Chapter Ten
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A few minutes after Danny and Sara came back from visiting Elena in White Collar, Sam and Vivian came back and noticing Renee's handwriting on Martin's palm when he was picking Sara up and putting her on the desk surface to sit, Sam pointed her finger at it and asked him, "Martin, what's that on your hand?"
Ignoring that question from Sam about Renee's info, Martin just answered her question while trying to make himself look busy, "Nothing, Sam. It's just nothing."
"Nothing, Martin? It looks like something." said Viv who joins Sam into the questioning about the handwriting that Martin is trying too hard to hide because he doesn't want to talk about it in front of the ladies. It's very personal for him and he doesn't want this to be into a gossip topic.
Knowing that he is absolutely ignoring the heck of Sam and Viv and doesn't want the girls to think that he is becoming a total ass that afternoon, Martin sighed to himself and looking up to Sam and Viv who are sitting on their chairs while Sara is making her next move which is running over to Viv to sit on her lap for a while before changing her mind again.
While Sara was sitting with comfort on Viv's lap and is staring at her father with her eyes, Martin looked at the three women and said to them, "Yes, guys. It's something and I don't want to talk about it."
Hearing that, Sam asked him another question, "Is that something a good or bad thing?"
"Mostly a good thing. Why?"
Sam shrugged her shoulder while saying to him and smiling, "I just want to know, I guessed."
"You guessed?" asked Martin, who raised one of his eyebrows, being in shocked a bit.
Seeing that raised light brown eyebrow of his, Sam nodded to him while saying to him, "Yeah. It doesn't matter where that handwriting on your palm came from; I think that it's a good thing whatever it came from. You know what I meant by that?"
"I know what you meant by that, Sam. You want me to be happy no matter what with no matter whom, starting with the person who wrote on my palm. Right?"
"Right again, Martin but can you tell me who wrote on your palm?" asked a smiling Sam.
Doesn't want his cover for liking Renee yet and giving Sara that 'don't tell' look with his eyes in order to keep her mouth shut from being a blabbermouth, Sara ended up being a sweet angel on Viv's lap while shaking his head and answered Sam's question by saying to her, "Not yet for that, Sam but I can tell you that a woman wrote on my palm earlier today. Right, Sara?"
"Right, Daddy!" said a still smiling Sara who is holding Viv's hand.
"Good girl!" said Martin and wanting to change the subject this time, Martin looks at Viv and asked her if she and Sam got anything at the free medical clinic.
"Good news, Sam and I got something from there." said Viv, who is still holding Sara's hand with her own hand.
"Is anybody there saw her in the past few days?" asked Danny, referring to the missing person, Laura Van Horn, a twenty-something homeless woman whose regular hangouts are St. Joseph Catholic Church and the General Hope Medical Clinic because she is HIV – Positive and had regular checkups there.
Viv shook her head no and answered the question by saying to him, "There comes the bad news. She hadn't been seen there for the past three weeks, sorry."
"God, she could be very sick out there, not being seen there for three past weeks." said Danny who is pulling a bit of a worried look on his face.
From sitting on Auntie Viv's lap, Sara saw that and thinking that her godfather could be sad, she looks at him with her chocolate brown eyes while asking him with a worried tone in her voice, "Uncle Danny, are you okay?"
Pulling a strong look on his face, Danny looks at her and said to the girl, "Yeah, Sara. I'm fine and don't worry about me….."
Interrupted Danny's sentence, Sara shook her head while saying to him with a sweet smile on his face, "No, you not. You need a hug!"
Martin, Sam and Viv laughed when Danny raised his hands and said to the little hugger with a serious tone in his voice, "No, Sara. Please give me a hug!" But it's too late….
Sara got off to Viv's lap and ran over to Danny's before giving his two legs a big hug while saying to him with a sweet and calm voice, "Don't be sad, Uncle Danny Taylor."
Martin, Sam and Viv laughed at that again while Danny is giving them an evil look on his face before he realized that his goddaughter, Sara Fitzgerald is such a sweet and kind little girl who likes to give the people she love hugs.
Because of that, Danny leaned down and kissed her on the top of the head while saying to her, "Do me a flavor, Sara. Just make sure that you'll confuse your Daddy later, okay?"
