My brother has gone to work, so I'm alone in the apartment.
In a numb haze, I change into sweats and eat ice cream straight from the container while watching soap operas. I've never watched a soap in my life, and I have no idea what's going on in the complicated stories. It doesn't matter. I'm not paying attention to the TV.
Am I really blacklisted?
The only thing I can do is wait for Chance and hope everything works out the way he swore it would last night.
Chapter Fifteen
Chance
When I get back to the office, the one I was fired from by my ex-wife, Raisa has already left for court. Security won't let me into the office, anyway. I walk back to where I parked the car I hired after leaving Elena and sit there trying to figure out what to do next. I need to talk to Raisa, but she might be in court for hours with her latest divorce case. As much as I want to go back to Elena, I'd planned to have everything sorted first.
Since I can't think of anything else, I decide to get started on my plans for the future. I hope my future includes Elena, but I can't be sure of anything today. Elena is kind and compassionate, the sort who never wants to hurt anyone, even the woman who made her work life miserable. I know Elena admires Raisa professionally, but I think on some level she feels sorry for my ex-wife.
It's all my fault. I should never have come back here.
But if I hadn't, I would never have met Elena.
Though I make a few calls, my plans aren't sorted quite yet, and I finally realize I should go back to Elena's apartment. All my things are there, and I need a place to relax---or try to---so I can figure out what the hell I can do to stop Raisa from ruining Elena's career.
The drive from the office seems to take forever.
I have to park two blocks away from Elena's apartment building, and by the time I knock on her door, I'm in need of a lie-down. Two blocks isn't far to walk, but this day has already taken its toll on me. I can't imagine how Elena feels, but at least I'll be here to support her.
She opens the door and throws her arms around me. "I'm so glad you're back."
A relief so intense it makes me feel weak rushes through me. How can I miss Elena so much after ninety minutes away from her? It seems ridiculous, but I did miss her very much. Maybe it's the stress of our confrontation with Raisa, or guilt over not doing what Elena had wanted and telling Raisa about our relationship sooner. Or maybe it's just Elena. Her smile. The way her hair smells. The feel of her body pressed to mine.
"Come on," she says, taking my hand and leading me into the apartment. "You look like you need booze and a comfy sofa."
"I do. But isn't it rather early for a drink?"
"Not today it isn't."
While I take a seat on the sofa, she gets two glasses and a bottle of brandy from the kitchen. Elena pours our drinks and leaves the bottle on the coffee table. I relax into the overstuffed cushions, rest my feet on the table, and lay my arm across the sofa's back. Elena snuggles up under my arm. The tension inside me disintegrates before I even take my first sip of brandy.
After my second sip, I say, "Don't worry about Raisa. I'll talk to her later and convince her not to blacklist you. She's angry. Once she calms down, she'll see reason. Arguing with a judge always makes her feel better, so I'm sure she'll be in a more reasonable mood after court today."
"I hope so." Elena swirls the liquor in her glass, staring down at it, but doesn't drink. "Otherwise, my career is toast. If the legendary Raisa Volkov wants you gone, you'll disappear from the New York legal scene for good."
"She's not the queen of New York law." I set my glass on the table beside the sofa. "If you want to stay in New York, I understand. But there is another option."
"Yeah, I can move to Greenland."
"That won't be necessary." I curl my finger under her chin and urge her to look at me. When her eyes roll up to focus on me, for a moment I can't speak. She's so beautiful, so sweet, so clever and brave and wonderful. "Come work with me, Elena."
She blinks several times, her eyes large. "I don't understand. You're unemployed too."
"I'm going to start my own practice. There's a lovely little town in New Hampshire where the only attorney within fifty miles is retiring. I met that attorney, Garth Leonard, at a conference a few months ago. We got to talking, and he asked if I'd like to take over his practice." I tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. "I spoke to him this morning. He's retiring in two weeks, and I'd like to accept his offer."
"You're moving to New Hampshire?"
I place a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Only if you come with me."
She sits up and gazes out the window, gnawing on her lip.
"This won't be a glamorous law office," I tell her. "It's a quiet little town full of good people who need legal advice but can't pay top dollar for it. Garth Leonard does have a few wealthy clients, but most are average people. If you want a high-powered career, you'll be better off staying in New York. But I'm hoping you might want what I want---a good life, regardless of prestige or social position."
I've known her for not quite a month, but I feel like I understand what she really wants deep down. If I'm wrong, I'll lose her. If I'm right...
"You don't like New York, do you?" she asks, still gazing out the window.
I swallow a mouthful of brandy before I answer. "I don't dislike it. But being with you has made me realize I want a quieter life, like I had with my family before I moved to America and got involved with Raisa."
"If I say no, you'll go to New Hampshire anyway."
"No, of course not. I'll stay with you either way."
She swerves her head to look at me. "You would give up what you want to be with me?"
"Yes, of course." I clasp her hands between mine. "I love you, Elena."
"How can you be sure after such a short time?"
"I trust what I feel." Lifting her hands, I kiss her fingertips. "I needed fourteen months to decide I loved Raisa. After a week with you, I knew what we have is real, more real than anything I found with her. I trust you, I want you, and I love you."
Her lips twitch upward at the corners twice, then she lets the smile take over, lighting her up from the inside out. "I love you too, Chance."
Something like euphoria sweeps through me, and I can't stop myself from dragging her in for a deep, passionate kiss. She tastes like brandy, but she feels like heaven.
When we separate our mouths, I ask, "So which is it, New York or New Hampshire?"
Elena smiles, and the sweetness of it stabs a wonderful pain into my chest. "I grew up in a small town, and I'd love to go to New Hampshire with you."
I grin, and then I carry her into the bedroom and make love to her. We don't leave her bed for two hours. That's when I receive a text message from Raisa asking me to meet her at her apartment. Elena tells me to go and get it over with.