Nick stared at the waves…and the end of his pole…where the line disappeared into the water…at Cody's and Murray's poles…the deck of the boat…back to the waves. "What am I doing here? I don't like to fish. Fish hate me."
Murray glanced over, "Yeah, but we like you, Nick."
Cody nodded, "And you've got the magic touch with a spice rack. This boat has a galley."
Nick stared morosely at his unmoving line. "Yeah. Just use and abuse me."
Cody shrugged, "Pretty much." Which made Murray chuckle.
Still, the company was pretty darn good even if Nick would have picked a different setting and activity. Cody had planned the whole day. He'd borrowed a cabin cruiser and brought them out on the ocean, promising Nick that he knew what he was doing. And as Cody had pretty much overcome his terror of helicopters and regularly trusted that Nick wouldn't let him die in a crash, Nick supposed he ought to return the favor. Plus, in the two weeks since they'd worked on the embezzlement case, Cody had been a little on the quiet side, and Nick was starting to worry again. Boz had brought up the same issue with Nick earlier in the day.
"Guys, I need to talk to you."
Nick didn't like the sound of that. Cody had that this-is-big-and-I-need-to-get-it-out tone, and Nick suddenly wasn't so sure he really wanted to know what was up with Cody. But if Cody needed to talk, then Nick would listen—whatever it was. That's what friends did. But a glance over at Murray found a similar apprehension on his face.
"We got an offer on the house."
Oh. Well. Damn. Not like Nick hadn't known that was coming. He could go a couple of ways from here. From Terrific, you're finally free of the last tie to the witch to When do you have to be out of the house? Murray just looked lost.
Nick couldn't decide which way to go, so he went with, "Are you gonna accept?"
Cody nodded slowly, "I think so. It's a fair offer. But I wanted to talk to you guys first."
Murray snapped out of his fog, "Cody, it's your house. You do what you want with it. Don't worry about me; I'll be fine."
Cody grinned, "I know you will, Boz. You're a survivor."
"Sometimes, I guess. But I'll never be able to repay you and Nick for what you did for me in Santa Barbara. You kept me from going to jail, let me move in with you. You've been true friends to me."
Murray really needed to get over that. Nick waved off the thanks again.
Cody did as well. "You know, when you first moved in, I was a little worried. I've not shared space with anyone but Janet since college. But you're great, Boz, and I've really enjoyed having you as a house mate."
Murray looked overwhelmed, and his smile took over his whole face. "Thanks, Cody. Thank you very much. I think that's one of the nicest things anyone's ever said to me."
"You're welcome. It's no wonder Nick dragged me out of bed at three o'clock in the morning to come get you."
Nick couldn't help but laugh, and that helped lighten his mood, but he still felt like Cody was building up to something. Maybe something Nick didn't want to hear. Like maybe he was going to move back east. Now that his divorce was final and he'd be out from under the house, there wouldn't be anything to keep him in California except the law firm from hell.
Cody got quiet again. "Another thing I need to say: I really hate my job. Okay, that's not completely true. I don't hate being a lawyer; I just hate working at Thayer, Sargent, and Winslow."
Damn. That's exactly what Cody was trying to tell them—he was moving back home. Nick felt his throat get tight…and resolved that he would not lose his composure. He reached up and rubbed a sore place in his neck just to give his hands something to do. Now would be a great time for him to get a bite—hell, for any one of them to get a bite. Nick stared across the waves…at nothing because his eyes were suddenly watering excessively. Lucky he was wearing sunglasses.
"My life is completely different from a year ago. So many changes I never would have made if I'd really had a choice."
Nick took a deep breath and squinted against the glare. Swiped his nose when it got a little clogged. Refused to look at his best friends.
"Except for you guys."
Almost by itself, his head swung back to look at Cody who simply stared back and forth at the two of them.
