Southern Justice, Part 52
I’m Fixin’ To present part 52 of Southern Justice:
Chris finally got Patty away from her law books on Sunday afternoon after he said, “Hey, it’s a beautiful day. Put those books away and we’ll put on our swim suits, walk down to the dock and get in the water.”
It was hot and sunny as they walked down to the lake wearing sandals and swim suits. The water was warm on the surface when they sat down on the dock and dangled their feet in it. After a few minutes of the hot Georgia sun they were both ready to cool off, so they took a running start from the back of the dock and dove into the shimmering water at the same time.
Two feet below the surface of the water the temperature of it became almost icy cold, which shocked Chris into surfacing immediately. The first thing he did was shake the water from his eyes and began dog paddling in place while he turned completely around in the water searching for Patty.
She was nowhere to be seen. He paddled in a circle two more times and was almost ready to panic when he heard her shout from way out in the middle of the cove. He was astonished to see her that far out. Then, as he paddled in place, she turned and began swimming toward the far side of the cove, at least 50 yards in distance.
Once there, she stopped, waved at him, and then swam back to the dock, churning water all the way.
Chris was sitting on the dock, shivering, with a towel wrapped around himself when she pulled herself up next to him without the aid of a ladder. He could see the muscles rippling underneath the wet glistening skin of her arms and legs.
When she slid under the towel with him he said, “You scared me at first. I had no idea you could swim like that.”
“I suspect there are a lot of things we don’t know about each other,” Patty told him. “It’s only been nine days since we first met.”
Chris sighed and pulled her closer as he said, “Yeah, I know, but it seems like it’s been a lot longer than that. What are we going to do?”
“We could try being together all the time and learn everything about each other,” Patty suggested. “But that’s only just if you want ——”
“I do!” Chris interrupted. “I want that! This week we’ll move you and all your things to my house—our house!”
Chris hadn’t managed to catch any fish while they were at the lake. It was a sport he just couldn’t seem to get the hang of, or the patience for. Fortunately, Jones has some very nice crappie fillets in the freezer.
After dinner they packed and loaded the car for the drive back to Atlanta. The last thing Chris did was place the door key in the regular hiding place—-underneath the big ceramic green frog on the deck.
As they drove by B. Wendell’s place Chris remarked, “Well, your ex-boss never showed up this weekend.”
Patty looked closely as they drove by the house and said, “No, he didn’t. It was Jackie all by her lonesome, but she seemed to really be enjoying herself. Every time I checked on her through the telescope she was basking in the sun, reading a book, or floating around in the lake.”
“Well, besides the relaxation we got, you seemed to have also gotten a lot of work done,” Chris observed.
“Yes, I got more done than I expected to,” Patty confirmed. “In fact, I’ll have the papers ready for you guys to sign before you know it.”
“But will it be legal, since Rick Junior is selling us part of the company that we’re not sure he really owns?”
With a note of confidence in her voice Patty replied, “When I put the dates on the paperwork, Rick Junior will be the legal owner.”
“How do you figure that?” Chris asked.
“Hey, I’m the lawyer, remember?” Patty said. “But there is something I need you to secure for me.”
“What?” Chris asked as he merged into the I-20 West traffic.
“I need a few samples of Rick Senior’s handwriting—something on company stationery bearing his signature.”
“That’s no problem,” Chris assured her. “I’ll pull a few old letters from my files. What are you going to do with—oh, sorry, I forgot you’re the lawyer!”
(tmdunagan@aol.com)