"Yeah, she moved here a few months ago. Her firm needed a second chair for some high-profile trials they are involved in." He shook his head slowly, looking at his sister with sad blue eyes. "She’s not the same, Ryan. I mean, I’m still really attracted to her…as you could probably tell. But she’s not the same girl I fell in love with."
"She’s not a girl any longer, Bren. She’s almost 30 years old, if she’s your age. People change a lot in their twenties."
"I know, I know," he conceded. "I just…she’s not shy and quiet, and innocent like she was then." Looking like he was on the verge of tears, he declared, "She’s like a shark!"
"A shark? How do you mean that?"
"Like a high-powered attorney shark," he grumbled disdainfully. "She’s… aggressive now."
"Oooohhhh," she said knowledgeably. "She’s a top now, huh?"
"Top?" His confused mind considered the question and a slow flush crept up his cheeks, and he squeaked. "You mean uh…sexually?"
A broad smile settled on Ryan’s face as she regarded his blushing countenance. "No, Bren, I actually meant her attitude. It sounds like her job has toughened her up and made her more dominant."
Now his blush grew even fiercer, and he nodded his head quickly. "She’s dominant all right! Jesus, Ryan, I’m complaining about her, but I hardly recognize myself! She’s got me wearing these ridiculous boxer shorts, I’m running around the neighborhood almost naked just to get another kiss…I’m losing my mind!!"
The voice of experience waggled an eyebrow as she asked in a conspiratorial tone, "That’s not a bad thing, is it? It’s kinda nice to be with someone that brings out your wild side."
He gulped noticeably and agreed completely.
"No…it’s ahh…kinda nice.
But it’s so weird, Ryan. I don’t know if she was always like this and I didn’t notice it, or if she’s really changed that much!"
"Probably a little of both," she guessed. "People don’t generally have major personality changes in just a few years. She probably just chose a line of work that helped bring out her natural aggression."
He flopped down on the sofa again and moaned, "Don’t remind me! We always talked about doing something meaningful. But now she’s a…she’s a…" his mouth curled into a grimace as he spat out, "litigator!"
"Ohh…you poor baby." She got up from her chair and sat on the arm of the sofa, draping her arm around his slumped shoulders and giving him a hug. Ryan had always considered Brendan one of the most anti-lawyer lawyers in the world. He loved his job, and was very proud of the work he did, but he had an intense dislike that bordered on hatred for large corporate law firms and their legions of highly-paid hired guns. "What kind of law does she practice, Bren?"
"Corporate," he grumbled. "The fattest of the fat cats."
"So she what…forecloses on widows and orphans?" She was clearly teasing him now, but he wasn’t in the mood to play the game, and he answered seriously.
"No, although I’m sure she would if they told her to. She does a lot of work with the dot coms. Right now she’s working on a very big suit brought by recording artists against one of those music download sites." Ryan knew that the Bay Area had been the birthplace of the Internet start-up phenomenon, and many of the tiny companies had been catapulted into the multi-million dollar firms at their first offering of stock to the public. She was also very familiar with the MP3 music sharing sites, having availed herself of their services frequently.
"Well, that’s not so bad, Bren. It’s not like she’s stealing from the poor to give to the rich."
Her words provided little solace to her brother, and he continued to slump against the couch. "It doesn’t
mean
anything, Ryan. That’s my point. It’s just a very, very large paycheck to do nothing of importance! She’s so bright, and has such a good heart! It just sickens me that she’s using her brain to make a bunch of nineteen-year-old computer geeks into multi-millionaires. She could make such a difference if she would use her skills to help people."
Ryan hated to burst Brendan’s bubble, but she felt that she needed to be honest. "She can’t help people if that isn’t where her heart lies, Bren. Maybe that’s not who she is."
He got up so abruptly that he almost knocked her off the arm of the couch. Once again he started to pace around his small apartment, his arms crossed against his chest, hands shoved into his armpits. "That’s my problem! I don’t know who she is anymore. I just can’t figure it out!"
