“My business,” he said. “My future bank account.”
“Excuse me?”
“You know that new toll-free number? The one you splattered all over those two commercials? The phone’s been ringing off the hook. It’s crazy. People love that commercial with the kid. They think it’s hilarious. And now, we can direct them to the website for basic information. It’s incredible. I never would have believed it. My staff is going crazy just trying to keep up.”
“You’re happy,” I said, stunned.
“Damn right, I’m happy. When’s that dog commercial going to run? And you need to come up with some more ideas. So put your thinking cap on.”
“I can do that,” I said.
“And Russ?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
I hung up the phone and strode into the office, feeling like I was six inches taller. When I waved to the receptionist, I watched as she raised her hand.
“Mr. Green? Don’t you want your messages?”
“I have messages?”
“Two, actually. They’re both from law firms.”
Again, I thought of Vivian and wondered if she’d told her attorney to reach out to me directly. If so, I wasn’t sure why Vivian hadn’t given the lady my cell phone number; as far as I knew, Vivian didn’t even know my work number.
But it wasn’t Vivian’s attorney who’d called. One call was from a firm in Greenville, South Carolina, that specialized in class actions, the other from a personal injury firm in Hickory. In both cases, I was connected immediately to senior partners, each of whom seemed eager to speak with me.
“I like those commercials you’re doing for Joey Taglieri, and we were wondering if you would consider coming in to make a presentation about your services.”
After hanging up, I let out a whoop of excitement. I just had to tell someone.
I reached for my phone, about to call Marge, but then decided at the last second to call Emily instead.
Floating.
That’s how I felt the rest of the week. Like I was floating free of the worries that had been weighing me down for months.
Though it might be only be temporary – what goes up always comes down and all that – I decided I was going to enjoy every single minute, even if I didn’t land the two new firms as clients. While it would be great to sign those firms, I received three more calls from lawyers by Friday, making five new potential clients, all of whom had reached out to me. I’d set up presentations with all of them and depending on how many I signed, I thought I might be looking at potentially needing to hire another person, just to keep up.
The Phoenix Agency was officially on its way.
“What are you going to do with all that extra money you’ll be making?” Marge said to me over lunch. It was Friday afternoon, and I’d decided to work only a half day as a reward. “Because you happen to have a sister who’s in the mood for a new car.”
“Wouldn’t that be nice?”
“I always knew you’d make it.”
“I haven’t made it yet,” I cautioned. “I still have to make the presentations.”
“You’re good at that part. You just weren’t so good at getting the phone to ring.”
I smiled, still on a high. “I’m so excited. And relieved.”
“I can only imagine.”
“How are you feeling?”
She made a face. “A little better. I’m not coughing too much during the day now, but the nights are still pretty rough. I finally convinced my idiot doctor to prescribe some antibiotics, but I just started taking them yesterday. He said I might not feel any better until Monday.”
“That’s a bummer.”
“It’s bad for Liz, too. I kept waking her up, so I’ve started sleeping in the guest room.”
“So Mom’s chicken soup didn’t work?”
“No. But it tasted good.” She pushed her sandwich away. “What are your plans this weekend? Vivian’s not coming, is she?”
“She’ll be here next weekend. For London’s birthday. And I can’t imagine London not wanting Bodhi to be there, which means that Emily will probably make an appearance at the party as well.”
“And me,” Marge said, grinning. “I can’t wait to watch.”
“Nothing’s going to happen. She’s been on good behavior lately.”
“Hmmm… let’s see how long that lasts,” Marge said with a skeptical look. “By the way, are you going to Mom and Dad’s tomorrow? Liz and I are planning to swing by for a little while, especially since we weren’t there last weekend. Since I had the plague, I mean.”
“Thank God you haven’t given it to Liz,” I remarked.
“Yes, especially since she’s getting crushed at work. One of the other therapists in her practice group has been on maternity leave since late July.”
“Speaking of maternity, when do you and Liz meet with the fertility doctor? Didn’t you say sometime in November?”
She nodded. “On the twentieth. The Friday before Thanksgiving.”
“What happens if you’re both able to have kids? Would you both get pregnant?”
“I’d have the child. I always thought it would be fun to be pregnant.”
“Tell me if you’re still feeling that way around the eight-month mark. By the time London was born, Vivian was thoroughly sick of being pregnant.”
“That’s Vivian, and she was younger. I know this will be the only time for me, and I’d make sure to enjoy every minute of it.”