Brave New World

I heard the two women behind me gasp moments before Kate shrieked, screamed 'OF COURSE I WILL! I LOVE YOU TOO! And then she tackled me laying me on my back as she lay on top of me kissing me with passion. Moments later I could hear clapping and looked up to see several people now standing in the room with big smiles giving us a round of applause.

I still had the ring box in my hand, so I told Kate to let me up. When we were seated back on the couch, I took the ring from the box and put it on Kate's left ring finger. She stared at it for a few moments and then said, "Oh my, Jason, this is perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better engagement ring!"

She hugged me and then I told her, "I enlisted Emily's help in the search, so she gets half the credit.

Kate then stood up so she could show Judy, Rosalie and the other women in the room her ring. Judy pulled her into a hug and said, "I'm so happy for you!" and then the two started crying. They were joined by Rosalie and a couple of other younger women as they had a group hug after looking at the ring.

When everyone had left the room, Kate and I sat together again, so I asked, "So, are you caught up on your case work?"

"Yeah I am, I was going to facetime you tonight as a matter of fact."

"Good. Here's what's going to happen, we are going to leave here now, stop at your favorite carry out place and then go to your apartment. Okay?

She smiled and said, "That sounds like a perfect plan. Do you like Lebanese food?"

I laughed and said, "I'm sure I do! Let's go."

While Kate told Judy that she was leaving for the day, I called my driver and told him to meet us out front as soon as possible. As we walked to the street, I could see the car parked out front, so I held Kate's door for her and then I went around to the other side and climbed in behind the driver. As I sat, I heard Kate say, "Hello Leroy, it has been a long time. How have you and Esther been?"

"We've been very good, Miss Kate. And you?"

"I'm excellent. This lovely man sitting next to me just asked me to marry him and I said I would."

I could see the smile in Leroy's eyes as he congratulated us. "You are a very lucky man Mr. Jackson. I've known Miss Kate ever since she was 9 or 10 years old and she has always been the nicest person I have ever known. Congratulations to both of you."

We both thanked him for his kind words and then Kate told him where we would pick up our food. Kate was texting someone as we drove slowly through traffic. When she had finished, she turned her attention back to me. "I have to say Jason, you just astound me. You came up with the best first date ever and now a proposal that has to be the greatest of all time! God, I love you. So, how long are you staying?"

I grinned and said, "I guess I'm a hopeless romantic. I was planning to stay at least through the new year, if that's okay with you?"

"That would be great. Oh, the firm is having their Christmas party tomorrow and it's formal. We don't have to go if you don't want to."

"I think your Mom anticipated this because she told me to pack formal wear. I'll bet you will look exquisite in your gown."

Kate giggled and said, "And I'm sure you'll look incredibly handsome in your tux."

When we got to the restaurant, Kate said, "I want to go fetch the food so I can show my ring to Leila, okay?" I said that was fine and then asked if she needed any money, she laughed and said, "I think I make more that you do, pal!" She then skipped off to the restaurant.

Leroy asked, "Do you know her parents? They're really nice people. They really want Miss Kate to work for the business. I think they'll be great in-laws."

I chuckled and replied, "Yeah, I know them because I work for them. I asked their permission to marry their daughter before I came here. Her Mom set me up with you to drive me. You are right that they are great people."

As Kate got back in the car she had two bags of food, so I said, "You must be hungry to have ordered all of that?"

She laughed and said, "One bag is for us and one is for Leroy and his wife." She reached over and handed a bag to Leroy saying, "I remember that you like the kabobs and Esther likes mujadara. I also got some pita and hummus for you."

"You didn't have to do that Miss Kate."

"I know I didn't but I wanted to. Give my love to Esther when you get home!"

We finally got to Kate's building, so Leroy helped me pull my bags from the trunk. We shook hands and Kate gave him a big hug. As we entered, she introduced me to her door man saying I was her fiancé and that I'd be staying with her for a while. Julio, the doorman, congratulated her with a hug and a me with a handshake.

As we rode the elevator, I said, "You know, everyone here seems to like you a lot. I thought New Yorker's were supposed to be a surly lot."