~:~
Later that day, at night, both Martin and Sara were at their home, doing their own things to do for tomorrow on the sofa. Reading the case again and again while writing notes on the legal pad for the court hearing with Ben and Sam tomorrow for Martin and for Sara, reading one of her new picture books she got from the public library with her father while cuddling up with the same guy with a blanket over them.
The both of them were into their work until it is time to do something or at least one of them.
Martin was writing down some notes on the pad when he notices that Sara is staring at him. Thinking that she might be finished with her new book or that she wants him to read the same book to her which she likes to do to him many times since they know each other, Martin looks over to her and with a grin on his face, he asked her, "Hey, baby. Are you done with the book?"
"Yes." said Sara.
Putting the other part of the question into it, Martin asked her again, "Want me to read it to you this time?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"asked Martin who really want to know about this.
"No."
"Are you sure, again?"
"No"
This is keep confusing Martin Fitzgerald a whole lot and after doing some deep thinking about this, Martin knew right away what it is all about.
Staring at the girl's eyes with his blue eyes seriously, Martin asked her the question about this. "Sara, did Uncle Danny told you to do this to me?"
"Kinda"
"Kinda?" asked Martin who is still confused.
Sara just nodded her head. Martin saw that and after sighing to himself, he put the written notepad and pen on the oak wooden coffee table in front of them next to the cup of coffee before looking straight into Sara's eyes and asking her, "Sara, what are you asking me to do?"
This took Sara a few seconds to think about and the moment she is done thinking, Sara stared straight into her father's eyes, just like the one Martin is doing to her, and answered his question by saying straightforward to him, "I want you to call Miss Walker tonight."
Surprised of what he heard, Martin just stared at her and asked her a one word question, "What?"
Sara kept her stare and reaching over to the cordless phone who is sitting on the end table next to the couch before handing it over to him with the same tone in her small voice, "Call her!"
Looking at the phone and then, to Sara, Martin said to her with a quick, "No!"
Along with that, Sara said to her father again, "Why can't you call her? Did you have her number?"
"No, Sara. I don't have her number around me so stop doing this to me, okay?"
"Yes, you do have her number so call her, Daddy!"
"No, Sara and I think that this is time for bed!" said Martin who is getting tired of this game and want this to end for the night and probably soon after that.
"It's not time for bed. It's too early to do that and don't you dare lie to me?! You still have her number." said Sara who is certainly doesn't want this to end at all. She just wants this to happen. Tonight.
"Sara Elizabeth, I don't have her number with me rig….."
Sara is pulling the most serious look on her face that Martin had ever saw which made Sara do her part of the argument. "Daddy, you do have her number. You even use one of those long yellow rubber gloves to wear just to get the pizza out of the oven and to wash the dishes. That was pretty weird."
"Yeah, I know, Sara." said Martin who certainly remembered doing that. That was pretty weird to him deemed.
Watching her father right now, Sara put her hand on her father's shoulder while holding the phone out to him before saying to him, "I know, Daddy. Please call her so I can help you out with something."
"Help me out with what?" asked a grinned faced Martin.
"I can pick out a tie for you for your court thingy tomorrow." said a smiling Sara.
"You meant for my court hearing tomorrow, Sara?"said Martin who is helping Sara out with this for her chosen words.
Sara nodded to him and said back to him, "That's what I meant and can I do that while you call Miss Walker, please?"
This time, Martin took a minute to think about this before kissing Sara's forehead a few times and hugging her before letting her go while saying to her, "Sure, baby. You will do that for me while I will do yours. Okay?"
"Okay, Daddy. I'll." said Sara who kissed her father on the cheek before jumping off the couch and headed off to her father's room to figure out what ties for him to wear out of his collection while Martin sighed to himself again, looks down at Renee's number and dialed the number on the buttons of the phone, hopefully that Renee will answer his call.
About thirty seconds later, a female voice answered the call, "Hello."
Trying to stay calm about this because this is not Martin's idea, Martin asked the caller, "Hi, is this Renee Walker?"
"Yeah, who is this?"
"Oh, God. Did Renee had forgotten who I am or that was Renee being kind about this? Martin, don't you dare freak out about this! Man, just don't do that!" "Hi, this is Martin Fitzgerald, Sara's father."
