jameswhittaker-blog1

[jameswhittaker-blog1]

sydneyxlennox:

“I am sure another will come along one day” not at work though, that would be highly unprofessional. “You’d be unique then” her husband had said it to her all the time. Apparently that was what had driven him away, as if him cheating on her was her fault, ridiculous really. She raised an eyebrow, was that so unusual? “I have to. Besides there’s a major difference between us. You’ll be judged on how good your argument is. I’ll be judged on how I look and my argument. Jogging each day means I only need to do my prep in order to win” though it was only going to get harder once the baby started showing. How did she explain that? No one here even knew she had been married.

“Probably,” he agreed with a soft chuckle. James couldn’t say he didn’t enjoy their little back-and-forth banter. “But I also never said you weren’t,” he retorted back with a playful smile. Who was he to judge, though? He was a workaholic himself, so he knew better than to judge anyone else for being one. It was just too easy to get caught up in work, especially as a lawyer. “Oh, come on, it can’t be that bad. You think they’d take me seriously if I came in lookin’ like a hobo?” James joked, though he got her point. Then again, it was important to work on your health – something he was painfully aware of and reminded himself of every day, yet still seemed to fail to do anything that came close to working out. “Maybe you should take me on one on your morning runs sometime. Wouldn’t want to get a beer belly at this age,” he spoke, his tone serious, even if he was kind of joking.

[jameswhittaker-blog1]

hunterxclark:

“Oh don’t care all that much about the weather in itself. But people do have a habit of wearing very little clothing, and hey that is a positive for me” and he was aware how shallow that might sound, but he had long since given up pretending that he was anything else. “Well, I am walking around using Tinder in public… think I have actually hit an all time low” he joked, well that was embarrassing enough that no one would question it.

James couldn’t help but chuckle at that. He had, too, once had those thoughts. Maybe he still did, though he’d never say it out loud. “Can’t say I disagree,” he responded, an amused smile playing on his lips. “Tinder?” He repeated with a cocked eyebrow. Did people still use that? “I’m sure you don’t need no Tinder, man,” James joked, playfully nudging the other male. “Look around – there’s plenty of fish in this sea called Raeford.” 

[jameswhittaker-blog1]

jacobxgrayson:

Jacob shrugged, well what did it matter really? In a town like this everyone seemed to know everyone elses problems, before they had even realised there was a problem there to begin with. And they then wondered why he was so closed off to everyone. Tell one person anything, and soon everyone else would know it. The only person he had ever trusted with anything was Kenz… and then he was back to the reason he was drinking in the first place. “Wouldn’t know, taken all my leave at once, figured had to be used sooner or later” and he hadn’t taken a day off in his life. He never had a reason to before. “Can guess though, it isn’t. What crime really happens around here? It’s Raeford”. 

James briefly nodded as the other spoke, understanding the point he was making. At Jacob’s next words, he had to push out a humorless chuckle. What crime really happened at Raeford? It was a frequently asked question – and as a criminal defense lawyer, James roughly knew the answer. Not as well as the other blonde did, though. It wasn’t a lot, but it still happened. “That’s a fair point, I guess,” he agreed with a short shrug. He hadn’t been that busy either at the job, for that exact reason. If James really wanted to break through as a criminal defense lawyer, his best bet would be to move to an actual city, where the actual crimes happened. So for now, he was focusing on the smaller cases. Taking a long sip from his glass, “So you’ve taken some time off – spending a lot of time with Kenzie I assume?”

[jameswhittaker-blog1]

JAMES WHITTAKER

34

Native

He/Him

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Aaron Tveit

Played by Eli

THE INTERVIEW;

What’s your favourite and least favourite things about your hometown?

“My favorite thing about Raeford? I guess the sense of community. Everyone knows each other, and there’s always a helping hand everywhere you turn. It is probably the main reason why I never left. That also brings me to my least favorite thing about this place, though. Word travels fast, and while it’s great that we have a tight community, it means that everyone knows everything. You get used to it, I guess. I’m still here, so that has to count for something.”

