Chapter 26

It was late April when Tom Brady entered Styles of Lexington. Of course, it was easy enough since the salon was on the ground floor of the building in which his law firm was located. The purpose of his visit on Thursday was to buy a dress for Marilyn Hodges to wear to the annual formal dinner and dance the Firm was hosting the following night at the top-floor restaurant.

Marilyn, as usual, had hemmed and hawed, but finally had accepted Tom’s invitation. Offering to buy her a gown at Styles had closed the deal, so there he was. As he looked around the shop, befuddled, a tall blonde strode toward him. He looked and gasped, “Melanie?”

Jill Barnes giggled and shook her head. “She’s my twin sister,” she said kindly. “Although we’re not identical, we really are pretty close. I’m Jill Barnes, and what can we do for you?”

Tom was about to reply, when he felt the cellphone in his pocket vibrate. Excusing himself, he answered it. It was Marilyn calling to tell him that their date was off. “I’m going with Harrison Carver,” she proudly announced. “And he’s going to be announced tomorrow night as a junior partner!” Brady just stared at the phone as it went dead.

Jill was still standing there as Tom looked at the dead instrument. Then she heard him mutter under his breath, “Oh, shit!” At that moment he felt closer to tears than he had in over 20 years.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Jill asked. Obviously, the call had been terribly disturbing.

Brady just slumped into a chair and stared off in space. Slowly he shook his head and then found himself spilling his guts to the girl who had taken a seat beside him. “It’s the dumb Firm dinner,” he explained. It’s tomorrow night and attendance is mandatory. It’s the time new partners are announced and all that stuff.

“Anyway, for reasons that are anything but clear, I asked a girl weeks ago. Worst of all, she didn’t give me an answer; she was always on the fence but at the same time encouraging enough that I left the invitation open. Then this place opened and I had the idea to offer to buy her a dress here and that closed the deal. Or it seemed to. But she just called to tell me she’s going with someone else.

“And now the dumb thing is only about 36 hours away... and I have no date!” he almost wailed.

Jill had heard a great deal about Tom Brady from Mel. Her sister had been very impressed, but never felt the spark for Tom that she had instantly felt for Jack Murphy. On the other hand, when Jill first saw Tom, she felt her heart roll over. He was very tall at six feet three and ruggedly handsome.

Jill amazed herself with her next words: “How about taking me?” she asked. My God! she thought, I’m actually asking him to take me out!

Tom slowly shook his head. “You’ve got to be kidding! Why on earth would a beautiful girl like you even think about going with a clod like me?” He studied the girl sitting beside him and added, “You’re even more beautiful than your sister, and that’s really saying something.”

“Is that a strange lawyer’s way of saying yes?” Jill asked with a quirky grin.

At that instant, Tom had a stunning revelation: Jill was ten times the woman that Marilyn Hodges would ever be ... and she had asked him for a date! “I would love to take you!” he exclaimed.

With that Jill rose to go and find something appropriate to wear.

“Oh, damn!” he muttered. “I hope she doesn’t get in trouble dating a customer.”

A nearby salesgirl overheard him and giggled. “I don’t think she’ll get in trouble with either the manager or the owner,” the girl told him. “And I’m certain of that because Jill is both. She owns this place.”

Tom just swallowed hard.

At that moment Jill returned wearing the last gown that Deann Washington had worn at the UNCF fashion show. It was white with a neckline that dropped to below her navel and a back that dropped to reveal the start of the crack between her buns. Although it was knee length, it was slit up on both sides to the waist. “How’s this look?” she asked. She was standing in front of him with her right leg cocked to the side revealing her golden tanned leg to a point high on her thigh.

“Good grief!” Tom murmured. “You’re gorgeous!”

“Sir, there’s something you should know about the dress Jill’s wearing,” the salesgirl commented. “It can only be worn by the very rare woman with a perfect figure. And, as you can see, Jill is one of those rare women.”

The date was set. When Tom asked Jill where to pick her up, she told him that the easiest thing would be to just meet her there at the store at six the following evening. And that’s what they agreed to do.

When he left, Jill repeated what Mel had done before her first date with Jack Murphy: She called Karen Williams at The Body Shop to see if there might have been a cancellation or something.

In turn, Karen repeated what she had told Mel: “Look, lady, your sister — your twin sister — owns this dump! That means that you can come in at any time! If you would want to come in at two in the morning, that would be fine. Now are you getting a message?

“Now when do you want to come in?”

They agreed on Friday morning.

On Friday rather than driving her Lexus, Jill was driven in a Farm Rolls-Royce to The Body Shop. Mel had warned her that after one of the Shop’s complete work-overs, she really wouldn’t be in shape for driving, and that’s exactly the way it worked out. She brought everything she would need that night with her.

