The Jenna Arrangement Pt. 21

ALL CHARACTERS ARE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER.

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"Really? That's wonderful news! Thank you SO much, Mr. Rivers...okay, okay, thank you Ted. You have no idea how much I appreciate your help....Yes, I'll talk to Tommy, see how soon we can arrange it. How long after do you think... Oh, really? That fast? That's so awesome!...Yes, yes, I'll call you back and let you know. Thanks again, Mr. Riv...um, Ted. Send Mary my love, will you?....Okay, you too. Bye!"

Jenna was bursting with excitement as she hung up the phone. "He did it! He got my trust fund released to me early! I just need to sign some papers, and the funds will be deposited into my account!"

She jumped into my arms, her smile the widest and most genuine I'd seen since she moved in with me several weeks ago. "That's fantastic news," I said, returning her hug.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Mr. Rivers...he keeps telling me to call him Ted, but it's so weird...anyway, he said to call him back and let him know when we plan on coming to sign the papers. My mother already signed off on what she needed to. I guess Ted convinced her that video I took of her boyfriend wouldn't be a good look for him or her if it went to court."

"Well, I know I have a long day tomorrow," I said, "but perhaps Friday after work, if that fits his schedule?"

"I'll call him and check, but it should be fine. He said any time."

Jenna called Mr. Rivers back immediately.

"Hi, Mr...Ted? It's Jenna..." She paused, then giggled. "...Yeah I guess it was obvious it was me. Anyway, so we can make it Friday evening, if that's okay...Really? Hang on, let me check..."

Jenna turned to me. "He said Friday is fine and if we want we can just come to his place; he and his wife invited us to stay and have dinner after."

"Sounds great," I replied, "I'm looking forward to meeting him and thanking him personally."

Jenna confirmed the time and place and ended the call, still shaking with excitement.

"This is such a relief," she sighed, "now I can afford to chip in around here, and I won't have to worry about finding another job until my Only Fans starts to pay off to cover expenses for school this year!"

I took her back into my arms. "Look, I don't want you worrying about giving me money. It's not like you eat that much and I don't need help with my bills or rent, I got it covered."

"Yeah, but you've also paid for other stuff I've needed; new socks and underwear, and even my...lady products," said Jenna. "And while I truly appreciate your help, I'll be happy to be able to pay for my own things from now on."

"Well congratulations, darlin'. I'm just glad it worked out."

"Me too," Jenna beamed. "I'm gonna go check my email. Ted sent me copies of the forms to read over beforehand in case I have any questions. Oh! And I need to call Trish!"

As I watched Jenna skip off to my room to check her computer, I couldn't suppress my smile. It was the happiest I'd seen her in awhile. Not that she'd been mopey or depressed since she moved in, but I knew things were weighing on her ever since the fight with her mother had left her with nowhere else to go.

A considerable deal of that weight was now lifted from her shoulders. I was happy for her.

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I arranged to get off work early on Friday so we could get a jump start on the trip since Mr. Rivers lived a few hours away.

We managed to beat most of the rush hour traffic, and spent the ride talking and singing along to some of our favorite music.

The Rivers house was beautiful, on a lovely piece of property secluded by some woods and a large privacy fence.

I was a bit nervous about meeting them; they'd known Jenna since she was a child, and I of course wondered how they'd react to the idea of her dating an older man.

I needn't have worried. Ted and his wife Mary greeted me warmly when Jenna introduced me.

Ted looked every part the distinguished lawyer, even in his casual blue chambray shirt and gray Dockers. Perhaps only a few years older than me, he still had a full head of hair, although it had gone gray. It suited him though, and I'm sure more than one woman besides his wife would consider him a "Silver Fox."

Mary was a lovely, full figured woman I'd guess to be perhaps ten years younger than her husband, at a glance.

No traces of gray yet in her flowing brunette hair, and despite her voluminous breasts and wide hips, I wouldn't call her big, just...thick.

"It's so nice to meet you," she said, her eyes cheery and her smile genuine. I saw no judgment or wariness in her face, only a kind acceptance that immediately put me at ease.

Ted was a little harder to read, but there was nothing unkind in his welcome, his handshake firm and friendly.

