“Julien, please, enough!” Georges interrupted, good-naturedly. He waved his handkerchief from his wheelchair. “You’re embarrassing our guest. See, her face is turning quite red!”
Bennie laughed. “Georges, you be quiet! He’s making me feel like Celebrity Lawyer. Don’t stop him.” It wasn’t so much that she loved the flattery, but it was such a relief not to be sad for a minute. Small talk had many uses, and since her mother’s death Bennie had decided that true grief was like windshield wipers; intermittent, and taking over in spurts, often when you thought you were almost past it. She turned to the young man. “Please go on, handsome. Tell me in detail about how great I am.”
“Also your humor,” Julien added, laughing. “I have been to two moot courts before that one, this is my third year at school, and I never laughed at one of them. Everybody said the same thing, after. You were funny! You took on that CEO, who was such a pompous ass.”
“I was just jealous.” Bennie liked attention, but this was ridiculous. “So tell me about yourself. I’m surprised you don’t look so much like your father or uncle here. You must get your great looks from your mother’s side.”
“Perhaps,” Julien said with a modest smile. “My mother was very lovely, in pictures. Unfortunately, I don’t remember her. She died of cancer when I was three. Robert is my stepfather.”
“Oh, I see,” Bennie said, suddenly uncomfortable, without knowing why. “So Robert raised you.”
“Well, yes, as best he could, with a young baby and a company to grow. I think of him as my father. He sent me to boarding school here, to Milton, then to Harvard and Harvard Law.”
“What a wonderful education.” Bennie put it together. “And that’s why you don’t have a French accent.”
“Mais oui, but I do,” Julien said, lapsing uncannily into a Gallic inflection. “It works so well with the girls at school.” Next to him, Georges laughed in his wheelchair, and Bennie smiled.
“Congratulations on your upcoming graduation, by the way. A joint-degree program in law and business, very impressive.”
“Yes, I can run the world now!” Julien laughed. “You know, I was so happy when you agreed to represent my father. I knew you hadn’t practiced much in the area of class actions, but I knew you’d be a wonderful lawyer for him. Did he mention to you that I asked for you?”
“He did, and thank you for that.”
“My father really liked you,” Julien said, his enthusiasm waning as he gave way to reality. “He called me after he met you, and yesterday, after court, he called and was so excited, he couldn’t stop speaking in French. He said how right I was. He said you fought like a tiger for him, and for that I thank you.” Julien actually bowed his curly head slightly, his expression darkening. His eyes creased with pain premature on such a boyish face, and he swallowed visibly. His neck was long and thin, but looked even longer in the black crew-neck sweater, with his Adam’s apple traveling up and down. “You made my father very happy. He always sided with the underdog, and it sounds like yesterday, because of you, the underdogs won.”
Bennie felt a twinge. “I am so sorry about what happened, and about his death. It’s a terrible loss for you, and for Georges. For all of us.”
“Thank you.” Julien’s voice was soft. “I appreciate your coming by today.”
“I wouldn’t not,” Bennie said, meaning it. “I thought the world of your father, and it’s been wonderful to meet Georges, and now you. I’m so sorry it had to be in these circumstances.”
“Me, too.” Julien glanced with concern at Georges, sitting with his head bowed in his wheelchair. He shifted over from the desk and put a hand on Georges’s shoulder, then back to Bennie. “You’re probably wondering what to do about the lawsuit now. The complaint against the trade association.”
“Actually, I am,” Bennie said, surprised. She had forgotten about it in Julien’s adoration. Okay, she hadn’t completely forgotten, but she really hated bringing it up, and now Julien had saved her the trouble. Still. “I hate to discuss business at a time like this, and if you wish we can talk about it later.”
“No, now is fine.” Julien straightened beside Georges’s wheelchair. “I don’t know if you know this, but I will be assuming control of the company now. I’ve decided to make this my first executive decision today, even before my graduation.” His smile returned. “I want you to continue to represent St. Amien amp; Fils against the trade association. It’s what my father wanted, and it’s what I want as well.”
Jeez. “My, thank you, “ Bennie said, her feelings bollixed up. It was too sad and too happy all at once. She didn’t know what to do, what to feel, but Julien did. He reached for her with open arms.
“Welcome to the family, Bennie!” Tears brimmed in his eyes and he enveloped her in a warm hug. They held the embrace for a moment, sharing their loss, and when she stepped away Bennie had to wipe her eyes too.
“It’s all right, Bennie,” Georges broke in, hoarsely, from his wheelchair. He reached up for Bennie’s hand and gave it a soft little shake. “It is what Robert wanted, and he would be happy to see his son make such a right decision.”
“Thank you, thank you both.” Bennie struggled to recover her composure. She couldn’t think about her business yet. She felt too swept up by their affection. If it was Alice who killed Robert, or even Linette, she couldn’t accept their generosity. She didn’t deserve it. “I don’t know if I-”
Julien jumped in. “Of course you can, and you must. I read the complaint, my dad FedExed it to me at school. You did a great job. He thought so, and so do I.”
“But can you just make this decision, like that?”
“Why not?” Julien smiled shakily at her. “We’re not publicly traded, there’s no board of directors.”
“Don’t you have to consult anybody?”
“Perhaps I should.” Julien leaned over and tapped Georges’s shoulder. “Uncle, can I make this decision by myself?”
“Trot on, Julien!” Georges barked, and they both laughed heartily.
Bennie wiped her eyes. She didn’t even know how she’d get Robert’s money back. “Maybe you should think about it. Get over to the plant, talk to whoever you have to talk to.”
“Whatever for? It isn’t like that. I’ve worked for my father every summer since I’ve lived with him, and every holiday. I know how he does things, and he runs the show. Period.” Julien cleared his throat, with a genuinely authoritative air. “Bennie, we’ll stay in touch during the next month, until I graduate. I have only a few papers to hand in and then I’m finished. You fight the good fight, just like before. Call me when you would have called my dad, and don’t forget, you promised to sign my reprints.”
Bennie was shaking her head and even she didn’t know why.
“Now, before we forget, do we owe you any money? I know it takes a war chest to fund litigation that large, and I don’t expect Rosato amp; Associates to have to float St. Amien amp; Fils. Do you need money?”
“No,” she blurted out. She knew it made no sense, but she wouldn’t take a penny.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes, thanks. I’ll let you know when I do. We give a quarterly accounting.” Bennie hoped he didn’t hear her gulp. She picked up her bag to leave. “I’ll send you a copy of the file so far, and maybe someday you can come around the office and meet my associates. One of them has pink hair.”
“I used to have blue, did my dad tell you?”
“No. Did it match your eyes?”
“Hardly.” Julien laughed, giving Bennie another brief hug, and this one left her with a thickness in her throat.
“Julien, I think you might just change the world as a CEO. You’re direct, honest, smart, and funny. Funny is allowed when you’re not publicly traded.”
Julien laughed. “Here, let me walk you out.”
Bennie turned, then leaned down and gave Georges a quick kiss on his stiff, smoky beard. “Thank you so much, Georges, and please know my thoughts are with you.”