“I would’ve picked you up from your friend’s house.”
I’d almost forgotten that I’d lied to Blake and told him I was coming straight from a friend’s house to avoid having him pick me up. I’d said it without any thought, really. When he’d told me he’d be at my place at seven, for some reason I panicked and blurted that I’d meet him at the restaurant. Then I’d been stuck making up a reason he couldn’t come by my place. The last few days I’d done my best to avoid thinking about why I’d done it, because deep down, I knew the answer. I didn’t want Blake in my apartment because I couldn’t stop thinking about another man. Which was exactly the reason I had forced myself to come tonight, when I would’ve preferred to sit at home and stare at the TV.
“She lives all the way on the other side of town, and your office is so close to here.”
“You’re worth the inconvenience.”
I forced a smile. The waitress came over with the wine menu. I knew Blake liked red, so I browsed through and said, “Whatever you want is fine.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
I’d met Blake on Tinder. We’d gone out for coffee, which was my usual go-to first meeting. That way if it was awkward, or the guy turned out to be a creep, I was put out of my misery relatively fast. But Blake and I had never had a minute of awkwardness since we’d started seeing each other. Our conversation always seemed to flow naturally, and we’d never had an uncomfortable silence...until now. I wasn’t sure if it was in my head or not, but I suddenly felt clumsy, with nothing to say. So I reached for a breadstick to have a reason not to speak.
“How was work this week?” he asked. “You sounded busy when we spoke the other day.”
I nodded. “Our case load is supposed to be eighteen. Yesterday I was assigned my thirty-first active case.”
“Your office sounds like mine. Except more cases means more money for me. It just means extra work for you.”
I nodded. “I don’t even want to think about what I actually make per hour.”
“Did you ever think about going to law school? There’s good money in it, and you can still help people by taking on some pro bono cases.”
I’d never mentioned that I had gone to law school for a year, and I had no desire to discuss it now, for some reason. So I shook my head. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s for me.”
“Speaking of pro bono, how are things going with the kid you needed some help with?”
“It’s going well.” If you count running away a few days after being arrested and then hanging out at a makeshift homeless shelter as going well, that is.
“Good. Let me know if the attorney I assigned you isn’t giving you the attention you need.”
Oh, he’s giving me lots of attention.
I remembered Donovan saying he was up for partner and needed Blake’s vote, so I figured putting in a good word for him might help. It was the least I could do.
“Donovan’s actually been great. This wasn’t Storm’s first time in trouble, so it’s not such an easy case. But he’s definitely working harder than any of the other lawyers I’ve dealt with over the years with my kids.” I cleared my throat. “Has he been at your firm long?”
“A little over seven years. I’ve never been a big fan of his, personally. But he has an impressive track record.”
I immediately felt defensive. “He seemed nice enough to me. What don’t you like about him?”
“He’s got a chip on his shoulder. It’s typical of the kind of guys we hire.”
“What kind of guys is that?”
Blake shrugged. “Spoiled silver spoons from Ivy League schools.”
Clearly he didn’t know his employee very well. But the last thing Donovan needed was his boss’s suspicions to be raised by me defending him. So I put on a plastic smile. “I know the type, but he seems to be doing a great job for Storm.”
The waitress delivered our wine. She poured a sip for Blake, and he tasted it and nodded before she filled both our glasses.
“Decker is up for partner,” Blake explained. “We add two every five years. One guy is a lock; he’s been with the firm twelve years and is solid. So it’s between Decker and half a dozen other candidates for the second spot. But really, it’s between him and one other guy.”
“Oh? Are you leaning toward one more than the other?” I felt anxious waiting for his answer.
“Not Decker,” he said after a moment. “The other guy’s been with us ten years. He’s put in his time.”
My heart sank. “Oh. So it’s more based on seniority?”
“Not always. I made partner after eight. Decker bills more hours than anyone, but he doesn’t need his ego stroked by making it in record time.”