After some polite chit chat, he escorted us to his office. "Let's get this business out of the way first, then we can relax and enjoy our evening."

Both Jenna and I had read over the papers he'd emailed us earlier, but Ted reviewed everything again to explain some of the legal jargon and make sure we didn't have any questions. It was pretty cut and dry really, and within minutes, Jenna was signing the documents.

"Congratulations," said Ted, "I'll file these first thing Monday morning. You should see the funds in your account within forty-eight hours after that. I'm also going to refer you to an accountant; he was your father's, you may remember him. Bill Wilson?"

Jenna looked thoughtful for a moment, then lit up with remembrance. "Carrie's dad? Yeah, I remember him! It's been so long though. I haven't seen them since his wife passed. How is Carrie, by the way?"

"Well, unfortunately, she had a bit of an accident earlier this summer," answered Ted, "but last I heard she's recovering nicely. Headed off to college this fall, I believe; the same one you're attending if I'm not mistaken."

"Really?" Jenna exclaimed. "That's great! I'll have to reach out to her. I can help her get acclimated."

"I'm sure she'd appreciate that," Ted smiled. "Anyway, I've already spoken to Bill about your situation. He's going to help handle the taxes, make sure you don't get screwed. He's also going to recommend some investments for you. Short term, low risk. Follow his advice and by the time you graduate you should be looking at a nice return on your investments; nothing crazy, but certainly more than if you just let it sit in a bank account."

"If...if you say it's a good idea, I guess," Jenna said nervously. "Although I really don't know anything about investing."

"Relax, I assure you he's very trustworthy. I use him myself. Just go with his advice, I'm sure you won't be disappointed."

With that, we adjourned to the living room. "I'm gonna go see if Mary needs help in the kitchen," said Jenna, giving me a quick peck on the cheek before heading off, leaving Ted and I alone.

A bit of an awkward silence hung in the air for several moments before he broke it. "She's grown into a lovely young woman. Been through so much. Terrible thing, that ordeal with her mother. I'm glad you were there for her, Mr. Logan."

"I'm happy I could help," I said, "and please, you insisted I call you Ted, I insist you call me Tom."

"Sorry, professional habit," Ted laughed. "While we wait, care to join me in the parlor for a scotch, Tom?"

"Sure." I wasn't a big drinker anymore, but it seemed rude to refuse the offer.

"How do you take it, ice or neat?" Ted asked as we made our way into the parlor, which adjoined the living room and featured a beautiful oak wood bar, along with two fine looking leather chairs.

"Neat, please," I answered, settling into one of the chairs.

Ted nodded and smiled, as if I'd passed some test. "Good man." He fixed our drinks then took the other chair. "To Jenna," Ted raised his glass, "and her newly found financial independence."

"To Jenna." I clinked his glass in return, then sipped my scotch. It was surprisingly smooth. Definitely not the cheap stuff.

Again we sat silent, Ted looking at me intently. I could feel something coming.

"I hope you'll forgive my frankness," he finally spoke, "but I feel I need to be candid with you. You don't get far in my line of work without learning how to read people. I've seen how Jenna looks at you, and you at her. And it's not my business to judge your relationship, odd as I may find it. I do, however, feel the need to inform you that both myself and Mr. Wilson will be keeping a close eye on Jenna's finances, and I have no qualms about stepping in if we see any...discrepancies. Do we understand each other?"

I sipped my scotch again, giving myself a moment to formulate a response. "I understand you," I answered calmly, "and I have no interest in Jenna's money. I'm not even charging her rent to stay with me. And she's returning to her dorm in the fall."

Ted nodded approvingly. "Of course, of course. And I meant no offense. As I said, I'm a good judge of character, and while I had my reservations, after meeting you my mind is eased considerably. But while I haven't kept in touch as much as I'd have liked, I consider Jenna family. Her father wasn't just a client, he was a good friend. So forgive me if I seem over protective of her."

"No offense taken," I said, "and no need to apologize. I appreciate everything you've done for her, and I'm happy to know she has someone like you looking out for her best interests."

"It was my pleasure. I appreciate your understanding."

"Speaking of her best interests," I continued, "what are your thoughts about that whole incident with her mother's boyfriend? Do you think Jenna has a case against him?"

