A/N: Here it is, the apparently highly anticipated sequel to, Of Tall Tales and Love. This story starts out the same as the first, Nate cheats on Kris, she leaves, she goes to Davis farms, but the twist, is that instead of accepting Junior's date for a job offer, she declines. Instead, she goes to Raintree, where she works as their lawyer. Strap on your seatbelts, it's going to get crazy.
Kristine Furillo
"I only have a job opening if you have a dinner opening." He said, smiling warmly at her. His hand was slung around her waist, and she gently pushed it off, returning his smile, with just a hint of an icy glare.
"Well, I don't have a dinner opening. Listen, are you going to give me the job or not?" she asked, her eyes bearing into his sharply. He, at first, seemed taken aback by her refusal. Junior Davis was apparently not the kind of person that got rejected often. He recovered quickly, flashing another smile in her direction. She frowned at him and his smile faded.
"I'm sorry. I'd really like to give you a job, but I can't. I'm really not the person in charge at this place, that's my dad. I can make you an appointment with him, but other than that, there's nothing I can do for you." He told her, his forehead creased in frustration.
"You're not going to give me a job just because I don't want to go out with you?" she asked, her temperature rising with her anger. She felt an angry blush creep up her cheeks and she cursed herself.
"I'm not saying that we wouldn't take you. I'm saying that we don't need you." He replied smugly, and Kris wanted to slap him. Her lips set in a thin line, her fists clenched at her sides. Junior smirked at her and she lost herself. Her hand raised and came down, connecting with Junior's cheek. She watched his hand come up to the stinging skin.
"You're an asshole." She told him.
She watched his mouth open in surprise, but she didn't wait to hear what he had to say. She turned on her heel and walked back to her fire engine red mustang. She dropped into the front seat, slipped on her sunglasses, and gave Junior Davis one last look before skidding out of his driveway.
The next place she stopped was another horse farm. 'Is this all people do out here?' she asked herself before pulling in. The driveway wasn't as nice as the one at Davis farms. There were horses running around in fields, some of them with babies. Kris's stomach suddenly lurched at the word baby. She didn't know why that word had affected her that way.
She had never really thought about having kids before. She didn't know why looking at babies, or baby clothes, or just thinking the word baby had such an effect on her. Her hand flew to her flat empty stomach and she bit her lip. 'Maybe I'm just not meant to have kids, and this is just sort of anxiety about it or something.' She thought before removing her hand from her stomach, and putting it back on the steering wheel.
When she reached her destination, she sat in the car for a minute, taking in all the sights. The small house looked quaint, perfect, picturesque. The bright red barn on the other side of the yard looked like it came from a child's story book. She stepped out of the car, her feet landing on the lush green grass. She looked around for people, and what she saw caught her off guard.
A man no older than herself was walking a horse in from one of the fields. The closely cropped, yet tightly curled brown hair sent off a vibe of fun and entertainment. But what really shocked her was his clothing, or, lack there of. His jeans were loose fitting, hanging low on his hips, giving her just a glimpse of his blue boxers. He was, however, lacking a shirt. His tanned skin glistened in the sunlight, and his muscles flexed with every gentle tug on the horse.
When she finally regained her composure, she raced into the barn after him, trying to get the flush in her cheeks out, and her mind on business. She watched the man put the horse into the stall, a gentle, genuine smile gracing his lips. She slowly approached him, making sure not to make too much noise.
"Hello?" she said when she thought she was close enough. The guy looked around wildly, his head moving back and forth until he spotted her. He looked at her, seemingly confused for a minute before he smiled.
"What can I do for you?" he asked, holding out his hand for her to take. When she grasped his hand, she couldn't help but blush, thanking god that the barn was dim.
"I was wondering if you guys needed a lawyer or something. I know this is unorthodox, but I don't really know how things work around here." She told him, moving her hands with her words.
He smiled at her and she felt her knees go weak, but they managed to support her until he looked away. "Actually, we do need one of those, but you're going to need to talk to my mom about getting hired. This is her place, at least until I inherit it." He told her, wiping his hands on his pants. She smiled and she waited for him to tell her where she could find his mother, but he didn't speak.
"Where can I find your mom Mister…" she trailed off, realizing that she didn't even know his name. He gave her another smile, but she was ready for this one. Her hand flew to one of the stall doors, effectively giving her some support.
"Ritter. Matt Ritter. Yeah, she's in the office just down the hall." He told her, pointing to a room down the isle, the door slightly ajar, letting a sliver of light cast itself onto the concrete barn floor. She smiled at him and quickly walked down the hall, trying to get away from the suffocating feeling she seemed to be experiencing.
