The Nothingness of Ben (24 page)

“What is it with you boys and your gambling? But, okay, you’re on. I just wish Labor Day would hurry up and get here.”

A
ND
finally, it did. The Walsh brothers began the weekend watching
The Vampire Diaries
on DVD. Quentin, of all people, had gotten them hooked, and by Saturday night, they found themselves fourteen hours into the first season. As the credits rolled on another episode, Ben’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the screen. He didn’t recognize the number and thought about letting it go to voice mail, but then decided it might be someone at the new firm.

Ben had taken the Texas Bar Exam in mid-August, and although he wouldn’t get the results until late September, no one doubted that he had passed, including Ben himself. Over the summer, once word got around about Ben’s move to Austin (the doings of Russ Hardwick), all the top firms started to call him. The Wilson & Mead name cast a long shadow across the country, and every major firm in Austin had made Ben an offer. He planned to give his answer by mid-September, but Ben’s mind was pretty much made up.

He stepped into the kitchen and answered the call.

“Ben Walsh.”

“Ben, this is Chad Young. My brother tells me you’re not returning his calls.”

“Hello, Mr. Young.”

Chad Young, one of the founding partners of Shackelford, Young, and Young, the number-two law firm in Austin, took his phone off speaker. “Please, call me Chad.”

“Okay, Chad. I told your brother I’ve decided to go with Harrison & Pope.” Ben was referring to the number-one law firm in Austin. In the end, Ben wanted to go with the best. Not to mention that Chad Young’s brother, Howard, had been put in charge of SY2’s recruiting effort, a big mistake on their part. No doubt a capable lawyer, Howard Young specialized in contract law, an area that bored Ben to tears. It didn’t help matters that Howard had zero charisma. During a dinner at TRIO inside The Four Seasons, Ben struggled to keep up both sides of the conversation. Still, he’d listen to what Chad had to say. The game, after all, was still on.

“Have you signed any papers yet?” Chad Young asked.

“No, not yet, but….”

“I’ll tell you what, Ben. Me and my wife are having a Labor Day picnic on Monday for everyone at the firm. It’s at our house in Westlake. We’ve got a pool, tennis courts, horseback riding, fireworks. Tons of good food. Why don’t you bring your brothers out and have a good time? No obligation, except maybe listen to what I have to say. After that, if you still decide to go with the other guys, then you won’t hear from us again. What do you say?”

Ben couldn’t think of a good reason to say no and figured the boys would probably get a kick out of it. “Okay, sure. Can you text me the address and the time? We’ll see you on Monday.”

Ben ended the call. He smiled and remembered this from when he finished law school—firms wining and dining him, trying to outdo the competition with their perks. Sounded like Chad Young planned to give it his best shot. He returned to the living room and asked his brothers if they were up for the Labor Day picnic. They displayed varying degrees of enthusiasm over the plan, but all agreed it sounded like a good time.

“Where is it?” Cade asked.

“Westlake.”

“Hanging with the rich kids,” Quentin said, with more than a little snark.

“Hey,” Ben insisted. “There’s nothing wrong with learning how to hang with rich kids. Bring a good dose of irony and you’ll be fine. And bring Dakota too. She makes us look good.” Chad’s invitation hadn’t included additional guests, but Ben wanted to see his reaction if he showed up with a couple of extra people. “Jason, you should invite Jake as well. He’ll fit right in.” Ben stopped to think for a moment. “In fact, let’s invite all three of the McAlisters. Dan should be there if I decide to take their offer.”

“I’ll text him right now,” Jason replied.

“Does the butt-kissing stop once you take the job?” Quentin asked.

Ben laughed. “You’d better believe it does. So enjoy it now, while it lasts.”

They went back to watching the Stefan-Elena-Damon love triangle as Ben did a quick survey of his brothers. He smiled as he realized they had come a long way since the aftermath of that unfortunate trip to New York last spring. Ben had gotten his shit together and was ready for Travis to come home.