"What does she say when you talk about this stuff, Bren? Does she want to continue doing this kind of work–is she happy with her job?"
He blushed again, looking over at Ryan through a lock of black hair hanging over his eyes. "We um…don’t really talk all that much," he admitted. "She works ungodly hours, and well…you know how it is," he added, looking to her for understanding.
"I do indeed," she nodded. "But you need to stay vertical a little while and discuss these things, Brendan. If you let yourself fall in love with her again and then find out you can’t make a go of it, it’s gonna be brutal."
"It’s too late for that, Ryan," he said softly, looking like he was confessing to a homicide. "I’m already gone."
She rose from her perch and came over to give him a firm hug. "I’m happy for you, Bren. I’d love to meet her." Pulling back, but leaving her arms around his waist she warned, "You’d better bring her over for dinner soon, or you’ll never hear the end of it. Da would be devastated to know you’re this serious about someone he’s never met."
"I will, I will," he mumbled. "I’ve just been waiting until I felt more settled about the whole thing. I’ve never felt this out-of-control, Ryan."
"Bad news, bro," she regretfully informed him, a wry smirk firmly settled on her face. "That feeling lasts for a very, very long time."
After their discussion, Ryan convinced Brendan to play a round of golf with them in the afternoon. They chose a public course, and the interminable wait for nearly every shot gave them plenty of time to chat.
Brendan was very forthcoming with Jamie about his dilemma, and she provided, as usual, a very sympathetic ear. Watching them interact, Ryan mused once again about how lucky she was to have chosen such an empathetic, loving partner. All of the boys acted like Jamie was as close as kin, and Ryan spent a moment hoping that she would eventually feel that way towards Brendan’s love.
"So if I bring her to dinner, you guys will both back me up?" he asked while they were knocking the heads off some tall weeds while they waited to tee it up on the sixth hole.
"Absolutely," Jamie said. "Do you think she’ll have a hard time with the teasing?"
He laughed at that and assured her, "She comes from a big family, too, Jamie. I think she’s used to our type of humor."
"Why did she leave Chicago, Brendan? Was she forced to transfer?"
He shook his head quickly, a slight furrow settled on his forehead. "No…she was…I guess she had her heart broken," he admitted. "She was dating this guy for almost five years and finally realized that he was never going to be willing to get married, so she broke up with him. She wants to have a family, and she wouldn’t give that up for the guy."
Ryan did the math and computed that Maggie must have gone directly from Brendan to the unnamed boyfriend, since not quite six years had passed since he graduated from law school. "Is she really over him?" she asked, trying not to sound suspicious.
He pursed his lips and nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah…I think so. She says she spent the last year trying to give him a chance to change his mind, but he didn’t want kids, and he wasn’t even sure he wanted to marry." He looked down at his sister and commented, "I don’t get that!"
"I don’t either, Bren," she said, smiling at her partner. "I don’t either. They don’t call it marital bliss for nothing!"
Weeks earlier, they had tried to arrange for a date for Reverend Evans to finally come for Sunday dinner, but due to scheduling conflicts, today was the first day he had been available. Jamie had been relaxed about the meeting, but as the day wore on she began to get more and more agitated. He was due to arrive at 5:30, and as the time grew near, her discomfort grew also. "You’re nervous, aren’t you?" Ryan asked with a chuckle as Jamie checked her watch for the fifth time.
She blushed a little as she agreed, holding her thumb and index finger an inch apart. "A tiny bit."
"What makes you nervous?" Ryan asked as she got up and wrapped her arms around Jamie from behind.
She clasped her hands over Ryan’s arms and turned her head just enough to kiss her cheek. "I’m not sure. He’s crazy about you, and I’m sure everyone will be nice to him. I guess it just means a lot to me to have everyone like him."
"He’s one of the most likeable men I’ve ever met," Ryan assured her. "Everyone likes your grandfather."
"I know," she said as she nodded. "It’s just important to me."
"Don’t worry, Babe. We love anyone you love. It comes with the package. Now let’s go pick him up and stop worrying about it, okay?"