She knocked lightly on the door, peeking in just a little. "Hello?" she called into the room, and was surprised to see a petite woman sitting at the desk, mountains of files covering most of her.
"Hello?" the woman responded. Kris walked into the room, making her way to the desk, avoiding the precariously perched folder mountains that were threatening to topple over.
"Uh, hi, Misses Ritter?" she asked, and the woman bolted upright, a warm smile on her face. The woman was in her forties, but she definitely didn't look it. She had a kind smile, and warm inviting eyes that just seemed to welcome you to the family before you even told her your name.
"That's me. What can I do for you?" she asked, motioning Kris to the lone empty chair. Kris sat gratefully, her legs sore and cramped from hours in the car.
"I'm Kristine Furillo, and I know this is going to sound weird, and a little unorthodox, but I was wondering if you needed a lawyer?" she asked, a nervous grimace on her face. Mrs. Ritter smiled and nodded gently.
"As a matter of fact, we do, and you look like just the person for the job. You can live here in the trailer, or, you can go find an apartment, the pay is-"
"The pay doesn't even matter as long as I can live off of it. And I'd love to live here." She said thankfully. Mrs. Ritter beamed at her, obviously approving of Kris.
"You can move in right away, unless it's going to take a few days. You look like the kind of girl who loves to shop." She joked, and Kris laughed lightly.
"Actually, I don't have anything. I left it all back with my…" she almost said boyfriend. The word was just a normal part of her vocabulary now, slipping from her lips as easily as her own name.
"Oh… well I'm sure you'll get situated soon enough." Mrs. Ritter smiled, and Kris smiled back, grateful that the woman didn't pry.
This was going to work just fine. She had a place to live, a steady income. It seemed like the Ritters were nice enough, they would get along just fine. Kris made her way to the trailer that Matt's mother had directed her to. The thing was small, nothing like what she was used to, but she would adjust soon enough.
She had to bend her head low to avoid hitting her head on the doorway, but once she was inside, it seemed perfect. She laid down on the couch and closed her eyes, smiling to herself.
See, I don't need stupid Nate. I'm doing fine all on my own. She told herself, biting her lip to contain her excitement.
There was a quiet knock on the door, and she quickly sat upright, running a hand over her hair to make sure it looked okay. Matt entered without waiting for her to say anything. He was now wearing a shirt, but the fact that Kris knew what was under it made her blush.
"I was wondering if you wanted to go out to the club with me and a couple friends later?" he asked her, and she smiled. He was shy.
"I'd love to." She said, and he smiled broadly. I'd love to.
Junior Davis
He couldn't believe this. He couldn't believe that he had been turned down by a girl. Junior Davis sat at the breakfast counter in his kitchen, his face clouded over with anger. He was used to getting what he wanted, and when he didn't get it, he wasn't sure how to handle it. He had never worried about getting girls though, that was always effortless with his boy next door good looks, his charming smile, and his dimples.
He didn't know what he had done wrong. He offered the girl the job. What more did she want? Junior felt his phone vibrate from inside of his jeans pocket, and he pulled it out, clicking the answer button.
"Yeah?" he said wearily, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Hey, we're going out tonight." He heard Matt's voice say. Junior's hand plopped back down on the marble counter, sighing.
"I don't think I'm up for it." He said into the phone, his mind going over his conversation with Kristine Furillo.
"No, we're going out. You, Dani, me, and the new lawyer here. Mom told me to take her out to get to know some kids our age, and I figured we should take her to the club." Matt told him, and Junior nodded, even though Matt wasn't there to see it.
"Fine. I'll meet you there in an hour." He said and he hung up.
Junior walked up the stairs into his room. He walked to his closet and rummaged through his clothes. He pulled out a button up and threw it on over his bare chest. He grabbed his keys and made his way to the door. "Dani, if you're going to come out, we're going now!" He yelled, his voice echoing through the empty house. Dani came bounding down the stairs, her short cut black hair bouncing in a pony tail.
"I'm here, I'm here!" she told him, patting him a little roughly on the shoulder. Junior pushed her back a little and smiled. This was normal. This was his family. His family was unorthodox, not normal, strange. Any way you put it, his family was different. Dani sent him a glare and led the way out the door.
-
When they got to the club, the music was loud, the dance floor was packed, and Matt was no where to be seen. Dani jumped in an attempt to see over the throngs of people, but her height prevented anything. Junior cast a glace toward the bar, and instantly spotted his curly haired best friend. He gently nudged Dani's arm and she followed his path toward the bar. When they finally got there, Junior noticed that Matt was not alone.
