Page 46 of Blackout

‘What can I do for you, Mr Waters?’ I politely asked in return, wanting this conversation to be over. I didn’t need to waste any more of my time with lawyers.

‘Please, call me Brad. I believe you asked my team many questions about the James Family Bakery, your father’s Will and what will happen now that you won’t be managing your family’s business?’

‘Yes.’ I had asked those questions amongst others, not that his team of paralegals offered much in the way of answers. I just wanted to make sure the James Family Bakery could manage without me.

‘I know my team weren’t forthcoming with the answers that you wanted, Harley. We are bound by privacy regulations, and without your mother, we were limited on what we could tell you.’

Damn privacy regulations.

‘Mr Waters,’ I started, then stopped. ‘Brad, at the end of the day the bakery is in my mother’s hands and now that she’s working there, I hope now my father’s dreams can come to fruition.’

‘I understand that you have planned a family meeting?’ Brad’s tone was professional. How he knew what my plans were was beyond me. Maybe I’d let it slip to the paralegals that I had organised a family meeting for tomorrow. An inkling in the pit of my stomach now that the butterflies had stopped told me that maybe Brad knew something I didn’t.

‘That’s right.’ I spoke as confidently as I could. Why did he want to know about the meeting I had planned? What more could there be to go over?

‘When, Harley?’

Patience was definitely not this man’s virtue.

‘You have paid Waters’ Law Firm to do a job, and I have a responsibility to talk to the rest of your family.’

Total lawyer speak. His mannerism though reminded me of Zach, which just made me miss that man even more.

‘Okay.’ There was no point arguing with a lawyer, who was out of my league. I was unsure that having Brad at my home was a good idea, but if the man said he needed to speak to the rest of my family, then I needed to trust it was for a good reason. I just hoped I wasn’t about to be blindsided.

‘What time, Harley?’ Brad pushed for a time.

I hadn’t yet thought about it. Was it too late to cancel the meeting I had already set up? Yes. My family needed to meet as we all needed to be on the same page.

‘Noon at my house tomorrow. I gave my details to your team.’

‘See you tomorrow,’ Brad said before he hung up our call.

So, now all I had to do was tell my family what time we needed to meet. I leaned back into the lounge and kicked my feet up onto the coffee table. With my phone still in my hand I opened my family’s group chat and texted them.

H: Family meeting tomorrow. My house, 12 pm. Please don’t be late.

The message had been seen by everyone. But no one replied and for that I was thankful. This time tomorrow everyone would know what I knew, that I’d found Dad’s folder and the dreams he’d planned to make come true. My phone chimed and just when I thought Brad was about to cancel on me, the message I saw on my phone wasn’t from the lawyer. It was from Zach.

Z: I know I haven’t heard from you, and I know you must be busy. I just want you to know you are always on my mind and that I miss you.

H: I miss you too.

It was all I could think of. It was the only response I had.

Z: I have an acoustic event on this weekend. I don’t sing at the events very often but this weekend I will be. I’ve practised a few new songs and I would like to play them for you. I hope you can make it.

My fingers itched to type out another response, but I didn’t know what to say. So, I didn’t say anything. I wanted to surprise Zach when I turned up unannounced. I wanted to believe a surprise was the best way to get us back on track.

Tomorrow, I would be one step closer to Zach. Tomorrow, I could get out of Melbourne after Brad and I talked to my family. All I needed was a way to get back to Zach. I thought maybe I could get the man himself to come and get me and whisk me away. But I had so much to say to him, it didn’t feel right to explain everything on a three-hour drive back to his house. Zach was also a busy man with his event coming up.

I would have to think of someone else to give me that ride, or maybe another mode of transport. I thought about Lex and that she had reached out to me offering her friendship. Maybe I could text her and ask her for her help.

I got off the lounge and picked up the business card Lex had left me with her details on it. After I added her as a new contact in my phone, I sat back down on my lounge. I hesitated for second and questioned if this was a good idea. But my fingers typed out a message anyway. Lex had said after all that she wanted us to be friends. This was me reaching out to her to apologise.

H: I wasn’t very nice to you when you came to my house to see me, I’m sorry.

I hit send and before Lex could reply, I typed.