2 8

good & bad

—

I FELT STRANGE.

But then again, how else was someone supposed to feel in my situation? The easy part was over with, in the sense that we had crossed the hurdle of the hard work that needed to be done. Now all that was left to do was for this to end and hopefully in the best way possible.

Teddy and I had a long morning ahead of us, what with Teddy preparing to file a lawsuit and me preparing for the fallout from said lawsuit. He told me to meet with him at Burke & Associates first thing in the morning so we could go over the game plan together. Waking up in my apartment that morning, I had realized just how complicated this all had been.

I had been high off the feelings I felt for Teddy and excitement for all of this to be over last night that all the things I was dreading about said conclusion had gone out of the window. Like of how the rulings of this case would affect the children. Sadie was young and bright, heading off to college at the beginning of the fall. Thankfully she accepted a spot at New York University, so she would be close to home if her family needed her, but she would just be a college freshman no matter how nice her trust fund was. She wouldn't be able to take care of her siblings if their parents went away for good. I was sure she could keep the house running for a while and give Jack and Jacob a decent place to stay, not to mention they surely had relatives who could take care of them as well, but that wasn't the point.

Nuclear family was nuclear family, no matter what they've done. There was just a bond there that was inseparable, one that Teddy severing by convicting their parents would ultimately ruin them in the long run.

I didn't want to be the one to obstruct justice, but I also couldn't let that happen.

—

BURKE & ASSOCIATES was lively by the time I had gotten there. The last time I came here was so much different, so much more mellow, but it made sense now. Things were different and I had made them different. Now the receptionist who used to play on his computer out of boredom had his phone propped up against his ear using his shoulder, his fingers frantically typing at the keyboard. I could see Violet run in and out of a few doors up past him, a stressed look on her face. There were chairs in the lobby that were all filled up as person after person would go to either Teddy, Theo, or Violet's offices.

I stood there frozen, taking it all in before me and wondering why so many people were here. There had to have been at least twenty of them. Burke & Associates was, by no means, a tiny office space, but the accommodations were definitely lacking when it came to a clientele this large.

"Are you Ms. Finley," I heard someone snap at me before I turned and realized it was the receptionist.

"Yeah, that's me," I nodded awkwardly, knowing he was under a lot of stress but not knowing exactly what to say to not add to said stress he was under. "I'm Ms. Finley."

"Good, Teddy wants to see you," he said with a wag of his hand towards Teddy's office. He didn't need to tell me twice, I wanted to see Teddy and get some things out of my system anyway. I quickly scooted my way past his desk and out of his sight and mind.

When I got to his office, I was expecting just Teddy, so I was surprised to see that Theo was there as well as another man who I did not recognize and there was no Teddy to be seen. There was definitely his case work on the table and his pair of car glasses that had somehow found their way inside.

"Marilyn," Theo said with a gasp. "You're here. Congratulations, by the way. That was so brave of you, gathering that crucial evidence all by yourself."

"And congratulations on you and Teddy as well," the man who I did not know piped in, making me blush scarlet red.

"Adam," Theo whispered with urgency in his voice, "you weren't supposed to say anything about that."

"Oh, really," Adam whispered back. "But Teddy was so excited to tell us."

While they were both extremely loud whisperers, I was unable to focus on the rest of anything they were saying and just stare blankly at Teddy's desk so as not to meet any of their eyes. While there was nothing inherently wrong about Teddy telling his coworkers about our kiss, especially when one was his twin brother and the other was his ex-wife, it felt so much more real now on a degree I wasn't ready to face in the cold light of day.

It begged the question a simple question with not so simple answers: what did Teddy Burke feel about me, about what had happened between us?

Of course, I couldn't live in blissful ignorance of that fact forever, because that was when Teddy decided to finally show up with a box in his hands. He looked absolutely delightful, in khakis, an argyle sweater, and a smile on his face. Of course, when he realized that I was here in his office, that smile slipped and so did the box in his hands which almost fell to the ground if it weren't for his quick reflexes.

"Marilyn," he said and just the way my name rolled off his tongue seemed to hang in the air between us. "I... I wasn't expecting you this early."

Violet slipped into the office behind him with a grin on her face. I was terribly confused by what was going on here, but the last time I had been in this building with all of these people, none of them exactly got along. Now they were all smiling together in the same room, or at least, all of them but Teddy on account of his current state of bashfulness. I guess I just wanted to appreciate it while I could.

"Edward, what are you waiting for," she said, giving him a little nudge on the shoulder. "Show her what's in the damn box already."

Teddy sighed, taking the lid of the box and lifting it up slowly to reveal the insides. And what happened to be in there was a cake. Now I was definitely intrigued.

"Marilyn, I just wanted to give you this as a token of my appreciation for all of your help with this case and with some of my own personal issues as well," he said, unable to meet my eye. This was not the Teddy Burke I came to know, not the guy who oozed with confidence that he tried to make as contagious as possible to help uplift his friends. This was him coming from off a vulnerable moment, trying to make his true feelings known.

