The Contract Read online

  “Jason, you cannot be Sara’s guardian! You are still a minor, yourself.”

  Sally frowned when Jason laughed aloud.

  “That may be the only time, past, present, or future, that you and Jack Lawrence agree on anything. He just told me the exact same thing, using the exact same words.”

  “It is not funny, Jason, and even Lawrence will get lucky and be right once in a blue moon.”

  “I know,” Jason replied, the laughter fading away. “Draw them up, but leave the guardian’s name blank, so it can be filled in.”

  “Jason, if you are thinking about Mrs. MacDougal, sweetheart that she is, she would do it, Lawrence will never go for it. He could make it difficult for her.”

  “I know. I have someone else in mind.”

  “No, Jason. It would be a conflict of interest,” Sally said quickly.

  “You are such a nice lady, Miss Richardson,” Jason said softly. “You would do it if I was not your client, would you not?”

  Sally looked away and shrugged her shoulders slightly. “She seems like such a nice girl. It is obvious she has had a rough life. And her mother…”

  Bringing her eyes back to Jason she said, “It does not matter, I cannot do it.”

  “I know. I did actually think about dismissing you and getting other representation, so I could ask you to become her guardian. But I did come up with an alternative.”

  “Are you going to tell me?” Sally asked.

  “The Commodore,” Jason replied.

  “The Commodore! She does not even know him! Besides, he…” Suddenly Sally looked thoughtful. “I do not know, Jason…”

  “Leave the name blank. I plan to talk to him this evening about all of this. And I am sorry to rush you, but I told Mr. Lawrence I would get both sets of papers signed…tonight.”

  “Oh, you have the confidence of the McKindrick’s, that is for sure!”

  Sally shook her head. “Okay, Okay! Mandy thinks you are a darling. She will get the papers ready.”

  “One more thing,” Jason said, unable to sit still now. “I need a contract written up. Airtight. Ironclad.”

  He had turned away. Jason now turned to look at Sally intently. “And this I know you will not like, or approve. I am prepared to find someone else to write this contract, but I hope you will do it, because I know you can get it just right, because you will not approve the basics.”

  “That does not make sense, Jason. How can I get it just right, if I will not approve it?”

  Jason explained what he wanted.

  Sally Richardson went rigid.

  “NO! I will not do that! Sara Lee is a good person! You are asking me to write a contract, that, in effect, means you are buying her! Like a slave! No!”

  Sally turned away from Jason, obviously angry, and more than a little disappointed in her young client.

  Jason waited for long moments, but she turned to face him again, her anger under control.

  “I am very disappointed in you, Jason. You obviously have not mentioned this to Sara. If you promise me you will not, I will never mention it again. And that is only because I would never put her in a position to even acknowledge such a possibility. If she heard about it she would quite probably slap your face. Rightly so. I hate to admit it, but I actually felt my arm twitch with the urge to slap you myself.”

  “I understand, Miss Richardson. I knew you would find it objectionable. I suspect the Commodore will, as well. If he did agree to become her guardian, he would have to sign it on her behalf. Assuming she agreed to it. And I could get Mr. Lawrence to sign on my behalf.”

  “You must have realized that this is impossible, Jason,” Sally said, her anger somewhat mollified by Jason’s straightforward recognition of the obstacles that he would face getting the contract accepted.

  “You obviously have strong feelings for Sara. But, this… No matter how much you provide for her, Jason, asking a woman, particularly a young woman under the kind of stress that Sara is under at the moment, to do something like this is simply not acceptable.”

  “I know,” Jason said, sitting again. “It is the only way I can think of to keep Sara from going with her mother. Mrs. Lee is desperate. Sara loves her mother unconditionally. If Sara helps her evade the authorities, especially after these arrangements have been made, she will be in almost as much trouble as her mother. Just as much if they manage to stay on the run until Sara is eighteen. The original charges will be beyond the statute of limitations, but the flight to avoid will not. And the conspiracy to aid and abet will be current for Sara.