What’s your relationship like with your family?

“My family is… complicated. As most of the people in town probably know – because like I said, word travels fast – my father got killed in a robbery when I was sixteen. It has put a big, heavy weight on all of our shoulders, if I’m honest. We haven’t been the same since. We tried moving away from Raeford, maybe try and put all of this behind us, but that was just useless. My sister – she’s… different. So is mom. They’re both less trusting, I guess. Me? I just want to make him proud. I’ve tried, to be the man of the family, try to keep us all together, and we’ve been doing okay. But me and my sister moving out a couple of years ago was a tough time for my mom. Luckily, we’re all only five minutes away from each other. I would never abandon her.”

What are your biggest achievements and regrets?

“My biggest achievement is definitely becoming a criminal defense lawyer. It is in honor of my father, trying to get justice for what happened to him. The person who killed him got away with only two years in prison. He deserved… so much more. My biggest regret… It would have to be being so closed off when all of it happened. When my family needed me most, I completely shut down and turned away from them. It was a dark time, I did a lot of things I’m not proud of. For a long time, I didn’t let anyone come close to me and I lost contact with a lot of people for a while. I regret that.”

What is your biggest fear?

“Oh, God. My biggest fear – I mean, I’d like to think that I don’t have any, but then I’d just be straight up lying. I think, my biggest fear is probably not having control over every single thing in my life. I wouldn’t go as far as saying I’m a control freak, but the fear of not knowing how something will go or not being able to make something go the way you want it to… It just scares me, I guess. Then there’s also the fear of losing my family, which I guess isn’t really that weird. Mannequins also creep me out.”

What are your plans for the future?  

“The future? Are we talking like a five-year plan here? I’d like to settle down, maybe. Get a family of my own. I don’t know, the usual, traditional things. I’m already thirty-four, and as my mother likes to point out to me – I should hurry up. No pressure, right? No, in all seriousness, I’d like to focus less on work and more on myself. Maybe buy a house, even if I do like my current apartment. Still in Raeford, too, probably. I hope my future doesn’t hold anything too crazy.”

Describe yourself in one sentence.

“Trying to right everybody’s wrongs.”

WHY WOULD I LEAVE? THIS IS HOME. THIS IS WHERE I BELONG.

[jameswhittaker-blog1]

kenzietxylor:

If there was one positive about the entire situation, it was that Mackenzie Taylor hadn’t lost her spirit, or her sense of optimism. She supposed that she’d never lose that, though - it was a defining trait of her personality, who would she be without that? She laughed as James spoke, starting to adjust herself out of the bed as he brought the chair over. “No, I’m good, I can get into it.” There was another part of her personality - her undying stubbornness. If she couldn’t move into the chair by herself, she wouldn’t do it at all. She moved a little slowly, but eventually got comfy in the chair, grabbing one of the blankets from her bed and tucking it around her knees, before shaking her head, “Nope, just get me the hell outta this room. I cannot wait to smell fresh air.”

“Alright, alright,” he took back the hand he’d held out for her as a soft chuckle slipped past his lips. James knew she was stubborn, and he’d learned to accept that in the years they’d known each other. His gaze was on her at all times, though, as she slowly but surely sunk into the wheelchair. Just in case something did go wrong and he’d have to step in. James laughed softly at her words, just simply nodding his head. “Off we go,” he announced before standing behind the chair and pushing her out of the room, exiting the hospital once they reached the exit. It was a beautiful day out, luckily. As he walked a little further to where some outside benches were, he figured that would be a good spot to let Kenzie enjoy her breath of fresh air. “You gonna stay in that or come to sit next to me?” He asked, as he patted the empty spot next him as he sat down. Retrieving the pack of cigarettes he picked one out of the package and put it in his mouth, holding the pack out to her. Honestly, he wasn’t even sure if she smoked or if she was allowed to.

