Fool That I Am Read online

  His warm, chocolate eyes crinkled at the corners as he leaned closer to her. “That is correct. You and your lawyer look it over, change what you don’t like, add what you do want, and send it back to me. We won’t finalize any agreement until you are one hundred percent happy with the terms. What do you say, Billie Jean Hardesty?”

  Her heart gave a painful thump of anticipation and she replied, “Okay. I’ll do it.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “Thanks for calling your brother for me, Irene,” Billie told her Monday afternoon as they were closing up the office.

  Irene, wiping down the last of the surfaces in room 3 with a bleach mixture, replied, “No problem, sweetie. He still feels bad that he couldn’t do more for you in your divorce, but his hands were tied.” Her brother, William Jansen, had been her lawyer during her divorce from Chad. He had been kind enough to not only give her a discounted rate, but had also allowed her to pay him in installments. Thanks to her tax return money, she had been able to pay him off early and prove that he hadn’t made an unwise decision in representing her.

  “That’s not Will’s fault,” she reminded Irene. “Chad’s uncle paid him under the table in cash and there was no proof of income, so the amount of child support he had to pay was capped at a certain amount. Plus, I’m pretty sure that the judge and Chad’s dad are golf buddies or something,” she added, shrugging it off as old news.

  Connie walked in during this last part and chimed in, “You want me to come with you, linda? I got nothing planned for tonight, so I can lend you my moral support.”

  Billie smiled gratefully at her best friend. That was one of the things she loved the most about Connie: she was fiercely loyal and always willing to go the extra mile for her friends. “No, but thank you for the offer, Con. Will and I can probably hash it out pretty quickly. I already faxed the contract to him earlier, so he’s had a chance to look it over. All I need to do is listen to his advice and tell him what is acceptable to me and what I want to add or delete.”

  Connie regarded her skeptically. “You better be careful with that Daniel, girlfriend. He’s a slick one, for sure. I don’t know if I trust him with you. Any man with that much lana in his pockets will always be looking out for himself first. Just be careful, okay?” she cautioned Billie as she headed toward the time clock.

  Billie waved in acknowledgement as her friend left the building. Irene finished washing her hands and gathered up her things and followed Billie to the parking lot. “You know I’m not one to tell you what to do or get into your business without being asked, but I have to second Connie on this, for once. Don’t let the glamour and big paycheck distract you from who you really are, Billie. Daniel is rich and handsome, but he isn’t the kind of man who will clean out your gutters or go with you to a parent/teacher conference. He lives and moves in a different world than we do, honey. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  “I know, Irene. You guys are so great to look out for me, but I’m not going into this with my eyes closed. I’ve already been there, done that, and got the divorce to show for it. This is just a second job for me, that’s all. I may be able to get ahead for once in my life and maybe even buy a newer car. Plus, Derrick’s going to need braces soon, so I really need to do this. I’ll be careful, I promise,” she told the older woman.

  Changing topics, Irene asked, “By the way, have you ever heard from Sam?”

  Billie tried to ignore the twinge in her chest at his name and answered, “Not since that night over a week ago. He’s never gone this long without calling, coming by to visit, or at least texting. I guess he really meant it when he said goodbye.”

  Irene’s kind eyes radiated sympathy. “Maybe it’s for the best, hon. At least now you have new and exciting things going on in your life and you can meet some new people. Try not to let it get you down.” Tossing her purse in her car, she called out, “Tell my little brother he better be good to you or I’ll kick his ass from here to Georgia!”

  Billie laughed lightheartedly and jumped in her car to drive to Will’s office in Elizabethtown. Her smile dimmed as her thoughts lingered on Sam. It had only been one week and she already missed him. Derrick had mentioned that Sam had visited with them at their dad’s house, so she knew he was still seeing the kids, at least. It appeared it was just Billie he was saying goodbye to and that made her eyes well up with tears. She couldn’t imagine never seeing him again, hearing him laugh, having his comforting presence at her dinner table. He’d been a part of her life for so long and his absence would leave a gaping hole.

