"She honestly said that?" Tom asked, howling with laughter as Harry recounted the lie Lucinda had told him.
"She is not what I expected. I had to let her off the hook just because of you, though, or maybe it was because she looked pretty nervous when I introduced myself to her," Harry said with an easy shrug.
"Thanks. I hope she settled in well," Tom inquired curiously after his laughter settled down.
"She did."
"Good. So after you left earlier, I was thinking...." Tom said with a look on his face that had Harry shaking his head.
"Not that look. This is not going to be good. I'm sure whatever you want to say isn't a good idea," Harry said, making Tom chuckle.
"Well, I need a job and a house," Tom explained, and Harry frowned in response.
"You have a mansion, and you don't just have a job, but you own the most successful company in the country," Harry reminded him.
"Sure, I know. Find out where Lucy lives, and see if you can get me an apartment very close to her..."
"What?" Harry asked in disbelief.
"Let's just say I'm bored. I want to get to know her and be friends with her without her knowing about this aspect of my life."
"What if she is in a relationship?" Harry asked skeptically.
"That should be part of me getting to know her. About the job... I want to be her personal driver. So that means you have to give her an official car. Tell her it comes with her promotion package," Tom stated, making Harry's mouth drop in disbelief.
"There is absolutely no way I'm letting you do this! You're completely out of your mind!" Harry exclaimed.
"Maybe. Just humor this crazy friend of yours and do as you're told," Tom asserted with a grin.
"What do you hope to accomplish by being her driver?" Harry asked in confusion.
"That's also a part of me getting to know her. So make it happen before the end of the day," Tom said with a smile, pleased with himself for coming up with such a brilliant plan.
"I really think this is crazy. Completely crazy!"
"I think so too. That's the reason I want to do something completely crazy," Tom said with a smile as he thought of Lucy.
She not only intrigued him but also aroused his curiosity. He was willing to do as many crazy things as he could just to get to know her.
"I'll just get to it then," Harry said, giving in to his friend's madness. He headed for the door and then stopped when he remembered something, "That reminds me, your mother called earlier. She asked that you return her call immediately after you get the message."
Tom groaned in response. "We could just pretend like I haven't received the message yet, right?" Tom asked Harry, who shook his head.
"No, we can't. Every single time I've tried to lie to her in the past, she caught me. So I'm just going to tell her the truth if she calls again and asks why you haven't returned her call," Harry warned, and Tom shook his head.
"Coward. Just leave. I'll call her now. Did she give you any hint as to why she wants me to call her?" Tom remembered to ask.
"She only asked about your girlfriend and if things are going smoothly..."
"And what did you say?" Tom interrupted before Harry could finish.
"I told her everything was fine."
"Good. I'll return her call right away," Tom replied and waited until Harry had left before picking up his phone to give his mother a call.
"I learned you had a hooker over last night. Is that how I brought you up? Don't tell me your wealth is beginning to get into your head," Sixty years old Evelyn Hank asked the moment she accepted his call.
"First of all, she's not a hooker, and secondly, it's none of your business who I bring into my home or what I do in my home," Tom retorted in a gentle voice.
"So am I to assume the lady you spent the night with is your girlfriend?" Evelyn asked, ignoring what he had just said.
"You're free to assume whatever you please. How are you?" Tom inquired, changing the subject.
"I'm alright. I read in the papers that you finally bought out Oceans airline... Well done, son. I'm proud of you," Evelyn declared, bringing a smile to Tom's face.
"Thanks. How is dad?"
"You should come see us if you're so concerned about your father," His mother answered with a snort.
"I've just been extremely busy lately. I'll visit you soon. I promise."ย
"If you say so. What about your siblings? When was the last time you heard from them? Or you've been too busy to reach out?" She scrutinized, which made Tom wince guiltily.
"I'll give them a call the moment I hang up," Tom declared apologetically.
"You should do that. Heaven knows I miss having you all around the house a lot. Everywhere seems so silent without any of you here. It would be good to have grandchildren playing through the halls," Evelyn said, making Tom chuckle since he had been waiting for her to say it as usual.
"I'm sure you'll get plenty of them soon. So you should try to enjoy the silence for the time being. If you get too bored, you both can travel down here. My house is big enough for you all."
"Yeah, maybe we should do that soon. I'll just talk to your siblings," Evelyn said thoughtfully.
"I have to go now. I love you, Mom," Tom uttered before hanging up.