Snap out of it, Ruby.
I blink five times and force myself to focus on what he is actually saying, not how good his mouth looks while saying it.
“Obviously, if there’s a standing case somewhere you can research out of the time vortex, they have to abide by it, but most of them only remember a certain number of cases offhand. The ones they’ve experienced, through both their own court and others, the ones with enough relevance to make a lasting impact.”
His voice lulls and dips and smooths over the rough words like calamine lotion. With how tired I am, how down my guard seems to be, it almost feels like it’s putting me at ease.
I yawn. “Look, I appreciate all of your knowledge, but I truly think I’ve reached the point in the night where I am no longer retaining information. I’m tired, and I have to be up so soon.”
“Where do you have to be in the morning?” he asks, and I balk.
He notices, and being as perceptive as he is, knows exactly why right away.
“Ah, yes. The job you won’t discuss. I really thought hooking was more of a nighttime activity, but who am I to judge?”
I roll my eyes and, my defenses down, let a little detail slip through the cracks. “Hooking may not happen at five a.m., but that is when the recording booth opens.”
He smiles, victorious and surprised all at once. “The recording booth, huh? Are you going to be the next big music superstar?”
I laugh. My singing voice is terrible. “Uh, no. My best notes are something in the neighborhood of a shrieking cat and nails on a chalkboard.”
“Okay, then…what? What do you do? You have to tell me. The suspense is killing me at this point.”
“I just…” I groan. “I don’t tell people. I don’t really think I should tell you either.”
“Are you kidding? I’m a steel trap!” he practically shouts. “If you only knew the things I know and don’t disclose, you wouldn’t even hesitate to tell ole Cap-i-tain.”
I roll my eyes again. “But I’m not a client.”
He rolls his back, takes out a dollar, hands it to me, and then physically makes my hand give it back to him. “There. You’ve now paid me to keep your secrets. Go ahead.”
Goddamn, he’s too smooth for my own good.
Nerves bubble in my belly, but I think it’s also a little bit of excitement. For as much as I keep my secondary career a secret, I truly love it, and it feels good to be able to share it with someone.
“I…”
He widens his eyes dramatically and taps his watch as I pause. “Getting closer and closer to five a.m., Ruby.”
“Fine.” I sigh, and a shiver of eagerness runs down my spine at the same time. “I’m an audiobook narrator. For romance novels. Under a pseudonym, mind you, that I do not disclose to anyone.”
“Really?”
I nod.
“That’s fucking awesome!”
His enthusiasm is contagious, zinging through me and making me feel more awake than I have in the last week and a half, despite my lack of sleep. “I really love it. Some of these novels are so fun. It’s an unbelievable experience to bring the story off the page.”
“Is that what you were listening to in the library? Something you narrated?”
I shake my head. “Someone else. I like to listen to as many as I can. It helps me get better.”
“Research always makes a stronger lawyer.”
I wince at the reminder of my double life. “Obviously, I don’t need people knowing I do it, though.”
He pulls his eyebrows together, and I honestly think he’s perplexed.
“Because…why?” he asks. “There’s nothing illegal about being a narrator.”
“People will use it against me, Caplin. And I’m already at a disadvantage in the courtroom as a woman.”
He rolls his eyes. “Let me teach you something, Ruby. People can only use things against you if you let them. Being a narrator, being a woman, you’re better off embracing it. Use the skills you have that no one else does. That’s the real secret to it all.”
I shake my head hard. “I don’t know.” He purses his lips, and I throw up my hands. “Look, you might be right, but I’m not ready, okay?”
He shrugs, taking out the dollar we exchanged and waving it around. “Attorney-client privilege, remember? You have nothing to worry about.”
“I shouldn’t have told you.”
“Maybe, maybe not. But it’s done, right? Might as well make the best of it going forward.” He pauses for dramatic effect, waggling his eyebrows.
I raise mine. “And I suppose you have an idea for how to make the best of it?”
“Of course,” he says with a wink. “Tell me your stage name—”
“Nice try, buddy.” I cut him off, and he just grins.
“What I actually meant to say was, you should say yes to the assistant job and come work for me. I’ll be flexible about your recording schedule if I need to be, and if you need someone to test out the material on, I’ll be ready and willing.”