"Oh, Martin. Hi and how are you?"
"Thank God! Thank God! Thank God!" "I'm fine right now, just doing some work for the court hearing tomorrow. What about you?"
"Well, I am just grading some science worksheets and I was done with your daughter. I can tell one thing that Sara's one smart girl!"
"How smart?" asked Martin.
"Very smart, Martin. She got everything right on the worksheet, even the tough ones and by the way, how's Sara?"
Thinking about the smart girl who will probably have Mensa running for it money anytime soon, Martin smiled and said to Renee, "She's doing well actually. She's being my personal stylist right now, asking me if she could pick out some ties for me tomorrow."
"I had a question about that, Martin. Can I ask you that, please?"
"Shoot!"
"Well, did Sara dress you up this morning? You look very handsome if Sara did that to you."
"Well, not really actually."
"Martin? I am serious about this." asked Renee.
"Well, she kind of dress me up this morning." explained by Martin. After that, Martin could hear some laughter from Renee over the phone and didn't know that a smile is appearing on his face.
"Funny, huh?"
"Yeah, very funny and Martin, I am sorry to end this because I think that my roommate is coming home any minute now and if she saw me talking to you over the phone, she will bug me with a thousand questions and so, can I see you tomorrow at school, okay with that, Martin?"
Slightly disappointed about this because he wanted to talk to Renee about anything for the rest of the night but he knows that he couldn't do that at all, Martin decided to shove that feeling away in a closet and right away, he said to her, "Yeah, I'm fine with that, Renee. See you tomorrow at school."
"Good and just make sure that you'll bring your handsome ass with Sara, okay?"
"I'll do that. Good night, Renee."
"Glad to hear that, Martin. Have a good night, yourself. Bye." and right away, the call is disconnected and putting the phone back into its stand, Martin sighed to himself again and smiled to himself, knowing that he did a good thing. Letting Sara bullying him into calling Renee and with the results of that, he think that calling Renee and talking to her about things sure made pressure off of him and that made him happy and proud of himself for doing that.
But right away, Martin is having a bad feeling about a room in his home, thinking that Sara is pulling a twister with his many ties being swayed all over the place in his bedroom. To see if she doesn't do that, Martin got his butt off the couch and ran over to his room, just to make sure of that.
~:~
The moment she put the cordless phone back into its stand, Renee sighed to herself when she is finishing up grading the papers while taking another sip of the bottle of diet coke, knowing that Martin would call her that night and ended up having a nice time talking to him about things for a few minutes before it ends.
All during that meeting at school and through the rest of the day, Renee couldn't stop thinking about him, Martin. Those kind blue eyes of his. The boyish grin of his when he smiles. The way his short sandy brown looks a little messed up in the afternoon. The softness-roughness surface of his hand when she wrote her info on the palm of it. The sound of his voice. The way he knows how to wear a fine-damn suit. Those soft-looking lips of his. The way he is such a sweet father to his also as sweet daughter, Sara.
From thinking about him, Renee didn't know that a smile is appearing on her face for a couple of minutes that her roommate, Andrea came into the small apartment and arriving from her evening yoga class, notices that smile on Renee's face and greeted her friend and roommate.
"Hey, Renee. How's your day?"
Renee stopped her thinking about Martin because she just heard Andrea's voice and looked up before she saw the blonde, standing a few feet away from her in her yoga outfit of a comfy hoodie and yoga pants, her hair in a loose ponytail with a smile on her face.
Renee smiled at Andrea and answered the greeting by saying to her, "Hey, Dre. It was a good day. How about you?"
"Work was tough today but the yoga class kinda made the day." said Andrea.
"Kinda? What do you means by 'kinda'?" asked Renee who is a bit confused about that because as far as she knows Andrea Parker, Dre is well, a health nut and a yoga fanatic which is the far opposite of Renee Walker, a meat-lover and a runner on most days but the ladies had managed to be great friends and roommates.
Grabbing her bottle of mineral water from the fridge, Andrea went back to the living room with it and opening the cap off and taking a sip of the water, she sat down on the arm chair on the right of the couch and said to Renee with a straight smile on her face, "The class was very fun as usual because we are learning a new move and halfway through the class, my on-vibrated cell phone had rung too many times and after the teacher decided to kicked me out, I looked at the cell phone and you can't believe about who just called me?"
