Power of Attorney: A Novel (A Greenburg Family Book 1) (6 page)

Sarah was never one of those popular girls that had a circle of friends around her. She wasn’t the kind of girl who got a lot of attention or was featured in the campus magazine aside from getting good grades. She did have a set of friends she kept in touch since her graduation, but she didn’t get to see them very much.

In terms of her love life, she had
dated some but had never been in a significant relationship. She always wondered what it was like to fall in love but didn’t imagine it happening to her. Sarah always thought that she would be the kind of person who went on a long painstaking search for that one love in their life. She never thought that ‘love’ would just run into her.

One day out of the blue, Henry asked Sarah a simple question which she failed to answer. “Would you like to go out with me?”

The look on her face made Henry panic, because he began a string of statement that ensured she didn’t have to give him an answer that day and that she could think about it later.

Henry was a very straight forward person. He didn’t
play games or try to manipulate people. Unlike her mysterious brother, Henry was simple. And so, he left her to her own thoughts about his simple question. But her brain seemed to have frozen itself in place.

She found herself torn between the two
brothers, even though Patrick had not shown any interest in her outside of work. She began to count the differences in the two men and realized there were many.

In contrast with
Patrick, who was popular in the world outside this hectic building, Henry was very popular amongst everyone inside. It wasn’t hard to enjoy his company. He was funny and even annoying in a very good kind of way.

Sarah wondered why he wasn’t already in a relationship or had a lover. The rumor mill said it was the
“Greenburg” thing. Even their sister Jane seemed to enjoy being alone. Somehow, Sarah started to believe the rumor was true.

Henry
had asked the question so easily. There was no mumbling, no stumbling or even an “erm” somewhere in his speech. There wasn’t a joking tone in his voice when he asked her, it seemed as if he meant it.

In her
own thoughts, she felt that anyone who said yes would be a very smart person. Henry would be a good boyfriend. He might not be very good with organizing his work, but he was good at taking care of people he cared about. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling of hesitation. She didn’t know why she hadn’t said yes. She liked Henry; he was a good person, and they seemed very compatible on the surface. Every logical reasoning she could think of would point to the answer: Yes, Sarah should accept Henry’s offer.

It was already three days since
he asked her on a date. Every time Sarah saw him, she was reminded. Of course Henry, being a very good gentleman, did not push her or remind her of his offer. He just acted like normal, as if nothing had changed between them. It was another thing she liked about him.

Sarah was on her way to pick up a bunch of coffee from the Starbucks near the building. They had
a Starbucks coffee club that everyone could sign up for, and they each took turns in being the delivery person. She had learned it was Henry’s idea. He thought it would boost morale to have the leaders take a turn.

The list of Frappuccino, lattes and
double shot espressos made the Barista’s eyebrow shoot up. It would take a while for them to complete the list. Thankfully, she came at a time where there were few people in the cafe. Sarah sat on one of the small armchairs and thought back to Henry again.

“Oh, this is nice. Didn’t know they
had a Starbucks service in this firm too.” Sarah was startled by the voice and whipped her head to see the familiar face of Jane Hunt sipping her hot Macchiato with a slight smile.

Ever since Jane became a client of Johnson and Smith, her presence was
regularly expected in the office. She was the kind of client every lawyer wished they could have. She was prepared and organized and always on time for her appointments. Although she was a busy woman, she took her time with the case carefully.

Even so, Sarah
hadn’t spoken to her beyond a casual greeting. Quite honestly, she was intimated by her. Jane Hunt was the center of attention everywhere she went. A magazine had labeled her
The Tigress of the Trading Market.
She was one of the most famous business figures in town. It wasn’t hard to feel intimidated by her even at a glance.

“
I heard it was Henry’s idea,” Sarah said, trying to make small talk and appear casual in the presence of this overbearing woman.

Even though she was intimidated, she
admired Jane for her leadership and her way with dealing with her two crazy siblings. She had waltzed into Patrick’s office and put him in his place so easily it had made everyone’s jaw drop. What kind of person was Jane Hunt? Sarah didn’t dare to ask.

“If you
had known him since he was little, you would never expect someone like him to be so cheerful and social,” Jane shared, putting down her cup. It wasn’t the kind of description Sarah expected concerning Henry.

“Were you close to Henry? You two seemed to…
erm… get along better than Patrick.” Talking about other people’s relationship wasn’t always smart, especially when it concerned distant relationship within the family. Sarah may not know much about the Greenburg siblings but if Jane did not use the same surname as the others and wasn’t married, there must an incidence that had separated the siblings. She could ask Henry or anyone else in the firm, but she didn’t want to sound like paparazzi.

“When we were little, it was the opposite really. I was very close to Patrick. Henry and I don’t really get along. We often fought with each
other, and Patrick would be the peacemaker.”

Sarah couldn’t imagine Patrick as the one who broke the fight
s between two siblings. She couldn’t imagine Henry being the hotheaded one either. Jane probably read the disbelief that must be showing on her face.

Jane
chuckled as she opened her purse and then pulled an old photo from her wallet. The Greenburg siblings in their childhood, smiling and hugging each other. Even as they held each other close, Sarah could see Jane and Henry giving a hint of a glare at each other.

The children were adorable. Henry had a small
Band-Aid on his forehead, and Patrick looked like an angel, a little boy who made everyone go “Aww” with adoration. He looked nothing like the Patrick she knew.

