Unrequited

The next day Jolene was halfway through a day of work-work in which Ashley was blatantly giving her the cold shoulder. "Want a water bottle or something?" Jolene asked as she twirled a pen around her fingers.
Making a snotty face, Ashley held up her metal thermos of tea. "Obviously not."
This again. At first when Ashley's uncle forced Ashley to let Jolene stay, she had pitched a fit. Then it was an obsession that Jolene was out to sleep with Liam. Eventually things thawed out but it seemed now things were back to they way it was before.
"Fine then," Jolene said and made a point of lifting her briefcase onto her desk and slamming it down. She then made a point of gathering up the papers to the business papers they were working on and dumped it on Ashley's pile. "Time to man up and do your own work," she said coolly and pulled out work that was more her style.

"Excuse me?" Ashley asked.
Jolene smiled. "Your cops told me to look around for a Will Ackerman." Ashley let out a pissy sigh and clamped her mouth shut. Closing her eyes, she thought Will Ackerman over and over again. Canadian cops had picked him up for money laundering but they assumed it was for something small. Instincts picked up from her law firm down south told her no, there was something familiar. She knew she ran across that name somewhere in her notes, but where?
There was a soft ahem and Ashley pointed over Jolene's shoulder with her pen. Jolene frowned and was surprised to see Sean leaning against an empty desk with his hands in his coat pockets. "Hey," Sean gave her a lazy sort of smile. "Figured I'd kidnap you for the day."
Jolene looked him in the eyes and decided fuck it. This whole Calgary stay was temporary anyways so she put her things away, grabbed her coat and briefcase and laced her arm through his. "So where are we going?"
"Dinner at the Jones's house," Sean said once he started driving.

"Well then." Jolene grabbed her makeup bag out of her briefcase and began to touch up her makeup and pat down the frizz in her curly hair.
"God you're a girl," Sean laughed.
She smiled. "No us Viet girls know how to work hard and play harder later." Glancing over, she noted, "Mom's Vietnamese."
His jaw dropped. "Really?" He breathed and rubbed his thumb near her eye. "I suppose I see it a little."
Jolene nodded, having heard it before. "Yeah Mom's mostly Vietnamese with some French in her. More than just one percent," she joked. "Dad's half black and half Irish, though I look a little more Irish and French if anything. So will I know anyone?" She asked hopefully.
"I think Lance and Kat will show up later. She has some media thing," Sean said. As they waited at a stoplight, Sean pulled the notes she had stuck in her coat pocket but she stopped him.
"Not business law. Sorry," she apologized.
Changing the radio stations, he said, "Law this, law that. You looked neck deep in paperwork when I rescued you."
"Oh I'll never complain about having paperwork. Paperwork's a lot more reliable than other evidence for my old law firm," Jolene said. "I'll take paperwork over a biased witness or a known jailhouse snitch lying his or her ass off to get better deals in jail."
He stopped sipping from his water bottle and looked at her. "Wait not business law?"
She shook her head. "Very much not. Which is why I'm here for a little bit because the partners and big name lawyers have been getting their cars or houses bombed."

Sean couldn't help but laugh. "Damn, who the hell is doing that?"
Now she was a little irked. "Don't fucking know and no one will let me dig. I'm just an intern. Too dangerous."
Sean looked at her and then laughed. "No way. You've been bullshitting me this whole time."
If only. Then she could be back at Harvard, or at the very least back at her old law firm. She'd take business law over wills, divorces or custody any time but there was too many cases they were prosecuting. They had just finished putting a hitman for a southern biker gang behind bars and was about to work on a human smuggling case. Though this money laundering guy...
Glancing over, Sean swore, "Jesus didn't I just rescue you from working? Now what are you doing?"
"I was asked to look at something," she said and pulled up a world map on her phone. Maybe that would jog her memory.
"Put that away," he laughed. "We're here anyways."
Mason Raymond's wife gave a little wave as she got out. "Hello again!" Megan smiled. "You look cute!"
Jolene laughed. "Good to know my polishing skills are still good. Put in a good eight hours today before Sean made me play hookey."
"Liar you were working on something else in the car," Sean laughed as he slipped an arm around her waist as they walked in. "Guess I could come up with other ways to distract you."
Inside a guy greeted them with his very blond wife. "I'll take coats. Oh, wait I don't know you," Sean's teammate said. "I'm David, this is my wife Kim. Our son's here somewhere. Ronan."
"Jolene Yearwood," she said and shook both his hand and his wife's. "Nice to meet the both of you. Can I help with anything?"
Kim laughed and clearly was impressed with her manners. "Wow. Can you come help with my next party?" She joked and suddenly they were joined by a little blond boy. The boy said nothing but stuck his arm out to show off the temporary tattoo on his arm of a red race car.

"Woah!" She exclaimed. "Where'd you get that? I'm soo jealous! Can I have one?" Ronan grinned and shook his head no. Jolene made a weeping face and wailed, "Not fair!"
Kim lightly swatted Jolene as the boys went in. "Thanks for actually acknowledging him. And interacting with him. Not all of the wives or girlfriends do. Ronan go show her your hockey entrance."
"Yes!" She laughed and watched Ronan fly around the island in the kitchen with his hockey stick. "Man I'm so jealous! I played soccer so we never got an entrance run! Do you know soccer?" Ronan stopped and contemplated this. "Do you know who Lionel Messi is? Or Neymar?" He smiled and said nothing. "NO!" She fake wailed again. "I'm gonna cry!"