"Who?" asked Renee, who suddenly want to know about this because her brain is starting to give her a headache from grading the papers too fast.
Renee also know that the news is bad because Andrea is giving her that look when bad news is coming on its way to them and after saying to her friend, "Dre. Who was it?"
At that moment, Andrea looked up to Renee with her brown eyes and answered the question with a flat tone in her voice, "It was Thomas."
Very surprised of what she heard that name, Renee raised one of her eyebrows and slurred out to her, "Thomas? Thomas had called you? Did you know why he called you?"
Seeing that raised eyebrow and the slurred words, Andrea looked at the shocked Renee and said to her with a calm voice, "I don't know, Rene. Out of all of the calls, they were very short and many hang-ups and since I don't date guys at all, I am pretty sure that Thomas is looking for you."
"What? How did he have your number? He doesn't know you at all. He doesn't even know that I am in New York! How did he….."
Renee is very confused about this. About Thomas Andrew Nyland knowing about her being in New York. Again, this is very confusing.
Seeing Renee being very confused about it and sitting on the couch all alone with a small beaded pillow holding against her chest, Andrea knew right away that she had to comfort her and by doing that, Dre got up and sat next to Rene and the moment she put her hand on the confused woman's shoulder, Dre whispers into Renee's ear and said to her with a sweet and calm voice, "Renee, don't think about this too much, okay? He doesn't deserve you at all because he doesn't care about you after what had happened to the both of you guys. He is just being an ass about you leaving him."
"But he was so smart and sweet and generous back then and…."
"No, Renee! Don't even think about him as that? The past is the past and here in New York is your future and as we are in the topic of New York, did you meet anybody cute today beside little kids?"
Certainly, she did met someone cute along with sweet and smart that day. Martin Fitzgerald.
A smile is appearing on her face when she answered Andrea's question by saying to him, "Well, I did met that someone today."
"Who's it, sweetie?"
Renee turns to Andrea with the same smile on her face and answered the question with the words: "He's actually one of my students' father. His name is Martin Fitzgerald."
"Martin Fitzgerald? I like that name and did he had beaten up that Thomas guy in the looks department?"
"Yeah, he is. Martin got these amazing blue eyes and nice smile as well."
"People with amazing blue eyes and a killer smile? Seem like my type of people."
"Shut up! You are so not his type!" said Renee, who playfully thrown the pillow at Andrea. In return, Andrea protected herself from the pillow with her arms and joked to the thrower, "Yeah, I am everybody's type of woman and how did you know what type of women he likes?"
"I don't know about that. He's pretty nice to me and a few minutes ago, he called me on the phone and we had a nice talk for about a few minutes before he went back to his daughter's caring. So far, he's such a great guy."
"I know that he is, sweetie and will you see him tomorrow, I hope?"
Renee nodded to Andrea and said to her with a smile on her face, "Of course that I'll see him tomorrow. He's the father of one of my students and I told him that to bring his fine ass tomorrow as well."
"Fine ass? You didn't mention that this Martin has a fine ass earlier? You naughty girl!"
"Oh shut up!" joked by Renee who threw the pillow again at Andrea but ended up missing a few inches instead.
"Haha! You missed me and hand me the remote, please? I gotta watch my shows I tiVoed last night!" said Andrea who as well as health nut and yoga fanatic, she is well as a reality TV shows freak.
"Glad to do that, ma'am." said a news show and some good-ass sitcoms type of person named Renee who handed the remote to Andrea and while Andrea is watching those trashy shows from VH1 on the TV, Renee headed back to her room to get some things in order to have a warm and spa-like bath.
While enjoying her bath with a great book in her hands, Renee relaxes in the tub and thought about what had happened earlier. She knows that she got to get rid of Thomas out of her mind and put in some thoughts about Martin instead but even through that she told some things about Martin, she don't think that she is fully love him or not because of her past with Thomas.
Hopefully those thoughts about Thomas and Charleston, South Carolina will be gone and new thoughts about Martin and New York will take its place in her mind, heart, and soul.
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Author's Note: Expect a new title for the story when the next chapter comes along.