11.1.5 - Try Me
Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. ~Rita Mae Brown
The phone rang through the house and Larry nearly fell over himself trying to get to it. Home alone with Vic, finger painting, did not bode well for taking care of the house. He picked up the phone, ignoring the fact that Zoe was going to yell at him for getting paint all over it. "Hello?"
"Larry? It's Zack. Zack Hartwell."
Larry paused, then grinned. "Zack. Long time. How the hell are you?"
"Good, I'm good. The firm is great. How are you?"
"Pretty fantastic. Living the low key life."
"If only I had the patience for that," Zack chuckled.
"You know me. I'm a lazy bastard."
"Oh, well that doesn't help what I'm about to ask of you."
"No?" Larry's brows went up. He hadn't heard from his former partner in at least eight months. And it was over a year ago that Zack had last called to ask Larry to go to New York City and help out on a case. Zack knew that Larry knew his shit, and he knew the kind of cases Larry did best. On occasion he called in with a temporary offer.
"Do you remember a client from your Hawthorne and Milton days named Frank Loretto?"
Larry's face scrunched as he racked his brain into the past. A slightly gray haired, rich Italian man came to mind. "Sure. We took care of a lot of his business related cases."
"Yea, so I've heard. Do you remember his wife?"
"God do I. Beverly Loretto. A good fifteen years younger than him and an absolute beauty."
"Well I guess she wasn't young enough anymore, because he's trading her in. They're getting a divorce."
"Okay.."
"Old Frankie's got your old firm working his divorce. He's trying to clean Bev out of everything. He's accusing her of being unfaithful and has one of his employees claiming she had an affair with him. She swears up and down she had no affair, that it was Frank cheating. If it goes his way she and his kids are out on their asses without a penny."
"Charming."
"Look, Larry. Beverly came to me. She was looking for you. She remembered good things about you, and knew you had left Hawthorne and Milton. She didn't know what had happened to you...she wants you to be her divorce lawyer. All she wants is full custody of her kids and alimony to support them on."
"I don't know, Zack.." Larry sighed. "That's..not something you really need me for is it?"
"I do. He...he's got Caroline Parker on his bench."
"Zack." He shook his head. He wasn't going to put himself in that situation. He wasn't going to face her anywhere by choice, especially not in court.
"Larry. This woman has nothing without her husband. Her kids...they're young. She hasn't had a job in twenty years, she doesn't have a college degree...and she wants you to do this. She was begging me. I know...I know how things are with you and Parker, but I also know she's really good. I can't fit this on my docket and most of the kids I've got working here now...wouldn't stand a chance against her. Please. Don't make me beg, here."
Larry smirked. "You're not already?"
"Consider it?"
"Yea. Yea, Zack. I'll consider it."
"You're a good man, Larry Paul."
"You're a suck up, Zack Hartwell." Larry listened to Zack's laughter as he hung up. He sighed and brought a hand up to rub his forehead. He heard a giggle and opened his eyes. Vic stood in the doorway of the kitchen with a hand covering his mouth.
"You look funny."
"Huh?" Then he realized it. He pulled his hand down to look at it. It still had rainbows of fingerpaint on it. As did, now, his forehead.
Larry Paul
Ally McBeal
630
The phone rang through the house and Larry nearly fell over himself trying to get to it. Home alone with Vic, finger painting, did not bode well for taking care of the house. He picked up the phone, ignoring the fact that Zoe was going to yell at him for getting paint all over it. "Hello?"
"Larry? It's Zack. Zack Hartwell."
Larry paused, then grinned. "Zack. Long time. How the hell are you?"
"Good, I'm good. The firm is great. How are you?"
"Pretty fantastic. Living the low key life."
"If only I had the patience for that," Zack chuckled.
"You know me. I'm a lazy bastard."
"Oh, well that doesn't help what I'm about to ask of you."
"No?" Larry's brows went up. He hadn't heard from his former partner in at least eight months. And it was over a year ago that Zack had last called to ask Larry to go to New York City and help out on a case. Zack knew that Larry knew his shit, and he knew the kind of cases Larry did best. On occasion he called in with a temporary offer.
"Do you remember a client from your Hawthorne and Milton days named Frank Loretto?"
Larry's face scrunched as he racked his brain into the past. A slightly gray haired, rich Italian man came to mind. "Sure. We took care of a lot of his business related cases."
"Yea, so I've heard. Do you remember his wife?"
"God do I. Beverly Loretto. A good fifteen years younger than him and an absolute beauty."
"Well I guess she wasn't young enough anymore, because he's trading her in. They're getting a divorce."
"Okay.."
"Old Frankie's got your old firm working his divorce. He's trying to clean Bev out of everything. He's accusing her of being unfaithful and has one of his employees claiming she had an affair with him. She swears up and down she had no affair, that it was Frank cheating. If it goes his way she and his kids are out on their asses without a penny."
"Charming."
"Look, Larry. Beverly came to me. She was looking for you. She remembered good things about you, and knew you had left Hawthorne and Milton. She didn't know what had happened to you...she wants you to be her divorce lawyer. All she wants is full custody of her kids and alimony to support them on."
"I don't know, Zack.." Larry sighed. "That's..not something you really need me for is it?"
"I do. He...he's got Caroline Parker on his bench."
"Zack." He shook his head. He wasn't going to put himself in that situation. He wasn't going to face her anywhere by choice, especially not in court.
"Larry. This woman has nothing without her husband. Her kids...they're young. She hasn't had a job in twenty years, she doesn't have a college degree...and she wants you to do this. She was begging me. I know...I know how things are with you and Parker, but I also know she's really good. I can't fit this on my docket and most of the kids I've got working here now...wouldn't stand a chance against her. Please. Don't make me beg, here."
Larry smirked. "You're not already?"
"Consider it?"
"Yea. Yea, Zack. I'll consider it."
"You're a good man, Larry Paul."
"You're a suck up, Zack Hartwell." Larry listened to Zack's laughter as he hung up. He sighed and brought a hand up to rub his forehead. He heard a giggle and opened his eyes. Vic stood in the doorway of the kitchen with a hand covering his mouth.
"You look funny."
"Huh?" Then he realized it. He pulled his hand down to look at it. It still had rainbows of fingerpaint on it. As did, now, his forehead.
Larry Paul
Ally McBeal
630