  “Those are just the legal problems. Sara will not be able to get any kind of real education.”

  Jason suddenly stood and began to pace. “Like a caged animal,” Sally thought to herself.

  “I do not want her to have to sell herself… She is too… nice… for that… It will destroy her… But I know, in my heart, that if Sara goes with her mother now, that she will wind up doing just that. I cannot stand the thought of it. I argued with Sara about using the expression I will do anything, but I feel almost that way about this.”

  “Jason, I know how hard this is on you. I can see it in you right now. But what you propose simply will not work. Sara will not agree. The Commodore will not agree. Jack Lawrence will not agree.”

  Jason looked at Sally, meeting her eyes with his. “But what if they did? She is the most remarkable woman I have ever met. And I have been fortunate to be around many such women. You included, Miss Richardson. There is something about her… I still do not know what it is. The very first glance I had of her… I knew she was the woman with whom I wanted to spend my life.

  ”She stood toe to toe with me last night and told me she hated being obligated. That she would do anything to get out of the situation she was in. I simply wanted to shock her out of that attitude… Make her think of reasonable options. I asked her to have sex with me to cancel the debt.”

  Before Sally could react in the same manner as had Mrs. MacDougal and Sara during the actual event, Jason had risen again and started pacing, continuing to speak.

  “She refused, of course. I knew she would not do it. I just wanted to make my point. I asked her to marry me for the same reason.”

  Suddenly, Jason’s voice got soft, “Well… partly for the same reason. If she had said yes…” He shook his head. “No matter.”

  “She refused that, as well, and rightly so. But she still insisted that she would do anything other than have sex with me or marry me, to get out from under the debt she feels, as quickly as possible. She would work until her fingers bled. Sleep and eat only enough to keep going. Take any job that would let her allow her to get away from the obligation.

  “And I could deal with that, if need be. I do not know how I will deal with the fact of her doing something that she has said she would not. She knows what is right. If she gets desperate enough to do that anyway, it will destroy her as surely as I am standing here.”

  Again Jason fell into the chair.

  “Jason, look at me,” Sally said, touching Jason’s face to turn it toward her.

  “Tell me right now, truthfully… Are you playing me, the way you have Lawrence, to get what you want from him, to get me to do what you want?”

  Jason sighed. “I meant everything I said. But, yes, I probably am using it to get what I want. People always seem to think I am such a nice, generous person. I know better. I do the things I do because I get something out of it. I cannot say that this is any different.”

  Sally let her hand drop, but continued to watch Jason. Finally she nodded. “Okay, Jason. Against my better judgment, I will write that contract up as you ask. Only because I know you will go elsewhere to have it done. I trust that none of the three principals involved will ever sign it.”

  “Thank you, Miss Richardson. I hope you do not wind up regretting this.”

  “So do I, Jason. So do I.”

  Sally took a deep breath, then released it. “Okay. Now, with all that said, and part
icularly in light of my strenuous objections, I have to ask you… Are you aware, that the way you have structured the contract, Sara does not have to actually do anything that you have set the contract up for her to ostensibly do? You cannot get out of any of your commitments, but she has literally dozens of ways to terminate the contract, and in every case, she gets everything you have committed, with no recourse at all available to you.”

  “I know,” Jason said simply.

  “But… Why? You really are a nice person, Jason. Despite your definition. I was, believe it or not, a teenager at one time. And, admittedly, boys may have sex on the mind somewhat more than girls at that same age… But, believe me, I was curious, and interested, and did think about sex a great deal.

  “Therefore, I do understand your prurient interest.

  “Yet, you are setting up the contract so Sara does not have to share your bed, even without sex, as stated. It does not make sense. If she did agree to the contract, she would do so fully expecting to sleep in the same bed with you, again, without sexual contact, but still sharing your bed.