She laughed and said, "My mother taught me that if you're are nice to people they end up being nice to you. I guess it's our Midwestern outlook on things. Julio is great and is always helpful, so I always reward him with nice tips during holidays."

When we got to her apartment, she instructed me to bring my bags into her room. She then told me she wanted to change out of her work clothes before we ate. So, I told her I'd get our food on the table and left her to her devices.

She came out in some sweats and fluffy slippers in pink. She looked so cute I couldn't restrain my smile. She looked like she was thinking I was making fun of her, but I cut her off and said, "You look so cute! I've missed you so much."

She smiled for a second and then began to cry, so I pulled her into me and said, "What's the matter? Can I get you something?"

She just sobbed into my shirt for a couple of minutes as I held her tight. When she quit crying, she pulled away from me and said, "I'm sorry. This case has me stressed and I'm afraid I might fail. I just seem to be missing something but I can't seem to find it."

I held her at arm's length and said, I've felt that way many times when I used to do audits for my Dad's firm. The best advice I ever got was from a book called Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. He was describing situations when you knew you knew something, but just couldn't get a grasp of it. He called this a 'gumption trap'. He said, if you walk away from the problem and don't think about it for a while, the answer will pop into your head. Kind of like when you try to remember someone's name and an hour later it just pops into your mind out of the blue.

"I think you should give it a try and just not think about it at all for a couple of days. I bet a solution will present itself."

"Yeah I've had that happen to me before with names. I'll give it a try. Hey, let's eat, I'm starving."

We ate our dinners and talked, catching up with each other's lives. It was so nice to be in Kate's presence again. When we finished up eating, the two of us dealt with the dirty dishes. We sat together on her couch just holding one another basking in each other's presence. Finally, at around 9, Kate let go with a big yawn, so I said, "Let's get you to bed."

Kate told me to go first in the bathroom and then she followed when I was done. As she made her way to bed, she was naked with a look of lust in her eyes. But when she crawled into bed next to me, I told her to face away and spoon back into me and said, "I know you think I expect intimate time with you, but my priority is you. So, I want you to just sleep. We will have our intimate time later, but I want you to get rest, lots of rest while I'm here." I held her tight as she snuggled back into me and said, "I love you Kate Campbell. Now sleep without any worries."

She turned her head towards me and said, "I love you too, Jason Jackson!" We then kissed briefly and within 3 minutes Kate was asleep.

When I awoke the next morning, it was 6:30 and Kate was sound asleep, so I managed to get out of bed without disturbing her. I made some coffee and fired up my laptop in order to do some work while I let Kate sleep. I sent an email to her parents to let them know that my proposal was accepted and sent the video of the occasion that Judy took. I also sent some memos to Emily about some things I wanted her to take care of while I was gone.

Finally, after getting about 12 hours of sleep, I could her Kate moving about. I was sitting at her kitchen table, so turned my chair so I could face her when she walked in. As she entered the kitchen, she was wearing the sweats she had put on last night, walked over and straddled me as she plopped down on my lap and kissed me...deeply.

When she broke the kiss, she stared into my eyes and said, "Thank you for last night. I feel like a new person after all of that sleep."

I smiled at her and said, "I've done the same thing that you did several times and it took me awhile to see that overextending myself like that made me less productive rather than more productive."

The two of us ate breakfast and talked like we always did. She asked me how things were going with my job, so I told her everything was great. However, before I finished Kate jumped up from her seat and cried out, "FFFFUUUUCCCCKKKKK! I KNOW WHAT I'M MISSING!" She looked at me with a big smile and said, "Let's get dressed, you're coming with me!"

As we dressed, Kate said, "Jason, you're a fucking genius! That gumption thing hit me like a ton of bricks and it dawned on me that I need your skill set to look at something for me."

She hailed a cab and as we were making our way to her office she was describing the suit she was working on and that she thought she knew her answer, but wasn't sure. She presented her badge to the front desk and then we made our way to the elevator. Once we were in her office she told me to sit on her couch, grabbed her laptop, some files and then sat next to me.

"Here are the excerpts from the books of both companies and depositions from the main players on both sides. I want you to read the depositions and then look at the both sets of books and tell me what you find."

