Defining Moments

Chapter Four - New Beginnings (Part Two)

*** Daniel ***

Daniel's POV:

I glanced down at the woman who was blushing profusely after she walked into me, quite literally. "I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed.

I chuckled. "That's alright ma'am." She stepped around me, apologizing once more before exiting the grocery store. She was kind of cute. But she seemed a bit younger than me.

I frowned to myself. "Ma'am? Where did that come from?" I said to no one in particular. I continued my way into the store, grabbing a shopping basket as I went.

"As I live and breathe, I never thought I'd see Daniel West back in Catskill."

I grin, I'd recognize that deep bellowy voice anywhere. "Milo!" I chuckled and shook his hand. "It's good to see you again man."

"What in the hell brought you back to catskill?" He asked. "I thought you left and never looked back."

I scratched the back of my neck with my free hand. "I never had any doubts about leaving this place if I'm being honest. I never thought I'd be back either. But I also never thought I'd find Alec in bed with my girlfriend." I said bluntly.

Milo's jaw dropped. "Alec? Little Alec? Impossible!"

I nodded. "Trust me, I know. I just wish I could unsee it. No one wants to see their brother buck ass naked." I shrugged. "But anyways, I left both Alec and Natalia back in New York and here I am."

Milo gave me a sympathetic smile but just clapped me on the back. "Well, it's good to have you back either way. Let me know if there is anything Sarah or I can do for ya."

I smiled back slightly. "Thanks Milo. I actually was wondering, who was that girl that just left?"

Milo thought for a moment, as if trying to remember who was here. "Oh, you mean Madison? I just hired her. Nice girl."

I just nodded to myself. "Is she from here?"

"From what I gather, she moved here with her fathers right before starting high school. Left town soon after graduating. She just moved back too."

"Is she my age? I don't recognize her." I said, running the list of my very small graduating class through my head, but her face doesn't come to mind.

Milo shook his head. "She's about five years younger than you."

I nodded. "Oh okay. Well, it was nice catching up with you Milo. Once I get settled in, I'll have to have you and Sarah and the kiddos over for dinner."

Milo nodded. "I know Sarah would love to see you again."

I smiled and said my goodbyes before making my way around the store to grab everything that I will need throughout the week until I can really go grocery shopping. After getting everything I needed, I said another quick goodbye to Milo before leaving the store.

As I walk back to my car, my phone starts ringing. I look at the number but don't recognize it. "West." I answered curtly.

"Hello, is this Daniel West?" A man spoke on the other end.

I rolled my eyes. Didn't I just say my last name? "Yes, who is this?"

"My name is Adrian Marshall, from Marshall & Turner Law. I heard from a friend of mine in New York you recently relocated to Catskill?"

"Yes?" I was so confused as to who this person was and what they wanted with me.

"I would like to offer you a position here."

"Are there really any cases in Catskill?" I chuckled.

"No. Not really." Adrian chuckled as well. "We operate remotely, travelling as needed."

I nodded. "I'll have to think about it. If you can email me some more information, I'll get back to you by the end of the week." I tell him.

I had more than enough money to live here in Catskill between my inheritance and my savings, so I hadn't considered finding another job. But when an opportunity presents itself, it would be foolish of me to automatically decline the offer. So, I decided to look into it more, see what kind of law this Mr. Adrian Marshall practiced, and let him know.

Besides, it wouldn't hurt to have something to occupy my time, right? It's not like there is much else to do in this rinky-dink town. Not unless I can find a way to get that girl's number. I think Milo said her name was Madison. Pretty name for a pretty girl.

Once home, I put all the groceries away that I bought before pulling out my laptop and typing 'Marshall & Turner Law' into the search bar. I clicked on the first link at the top of the list of results.

From what I could tell, they were civil rights lawyers. As I dug deeper, I found that they fought for civil rights. Unfortunately, I knew too many lawyers back in New York that fought to keep things the way they were.

I opened the email from Adrian and read through the details of the job. Much like he described, most of the work was done remotely. Having communications with clients through phone and video calls. Of course, travelling was involved if we were ever required to be present at court for anything.

Salary wasn't bad either. He was offering a little over a hundred thousand a year. Granted, I would be willing to work for free, having some extra money to put away for a rainy day is never a bad thing.

I grabbed my phone and dialed the number Adrian had called me from. However, he hadn't answered so I left a voice message asking him to call me back so we could maybe set up a time to meet and discuss my employment with him.

A few hours later, as I was making myself a sandwich for dinner, I received a call back from Adrian asking if I could meet him Monday morning at his home to go over the finer details. I told him that it would work for me and hung up after setting a time.