Another Chance
Chapter 65
"Thera Inc. is going public today, isn't it?" Kate asks as she spreads strawberry preserves on her croissant.
"It is," Rick confirms, refilling his coffee mug.
"Are you buying stock?"
"Oh yeah! My broker already has a buy order to execute the minute the IPO goes into effect. He has that software that works in a fraction of a second. Alexis made it very clear that she doesn't want me buying too much. She and Micah have managed to pull this off so far. She doesn't want it to look like Daddy is a major investor. I'm going to buy some for Aletha too, to go into her college fund. I think the Ryans are planning to buy in and Espo wants a piece as a start for the education of the bundle of joy Lanie is carrying."
"Her pregnancy has probably put a little hitch in their participation in the Argentine tango competitions this year."
"Or is serving as an example of when the moves continue off the dancefloor. Espo seems pretty happy about the kid. I saw the two of them at Remy's the other day, and he looked like he was ready to let out a roar."
"That's Javi. I was talking to Jenny, and she said that Sarah Grace just loves her baby sister Fiona. She's trying to be a little mother herself. Jenny says she can be very helpful sometimes. But Nicholas is upset that the attention has shifted from him. After the difficulties Jenny had giving birth to him, the Ryans were a little over-protective for a while. He got used to ruling the roost."
"We all get knocked off our perches sometimes. Mother has always made sure to shoo me off of mine regularly. She's considered it one of her more meaningful functions in life."
"Obviously you survived." Kate glances at her watch. "But my current case may not survive if I don't make it to court on time to give my testimony. The lawyers for the other side are grabbing at the thinnest straws to make motions for dismissal. By my count, they've tried 18 times already. The good part about that is that the judge is losing patience with them."
Rick lifts his mug in a toast. "To the triumph of the forces of righteousness."
After school, Aletha bounces in the door of the loft. "Daddy, I won!"
"That's amazing, stupendous! What did you win?"
"The book contest! My story about the girl who was always too short until a woman in a wheelchair asked her to get something off the shelf for her in a store is going to be published by Cuddly Bear Books. I'm going to be a real author like you!"
Castle engulfs her in a hug. "That's wonderful, sweetheart! You're way ahead of me. I didn't have my first book published until I was in college. When Mommy comes home, we should do something to celebrate."
"Wednesday chicken?"
Castle kisses the top of her head. "Crispy skin and succulent meat for my burgeoning bard."
Hands tightly clasped, Alexis and Micah look up as Monty Heller strides into the break room where they have abandoned coffee in favor of the more soothing effects of hot chocolate. If the CFO's grin were any bigger, he'd be auditioning to play The Joker in the next Batman reboot. "$140 million. The deal is for $140 million. That's $20 million above the market average. You kids have done it! We should have more than enough development funds for at least the next three generations of Thera products. You two should be able to take the kind of salaries you deserve now, too." Monty rises to the balls of his feet and does a fair imitation of a jig. "As will I. All the time, all the papercuts, all the sweat was worth it. I'm going home to open the bottle of Dom Perignon I bought when we started this process. Are you two going out to celebrate?"
Alexis shakes her head. "No. We were going to go to a family celebration tonight anyway. My little sister is going to have a book published, and I think my father is about to pop all the buttons off his shirt, he's so proud of her. This will just add to the occasion. Dad's never had any doubts that Thera would make it, at least since one of our early prototypes kept his loft from blowing up."
Monty's eyebrows rise toward his impressive shock of prematurely white hair. "You'll have to tell me that story sometime. And there's no doubt about your father's confidence. He bought up to the limit of shares you'd allowed for him. Have a good time, then. I know I will. But save some joy for when we meet with the board tomorrow."
"We'll do that, Monty," Micah assures him.
Kate is sitting in the hall of the courthouse waiting to be called as a witness. She remembers watching old Perry Masons when she was growing up which had all the witnesses in the courtroom, with the camera panning their faces until one screamed a confession. Real life is very different. She can't pass through the heavy doors until they are ready for her and she's been waiting the major part of the day for that to happen. It's actually been a great thing. She was able to receive the ecstatic calls both from Rick and Alexis, and she's looking forward to the evening's festivities. If she knows her husband, even on short notice, it will be quite a lively event. It would be nice if she had something to celebrate too. She should. Fronsters' Corp. which her office has been unaffectionately referring to as Fraudsters' Corp., is running out of options. They had no facts to pound on, so they tried pounding on the law. Today should be their last ditch effort at that, and this judge does not put up with pounding on the table. The door is pushed open from the inside, and her name is called. Fronster should get ready to breathe its last gasp.
Rick and Aletha had fun at the market picking out her favorite ice cream, and ingredients for both brownies and blondies. The asparagus spears and multicolor baby potatoes will be perfect to go with the chicken, and they've even found some brightly colored streamers. Rick had just turned down the oven from 450 degrees F to 350 degrees F when Kate arrives.
He can see in a moment that the case went well. "Another one bites the dust?"
Kate stows her briefcase in the bedroom and joins Rick in the kitchen. "Fronsters' will be dissolved, and I think Fronster and son will be looking at some significant jail time. But more to the point, our team will do all that they can to recover the funds the Fronsters cheated hard working people out of, and make the victims as whole as possible."
"You made it happen."
"A lot of us worked very hard for this outcome, and I did my part. Are you making Wednesday chicken?"
"Two Wednesday chickens. Alexis and Micah will be joining us as the whole family soars in triumph. Aletha's feet haven't touched the ground yet, and I even submitted the last chapter for my newest Data Rider book."
"And tomorrow you start a new story?"
Rick catches her tightly in his arms. "As will we all."
Finis
A/N My next story will be very AU. It will start when Dick Coonan grabs Castle during "Sucker Punch," only this time, Castle, although injured, is successful in taking Coonan down and Kate doesn't have to shoot the hitman. Join me tomorrow for "Slaying the Beast."
For those of you who are interested, I have a new The Rookie story called "Rookie Thanksgiving," posted. It, strangely enough, takes place on Thanksgiving.
Love, Sally