Author's Note: This is a work of fiction. I do not own any rights to the characters, places or CBS. Please Review and Enjoy!
Eddie picked up her phone while she sat at her desk in the law office on Wednesday and began typing.
Eddie: Hey, you free tonight? I could go for a drink and Jamie is busy.
Erin: Sure…I should be out of here by 6. Is everything okay?
Eddie: Yeah, everything is fine. This case is just stressful and I thought it would be nice to get out and have some girl time.
Erin: Ok! How about the Wayland? We'll plan on around 6:30, but I'll text you when I'm leaving.
Eddie: Great, see you then!
"Whatcha doing?" Jamie asked from beside her. She didn't even hear him come in from his office.
"Hey…. I was just texting Erin. We're meeting tonight around 6:30 at The Wayland for drinks. I'm nervous about asking her to be a bridesmaid. Are you meeting with Danny tonight?"
"Yeah, at 7:00. We're going to meet at Murphy's. Don't be nervous, Erin has been fighting for us since the beginning. She'll be pumped." Jamie smiled at Eddie. "Then you'll meet with Nikki, Kara and Hayley?"
Eddie put down her phone and stood up. "Yes. When are you planning to ask Sean, Jack and Spencer?"
"Spencer I'll need to call, he won't be back to New York on business for a while. Sean and Jack, I thought I'd convince them to ride back to Sunday Dinner with us after church and we could both talk to them. Would that be cool?" Jamie wasn't nervous about asking any of the guys to be part of the wedding. Although they were going small and simple, they both agreed that these 8 people needed to be standing up with them. In their own way, each of these people were stepping stones in Eddie and him being together.
"Sounds good. Give Danny a heads up about that. One more thing off the checklist then!" Eddie wrapped her arms around Jamie in a tight hug. "Now, if we can just speed up this case we can actually start focusing on the wedding."
"Danny's plan will work." Jamie tried soothing Eddie with his words. "Mr. Monroe will be here in less than a half hour. It's going to go fine."
Danny had a plan. At first, Jamie wasn't convinced it would work but the more Danny talked the more it made sense. Danny knew that they're in was with Mr. Monroe. He was clearly the most personable one and he was clearly smitten with Eddie. Danny knew that they needed to play on this. He also knew that he needed to play on their relationship as well. Jamie needed to act strained for money, needing more work to "make Ellie happy". The more stressed Jamie portrayed himself, the more towards the edge of doing anything for money, the sooner Monroe would bring them into the Contraband smuggling.
Jamie, Eddie and Mr. Monroe were all settled into a cozy conference room inside of the practice. The two of them had done their research on the hunters and the perspective clients and Mr. Monroe was impressed. Danny and Baez were watching from a van around the block. So far, everything was going perfectly. Jamie and Eddie both knew more information than Mr. Monroe had hoped but Jamie was still being very reserved and edgy. Mr. Monroe was picking up on it. Now was the time to dismiss Eddie and talk man to man.
"Ellie sweetheart, can you run across the street and get us some lunch from the diner? Mr. Monroe, their soups are delicious and they have a great Chicken Salad Sandwich as well." Jamie looked at Mr. Monroe, hoping that Eddie leaving wouldn't distract him. He needed to get this locked in.
Eddie stood up and smiled, "Of course. Do you want your usual? Mr. Monroe, what can I get for you? Justin is right, their Chicken Salad Sandwiches are delicious – One of my favorites!"
Jamie nodded and Mr. Monroe beamed. "Well, my dear if you say it's delicious, I'm sure it is! I will have that, on a croissant if possible with chips. Thank you!" Eddie smiled at them and left the conference room, closing the door behind her. She unlocked the front door and walked across the street to the diner to order their food to go. She figured if she sat there and told them there was no rush, it would give Jamie enough time to lock down the ins they needed.
"Justin, is something bothering you today? You seem…off." Mr. Monroe asked while peering at Jamie.
Jamie took a sigh. He knew it was now or never. He had to do this right. "Come on, Kid." Danny whispered while he watched from the van.
"Mr. Monroe, as you know Ellie is amazing. I met her shortly after a good friend of mine had passed away and she lifted me out of a dark place. I would do absolutely anything for her. I need to give her more than I'm giving now. She deserves the best." Jamie took a big gulp. "I need to make more money. She's happy now but I need to maintain and build on the lifestyle we've chosen. I need to give her the best of everything." Jamie rubbed his hands over his face. He hoped he was selling it. "Do you have any cases that need work on? Or any suggestions? My practice was very stable in Rhode Island, but the city is a lot different."
Mr. Monroe looked at Jamie, stern at first, then softer. "My boy… Ellie is a beautiful, intelligent woman. I understand wanting to keep her happy. And NEEDING to keep her happy. Believe me, after four marriages, I know women need to be happy to stick around." He laughed at his little comment. "Are you hurting for money now?"
"No sir, not at all. But I don't want to sit on what I have already. I need to keep growing, to continue making more money. I'm afraid your practice, with all the Pro Bono work isn't going to give me what I need to make my future bride happy. She loves the thought of helping her people come to the US and I want to do what makes her happy. But I can't do that for practically free."
Clasping his hands together, the old man sighed. "We really don't want to lose you. Just with your initial research and ideas, I can tell that you are both people we can't afford to lose. But I do understand the money portion. If I had Ellie, I would feel the same way. I do have a way that you could make a profit on these suits. However, it's more of an under the table situation. We have never brought in a probationary partner before but…for some reason I trust you. Do you trust me?"
"I do, sir. I will do whatever I have to in order to keep Ellie happy." Jamie stated.