[jameswhittaker-blog1]

annclynn:

Running after the dog who had now been stopped and safely kept by someone familiar, she could catch her breath again — damn, stopping her morning jogs was really taking a toll on her physically, she used to do this easily and now she needed to catch her breath? — Anna put her hands on her knees and held one finger up. “I’ll be there in one second,” she said before sucking in as much breath as she could and walking the rest of the way over to James. “I cannot thank you enough, James,” the brunette smiled down to the man who was petting her dog and had successfully stopped him from creating a havoc at the ice cream shop. She couldn’t really imagine what would happen had he reached there and licked about every ice cream that there was. The bill would be painful. “It has now been proven an amazing thing that you have spent enough time around him for him to recognize your voice and go for it.” She smiled. “I would be jealous, if I wasn’t happy I am not going to pay for every ice cream in there.”

His eyes fell upon Anna as she tried to regain her breath, trying his best not to let the amused grin appear on his face. “It’s no problem, really,” he shrugged off her comment, “he knows I have a soft spot for him.” Truthfully, he had a soft spot for every dog, but especially one for this dog. By now, his ice cream surely had started to melt, so as he slowly stood up he quickly took a bite, making sure that it wouldn’t all drip down his hand. “Well, yeah – I just saved you a huge bill from the ice cream shop,” he teased, “that could’ve been a real ugly situation.” He nodded in agreement, knowing the ice cream shop had been full of people just a second ago when he’d come out of it. “And you should be jealous – Pancakes and I just understand each other, y’know?” James joked, nudging the other playfully with his free hand. “Don’t we, buddy?” He said, holding his free hand out to pet the dog in question, who was now jumping on his legs.

[jameswhittaker-blog1]

sydneyxlennox:

“I could actually smack you for that you know” she replied with a laugh. There was no denying that he was, but hell if she would ever give him the satisfaction of realising that little fact. Much better just to be rude really. Or her level of rude which was nothing really, not in comparison. “I’m not that much of a workaholic” ok she was, she knew she was. “Everyday. Don’t stay this thin by magic”.

James laughed along with her at the comment she made. “Such a shame you lost that opportunity,” he responded, his tone teasing as he watched her with an amused expression. “Never said you were,” he held his hands up in defense, a tiny grin playing on his lips. James couldn’t blame her, because he too, spent most hours in the office. It had become his second home, no matter how bad that actually was. “Everyday? Really?” He repeated, not even so much in disbelief, much more in surprise as to how she managed to keep up with that routine. “You make me feel like a lazy person,” which, in all honesty, he probably was. At least compared to her.

[jameswhittaker-blog1]

hunterxclark:

Well least he wasn’t annoyed. Wasn’t really a lot that Hunter could offer if he was. Alright he could pay or offer something perhaps, but he didn’t think it was worth it over a bump. “Hey” he replied. Of course he knew James, too small of a town not to really. “Well, better now” he joked. “Nah, I’m alright, enjoying the sun if nothing more. Seems to have gone to my head though it seems”. 

James softly laughed at the joke, always appreciating the humor. “Yeah, the weather has been good lately, huh?” He spoke, slowly nodding his head. “That’s what the sun does to us – just a little bit of it and all of it goes straight to our heads,” he agreed jokingly. It was partly true, though. There always seemed to be more distracted people around once the sun broke through. That didn’t make him enjoy the weather less, luckily. “How’ve you been?”

[jameswhittaker-blog1]

jacobxgrayson:

To say that Jacob was having the worst time of his life was… well probably not even all that accurate. To have a worst time there needed to be a good time, and asides from when Kenz had entered his life, he just had never had anything good really happen. But this, this was destroying him. It wasn’t even just Kenz, but Elodie as well. He had failed her. He hadn’t even noticed the other man come in until he spoke. So much for good observation skills. “What do you think has me drinking?”