"Wow, thank you, Teddy." I took the box of cake in my hands, a smile on my face. "This looks so amazing, I can't wait to eat it."

"And there's something else you wanted to tell her," Theo spoke up quickly, definitely not as subtle as he thought he was, but maybe that was the point. "Something very important."

Teddy glared at his twin brother before giving up and turning to face me. After all, now that it was out there, I guess there was no turning back for him. Just forward.

"Marilyn, I also wanted to ask if you would be my girlfriend," he said in a low voice, and I could tell his cheeks were on fire. I could tell because mine were too.

—

IT WENT NOWHERE.

While all of the stress that my romantic life put on me fluttered away the moment I agreed to be Teddy's girlfriend, the stress of my working life had only doubled in a sense.

When all of the fanfare had died down in Teddy's office, we had gotten to work on going over the evidence from the night of the party and came to some rather shocking revelations. Yes, there was a substantial amount of proof that George Gates had been embezzling money from his own company, it had nothing to do with Selena. She was, for the most part, in the clear. I felt that their family situation would be awful no matter the outcome of the trial, but it was still better than nothing that only one of the children's parents would be getting locked away and that they still had one at home.

However that fact didn't make any part of it easier now that I was basically going to see them for the last time as a family before quitting my job at their estate. Teddy told me that it wouldn't be good for me to hang around there during everything in case I found myself roped into it as a scapegoat, and that he had pulled together the paperwork for me to work with him at Burke & Associates. It had been a long and harrowing eight months, but as someone with no sense of close family, working there seemed to fill a void in me that nothing else could.

When the large wooden door of the Gates' household swung open after the third knock and I was met with the face of a smiling Selena, all that filled me had went away and I was left with the guilt of what I was about to do.

"Marilyn," she said with a sort of springiness in her that threw me all the way off guard. But then again, I had been one of the biggest helpers to her having the most amazing party last night, even if there was that part where Caleb made a big scene out of himself. What could I say, she loved attention just like all of us do.

It was the least I could've done, what with the course of action I was about to take. Even though taking care of this family had been an uphill battle from the start, I felt that the victory that winning it was, had to have been one of the most fulfilling to date.

I was about to tell her that I was quitting and that if there was any paperwork that she needed me to sign, I would leave her an email address she could reach me by. But then she stepped aside, and sure enough all of the kids were there. A clear view of the living room was visible from the doorway and they all seemed to be relaxed, laying down together, their eyes closed as they were collapsed asleep on top of each other.

I could feel my heart fold in on itself at the sight of them, of those who would inevitably be sacrificed for my own intentions. Sure, Teddy's cause was extremely noble, but just because things are righteous doesn't mean they exist in a bubble. I was bursting Sadie, Jacob, and Jack's bubbles just by being here and knowing that in a matter of seconds I would be leaving for good.

"Do you want to come in, Marilyn?" Selena asked, making a gesture at her spacious foyer with a hand. "There's a lot of work for you to do, but the sisters should be here soon."

"Oh," I said. "Sorry, Ms. Gates, but I can't. I have to quit."

She met me with a blank stare before pulling me into a hug, her embrace warm and motherly. "Oh my goodness, I can't let you leave! I need a woman here who I know I'm skinnier than!"

There was a part of me deep down that thought she was being ridiculous and would've been bothered by how that was all she had to say to me, but then again, in the past month since I met Teddy, I had my fair share of real life craziness and it was actually nice to embrace it when the person it's coming from actually cares about you.

"Yeah," I said, wishing I could sound content, but I was too struck to even bother. "I've got a new job lined up an as much as I love it here, I can't stay a baby sitter forever."

"What if we pay you more," Selena pleaded and it was crazy almost, that a girl so inconsequential like me was someone that a woman like her was fighting not to lose. "George has been making so much more lately, I'm sure he could raise your salary to something more persuasive without cutting into our vacation budget."

I sighed. There it was, George and the money. I was trying to think about it as little as possible, but how could I when it was all right there in front of me. The giant house, the trophy wife, the spoiled children, the money in my own pocket. Now all of us would have to live with his decisions.

"It's not that," I said, placing my hands gently on her shoulders. "I just don't think I can be a maid and glorified babysitter for the rest of my twenties."

"But the kids love you," she said. I was about to stumble my way through my next excuse for quitting when George came into view behind her. He seemed to be headed for the kids, but he looked up and saw me, giving me a wave of acknowledgement with his hand. I lifted my hands off Selena's shoulders and waved at back at him.

"So this is it then?" She asked, seeming to have made peace already with the fact that I was leaving. After all, I was just another factor to work with or work around. I was sure she would be fine without me.

"This is it," I said with a smile.

Selena wrapped me into a tight, motherly hug and I returned the gesture, knowing that I could use every little taste of family like this that I could get.

Even if it was soon to be broken and ruined, with much worse to behold underneath the surface.

It was much better than nothing.