"Good. Let me explain more before your sweet girl returns. We have been trying to get into an Immigration Practice in Serbia for a long time. Serbia is currently under a Religious War that everyone is aware of. The war that very few people know about is the war of a drug called 'Rash'. Our clients are generally the producers and distributors of the drug. We believe its important for these people to have a safe refuge." He pointedly looked at Jamie to see if he was following.
"So, you are getting Drug Dealers out of Serbia?" Jamie asked, looking bewildered.
"Yes. These people are very intelligent. Once they are in our Country, we enlist their help. We, for lack of a better word, hire them to help them get back on their feet."
"What Kind of work do they do for you, Mr. Monroe?"
"Well son, they do different jobs for us. The Serbian Refugees in particular will be working to create a similar drug in the United States. We sell to the black market, specifically to medical personals that perform surgeries and procedures to help the people without insurance. The Rash Drug bares properties that could help many health issues."
"Wow." Jamie didn't need to act surprised. He was surprised. They were selling it for the Medical Black Market? He had not seen that coming. "That's noble of you, sir. But how would I be involved?"
"Well Justin, you would bring as many people to our country as you could. Then you would coordinate with the Hunters to meet the Heads of the Markets that we're selling too. You would make a commission on the sale. 20% of the sale, in cash to you. I suggest you open an off-shore account for any large cash deposits that may seem out of the ordinary. What do you think? Do you think you could do this, for Ellie?" Mr. Monroe leaned forward, staring unblinkingly at Jamie.
In the front office, Jamie heard the bell for the front door chime. Eddie was back. He needed to wrap this up. "I'm in. I want this. When do we start?"
The partner smiled at him and pounded his fist on the table. Eddie knocked on the door before coming in. "Lunch is served, Gentlemen!" she said in a singsong voice. Jamie smiled at her, expressing everything in one look. They totally had them.
At 6:15PM Eddie walked in to the Wayland. She saw Erin sitting at a booth clicking away on her phone with two glasses in front of her. She hurried over, greeting Erin and sliding into the seat across from her. "How are you doing?!"
"Eddie! I'm good. A busy day, I had court this morning and meetings all afternoon about changes coming to the DA's Office. How are you? How is the case?" Erin asked in all seriousness. Eddie was still so taken aback by being part of a larger family but she liked how much they cared.
"We had a big break today because of Jamie. He was awesome. BUT – I didn't ask you here for drinks to talk about work. I have something I want to talk to you about." Eddie nervously gripped the Scotch glass that Erin had ordered for her before she got there.
Erin looked puzzled. "Start singing Buster. What's going on?"
"Umm…. would you want to be one of my bridesmaids?" Eddie blurted out. She didn't want to get all mushy and thought she should just get it out of the way.
"SERIOUSLY?! I WOULD LOVE TO!" Squealed Erin. "You have no idea what this means to me. Jamie, since he was born, has always been the level-headed brother. He was always the one that I could talk to, who I could count on. Seeing him this happy, with YOU? It's all I've ever wanted for him."
"Awesome! I want to ask Nikki as well. I thought I would see if she could grab lunch one day. Do you think she'll want to stand up as well?" Eddie asked.
Erin beamed. "Nikki will be ecstatic. She's always been close to her uncle and especially with taking the Academy Entrance Exam, she really looks up to you."
Eddie blushed. She seemed to be blushing more and more in the last two weeks. She wasn't used to compliments and praises that she was given by Jamie and his family. "She'll be great with whatever she does. I'm excited to spend more time with her. Hayley, my best friend from high school will be my Maid of Honor and I'm going to ask Kara Walsh as well. We've become really close in the last few years and she's someone I trust with everything. Jamie is actually asking Danny to be his best man tonight. Then he'll call Spencer and we'll both talk to Jack and Sean after church on Sunday."
"This is great. It's going to be amazing. And please, let us know what we can do to help you. Even if it's just tagging along to look at Invitation samples. This will be one of the best days of your life. Don't let it stress you." Erin stated in a matter of a fact way.
"Thanks Erin. That means a lot. Now, on to the next piece of business – Embarrassing Jamie stories. Please!" The two women laughed and Erin leaned forward to fill Eddie in on everything that Jamie wouldn't want her to know about his childhood.
While Eddie and Erin sat at The Wayland, Jamie was waiting for Danny at the bar at Murphy's. "Good Job today, kid! I think we're in!" Danny sat down on a stool next to Jamie, where the bartender automatically sat down his favorite beer. "Wow, good service!"
Jamie rolled his eyes while looking at his older brother. "You are my brother. I do know what you like to drink. And thanks – today went really well."
"So, what did you want to meet for? Not that I'm complaining but we haven't done this in a long time." Danny asked, while looking around at the TVs for a game that interested him.
Jamie put his beer down and looked at his brother. "Well, you're the only brother I have left. We fight and bicker and you're a real pain in my ass, but you've always been there for me. I was wondering if you'd be there for me at my wedding. As my best man?"
Danny's eyes bugged out of his head when Jamie finished. "Seriously?! I would be honored Jamie. I know we haven't always got along but…" Danny stopped on the count of tears in his eyes.
Jamie laughed and shook his head. "Come on Danny. You're the only brother here. It was sort of obvious I'd ask you. No need to get emotional. And I also plan on asking Sean and Jack to be groomsmen as well."
Danny laughed and stared at his beer. "We'd be honored to stand up there with you. Thanks…you know for asking me. And for actually growing a pair and asking Eddie to marry you before even dating."
"You're such a jerk." Jamie said laughing and the two sat at the bar and watched a rerun of the Saturday fight, both of the knowing that they had each other's backs.
Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I've had some time this past week which is why I've been able to update each day. It helps me relax, so thank you all for being a part of that! Until Next Time!