I read over everything very carefully like when I was a forensic accountant. I was enjoying myself delving into Kate's mystery, much like I did for her parents. I just needed one more piece to solve the puzzle, so I asked, "Do you have the patent information and any additional information on a Harvey Milner?"

I perused the additional information, looked up, smiled a Kate and said, "I have it. Sit down and I'll show you."

For the next hour and a half, I outlined everything I had discovered. Though it is overly simple, the gist of what I told Kate was that Harvey Milner, the employee having left the employment of the plaintiff had stolen the plans of the geegaw that the defendants executive VP Jonas Hellman wanted. I looked at Kate and said, "My Dad always told me that I should follow the money in most every mystery and I would find my culprit. Well, that's what I have done. Now you have your proof for a slam dunk. If I was you I would tell your client that they should go for the jugular because the defendants have no scruples whatsoever."

Kate jumped in my lap, kissed me ferociously then smiled at me and said, "Thank you Jason. I'll have the firm pay you a consultancy fee for your help."

I laughed and replied, "There's no need. I will do anything for the love of my life."

"Okay," Kate stated, "But the offer is there if you change your mind. We should get back and get ready for the party."

Having had a good night's sleep and then having her puzzle solved had done wonders for Kate. Her eyes had that sparkle again, the shadows under her eyes were gone and she was as bright and cheery as she had been back home. I was already dressed and was waiting for her in her living room when she made her appearance. To say she was beautiful wasn't quite high enough praise for the vision that walked into the room.

Much like I did when I saw her naked for the first time, I stood there with my mouth hanging open staring at what could only be phrased as perfection. I thought that Michelangelo could have used Kate as is model for the Pietà in the Vatican. I finally came to my senses and said, "I have no words. Your beauty is beyond words."

Kate grinned her perfect smile and said, "Thank you. You look exceptional as well."

She had arranged for Leroy to drive her to the venue before she knew I would be here, so as we got in the car. Leroy held her door for her and said, "You look very lovely Miss Kate. I brought Esther along because the parties are pretty boring for me. I hope you don't mind?"

"Of course not. As a matter of fact, I'd like Esther to sit back her with us, if she's amenable."

We had an enjoyable ride as Esther and Kate talked the whole ride to the venue. When we arrived, I escorted Kate into the Ballroom at the upscale hotel where the event was being held. We left our coats at the coat check and then made our way into the party. Kate scanned the room and then said, "I want to introduce you to Mr. Cheatham and let him know that I have the case I'm working on nailed. I grinned and nodded.

As we walked across the room, Kate pointed out subtly different people and their roles with the firm. When we got to Kate's target, she smiled and said, "Mr. Cheatham, this is my fiancé Jason Jackson. Jason, this is Mr. Cheatham, one of the founding members of our firm."

I stuck out my hand and as he took it, he looked at me and said, "It's nice to meet you. Your arrival yesterday was the talk of the office. I want to congratulate you both and please, Kate, how often do I have to tell you to call me Bob?"

Kate turned a bit red as Bob chuckled to himself for a moment. He then asked me, "So, what do you do Jason?"

"I'm the CFO of Consolidated Manufacturing, the company owned by Kate's parents."

He looked at Kate and asked, "Is that how you two met?"

Kate replied, "Yes. Jason was a forensic accountant that my parents hired to root out a problem they were having. He did such a stellar job that they hired him to manage their company's finances.

"Speaking of which, I used Jason to help me solve a riddle that had been perplexing me about the case I've been working on. He helped me find the missing piece to the puzzle."

Bob smiled and said, "Well, thanks for helping Kate out. If you'll submit your consulting bill, we'll be happy to pay it."

"Bob, I would do anything for Kate, so I have no intention of billing you for a couple of hours of work. All I ask is that you give her an extra week of vacation for when we go on our honeymoon."

Bob laughed and said, 'Done!'

Some other people were waiting to talk to the man, so Kate and I wandered over to the bar. I asked her what she would like and she said, "Just a soda with lemon." When we got our drinks we saw Kate's PA Judy, so we wandered that way where I was introduced to Judy's husband, Ken. He was a nice guy and very large. It turned out that he had played professional football.