Ted sipped his drink thoughtfully. "I've discussed it with several of my colleagues. And while we agree there's a case there, it would be problematic to pursue it. Dick Goatz is as slimy as they come, but he works for a powerful and prestigious firm. It could be tied up in the courts for years. And even if I waive my fees like I did with this whole trust fund business, it would still cost her a pretty penny in court costs and other expenses, and there's no guarantee she'd win. The best we could hope for is a settlement of some type, and it's something we may pursue. The threat of that disgusting video becoming public could be enough for him to want to pay to make it disappear. But the way Jenna went about getting it does leave her open to some harsh criticisms should it ever go to trial. Rest assured, though, I'm not simply letting it go. We're going to write some letters, put some feelers out, so to speak. I can make no promises, of course. But we'll see how it goes."

"Well again, thank you, and if there's anything I can do to help, let me know."

"We may want a statement from you at some point," he said. "Although your testimony wouldn't amount to much other than hearsay after the fact. And of course you'd have to be willing to have the nature of your...relationship...with Jenna called into question by the opposing counsel if it ever came to trial. Which, being blunt, could get...ugly. It's a harsh world, and people see what they want to see. And they'll see an older man taking advantage of a younger woman and trying to manipulate her for financial gain."

I almost spit my drink. "But that's not..."

"Fair?" Ted interjected. "Justice is rarely fair, my friend. And trials are never pretty. The defense would look under every rock trying to find dirt on you and even if they couldn't find it, they'd invent it. All they'd need to do is plant reasonable doubt."

I sat silently contemplating this. I suppose if someone dug deep enough, they could find my history: cheating on my wife, hiring escorts, perhaps even finding the ad I placed that Jenna had answered. They might also discover Jenna's Only Fans account! And while none of it had anything to do with her case against Dick, it didn't matter, because it would get twisted just enough to cast a shadow over her intent in taking that video of Dick masturbating in her bedroom.

"We all have skeletons in our closet, Tom," Ted spoke as if reading my mind, "and even the most innocuous thing could be made to look bad by the right lawyers. But again, I wouldn't worry about it too much. I don't think it will come to that. I believe we can manage to convince Dick that a reasonably generous settlement would make this all go away, and that will be that."

"I suppose that's the best we can hope for then," I sighed.

"If I may quote that wise sage Mick Jagger," Ted chuckled, "you can't always get what you want..."

"...but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need," we finished together. "I'll drink to that," I laughed. Clinking our glasses, I drained the last of my scotch, as did Ted.

"Another?" he offered.

I politely declined. "Perhaps after dinner. I'm on an empty stomach, and I still have a long drive home later."

"Of course, good man," Ted said amicably.

From there our conversation turned to more mundane things; what I did for a living, our thoughts on our football team's chances this year, etc.

Eventually Jenna returned. "Dinner's ready!"

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After a wonderful meal we retired to the living room to continue our conversations, the Rivers' telling several cute stories about Jenna as a kid.

Eventually the question of how Jenna and I met came up. We'd expected it, of course, and had rehearsed our story, keeping it as simple and as close to the truth as possible.

Jenna did most of the talking; we'd agreed it would sound better coming from her. "We met at a coffee shop when he offered to pay for my drink after I forgot my purse. We wound up sitting together and had a pleasant conversation, but nothing more came from it. A few months later we bumped into each other again when he showed up at the diner I worked at. I kinda thought maybe the universe was trying to tell me something," Jenna paused here, giving me her trademark grin. "He gave me a ride home because of the storm, and I wound up giving him my number. We had several very nice phone conversations, and then next thing you know, we were planning for a date at the lake."

"You must have been very surprised, Tom," Mary smiled, "having such a beautiful young woman give you her number like that."

I had to laugh, because while she didn't have all the details, she was, of course, correct. "Yeah, I was taken aback, to say the least. But after our conversations, we just seemed to connect and had a lot in common, so..." I shrugged with a grin.

Jenna continued the story from there, telling them about our first date at the lake. She left out the more sexual details, of course, but to my surprise, she did tell them about the Wolf Whistler incident.

"Young men these days," Mary scowled, "no sense of decency or respect. Sounds like he got what he deserved."