Instead of the ugly girl, or plain girl he was expecting to be Raintree's new lawyer to look like, he saw Kris Furillo. Her head was thrown back in laughter, exposing the pale skin of her neck. Her laugh was contagious, and it took everything in Junior not to laugh along with her. He sat down on the vacant stool next to her, and waited to see if she would notice him.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her eyes narrowed, her lips set in a thin line. Junior's smile faltered, but she didn't notice it.
"My best friend Matt invited me." He informed her. He clapped Matt on the back, who was now distracted by Dani.
"Matt is too nice to have a friend like you." She said, sipping her drink delicately.
"Well, think again. Matt and I have been friends since we were little." He told her. He turned to the bartender and ordered a beer. Kris looked over at Matt, and he turned toward her like he had a Kris sense.
"Are you really friends with this ass?" she asked him, and an amused smile played over his best friend's face.
"Actually, yeah. We're the generation that's bringing Davis and Raintree together." He told her. He smiled at her, and Kris smiled back. Junior's smile evaporated and he felt his hand grip the beer tighter.
He didn't know why Kris was such a big deal to him. He couldn't say she was like the other girls, he would admit that. Every other girl he knew was so worried about her hair and her makeup, but not Kris. She wasn't even wearing makeup right now, and she still looked stunning. Usually girls were throwing themselves at Junior, but she wasn't like other girls. She knew how to avoid his tactics, she seemed to think better.
Junior turned away from the others. Dani, Matt, and Kris were now engaged in an animated conversation, and he felt out of place all of the sudden. He felt over dressed and under dressed at the same time. He looked back over at Kris, who was smiling at something Dani said.
He gently tapped her on the shoulder and she turned to him, a glare already set on her face.
"What do you want now?" she asked, anger dripping from her words like venom.
"I wanted to start over. I know I shouldn't have done that date thing, but I'm just used to girls being all over me, you just kind of caught me off guard." He told her. She looked him up and down, like she was gauging his truthfulness. Finally, her face split into a weak smile, and Junior beamed back.
"Alright. We'll start from the beginning. Hi, I'm Kristine Furillo. My friends call me Kris." She held out her hand and I stared at her manicured fingers.
"I'm Junior Davis. My friends call me Junior." He told her, and Kris smiled, making his heart flip inside of his chest.
"I'm sure it's a pleasure to meet you Junior." She said, and even in the barely there lighting of the club, he could see a blush creep up her cheeks.
"So, do you think you can handle two clients at once?" he asked, his hand still in hers, even though they weren't shaking anymore. When she noticed this, she quickly pulled her hand back, putting it under her thigh.
"What do you mean?" she asked, looking down at the scratched, scuffed surface of the bar counter.
"I'm wondering if you still wanted to be a lawyer for Davis Farms, but if you think you can't handle Raintree and Davis then-"
"I can take both of you." She cut him off, her eyes sharp and determined. Junior smiled and held up his hands, a surrender.
"I was just saying it was okay if you didn't want to do it." He said, putting one of his hands on his chest. She gave a nervous smile, and it almost reassured Junior to know that he had that kind of effect on her.
"I'd love to take you're farm on." She told him, and he smiled. He sipped his beer and smiled at her. She smiled back and took a sip of her own drink. He looked toward the DJ booth and watched the DJ bob his head along with the music, his headphones tight over his ears.
The next thing he knew, there was stomping feet, yelling, and not the normal bar shouts, angry yells. He turned back toward Kris and saw her standing, yelling at a blond hair guy. Her face was red, not in an embarrassed way, but in an angry way. They were yelling at each other, their hands waving around in an angry manner.
Junior quickly stood up and walked over to the two of them. He put a hand on Kris's arm, and a hand on the guy's chest. "What's going on here?" he asked, the question directed more at Kris than anyone. Kris looked at him, a deep sadness hidden in her eyes that made him want to pull her into his arms and hold her tight against him.
"Just my stupid EX, Nate!" she shouted the word ex like she was performing an exorcism.
"This is none of your business pretty boy." He heard Nate say, and Junior angled himself so that he was staring into the face of the other guy.
"Just leave her alone man. She obviously wants nothing to do with you." He said, his voice calm, even though he felt like shouting at him and punching him in the face.
Without warning, Nate's fist came flying and hit him square in the jaw. Junior curse loudly and bent down at the middle. Kris knelt down beside him and took his face in her hands.
"Are you okay?!" she asked, her eyes worried. Junior smiled, hiding the throbs of pain his jaw was sending through his body.
"I'm absolutely perfect now." He told her, and what surprised him most, was that he was telling the truth.