  Billie shook off her funk as she pulled into the parking lot of Will’s practice in downtown Elizabethtown. Located in a refurbished Victorian house, he shared the building with two other lawyers and they all shared one secretary. Billie smiled warmly at the middle-aged woman typing away on a keyboard when she walked into what used to be a sitting room.

  “Good afternoon, Billie! It’s wonderful to see you again. I have to say that you are even lovelier now than you were three years ago. It appears that divorce suits you,” Charlotte greeted her with a knowing grin.

  Billie offered an answering smile and replied, “I will second that, Charlotte. I’m glad to be seeing you on a much happier event than my previous one, that’s for sure!”

  Charlotte agreed and paged Will to let him know that Billie had arrived for her late afternoon appointment. It was only a few minutes later that William Jansen came out to greet her with a wide smile on his face. At 56 years old, Will cut a dashing and commanding figure. Though he wasn’t exceptionally tall at 5’10”, his confidence and aura of authority gave the illusion of greater height. He was of medium build without any obvious signs of extra weight, thanks to Irene’s efforts to ensure he exercised and ate right. His hair was mostly dark brown with some salt and pepper feathered in and his face was tanned and creased at the eyes from smiling. He was attired in a dress pants and button-up shirt, but he had shed his tie somewhere along the way and rolled up his sleeves.

  His voice was easily the most distinctive of his traits as he boomed, “Billie! It’s been too long, my dear! Come in, come in!” Chivalrously, he ushered her into his office and indicated a leather wingback chair in front of his large cherry wood desk.

  “Thank you for agreeing to see me so quickly, Will. I know how busy you are and I’m very grateful that you squeezed me in,” Billie told him as they both settled in for their consultation.

  He smiled conspiratorially and leaned toward her across his desk. “As much as I enjoy your company, Billie, I have to confess that when Irene mentioned the name ‘Daniel Petrosky’ and ‘The Silver Knight Club,’ I was immediately intrigued. You are certainly running with a different crowd now than you were three years ago, young lady.”

  “Oh, I’m not running with anyone in that crowd, Will. I’m just the hired help and that’s all. It was a pure fluke that I happened upon this opportunity at all, but I am grateful for the ability to do something I love and make money, too,” Billie rushed to assure him.

  He studied her shrewdly before pulling the faxed copy of the contract out of a file folder. “I’ve seen plenty of employment contracts in my day, but I’ve never seen one like this. Granted, I’ve never dealt with a man like Daniel Petrosky before, but if he gives this same contract to all his performers, he is generous indeed.”

  Billie wrinkled her brow in confusion. “What do you mean? I read through most of it, but I didn’t see anything untoward in there.”

  “Oh, there’s nothing shady in here at all. Questionable, maybe, but not shady. He is being far more generous than I would imagine anyone else in his shoes would be. It makes me wonder what his end game will be,” he added mysteriously.

  “I don’t understand. What’s so unusual about this contract?” Billie queried.

  Tapping the paper with a pencil, Will said, “For starters, the amount of money he is willing to pay you for your performances is staggering for an amateur. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
singers and musicians in 2010 averaged about $30 an hour. Mr. Petrosky is willing to pay you $500 per hour, plus incidentals.”

  Billie’s stomach dropped to her feet. “I had no idea. He said that was the price he paid his crooner, Johnny Bello. And what incidentals are you referring to?”

  Will turned to his left and began to type furiously into his laptop as he talked. “There are several incidentals where he is willing to pay more money. For starters, he is offering the services of his on-site spa free of charge, a monthly clothing allowance of $2,000, free meals at The Golden Lady, and even paying a $300 a month ‘gas and mileage’ fee,” he ticked off as he read something on his laptop. “Ah, it seems that Johnny Bello is a veteran singer that has performed all over the country from L.A. to Las Vegas, Chicago, and New York. He has done some theater and minor character acting in the movies. This kind of salary is understandable for his background, but for a new, untried singer? That’s less likely, I’m afraid.”