When Monday arrived, they all (Dakota included) piled into their dad’s enormous pickup truck and headed to Westlake. They stopped by the McAlisters’ so Jake and his parents could follow and arrive at the same time. Over the summer, Ben and Dan had lunch together several times, and Ben thought of him as one of those rare finds in the law profession—someone he might be able to trust. When they arrived at the picnic, the guests mingled on the huge green lawn amongst an immense spread of food and fun. If Chad Young had splurged on a real roller coaster it could have rivaled Six Flags.

“Ben!” Chad called, raising his hand and motioning him over. Ben had only met him once before and then only in passing.

“Chad, thanks for the invitation. This is impressive.”

“Thank you. I want you to meet my wife, Emily.”

Ben introduced his brothers, then Dakota, then Jake and his parents.

“Chad, have you ever met Dan McAlister?”

“No, nice to meet you. How do you know Ben?”

“His brother is dating my son,” he answered.

Chad didn’t miss a beat. “And that’s how we know we’re in the twenty-first century. I’m glad you could all make it out here. I told Emily that if I throw a party, I want a lot of people here. So, welcome.”

Everyone slowly wandered off and seemed, to Ben, at least, to enjoy the afternoon. Cade headed toward the horseback riding immediately. Quentin and Dakota spent most of the day by the pool, keeping to themselves at first but eventually getting pulled into a conversation with a group of students from Westlake High School. Jason and Jake played a game of tennis and then cooled off next to the pool as well. From where Ben sat, it looked like Jake had introduced Jason to several of his friends from school.

After a couple of hours, Chad asked Ben if they could go into the house and talk. Inside, the place reflected Chad Young’s wealth and status, but as Ben had grown accustomed to Mead-style money, this place didn’t quite measure up in the details. Emily Young should have opted for an original piece, even a minor work, instead of the copy of
The Starry Night
hanging in the front hallway. Chad led them into a study/library, where Ben immediately recognized Howard Young and another man, who turned out to be Barry Shackelford. The four men sat in plush chairs reminiscent of an old-style gentlemen’s club.

Ben began. “Thank you, Chad, for inviting me and my family out here this afternoon. It’s been a real treat, I have to say. But I also don’t want to waste your time, because—”

Chad Young interrupted him.

“Do you mind if I say something?”

Ben forced a smile. He didn’t like people who couldn’t take no for an answer.

“Of course.”

“I didn’t invite you all the way out here to blow smoke up your ass, Ben. And I apologize for not being a part of this process sooner, but our mother has been sick and my dad needed some help, so I had to take some time off. I’ve done my homework. I know you’re used to being the best and working for the best. You’re going with Harrison & Pope because they’re the best in town. I’m not going to tell you otherwise. But I am going to tell you that they’re not the best
fit
. For you. And before you say anything, let me tell you why.

“I know that you and Colin Mead are going to start your own firm in ten years. I may be off on the timeline by a year or two, but I recognize two people who are meant to be partners someday. And I know by that look on your face and lack of denial that I’m right. Now, if I had to guess, I’d say you haven’t told anyone at Harrison & Pope about this plan. And I’m not saying you should. But what if I told you that I wanted to help you, as long as you help us take on Harrison & Pope?”

“How?”

“Come practice law with us. We need someone to raise our profile. To win in court. That’s what attracts clients.”

“But that’s not all,” added Barry Shackelford.

“No,” Chad continued, “it’s not. We want you to head up our recruitment next year. We want you to go after the Ivy League and Stanford.”

Ben shook his head. “That’s unrealistic.”

“It isn’t if you’re doing the talking. Austin has a lot to offer. People want to be where you are, Ben. You’re young, good-looking, charismatic—you’re a winner. And you’re one of them. I’m not expecting an Ivy avalanche. One a year, maybe. You have, what, five or six years before your youngest is out of high school?”