Megan nudged her and handed her a glass of wine. "So I assume you and Sean had your first date. How'd that go?"
As she took a sip, Jolene said casually, "Oh we haven't exactly been on a one on one date yet."
"Are you for real?" Mason cried as Sean cringed. "What kind of future boyfriend are you?"
Doing her best not to winch at that title, Jolene just laughed it off. "Oh I've been a bit busy. Plus he sort of taught me how to skate yesterday. That should count."
Gently hip checking her, Megan winked and said, "Don't let him get off that easy."
Sean got down on one knee so Jolene did her best not to look seriously uncomfortable and plastered on a neutral smile. "Jolene Yearwood will you go on a date with me?"
"I guess if you get up," Jolene said and backed up a step.
He winked as he got up and gave her a light kiss on the cheek. "Wow this one didn't beg for a marriage proposal. Guess I have to step up my game."
No, no and no, Jolene thought and let out one polite laugh. "I think I'll survive without a marriage proposal."

Kim looked at Megan and then Jolene and beamed. "Girls, wanna refresh our glasses in the kitchen?" She asked.
Jolene gladly followed them in and Megan touched her arm. "You okay?" Megan asked. "I could see it in your eyes despite that Southern kindness of yours."
"Eh," Jolene grimaced. "I'll survive."
Kim slid over a plate of appetizers and asked, "Is Sean bothering you? I mean, you seem okay but, yeah, like she said."
Megan crinkled her nose. "A tad fresh from a breakup. When was it? Beginning of summer?"
"A little before that. Yeah," Jolene said.
"Cheated," Megan tutted to Kim. "What an asshole, right?"
As Kim rolled her eyes, she asked, "Hopefully it wasn't too serious."
Jolene blew out before she admitted, "Kinda the summer 8th grade started." Both their jaws dropped as she nodded. "Yeah. I mean, we've broken up once before. Kinda could have a pissy attitude every once in awhile."
"Who gives a shit, that's no excuse," Kim snorted as Megan mouthed I had no idea I'm so sorry.
"Look. Don't worry about me," Jolene said. "Ex boyfriends are really nothing to cry over."

"Girls! Stop gossiping about other wives in there!"
Jolene snorted and came out. "Who says we're gossiping about wives?" She said. "Maybe its about you."
Tori was in the midst of taking off her coat as she grinned. "You know you're actually really useful around here Southern girl. How are you?" She asked and gave Jolene a hug.
"Hey Jolene." TJ said. "I told Briana's guy to stop talking crap about you. She said you were here illegally and trying sleep with Liam and Sean."
"Oh so that's what Ashley was all huffy about earlier," Jolene said. "Hey. I'm only staying here temporarily. If she wants to be a brat then bless her, she can. I don't need to be her friend."
The boys laughed. "Damn. I guess Southerners can do veiled insults after all," TJ laughed. "I guess you need it to be around some of those girls. Briana especially."

The topic moved to other things. Something about playing Vancouver and some locker room confrontation so Jolene let her gaze go over the movies. Now that she had some free time, she should actually sit down and watch some movies. Jolene took the DVD case and read the back. Suddenly things started assaulting her memory. South Africa. Weapons dealer. Ackermann. Wilheim Ackermann. Earlier that summer her law firm had worked on prosecuting a South African weapons dealer Frederik who had a nephew named Wilheim. A nobody working in finance from what they assumed by his spotless record.
"So, you wanna come tomorrow night?" David asked. "You can watch the game with the girls if you want."
She focused back on the present and realized she was getting asked to go to their game. "Oh sure. Sorry. I have to do a business thing for a second." Taking a moment, Jolene took her phone and texted the Canadian police officer that had given her a gun license and asked her about Will Ackerman.

"Hey."
She found herself being brought into Sean's arms. "Hi," Jolene replied in surprise. He was usually casual and chill but now he seemed a little more serious. "What you need to go or something?"
"No," he said softly. "I just wanted to say I do mean to take you on a real date. Just you and me."
"Oh don't worry about it," Jolene said. "I didn't mean to make you look bad or anything. I'm bound to be a lawyer after all. I should've argued on your behalf."
That lazy smile appeared again as he slipped an arm around her waist as they rejoined the couples.

"Oh you're back early," Ashley noted coolly later that night after Sean had kissed her goodnight and dropped her off. "Very early."
Do I need to call him? Liam called from the bathroom. Cause I got your back Jols.
Jolene laughed as she held a finger to her lips. "I found out how I know that guy. You know, as I got my gun license they asked me if I knew the supposed small time money launderer," she whispered to Ashley.
Her snobby attitude changed. "Will you be careful? People have almost died at your firm already and you don't even know whose doing these bombs!"
"Hush. Don't worry about it," Jolene waved it off. "I already called it in, no big deal. Though..." she paused and looked directly at Ashley. "I heard this Briana girl saying I was trying to sleep with Liam and Sean. Or that I was here illegally."
Ashley opened her mouth to speak but then cried, "Wait? I didn't hear any of this! My sister Alissa was being a bitch because I told her to dump that fucking loser of a boyfriend. Oh..." her color drained. "I am so sorry I was a bitch!"
"No big deal," Jolene said. "Though I did tell them The Lie. Luke cheated."
Ashley nodded once and tapped above her brow. "Yup. I remember...even though he didn't." They both were quiet for a moment. "Your Boston cop cousins find anything yet?" Jolene shook her head no. "Just remember he could be innocent," she reminded her. "He could be helping the FBI like your guys’ theory," she said but her tone was heavy with doubt.

Notes