  Billie was stymied. “Why on earth would he offer to pay me so much money? I can definitely carry a tune, but I’m not that great.”

  Will studied her incredulously. “Billie, honey, you really have no idea, do you? I’ve heard you sing and I’ve seen you on stage when Irene invited me to your celebration when your divorce was finalized. Lots of people can sing well, but very few of them have the extra, nebulous charisma that allows them to connect with an audience. You have that in spades. Not to mention you’re a beautiful young woman that any man would count himself as luck to be with. Hell, if I were about 15 years younger, I would pursue you myself.”

  Billie could feel the blush climbing up her cheeks at his frank admission. “Thank you, Will. Any woman would be lucky to have you, too.”

  “Tell that to my three ex-wives, will you?” he teased gently, laughing with her at the joke.

  Billie nervously chewed on a fake nail and asked, “What else is in that contract that I should be concerned about?”

  Flipping through the pages and studying the highlighted areas, Will explained, “Included in the contract is a standard non-compete clause that I would expect to find in most employment contracts, but this one is not what I was expecting. It states that you will only work and perform for Mr. Petrosky for the period of two years. This is puzzling to me because it specifies him personally and not the club as a business. This means that even if the club were to shut their doors forever next month, you would still be under contract with him personally for the remainder of the agreement.”

  “That’s odd, but I guess it makes sense to want to protect your investment. What else?” she asked, getting more edgy by the minute.

  Will made a few notes in the margins and replied, “He stipulates that there will be at least one performance a month, but that you could be required to attend certain events at the club as an ‘honored guest’ even if you aren’t performing. Any of those that you attend, you will be paid $100 an hour for your time to socialize and rub elbows with the wealthy patrons.”

  Billie thought back to the research she did on the internet about the club. There was no way she would be one of their “hostesses” that catered to rich men and fawned all over them in return for tips. No way was she a piece of meat to be pawed at or propositioned. “That might work, but I will definitely want to put some restrictions in place on that.”

  Will nodded in agreement and made some more notes. They spent another half hour going over the rest of the contract and Billie voiced her major concerns and what changes she wanted to make. Will made his own suggestions, all of which Billie agreed were wise, and they finally finished with the corrections. By the end of their meeting, Billie agreed to the base hourly salary, but declined the free meals and gas stipend, as well as, restricting spa use to maintain her manicure and pedicure. She agreed to the clothing allowance, because she figured that she needed to be dressed as well as, if not better than, her intended audience. She also agreed to the non-compete clause, but shortened it to one year with the stipulation that she was allowed to quit singing for the club at any time with a one month notice.

  The part about appearing at events was a little trickier. It was a delicate line to tread between feeling like a member of the staff and a paid escort. After much discussion, she and Will agreed to the appearance fee as long as she was there to mingle as “Valerie Jones,” but she would not be subjected to sexual advances or expected to cross any moral boundaries. As far as the live shows were concerned, Billie insisted on wardrobe, song, and content approval and strictly forbade any nudity or touching by audience members. Will also added a statement that if at any time Billie felt uncomfortable or unwilling to proceed with the show, it would cease immediately without punitive damages or retaliatory actions. She also added a clause about sufficient advance notice of request to perform or appear of no less than three days so that she was never caught off guard and was able to arrange child care.

  By the end of the hour, Billie felt better and more comfortable about the changes they made to the agreement. “Is there anything else we need to do at this point?” she asked her lawyer.

  “Not for you, dear. I will fax our changes to his lawyer in Louisville and he will review them with Mr. Petrosky. At that point, he will either make a counter-offer or agree to our terms. Either way, I’ll give you a call when I hear back from them. And don’t worry about the bill for today’s service. It would be my pleasure to forward that to Mr. Petrosky since he so kindly offered to pay,” he reminded her with twinkling eyes.