“Six, at least. Cade will probably want to go to UT, so probably more like ten. I’m missing the hook here, though. Sorry to be blunt, Chad, but what’s in it for me?”

“Don’t apologize, Ben. I like blunt. So here it is—give us ten years and help SY2 become the number-one firm in the city, and I will contribute one million dollars to help get Mead & Walsh off the ground.”

Ben sat up in his chair and took a deep breath.

“Walsh & Mead.”

Chad smiled. “Of course. We both know your friend Colin will have no problem raising the money, but you don’t want to come to the table empty-handed. This way you don’t have to.”

“Why would you do that for me?”

“I’m not a philanthropist, Ben. What I’m doing for you, I’m doing for us. We’re lawyers and we want to win. We’re tired of playing second fiddle in this town, and we’re willing to pay good money to anyone who can help us change that.”

“We do have one condition, though,” Barry said.

“What’s that?” Ben asked.

“When you leave,” Howard explained, “everyone you’ve recruited for us stays with us. We’re cleaning house and rebuilding our firm from the ground up. It’s a huge risk for us, so no poaching.”

Ben paused.

“My brothers have to come first. You realize that, don’t you?”

“We feel the same way about our families. Think about your future, Ben. Think of how much fun you’ll have helping us become number one instead of sitting up in the castle being number one. Think about one million dollars for you when it’s all over. We all get something we want out of this. We are the best fit for you.”

Ben could see that. “I have one more thing.”

“Shoot,” Chad said.

“I want to bring Dan McAlister with me. He works on his own right now and makes a good living, but I need someone like him, someone I trust, to be successful. And I’m not just saying that because his son is dating my brother. If you’re asking me to rebuild your firm, that’s where I want to start.”

“Consider it done. If you have an assistant you liked in New York, we can relocate him or her as well.”

“I might take you up on that. One of the paralegals at Wilson & Mead. She would be a real asset if I could talk her into it, but if I try to poach any of their real talent, I won’t get invited to Thanksgiving. And that’s something I don’t intend to miss.”

“I’ve heard about it,” Chad admitted.

They chatted some more and then stood and shook on the deal. They would work out the details later. When Ben returned to the yard for the fireworks, he pulled Dan aside and gave him the news.

“Are you shitting me?” he cried. He wrapped his arms around Ben and hugged him hard. Ben extracted himself as gently as he could, excited to see Dan so happy. “This is absolutely like a dream come true. And I’d be working for you?”

“Technically, yes. But think of it as working with me. And don’t thank me yet. This is an opportunity. We both have to deliver now.”

“Sarah’s going to absolutely flip. Everyone’s over here, let’s go tell them.”

Ben followed him over to a large blanket where his clan had set up camp, waiting for the fireworks to begin. Sarah kissed her husband when she heard the news, and Jake kissed Jason in front of everyone for the first time.

Cade expressed his gratitude that Ben finally had a job. “I was starting to get worried about you, bro.”

As the fireworks began to explode over their heads, Ben became increasingly uneasy. The summer had officially ended, and Travis could realistically show up tomorrow. And if not tomorrow, then the next day, or the day after that, until in Ben’s mind the future kept rolling out in front of him, still as untamed and uncertain as ever. Ben understood that the wait hadn’t ended. On the contrary, Labor Day meant it had only just begun.

Chapter 16

O
N
THE
first day of October, when Ben started his new job at Shackelford, Young, and Young, Travis still had yet to materialize. At that point, Ben didn’t have much time to dwell on it. The addition of work to his family life stretched his time razor-thin. Still, when he lay in bed at night, he sometimes jumped up if he saw headlights flash across the front windows, thinking it might be him pulling up in a taxi he caught from the airport, having nowhere else to go and no one else he wanted to be with. He would come here, and Ben would kiss him, and everything would make sense again. Other times, though, Ben crawled into bed and slept straight through the night without thinking about Travis at all.