A Year to Remember(11)
Maybe it was better he cut it.
Taking a deep breath, I gathered the nerve to call him. I dialed the phone, hoping I could just leave a message.
No such luck. His secretary put me right through to him.
“Adam Goldman.” At the sound of his rich and deep voice, shivers ran up and down my arms.
“It’s Sara Friedman.”
“Sara. What can I do for you?” His voice remained rich and deep, only now it had a bit of huskiness to it.
“I ... uh ... I was wondering if you could look over a couple of contracts for me?”
“What kind of contracts?”
I didn’t know how to say it without feeling embarrassed. I said it really fast before I lost my nerve.
“The Morning show is going to interview me about my toast at Seth’s wedding and they’re going to follow my story throughout the year and if I find the right guy, they’ll throw us a wedding. They want me to sign some contracts and waivers, and you’re the only attorney I personally know, so I called you and could you do it? I mean could you look it over for me?”
Silence.
He didn’t say a word, but I could hear him breathing into the phone.
“I’ll pay you,” I added.
Apparently, that did the trick.
“When you get it, fax it over to me and I’ll take a look. Meet me at Café Marco at eight and we’ll go over it. And, Sara?”
“Yeah?”
“I charge two-fifty an hour.” Then he hung up.
I got to the coffee shop by eight, surprised to find Goldman already relaxing in front of a fireplace, drinking a cup of coffee. He must have come straight from work, because he still wore a suit. Armani would be my guess.
Sexy.
He watched me walk toward the table and stood, clearly in lawyer mode.
“Have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?”
“No thanks. If I have to pay you two-fifty an hour, I can’t afford a coffee in this place.”
I sat and took off my jacket.
“My treat then,” he said, getting up.
“No really, I’m not thirsty. I just want to get this over with.”
He paused for a moment, considering something. “Fine. The contract states you can’t give any other interviews to any news media. It means that you’ll be signing exclusively with them.”
“I’m being interviewed locally tomorrow. Will that be a problem?”
“No, just don’t fax it back to them until after the interview. Make sure you tell them about it, though.” He placed the contract on the table and leaned closer. “You’ll be giving them full access to your life, Sara. They can follow you around with cameras, if they want. Are you sure you want to do this?”
It touched me he seemed to care until I remembered he was charging me. The question was based on his role as my attorney and nothing more. I could never forget Goldman didn’t care about anyone but himself. Every time I lowered my guard around him, I got burned. I needed to put my attraction behind me once and for all.
“Yes.”
He nodded and continued to explain the terms of the contract for me. By the time he finished, the clock read five minutes to nine.
“Well, my carriage turns back into a pumpkin in five minutes. I better get going. Thanks for helping,” I added.
“If you need anything...” He didn’t finish and I didn’t give him time.
“Just send the bill to my office, all right?” I put my jacket on. He stood, and we began to walk out of the coffee shop.
“Sara?”
“Yeah?”
I turned to him as we stopped just outside the door. He smelled intoxicating.
He shook his head. “I’m not charging you for this. Even if you don’t think so, I really am your friend.”
He walked away, leaving me to wonder why he seemed offended.
“With us today is Sara Friedman, a twenty-nine-year-old single female searching for her soul mate. You may have seen her on YouTube and she’s live via satellite with us today. Good morning, Sara.”
“Good morning, Bethany,” I responded to Bethany Williams, trying not to fidget in my chair. I had been under the lights of the camera for only a few seconds, and I already felt the sweat bead on my face. I silently prayed it wouldn’t melt the makeup down my face on national television.
“Sara, you’re only twenty-nine years old. Why do you feel the need to marry before you turn thirty?”
That’s a great question and one for which I had no answer. I glanced to the left of the camera. Missy stuck out her tongue. I could always count on her for support, even if she made fun of me at the same time.
“I don’t have to marry by thirty, of course, but I believe if you want something badly enough, you have to work for it. I hadn’t tried very hard to meet anyone since college. I thought somehow it would just happen naturally. Then as I watched my younger brother get married, it occurred to me if I wanted what he had I needed to do the work. I’ve joined a dating site and I’m open to any and all means in meeting my soul mate.”