Jenna nodded, but flushed a little. "I suppose. Although I feel a bit bad now about humiliating him so publicly. He can't help, well, what he was born with. It was maybe a bit too cruel."

"He may not be able to overcome his...physical shortcomings," Ted said firmly, "but that's no excuse for the way he acted towards you. Perhaps he learned a lesson from that."

"Maybe," said Jenna, squirming a bit. She looked like she regretted bringing it up and wanted to change the subject. So I jumped in, finishing the story about watching the movie on the lake. But of course in this version, I merely dropped her off at her place after and went home.

A look in Ted's eye told me he wasn't quite buying that, but he merely nodded and said nothing more than, "Well it sounds like you both had a wonderful time."

We spent another hour there talking, during which I nursed the after dinner scotch Ted insisted I have. Eventually, we decided it was time to get on the road before it got too late.

"It was lovely to have you," said Mary, giving me a hug. "We'll have to do it again sometime."

"We'd love to," I smiled, "and thank you for your hospitality. And your incredible cooking."

'You're very welcome." Turning to Jenna, she embraced her as well. "You take care of yourself, my dear, and don't be a stranger. I know I'm not your mother, but if you ever need me, for anything, don't hesitate to call, okay? Even if it's just to talk about, you know...women stuff."

Jenna blushed a little, but smiled brightly. "I will, Mary, I promise. And thank you both again, so much, for everything."

Ted shook my hand, then hugged Jenna goodbye as well. "I'll be in touch about that thing with Goatz when I know more," he said, "and don't forget to reach out to Bill next week. He'll be expecting your call."

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"You're okay to drive, right?" Jenna asked shortly into our ride back.

"I'm fine," I assured her, "I took my time finishing that last drink. Although I may want to stop for a cup of coffee somewhere."

We drove on, the radio low in the background while Jenna hummed along and scrolled through her phone. "New subscriber," she chirped suddenly, "that makes fifteen!"

"Congrats, you'll be famous in no time," I quipped. She smacked my arm playfully.

"Speaking of," I continued as a thought now popped into my head, "I suppose you might want to talk to that accountant about how to handle your Only Fans income as well. You're not making much now, but if it takes off, it might be best to be prepared so you don't get screwed with taxes."

Jenna chewed her lower lip. "I hadn't really thought of that. It's gonna be kinda weird though, having to tell him. I don't know if I can."

I sympathized with her of course; I wasn't sure exactly how close she was to this guy or his daughter growing up, but it was apparent they were close enough that telling him about posing naked online for money could be very embarrassing.

"I know it will be awkward," I said, "but I'm sure he's a professional. And it's not really his business to tell you how to live your life. Just how to handle your money."

Jenna nodded, but still looked uncomfortable. "Look," I reassured her, "I can be there with you if you want."

"No, I'll be okay," Jenna sighed. "Time to do some adulting, I guess. Should just be a phone call anyway, at least for now. Although I'd like to see Carrie again, it's been way too long. Maybe we can plan a visit sometime before school starts."

We drove on for a while until we passed a sign indicating a rest stop up ahead. Both of us agreed we needed a bathroom break, and I also took the opportunity to get that coffee I'd been craving. Jenna got herself some fancy iced caramel mocha latte thing, more ice, sugar and milk than coffee, really.

"I never understood those drinks," I snipped.

"What?" Jenna objected. "They're good! It's like dessert in liquid form!"

"Then they shouldn't call it 'coffee.' If I wanted dessert I'd just order a donut or something."

Jenna rolled her eyes. "Okay, Boomer."

"Ouch. And technically, I'm not a Boomer. I'm Gen X."

"Whatever."

In no real rush to get back in the car, we found a bench near the scenic little picnic area off to the side of the rest stop that overlooked a small fish pond with a fountain.

It was a beautiful night, the stars clear and shining above, warm but with a light breeze that blew Jenna's auburn hair across her freckled face.

She blew it from her lips with a frustrated puff as she sipped at her sugary concoction. I reached out and pushed the loose strands behind her ear, lightly caressing her cheek as I did so.

A smile formed around her straw and her eyes sparkled as they met mine. The gemstone of her necklace hung low on her neck, twinkling green in the incandescent overhead lights that dimly lit the picnic area.

"Something on your mind, cowboy?"

"Just thinking how beautiful you look."