"I didn't want to move out here, but we did. And then we became me. And I was…miserable. But then I got a crap assignment at work, and I ended up meeting Nick." Cody smiled at Nick who tried, but couldn't quite summon a smile in return. "And you made what could have been a terrible day turn out pretty damn good."
Nick finally managed a twitch of his lips, "And taught you that helicopters aren't scary."
Cody laughed, "I still don't like 'em much."
Nick conceded that some people were just weird.
"And because of Nick, I met Murray who's taught me that I'm pretty ignorant about a lot of things. And that living in a box isn't so bad if you can share it with someone."
Murray looked upset. "I don't mean to make you feel ignorant, Cody. Really, I'm just trying—"
Cody waved him off and patted his shoulder. "Don't sweat it, Boz. Doesn't bother me. I know I'm not a High-Q member."
Nick was quickly losing his temporary good spirits from the laughter. Cody was still building up to an announcement.
"What do you guys think of the boat?"
Nick blinked at the abrupt change. He glanced around, confused. "It's nice. It's a…nice boat, I guess."
Murray nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, I like it, Cody. It's older, certainly, but it's got a good feel to it. Don't you think?"
Cody nodded sagely and turned back to Nick. "It's a classic, Nick. You know all about classics, so you should appreciate that this baby has real character."
Nick folded his arms, seeing that Cody was trying to turn Nick's oft repeated argument about Mimi and the 'Vette against him. Murray was trying to hold back a laugh, seeing them go at it. Nick cleared his throat in irritation that they were ganging up on him. Again. "Classics need a gentle but firm hand. Whoever takes on a classic has to be totally committed. So gimme a break, huh?"
Cody got a little serious again, "You think I could take care of this one?"
Confused, Nick backed up, "What do you mean?"
"I'm thinking about buying this old girl. Maybe living on her full time."
Nick blinked, "You mean you're not moving back east?"
Cody looked a little shocked, but then his face softened into a gentle grin. "No. I can't move back there."
"But your mom and all your friends are there."
Cody jiggled his pole a little. "They all know me as half of Cody and Janet. She and I were together for fifteen years. I'm not sure I could deal with them trying to remember who I was without her. My mom still wants us to get back together. She asks if I've talked to Janet every time I call. There's just too many memories back there for me to be happy."
Nick didn't fight his smile. Not even a little. "So you're staying here?"
Cody nodded, "And I'm thinking about quitting my job."
Nick wasn't sure that Cody hadn't grown two heads.
Murray's eyes were huge through his glasses. "What? Quit your job? What would you do instead?"
Nick's eyes narrowed again, "Wait a second. That's what I told you to do the day we met. 'Sell the house. Quit the job.'"
Cody smiled and nodded reluctantly, like he was having a hard time agreeing. "Yes, you did. It was good advice. I'm finally taking it."
Murray would not be put off. "Cody, if you're not a lawyer, what are you gonna do?"
"I didn't say I wouldn't be a lawyer. I just won't be working at Thayer, Sargent, and Winslow."
One brow lifted on Nick's forehead. "You're looking at a new place to live; you already got another job lined up?"
Cody licked his lips, and his gaze flipped back and forth between them. "Tell me what you think about this: the three of us go into business together."
Both brows climbed up this time. His best friend was insane. Nuts. Crazy. Bonkers. "Doing what?"
"Yeah, Cody, I can't even imagine the kind of name we'd have. Lawyer, Pilot, Programmer. Of course, it worked for The Butcher, The Baker, and The Candle-stick Maker. I know they had a conjunction in there, but I really can't see "Lawyer, Pilot, and Programmer on a sign. Or in an ad." He paused, "Besides…what would we do?"
Murray was going off on a tangent again, but it was a pretty valid tangent. Nick couldn't understand what Cody was picturing.