James pursed his lips for a second, thinking about how exactly he could answer that question. Truthfully, from what he knew, there could be a lot of reasons why the blonde next to him was drinking. Though he figured Jacob wasn’t really waiting on James putting out his dirt in a bar full of people. “I’ll just leave that one open for now,” he answered as his hand curled around the glass that just got placed in front of him, giving the guy behind the bar a brief nod. Bringing the glass up to his lips, he took a large sip. “How’s the job? Busy?” James asked, turning his head back to the other as he placed his glass back down. He figured small talk about work wouldn’t hurt, seeing as that was where they mainly knew each other from anyway.

[jameswhittaker-blog1]

[jameswhittaker-blog1]

Finally, the sun had broken out and it was actually a little warmer outside. The weather had been a little crazy the last couple of days, so he was glad to feel the warm rays of sun hitting his skin. That’s why decided to go and grab some ice cream, after all, he had another ten minutes left on his break and he figured going for another smoke would do him more damage than ice cream. Just as he had paid for his ice cream and was making his way back to the office, he heard someone yell. Turning his head around, he was met with a familiar brunette. Her dog soon came into eyesight, too. “Pancakes, hey,” he called out, hoping the dog would spot him. As the dog approached him, James slowly crouched down, making sure that his ice cream was safe in the whole process. 

A strong tug and her whole body jolted forward. Where there was supposed to be a dog, there was nothing but the broken leash now and her eyes went straight forward to the big ball of caramel fur running away and straight to the ice cream shop. She didn’t know whether she needed to run after him immediately, or just watch as the impending doom unfolded. Anna ran— it was only the right thing to do, because she was sure that Pancakes would attack other people’s ice creams. “Please, please, please hold that dog!” She yelled on the way, hoping that someone would prevent him from doing damage.

[jameswhittaker-blog1]

As the redhead grabbed the exact same book he had been eyeing, he shot her a quick smile as she turned her head towards him, letting her know that it was okay. James slowly raised his brows as she started to speak, she seemed to want to make some small talk. He softly hummed in agreement, “It’s one of my favorite genres, too.” He agreed with a nod. James didn’t read much, it wasn’t really on the top of his list of priorities. Though when he had some time off, or whenever he needed to do some research for a case, he would usually turn to books. “What made you choose that one?” James asked, as his eyes landed on the book they’d both taken interest in.

bookstore is a frequented spot by the ginger, shelves surrounding with the next adventure to whisk her off. In truth, fiction was her favorite but it didn’t stop her from grabbing something more informational, trying to stay on top of the ever-changing pace of the medical field. hues glance down to worn watch on her wrist, making sure she has just enough time to grab something before dashing off to the clinic. On slow days, a book was her best friend, but those days were far and few in between. Being the only source of medical care in the town, all cases had to eventually come through the clinic at first. But it wasn’t like Faye seemed to mind, the long hours were rewarding in their own right. Slender digits reach to grab an intriguing title, before pulling back taking notice of the other who also seemed interested in same novel. “ Murder Mysteries are a favorite of mine, I love all the suspense.” warm smile given as she makes small talk. 

[jameswhittaker-blog1]

James perked up as someone spoke up, not sure if the words were aimed at him or not. Though as he looked up from his phone, he saw that the blonde in front of him had indeed been speaking to him. “Oh, alright,” he said with a brief nod. “I doubt it will,” James admitted with a chuckle. As he took another step in the direction of the counter, he shot the girl behind it a quick smile before ordering. “Just a black coffee, please,” he ordered, taking his wallet out of his pocket to pay for his drink. As he turned back to the blonde, he shrugged his shoulders shortly. “I’m guessin’ that didn’t inspire you that much, did it?”

There were two things in life that Daisy particularly loved and couldn’t go a day without: flowers and coffee. She was on her way to the shop, even if it was her day off, she wanted to see if her grandmother needed anything. But first, she stopped by The Grind, the new place in town where the coffee was simply to die for. She was standing in line, unsure if she wanted something cold or hot when she felt someone behind her. “You can go ahead,” she said without turning. “I’m far from knowing what I want. Maybe your order will inspire me.”