Judy told Ken about my proposal yesterday and when she finished, he laughed and said, "Are you trying to make the rest of us look bad?"

I shrugged my shoulders saying, "That wasn't my intention, I assure you. Our first date was at a mini golf course and then a bowling alley. Does that make you feel better?"

He laughed loudly and said, "As a matter of fact it does."

Kate then piped up and said, "That was the best first date I had ever been on. It was so romantic that if he had proposed then I would have said yes in a heartbeat!" We all had a good laugh over that.

The four of us talked for a while until we were told to take our seats. Luckily Judy and Ken were at our table as well as two other couples and one single guy. When Kate saw the single guy she groaned and said, "Shit, how did we get stuck with fucking Chad Bolin. He has hit on me ever since he started working with the firm even though I've told him numerous times that I'm not interested. I hope he behaves when he finds out that we're engaged."

I asked Kate to stop for a second and then texted Emily and asked her to dig up any info she could find on Chad Bolin and forward anything bad she could find. She immediately said she would. I then turned to Kate and said, "Okay, let's go sit down."

As we got to the table I was introduced to Pam and Henry Giles, Edward and Elliot Granger and, lastly, to Chad. I shook hands with all of the men and when I got to Chad he tried to squeeze my hand to show me what a tough guy he was, but I had always had a firm grip, so he backed down pretty quickly. Ken had seen what was happening and chuckled to himself.

As we ate our soup course we got to know our other table mates. Pam was an administrative assistant and her husband Henry was a policeman. Edward was a junior partner and his husband Elliot was the principal cellist in the city's orchestra. Henry and Elliot kept us all amused with stories about their jobs.

I guess Chad couldn't keep quiet any longer and decided to contribute to the conversation. "So, Jacob, you must be the person who created the uproar in the office yesterday. I'm surprised nobody called the police on you. I understand that you are an accountant by training. How many times did you have to take the CPA exam before you passed it?"

I had to laugh because he was trying to embarrass me by misspeaking my name and phishing for something bad like having to take a test multiple times to pass. I just smiled and said, "I passed it the first time. How many times did you have to take the bar exam? Kate passed it on her first try. Oh, and my name is Jason, J-A-S-O-N, not Jacob." Kate had had her hand on my leg and I could feel it shake as she tried not to laugh.

Chad looked a little perturbed and then replied, "I passed it on my second try, but it is a much more difficult exam than the CPA from what I have been told."

I happened to look at Edward who was shaking his head a bit as he held up 5 fingers. Ken must have seen that and snorted as he tried to suppress a laugh. I snuck a peek at Kate who was also holding back on laughing.

I got a text back from Emily just as our entrees arrived, so I begged everyone's pardon as I read what Emily had written. When I had finished reading I let out a chuckle as we got ready to finish eating. Chad looked at me and asked, "Good news?"

I looked at the prick and said, "Maybe. Only time will tell."

During dinner, Kate and Pam dominated the conversation in an attempt to shut out Chad and keep things pleasant at our table. With that Chad had a couple of more cocktails brought his way. It was apparent that he had had a couple before we had taken our seats, so was getting pretty drunk. It turned out that Chad was a mean drunk. He made a disparaging remark about Pam's weight. She was maybe a little heavy, but she was quite a bit older than the rest of us. He also made a very bad joke about gay people, so by the time dessert had finished, Chad was persona non grata.

Pretty soon, a band began playing, so I asked Kate to dance. As we danced, she said, "Now you can see why I wasn't happy with Chad being at our table. I'm sorry you had to go through that."

I kissed her and said, "It was no trouble. He should watch out for Henry though because he was none to happy about his crack about Pam. I wouldn't want to get on Henry's bad side."

When we finished our dance, I asked Judy to dance and we had a similar conversation. After Judy, I danced with Pam who was a joy to talk to. Kate had danced with Ken, Henry and Edward.

As Pam and I were heading back to our table, I saw Chad approach Kate, so I turned us towards them, just to make sure Kate would be okay.

Chad had been talking to Kate for just a second as we got within ear shot, "...so why won't you dance with me? You've danced with that idiot fiancée of yours and the other guys at the table. Why not me?"