"I've been thinking about the Deihl case. The three of us solved that. Just us. No one else. And we couldn't have done it without all three of us working together. We each bring something distinctive and necessary to the table. Boz, you handle all the technical aspects, and those are getting more important every day. Nick, you're the feet-on-the-ground, rubber-meets-the-road investigator. And I'm the guy to fill in all the legal mumbo-jumbo. I think word will get around, and we'll get clients."
Murray's eyes had lit up like a Christmas tree, but Nick had to put the brakes on this. Someone needed to inject a dose of reality. "How are we gonna make a living at this? You can't just start a law practice out of nothing. It doesn't just spring to life. And we will need money coming in."
"Well, it wouldn't necessarily have to be full time right from the beginning. You could keep working at Mugu, and Murray's getting pretty regular gigs on his own."
"Yeah, Nick, I can still take work on the side."
"And what else are you gonna do, counselor?"
"Well, with the boat, maybe I could take out tourists. Take 'em fishing. You know." He shrugged.
Nick couldn't stop his incredulity. "You're gonna be a lawyer slash tour-guide?"
Cody smirked, "You're a pilot slash tour-guide; why not me?"
Murray nodded quickly, "He's got you there, Nick. That's one for him."
Cody's grin was triumphant.
Nick glared at Murray, "Who asked you anyway? You're on his side."
"Well, I think it would be great. You know, solving the puzzle, figuring out whodunit like Colombo. And there might be car chases like on Rockford. I think it would be neat."
Nick rolled his eyes. Neat. Murray thought it would be neat. Nick rubbed his eyes at his impossibly optimistic friends.
Cody turned on his most convincing tone. "Nick. We can do this. I know we can. I'm a decent lawyer, but I'm better when you're around. You're a jack of all trades. More, you know how people think, what makes them tick. You figure things out. Something needs doing, you find a way. And with your experience as an M.P., you'd make a great investigator. And Murray's talents…well, no one in the world can do what he does. We'd be unbeatable."
Murray nodded in excitement. In the face of the overwhelming onslaught, Nick found himself weakening. Not that he was really persuaded by Cody's argument…although he wasn't absolutely sure he was wrong. But the two of them just wanted it so much. And they wanted him to be part of it. It would be nice to be part of a team again.
And it would keep Cody around. Probably the biggest incentive of all. Forget that it might actually work. Nick shook his head at the insanity of the idea. Then he considered practicalities. Not flying almost every day? Could he do that? Well, he was actually only flying about three days a week because he needed the down time, too. Still, flying a chopper was all he'd ever wanted to do.
But if he was honest with himself, he knew that he'd enjoyed being a pretend lawyer…helping people out. He missed it. Lately, flying had lost a little of its luster. If he joined this crazy venture with Cody and Boz, he'd be sitting in with clients as the firm's investigator. Might be just as good as being a pretend lawyer. Maybe even better since he'd actually get to ask questions.
Just about then, Murray got a bite. Cody got one almost immediately after. Nick stared at his motionless line as he watched them reel in their fish, the whole time thinking about the possibilities and trying to make a decision.
Cody and Murray left him alone on the…ride?...drive?...sail?...back to the harbor. Nick paid attention as Cody confidently took the boat into a slip and then jumped down to tie up. Evidently, Cody did know his butt from third base when it came to boats. Maybe he even knew what he was talking about with this hair-brained idea for a business. And of course, Nick could keep working at Mugu till they saw if it was going to get off the ground.
Once they were standing on the dock, Cody and Murray gazed back at him hopefully. "Well?"
Nick glanced back and forth between them, still not sure, but… "Okay."
Their eyes lit up, "Really?"
"That's great! I knew you'd come around."
"I still think this is crazy."
Murray's grin stretched across his face, but Cody's was low and slow. "It's gonna work, buddy. I know it will. The three of us together, it's got to."
Nick still wasn't sure, but he was willing to give it a go. And well, stranger things had happened. After all, his best friends were a lawyer and a computer genius. For a dumb grunt like him, who'd ever have believed that was a possibility?