  Billie laughed at Will’s obvious enjoyment at sending a bill to the rich and powerful business man. She shook his hand warmly, thanked him again for his help, and left with assurances that he would contact her soon. Such was her preoccupation that she didn’t even notice another client leaving the office of one of the partners until they almost collided in the hallway.

  “Oh, please excuse me…” Billie’s apology died on her tongue as she recognized the person she almost ran into. “Renata! I’m sorry I almost ran into you.”

  A Cheshire cat smile spread across the diminutive woman’s face as she recognized Billie. “That’s quite alright, Billie. I hope there’s no bad news that brings you here?” she asked innocently, clearly fishing for information.

  Billie’s manners refused to allow her to be rude, so she replied vaguely, “No, just reviewing an employment contract with my lawyer. How are things with you?”

  Renata searched Billie’s face for some sign of knowledge, but she didn’t find what she was looking for and she found that very curious. “Hasn’t Sam told you the big news?”

  Billie felt her face freeze into a polite mask. “No, I’m afraid I haven’t heard from Sam in some time,” she was forced to admit.

  The smaller woman felt a surge of fierce glee as she announced, “Shame on him for keeping such good news to himself! We’re going to have a baby next year! It totally wasn’t planned, but we couldn’t be happier. As a matter of fact, we’ll likely be getting married right after the New Year begins.”

  Billie could feel the color draining out of her face and it left her feeling dizzy and off balance. “Oh, um, congratulations to both of you, Renata. I’m sure you will both be very happy together,” Billie forced herself to choke out the words.

  Renata narrowed her eyes at the competition and replied with barely veiled venom, “Yes, we will be a happy little family, so I’m sure you will understand that Sam won’t have much time for yours anymore. He will be very busy taking care of me and our baby. As a matter of fact, I would appreciate it if you would discourage his frequent calls and visits so that he isn’t distracted from his real priorities.”

  Billie felt the words like a physical blow. On any other day and any other time, she would have put this little bitch in her place, but she was still reeling from the bomb Renata had dropped about her baby and subsequent marriage to Sam. No wonder he hadn’t called her back or been by to see her. It had nothing to do with her and everything to do with Renata.

  Inha
ling a shaky breath, she replied, “I can assure you that won’t be a problem. Congratulations again on your pregnancy…and forthcoming wedding. I have to go now and pick up the kids. It was good to see you again,” she lied through her teeth as she beat a hasty retreat.

  Renata smiled and chuckled darkly to herself. This may just work out in her favor after all.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  As Saturday rolled around again, Sam was feeling decidedly restless. There wasn’t much to do that afternoon since he had already hit the gym, took his sister and nephew to lunch, and visited with his mom and dad for an hour or two. The afternoon was brisk, but bright and cloudless, and he was desperate to get out and do anything that would take his mind of the fact that he hadn’t seen or talked to Billie in two weeks now. Even though he was trying his best to keep his distance, his mind refused to dwell anywhere but on her. He had loved her for years and it was possible that it would take twice that long to stop, but he had to try.

  But first, he had promised her that he would clean out her gutters and rake the leaves with Derrick. He tried to squash that flare of excitement that welled up within him at the thought of seeing her again, but he was hopeless. He also tried to ignore the snide, knowing voice in his head that said he was just looking for an excuse to go over her house.

  Pulling into her driveway, he sat in the cab of his truck for long moments while wrestling with himself. Should he follow through on his promise to Derrick or should he leave now and avoid the pain of seeing her again now that he knew what her lips tasted like?

  The decision was taken out of his hands when the door opened up and Derrick stood there beaming at him while pushing his glasses up his nose. He waved Sam in impatiently, so he had no choice now but to go inside. Derrick held the door open and yelled over his shoulder, “Hey, Mom! Sam is here!”