assistant were too stupid to be well organized. Comber himself is semi-delusional, he has committed fraud on a gigantic scale. There are about 30-40 different families...."
"... 87. So also 87 statements.... who are now all tangled up..." Kevin interrupts.
"87? Sorting out the file will take weeks!"
"We have 5 weeks before we go to court."
"4 weeks of vacations and 1 week to get organized? That's not going to work." Scotty can feel the request, to cancel his vacation, coming.
"That is the problem I'm in as well. The Comber-case will be highly publicized. We could make a huge impact if we win this case for the 87 families who started this case against Comber. Some of the stories are heart-breaking... But... I've worked my ass off these last months because I wanted 4 weeks off for my honeymoon.
You worked long hours with me, and for that I'm grateful. I really am. You deserve your break as much as I do. But... I want the Comber-case... I really do."
"So, you're going to cancel your vacation and you'd like me to do the same?" Scotty asks, not sure he wants the answer.
"I may have an unorthodox solution." Kevin says. Scotty smirks.
"You? Unorthodox? ... Who woulda think such a thing possible?" Scotty's sarcasm makes Kevin smile too. Just has he's about to answer, he closes his mouth again, because his uncle shows up with their meals.
For a moment neither of them says something as they attack their hamburgers and fries, suddenly realizing that they are both hungry and perhaps also not interested in continuing their conversation. But after a few minutes Scotty can't contain his curiosity any longer.
"So? What is unorthodox solution?"
"My mother made a suggestion that, at first, I considered ridiculous. She suggested that I go on a vacation anyway. She thinks that I need to heal my broken heart first. That I need to get Brad out of my system and get my life organized again. Take a step back and relax."
"Sounds like good advice. It may not be smart to immediately throw yourself in your work again." Scotty nods in agreement with Nora Walker.
"I kinda agree with her. I would like to take a break. Just have a moment to breathe in and breathe out and let it all go. But...."
"... You want the Comber-case..."
"Yes. So? How can I take a break and still have the case I want... I can do that by taking the case with me. On my vacation. If I work on it a few hours a day, it will help me to see the trees through the forest and I can still take time to do fun things."
Scotty remains quiet, not sure where Kevin is going with this, and - more importantly - what Scotty's part in this is supposed to be.
"Here comes the unorthodox part... Ahm... My mom suggested I'd go to our old family-home in the mountains.
It's a gorgeous place, there's snow, you can skate, ski, make snowmen, have fun, there's a village close-by, about a 20-minute drive, so it's not entirely isolated. It has 9 rooms with ensuite bathrooms, a huge fire-place, a wonderful kitchen, with an oven that my mom used to make the most delicious cakes in. There's tv and even internet."
"That sounds lovely. If I were you I'd leave tomorrow." Scotty encourages, feeling a twinge of jealousy.
"Yeah, I would... Except..." Kevin takes a deep breath and then asks. "I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?"
Scotty nearly chokes on his salad.
"What?"
"If you have no further plans, and you're just as interested in the Comber-case as I am... and I think you are.. then the only solution I see is to bundle our efforts and go there together.
I know it's not the most perfect solution. But I promise you that you will have plenty of time off to relax and that you can do things you enjoy. You did once tell me that you loved to spend winters with your Canadian grandfather."
"I did." Scotty agrees quietly, as a dozen memories flood back to him.
"I don't need an answer from you straightaway. I'm aware of the fact that I'm ambushing you with this."
"You are." Scotty agrees, absent-mindedly picking the last bits of lettuce from his plate. He has no idea what to answer.
"Okay. Let's table this conversation for now. Just think it over, sleep on it, let me know. I won't hold it against you if you don't want to do it. I am aware that I've been asking a lot from you these last few months and that you need your rest. So, be your honest self when you make your decision."
"Thanks. I was really looking forward to some time off..." Scotty starts. "But... I will think it over..." He promises. Kevin seems happy with this answer and they order desserts and coffee and neither of them brings up the topic of the Comber-case or the request to change the vacation-time.
*****
Scotty sighs with relief when his head hits his pillow. He's tired and confused and he can't seem to make up his mind. Of course, he's aware of the importance of the Comber-case. It's been bugging him for a quite some time that this case doesn't get the attention it deserves.
He's fairly sure that between Kevin and himself they can get it organized and ready for court... But his vacation... He wants it... He wants to sleep in and have pajama-days. Just read a book or maybe binge-watch a good series. He read raving reviews of the new Perry Mason-series....
But, damn it, the Comber-case... A lot of people need help... But he's tired and he wants his break.... But it would mean spending 4 weeks alone with Mr Walker somewhere ... No real freedom to be himself. He can't very well have a pajama-day with Mr Walker going through the files, can he?... What kind of vacation would that be...?
His mind turns in circles and he can't catch his sleep. Just as he's wondering if he should get some warm milk to calm himself, he can hear his telephone buzz. Scotty shakes his head. Who would call him this late? He hopes that it's not his friend Jordan with another break-up story.
So he lets it buzz, until silence falls, then curiosity gets the better of him. Someone left him a message. Well, if Jordan needs his help, then he should be the shoulder to cry on, no? He listens to message, expecting to hear Jordan's voice, but instead he hears Kevin's.
"Hi, it's me. Listen... Forget what I asked tonight. It's impossible. I'd be asking too much of you as it is... We both need a break... Time off... Get our batteries recharged...
I will call Mr Benedict tomorrow and say that we can't take on the Comber-case. That it's just too much. And that I really want my vacation. And that the same goes for you. It was stupid of me to say 'yes' to him in the first place. So... Forget it. I'll take care of it. Bye."
Scotty turns to his other side. So, 4 glorious weeks of vacation coming up then? Good. It's just what he needs. His mind starts to conjure up the things he could do, but as he drifts off to the land of dreams, he dreams of his grandfather and Canada. And snow. And he dreams of 87 families who need help...
END OF PART 01/06