Just Beth

"Steve, I just feel so sorry for her and don't know what to do." Then it hit me. She needed something to get her mind occupied.

"Why don't you have her develop another ad layout for you? It will give her something to do while she's home alone bouncing off the walls." She smiled and left my office.

I didn't hear a thing until Wednesday morning. My attorney called to say that he'd received another offer that Beth and I needed to review.

"Is it what we were looking for?"

"Not exactly, but very close. I've sent it by messenger to your home. Let me know how you want to proceed after you review it." I called Beth to let her know it was coming and told her I'd be home shortly after three o'clock.

They were offering a lot of money to make this incident go away. Hell, they even asked if she would consider coming back to work. However, they were missing one huge point, it didn't say anything about Carl being terminated. I called my attorney back.

"Tell them we're going to proceed with the suit and double the money we're asking for. Maybe that will get their attention." I was tired of being jacked around.

Beth was in good spirits Wednesday and Thursday. She and Jill were redoing all the ad layouts she had developed for them over the last nine months.

"Jill has given me free reign to do anything I want. She has even put the word out that I was looking for work and would cut other agencies' price by fifteen percent." She had that look in her eyes that I hadn't seen for a while.

I asked Beth if she was up to a little family get away. "Hon, we can take the kids and head to the beach tomorrow and spend Saturday and Sunday enjoying the surf and sand. What do you think?"

"I guess its time to let things get back to normal but let's watch what we spend. I don't want to end up short of money this month." She was now very concerned about what we had or didn't have.

"I promise we won't break the bank but I think we all need this. And besides, I make enough to cover all our expenses and with what we've already put away, we won't be out on the street anytime soon."

I made sure there was plenty of laughter and a good time for all. With one motel room we didn't have the opportunity to fool around, but we sure did kiss a lot. Two margaritas put Beth down for the count Saturday night and I ended up on the balcony in the dark listening to the surf thinking about how our life had changed and getting angry all over again in the process.

Sunday we had breakfast on the motel deck next to the pool and with a quick dip in the water we were back up in our room getting ready to check out. We took the scenic route home following the surf until we had to turn in and away from the coast. We held hands all the way home while the girls said how nice it would be to live by the beach.

Monday afternoon I got a call from Stewart, Stewart, and Edwards asking Beth and me to come into their office. With Beth in tow we walked into the plushiest offices I'd ever seen. I should have been a lawyer instead of going into construction. They put us into a large conference room. A well-dressed receptionist came in and asked if we wanted anything to eat or drink. We told her, "No, thanks." With that she turned, walked out of the room, and left us alone.

"Steve, whatever they're offering let's just take it and be done with it, okay?"

"As long as Carl gets what he deserves I agree with you." Neither one of us wanted it to stretch out forever.

A man came in, introduced himself as Mr. Donnelly, shook our hands and sat down at his desk.

"We've received a final, take it or leave it offer, from Anderson and Phillips," he said looking at a file on his desk. "It has everything the two of you were looking for, and in my opinion I believe it's more than a fair offer. The only thing they require is a signed release from Beth from any and all future litigation and the previous job offer has been rescinded."

"There was no way I'd ever go back there anyway," Beth replied looking at me while squeezing my hand.

"Well then, if you'd like we can go over the details of their offer," he said pushing a copy in front of us.

Beth looked at me; I looked at her, and smiled. She ended up signing a few papers, Mr. Donnelly handed us a copy of everything and we headed for home. It was a pretty quiet ride until she spoke up.

"I'm glad that bastard got canned and won't be getting a letter of recommendation either. I hope that son of a bitch burns in hell," is how she ended it.

We had a normal dinner with our girls and watched the movie Cars for only the hundredth time this year. After a little rough housing, I chased the two of them up the stairs, all of us laughing and screaming. My wife yelled at me to go easy on them. I read them a short story, one they probably could recite by heart, finally tucking them in with a kiss and hug.

Beth was already in bed by the time I got to our bedroom. I undressed, hit the bathroom, flossed, brushed, and turned off the light stepping into our bedroom. She was in bed, reading a book. I eased in next to her.

"Goodnight," I said rolling over onto my side pulling the covers over my shoulder. That's when I was attacked.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" she said straddling my waist.

"About what?" I said smiling. She punched me in the arm.

"You know what."

"You mean the fact that we're kind of rich now? Is that what you're talking about?"

"Asshole. I thought I was going to lose it in that damn lawyers office. Eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars, can you believe it?"

"As I said, we're almost rich. It isn't enough for me to quit my job, but it's going to make life a lot easier from now on."

"I can start my own design business and even if I earn half of what I was making, we'll be on easy street."

"Enough of this money talk," I said grabbing her. "I know a good way for us to celebrate, if you know what I mean."

We made love that night and for the next three nights after that. Life got a lot easier from that point on. Beth picked up four accounts the first year and seven the following year. She now has two women working for her full time out of our newly remodeled garage. Houses are still being built and Greg is still pushing me to learn more about the business every month.

Carl? Well, he was terminated when it came out that this wasn't the first time he had been accused of sexual harassment, the other two times it had been hushed up. I guess that's why they decided to settle out of court when they did. We were at a friend's birthday party when we heard. Drunk as a skunk, Carl pulled out onto the highway in front of a tractor-trailer doing about sixty miles per hour. After the fire died down, they found just enough pieces to identify the body. It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

As the tee shirt says, 'Life is Good.' Now when I lie in bed next to my bride I can think back to that first night and smile. Our road may not have been the smoothest or easiest, but in the end it was the best that I could ever have hoped for.