[jameswhittaker-blog1]

Having the morning off of work meant that James would be running some errands. He liked to start early, that way his day would be more productive and he’d have more time on his hands until he had to get back to the job. As he caught a glimpse of a familiar face, his lips tugged up into an amused smile as he heard her mutter something. “I’m always this hot,” he teased, a light chuckle slipping past his lips. “Nice to see you outside of the office, Sydney. Going for a morning run, I presume?” 

In reality, maybe running now wasn’t really the best idea. It was second nature to her though, a way to clear her head first thing in the morning. Or had been, now she didn’t seem to be able to escape any of the thoughts running through her head. Things were meant to be easier then this. But her brother wouldn’t talk to her, she wouldn’t talk to the rest of her family, and instead of admitting anything to anyone, she just ran. “Damn, this hot this early?” she muttered, stopping to try and catch her breath”. 

[jameswhittaker-blog1]

James hadn’t been too focused on the people around him either, as he made his way back home. So, when he bumped into someone, it didn’t surprise him at all. “No worries, man,” he spoke, a small smile settling on his lips to let the other know it was okay. The blame was on the both of them. “Hunter – hey,” he finally acknowledged the other as his eyes fell upon the familiar face. Raeford was a pretty small town, which meant that it wasn’t difficult to run into familiar people. “How you doin’?”

It was an old trick, buy a phone that no one would question a man of his age or wealth owning, and in a month switch it out for a new one. He still had his real phone, but he could hardly use that one for this. It was traceable, and he had gone this far with no one being able to find him. This worked, here he could be portable and no one knew. Of course it did mean that he occasionally lost focus and would bump into people. “Crap, I’m sorry. World of my own there” he apologised, putting the phone into his back pocket. 

[jameswhittaker-blog1]

kenzietxylor:

“I think I’ll stay in the mechanic’s business - dunno if floristry would really be my thing. I mean, seriously, can you see me spending my days arranging flowers?” Kenzie teased, laughing. She couldn’t help but laugh the entire scenario off - shit happened, didn’t it? Her only choice had always been to move on and deal with it - and that’s what she did any time something went wrong in her life. This was no different. “Trees, mural, whatever. Somethin’ from outside - somethin’ that isn’t a damn hospital.” She sat up a little as he spoke, excitement taking over her at the thought of getting outside for a little while. She was almost ready to jump out of the hospital bed when he came back in, “Oh, you are amazing!” Throwing her blankets back, she shifted her weight to sit up, before shaking her head slightly, “I’m trying to get used to usin’ the crutches but with a broken wrist and leg, it ain’t so simple. The chair is a little easier-” She pointed to the chair in the corner of the room, “If you bring it over, I can get to it, I just can’t walk all that far yet.”

"I wouldn’t say amazing – but I’ll take it,” he responded with a small grin. Her broken leg was pretty evident as soon as she threw back her blankets, only then his eyes falling on that. He sympathized with her. Out of all the people in Raeford, Mackenzie was the last person that deserved this. It was hard to see someone he’d known for so long and cared about a lot stuck in a hospital bed, unable to remember a current time of her life. James had his fingers crossed that she would get back on her feet as soon as possible. He just simply nodded his head, his gaze falling upon the chair she had pointed at, to then walk over to it. He brought it over to her bed, “there you go. Need a hand?” He asked, just wanting to help her as much as he could. He stretched out his hand to her, in case she needed it to stand up from the bed and sit down in the chair. “You need to bring anything with you before we go?”

[jameswhittaker-blog1]

@jacobxgrayson

All James wanted to do after a long day at work, was sit down at a bar and peacefully drink a good beer, maybe two if he was feeling generous. As he walked into Tappin’ Boots that night, it was pretty busy. Lucky for him, he quickly spotted an empty seat at the bar. As he scanned who was sat at the bar, he softly sighed as his eyes landed on a familiar figure. “Grayson,” he acknowledged the other with a brief nod. The two had worked together, but they also had some friends in common. They didn’t always see eye to eye, though James had no real problem with the other guy. “A beer, please,” he told the guy behind the bar. “What’s got you drinkin’ on a Tuesday night?”