After taking a nap following her full body massage, Jill was not even allowed to dress herself. When the finishing touches were applied — a diamond choker and a three-carat diamond in her navel — Jill asked Karen, “What do you think?”

“I think you’re the most beautiful woman in the world!” she replied. “That’s what I think!”

The timing worked perfectly. Jill arrived at Styles a few minutes before six as the store was preparing to close. Mel had told her that Tom Brady was always punctual and he was. Exactly at six he appeared in his dinner jacket. Although it was a warm late-April day, since it was expected to be chilly at night, Jill had a dark Russian sable stole.

To Tom, Jill was a vision. Unable to control himself, he took Jill in his arms and kissed her.

To Jill it was everything Mel had described: Bells were ringing and there was the crackle of electricity. The girls in the shop just audibly sighed; it was just so lovely.

At that instant, it was all over for Tom and Jill. Without a word being said, each knew the other was the person each had been searching for all his or her life.

They started moving toward the door when Tom stopped suddenly. “Oh, shit! I’ve ruined your makeup! I’m so sorry... !”

With a grin Jill responded, “You didn’t because you can’t. First, there isn’t very much; most of what you see is just me. Second, most of what there is is around my eyes. Third, the lipstick is guaranteed not to smear.” Her grin widened as she asked, “By the way, do you like the flavor? It’s raspberry.”

“I loved the flavor and I love your lips,” Tom sighed. “Can I do it again sometime?”

“Anytime!” she replied emphatically.

The pair took an elevator that was being run express to the top-floor dining room. The restaurant had been closed to the public for the night, which wasn’t a difficult thing to do since the Firm owned it. They paused at the entrance, and Tom was pleased to hear the audible gasps as the people already gathered reacted to Jill’s revealed beauty. She just stood there while Tom took her stole and gave it to the checkroom girl. While waiting for Tom to return, Jill looked around the room and saw two older gentlemen in close conversation. They did not appear to be happy.

When Tom rejoined her, she asked about the pair. Tom’s eyes flared and he said, “There’s trouble ... I think. The guy on the left is Josh Barrett, the managing partner, and the other is Henry Clay, the some-number-or-other. He’s a lineal descendant of the famous Henry Clay, but I can never remember the number that comes after his name.”

“But where’s Braxton? The firm’s name is Braxton, Barrett & Clay, isn’t it?”

“It sure is,” Tom agreed, “and that’s the problem. Jeremy Braxton is the senior partner ... and it appears he’s not here. And from the looks on the faces of the other two, I don’t think he’s going to be here. And that’s not good. At all!”

“The partnership split?”

“That’s the problem,” Tom answered. “While I’m not certain, I’m pretty sure it’s 40-30-20 among the name partners. The last 10 percent is split with 5 percent going to the other partners and the last 5 among the junior partners. But the problem is that Jeremy Braxton is pushing 70 and the word around is that he’s been trying to cash out for a couple of years ... and he’s the one with the 40 percent!”

“Shall we say hello?” Jill suggested.

When they approached the pair, the two beamed in welcome. Whatever they had been discussing was put aside. Their greeting was effusive, with Barrett commenting that Tom had found an exquisitely beautiful woman to accompany him.

Jill took the two aback with her first comment. “Gentlemen, while waiting for Tom I couldn’t help but notice the two of you in conversation. And both of you appeared to be very worried. Does it concern Jeremy Braxton?”

Jill’s question appeared to be cathartic. Joshua Barrett nodded sadly and said, “It certainly does.” Then he began to unload. “Jeremy has been trying to get rid of his partnership interest for a couple of years now ... with no takers. Recently, he gave Henry and me an ultimatum: Either we buy him out by May 1^st, or he’ll liquidate the partnership to get his money. End of Braxton, Barrett & Clay.”

“How much?” Jill asked.

“That’s the real problem,” Barrett replied. “As of the last audit — completed less than a month ago — his share is forty million dollars ... which is about $25 million more than we can raise.”

Jill thought for a moment and then said, “I have a proposal to make: Would Thomas Brady be acceptable to you as a partner?”

“Good grief!” Henry Clay replied, speaking for the first time. “Tom Brady is probably the smartest and best lawyer in the whole damned firm. Of course he would be acceptable! But where could he get the money?”

“Before answering, let me ask you another question. Tom tells me that the ownership is split 40-30-20 among the name partners. Is that correct?”

The two name partners nodded.

“Okay, here’s my proposal: Tom will buy out Jeremy Braxton’s 40 percent, but ... he would also like to buy 5 percentage points from each of you at the same price: one million dollars a point. Would either of you be interested in getting some cash?”