“Wow, you all looked so cute,”
was all she could say. It was true; they were all indeed cute. What could have turned this cute Patrick into the grumpy man she faced every day? “I can’t believe Patrick looked so… relaxed and normal back then.”

Sarah expected Jane to laugh at her comment but instead Jane just rubbed her thumb over his small face.
“He used to be so talkative and easy going. Patrick loved to be with other people back then. Perhaps that’s why.” Jane let out a very long sigh. She finished her coffee and folded the photo back into her wallet, “People who seemed like they didn’t care at all sometimes are the people who, in fact, cared too much.”

Jane’s cryptic words were as mysterious as her persona. Jane was a very hard person to read. Her face was often expressionless or sometimes misleading. Her
smile had a hidden depth that put Mona Lisa to shame. It only made Sarah even more curious about her and the other Greenburg siblings. “Did something happen that caused Patrick to change?”

“Of course something happened. Our parents divorced and I left with dad,”
she answered, leaving Sarah appalled that she had asked such a personal question. But Jane didn’t look tense at all, in fact, she seemed to be enjoying talking about her family.

“Ah…
I’m sorry.”

“Why? You did nothing wrong
.” Talking with Jane made her very uncomfortable. “Besides, I always thought when people said ‘I’m sorry’ after hearing about my parent divorce, they actually meant they felt sorry for me.”

Sarah
was uncomfortable. It wasn’t only because she worked with her brother or even that one of the brothers had asked her out. Jane made her uncomfortable with her straight forward, no nonsense approach on a very sensitive subject. She spoke the first thing that came to her mind without sugar coating it, even if it was something personal. No wonder people were afraid of her. They were afraid of the truth that came from her.

“Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not angry,” Jane tried again after Sarah
fell silent. Unlike Jane, who can hide hundreds of emotion behind her human mask, Sarah was an open book. If she felt something, the emotions were transferred directly to all the muscles on her face.

“
Were you lonely? Being the only sibling living with your father?” Jane looked surprised by the question. It was the first time Sarah saw Jane looked so surprised. Her mask wasn’t quick enough to hide it. Sarah wondered if she worsened the atmosphere they were already in by asking her more personal questions.

“Ah sorry,” Jane smiled and waved her hand, dismissing Sarah from her worries, “No one
has ever asked me that before so I don’t know how to answer it really.”

Yes, no one ever asked Jane Hunt about her feelings. She was the absolute
Tigress of the Trading Market
. That was why no one ever assumed about her vulnerability. No one ever considered her to be lonely or need someone by her side. She appeared to the world as a strong leader who was out of everyone’s reach. But what did Jane Hunt really think about when she was alone?

“It can be lonely sometimes. Being on the top has that effect on you. People
think you are too high above them and are somehow untouchable, but,” Jane shrugged her shoulders and looked sideways, “Sometimes being lonely isn’t always a bad thing. At least for me anyway. If there is anyone who wants me by their side, they can come to me. Other than that, I’m fine on my own.” Jane looked wistfully out the window before continuing. “Why would anyone stick with people who have no courage to step from their comfort zone for someone they wish was in their heart?”

With that
, Jane excused herself and waltzed her way out the cafe with the grace of a tigress. Jane had that effect on people. She left them speechless and silent as they pondered on their thoughts. Being on the top created this invisible wall around you. It drove people away as they shy themselves from these prestigious people. Was that how Patrick sometimes felt?

…

Sarah was left alone with three bags of coffee to be delivered to everyone in the office. Everyone’s gloomy face lit up like Christmas lights when the brown paper bags were in their sight. After the coffee had been delivered, Sarah found herself back in Patrick’s office. He was still in the same seat since the time she left, either typing or reading through the papers.

“Took your time. What’s so good about Starbucks
anyway? It has the same amount of caffeine as the free coffee machine on this floor.”

“No, it certainly taste
better, and it gives me motivation,” she replied with a sip from her cup. She had tried the vile brew some people described as coffee and vowed never to try it again.

Looking at Patrick reminded her of Henry’s question. Should she ask Patrick about it? She had no idea what Patrick might think about
her and Henry dating. They might not seem close as a brother, but they were still siblings.

“You
have that face again,” Sarah looked up to see Patrick staring at her. “You want to ask me something but hesitate. What is it?”

“If I hesitate there must be some reason for it. It’s nothing important
anyway.” Sarah cursed herself for having the most readable face on the planet. Patrick wasn’t going to misread anything either.

“Be out with it. If
it’s nothing important then why is it so hard for you to let it out?”

Her clenched fists turned white. What could she say? ‘Your brother
asked me to date him’? It should not concern Patrick in the first place. It was a matter that should be settled with Henry so why did she need to put Patrick into the equation?

“Henry asked me out and I’m just thinking about it
.” Sarah tried to keep a poker face by following Jane’s model. It shouldn’t be hard but somehow faking something wasn’t Sarah strongest suits. She could hardly control her laugh let alone maintain a poker face.

She had to
admit; she was actually curious about Henry’s reaction. What would he say about this matter? Would he actually disagree on her choice and say it would interfere with their work?

“That’s it?”
The answer came down to her in an anti-climax motion. She had expected more. Perhaps an outburst on why inner office dating was a bad idea. Something. Instead, he seemed completely causal. “And here I thought it was work related. I was the one who suggested it to him. It seemed that you two get along well enough to start going out.”

Sarah didn’t know how much Patrick knew about her relationship with
Henry. He seemed to think that they were close and that there was some chemistry going on between two of them. Even Sarah herself wasn’t sure that she and Henry were close enough to start dating.