  ”If anyone has the willpower to resist the temptation that would present, it probably is you. If she did agree to that contract, she would hate you for it. Sara would probably go to bed with you each time hating you a bit more. She would have no trouble resisting the natural temptation of a young person in intimate circumstances. But it would be agonizing for you, Jason.”

  Jason smiled at Sally. “But she would be in an environment where she can be healthy and safe and can get an education and become the architect she dreams about becoming. My feelings simply do not matter.”

  The smile caught Sally totally by surprise. It was so sincere, so uncontrived, that she believed, with her entire being, that she was in the presence of actual, unadulterated, true, unconditional love of one person for another. Jason knew exactly how agonizing it would be for him. That Sara would probably hate him.

  “But she would go through with it… If she said she would, she would… I have already seen how stubborn she is, myself. Jeez!” Sally thought, “Nothing else would work with her! No matter how much money she earned, it would not be enough, because it is not the money, it is the GIVING!”

  Jason was again up and pacing. Sally looked over at him with wonder in her eyes. She quickly looked away when Jason seemed to feel her gaze and turned to look at her.

  “So, you will write up those things?”

  Sally nodded, keeping her eyes away from Jason’s face. She heard him sigh, and cut a quick glance at him. His eyes were closed. He seemed to be starting to relax.

  “I will come by the office and pick up my laptop and the papers to take to the Commodore after supper. Thanks again, Miss Richardson.”

  Jason turned back to her with his hand on the doorknob. “I will understand if, after this, you decide to terminate our relationship.”

  “I will have to think about it, Jason,” Sally replied, still not able to look at him when he was looking at her. She closed up her briefcase, Jason’s laptop with the draft of the contract inside.

  When she went to the door she watched Jason walk down the hall toward the meeting room in which Mrs. Lee and Sara were still talking. “That is a remarkable young man,” Sally muttered. “If only I could find someone to love me the way he loves her…”

  Jason hurriedly stopped when Mrs. Lee exited the room he was approaching. She seemed in a hurry. Sara came out much more slowly.

  Sara looked over at Jason after watching her mother disappear around a turn in the hallway.

  “She said… she needed… something,” Sara said quietly. “I guess I will stay around here. Mother will probably come back here, before she goes out to the house. I cannot remember if you said you would bring the money here or out there.”

  “I did not specify,” Jason replied. “Your mother will come back to the house, I am sure. She will expect us to be there,” he continued, starting down the hallway.

  Sara followed automatically. “You are probably right,” she replied.

  Candy was waiting by the limo. She searched the two young people’s face. Both looked sad and upset.

  “How about stopping for some ice cream before we go home?” she said cheerfully as she slid into the driver’s seat of the car.

  “I will not tell Maggie, or Duchess, if you don’t”

  “I am not very hungry,” Sara said.

  “Neither am I,” Jason added. “I do need to make a stop, Candy. At the bank.”

  Jason turned to look at Sara. “You want to go to the library to do your home-work, or go home and do it there?”

  “I think I would rather go ho… back to your house. Mother might show up early.”

  Jason nodded. “Okay. My stop will only take a few minutes.”

  Candy continued to try to get a conversation going but Sara and Jason each seemed lost in their own thoughts.

  As they entered the house Sara asked Jason, “When do you want to go over how I am going to pay you back for all this? I plan to hold you to your promise, even though I guess I have to go back to Indiana. I hope you have come up with something so I can continue paying you back from there.”

  “What I have come up with is not really location specific. It is still early. I have a few more details to work out. But our discussion last night was at a little after nine. I will have things ready for you by then.

  “I can leave the money with you, for your mother, or I can hang on to it to give to her. Your choice.” Jason held out the money toward Sara.

  She took a quick step back. “Just hang on to it. I do not want it any longer than necessary.”

  “I understand,” Jason said, even as Sara was turning and hurrying toward the stairs in the entry hall.