"Okay," she agreed, accepting a kiss and a gentle hug that, as usual, helped calm her anxiety.
Two hours later, Charlie and Martin were regaling each other with their favorite stories while Brendan, Conor, Ryan and Jamie worked away in the kitchen, cleaning up the huge mess that was the result of Martin’s elaborate meal. "Your grandfather is a great guy," Brendan commented, giving Jamie a quick hug.
"Yeah," Conor agreed. "He hardly seems like a priest at all. He’s like a real guy."
"Well, he is a real guy," Jamie said with a laugh.
"You know what I mean," he insisted. "Father Pender’s a guy, but he doesn’t seem like a real guy. Maybe it’s because Episcopal priests can marry," he mused. "I have a hard time trusting anyone who pledges celibacy. Makes me doubt his sanity," he said in a completely serious tone.
"Conor’s spiritual leanings run very deep," Ryan joked as she snapped him on the butt with a dishtowel.
"I just can’t understand believing in a God who gives you all these fun parts and then tells you not to use them!" he maintained. "You Episcopalians have the right idea."
"No confession either, Conor," Jamie informed him.
"Jeez, why didn’t we go that way? I think I’m gonna switch."
"You don’t belong to anything," Ryan scoffed, "how can you switch?"
"Good point as usual, Sis," he nodded.
"I’m a little surprised that you two don’t go to Charlie’s church," Brendan commented.
"We’re still not locked in with the Catholics," Ryan advised, "but St. Phil’s is convenient, and it’s nice to go help out with Caitlin. We probably should formally join a church one of these days. We might well wind up Episcopalians. I’m about on my last nerve with Rome."
"Most of us are," Brendan agreed. "Luckily the Vatican doesn’t have all that much influence at the parish level."
"Well, I’d sure like to keep them out of my bedroom," Ryan grumbled.
The phone rang, and since dinner was over, Ryan was free to answer. "Hello?"
"Hey, Ryan. Niall. The boys are going to come over and play cards. You guys up for it?"
"Tonight?" she asked, her brow furrowing a bit.
"Yeah. Right now. You’re done with dinner, aren’t ya?"
"Yeah. We’re finished eating, but I can’t play. Jamie’s grandfather’s here for dinner. Let me see if the boys want to. Hold on a sec."
Holding the phone against her blouse she asked in her usual familial shorthand, "Cards?"
"Where?" Brendan asked.
"Niall’s."
"Cool," Brendan smiled.
"I’m in," Conor agreed.
Before she could pick the phone back up, Jamie placed a hand over hers and asked, "Would you like to play, Honey?"
It didn’t take long for Ryan to reply. "Yeah. I love to play with the guys, but there will be plenty of games. No big deal."
"Honey, if you want to play, go right ahead," Jamie insisted. "To tell you the truth, I’d like a little alone time with Poppa. Get a ride with the boys, and after I spend some time at Poppa’s, I’ll come join you."
"Cool." Ryan’s eyes lit up and she informed her cousin. "Count us in, Niall. Beer, chips and chairs?"
"Right-o," he replied. "See ya."
"Beer, chips and chairs?" Jamie asked, unsure of what that code meant.
"Yeah. Niall has no furniture, so we all have to bring our own chairs. This group eats chips like there’s no tomorrow, so we always bring extra. The beer is self-evident," she added with a grin.
Jamie leaned against her, pinning her to the kitchen counter. "You be careful trying to keep up with the boys, Slugger."
"You’re going to bring me home, so I don’t have to be careful," Ryan reminded her with a kiss to the tip of her nose. "I can drink myself into a stupor."
"That is an image I cannot conceive of," Jamie laughed, snuggling up for a hug.
"Why can’t I find a girl that encourages me to play cards and doesn’t mind when I drink," Conor whined. "Ryan gets all the breaks!"
"Keep one around long enough to learn her last name, and maybe you can get a break too," Ryan replied, tilting her head to give Jamie a chaste kiss. Neither woman moved, each staring lovingly into the eyes of the other, until Brendan finally had to break the mood.