  “Master Jason?” Mrs. MacDougal asked, coming up to him as he stood watching Sara almost run up the stairway.

  “Yes, Mrs. MacDougal?” he asked as he turned to look at her, but only after Sara was completely out of sight.

  “Is there something I can do for you? Supper will not be for some time. It is still early. Your meetings must have gone well.”

  Jason smiled sadly. “Not well, but productive and informative.” Jason started to turn away, but turned back to Mrs. MacDougal.

  “Actually, there is one thing I would like you to do. Contact the contractor we use for household repairs. Have them come out and put a door between my room and the bedroom next to it. There is plenty of space along the wall between the two rooms. And pay them out of my allowance, not the household budget.”

  “Why on earth do you want to expand your bedroom like that?” Mrs. MacDougal asked. “I am not sure I want that done,” she added.

  “Please, Mrs. MacDougal? And ask them to rush. I will pay a premium. They know this house. Know all the colors and paints and trim. Tell them that if they can do it this afternoon, I will pay them double.”

  “Are you sure? That will be exceeding expensive. Cannot this wait for a few days. You know I really do not like rush decisions.”

  “I know, Mrs. MacDougal.” Jason managed a small smile. “You picked that contractor. He is very good. I promise that if I change my mind later about the doorway, I will pay just as much to have them return that wall to the exact condition in which it is in now. How is that?”

  “I suppose it will have to do, Master Jason.” She shook her head. “I wonder about your flights of fancy, however.”

  Jason actually laughed. “I know. I certainly do have some wild ones at times, do I not, Mrs. MacDougal?”

  Suddenly he leaned forward and gave her a hard hug. Before she could recover from her surprise, he was gone.

  Duchess came up to her. “What was that all about, Maggie? Are Jason and Sara all right?"

  “I am afraid not. But I am not sure exactly what is wrong at the moment. Nor how to make it right.”

  “Come on into the kitchen. The others all just came in. We can have a bull session and come up with a plan.”

  “Bull session, indeed!”
Mrs. MacDougal said. “You are spending too much time with the younger members of this household staff.”

  As she headed toward the telephone stand she said over her shoulder, “Put on a pot of tea. I will be there shortly.”

  Jason was surprised later that afternoon when Mrs. MacDougal ushered Sally Richardson into the study where he and Sara were both doing their homework.

  Immediately standing, Jason greeted Sally. Sara turned around and smiled at the rather amazed look on Sally’s face.

  “Hello, Sara, Jason,” Sally said.

  “Is there a problem?” Jason asked.

  “No,” Sally replied quickly. “Mandy had no trouble getting the papers ready you wanted. It was mostly boiler plate from the other set. And I did the contract myself. I wanted to talk to Sara. I thought I could do that while you looked over the papers.”

  “That would be fine,” Jason said. “I will leave you two to your talk.” He touched the intercom button and asked Duchess to bring a pot of tea to the study.

  Looking over at Sally he said, “I will be in the living room.”

  Sara cut Sally a questioning glance when she moved around the desk and sat down where Jason had been minutes before.

  “I did not think you could give me advice, Miss Richardson. The conflict of interest.”

  Sally smiled. “I cannot. This is personal. Well, not personal, it is business. But not attorney client business.”

  “I am sorry… I do not understand,” Sara replied.

  Sally waited for Duchess to set the tea service on the desk. “I will pour, Duchess. Thank you.”

  “Sure, Miss Sally. Buzz the kitchen if you or Miss Sara want anything else. A cookie, say… Or anything.”

  “Sara?” Sally asked as she poured tea into two cups.

  Sara smiled at Duchess. “No thanks, Duchess.”

  When Duchess left, Sara cut a glance over at Sally. “You seem almost at home here.”

  Sally smiled fondly. “I have spent some time here. I did some work for Jason’s father before he died. When I was first getting established. I did not even have an official office. I did most of the work for Brodrick right here in this office. The staff made me very welcome.”