CHAPTER ONE
Late! Anna couldn’t believe her bad luck. Why did her alarm fail today of all days? She was supposed to make an important presentation in front of the senior partners and her colleagues. Acid tried to chew a hole through her stomach lining as she entered the Boston skyscraper.
She struggled to check her thin gold watch. With a large Prada tote bag hanging off her shoulder and an equally heavy briefcase in that hand, she couldn’t lift her wrist high enough to see the time without risking disaster. The last thing she needed was coffee on her clothes. She regretted purchasing the hot beverage, but she needed a caffeine fix. Holding it in her right hand while juggling everything else on her left made walking across the lobby on three inch-heels difficult. She wobbled with every step.
When she finally reached the row of elevators, she eyed the first one with her heart in her throat. People packed shoulder to shoulder inside with barely enough room for air. A man held the elevator door for her, an eager grin on his face, but she shook her head in dismay. No way was she cramming herself into the already crowded metal box.
“Here you go, Ms. Burkhart,” the doorman said.
She rushed into the empty elevator he held open for her and nearly dropped her coffee. Bob saved it from spilling on her coat, catching it with one hand. Her hero. Why couldn’t more men be like him? Just as generous, but younger. He’d worked for the building longer than she’d been alive. The uniform looked sharp on him; although, the hat barely fit over his full shock of white hair.
She caught sight of the firm’s receptionist and relief flooded her system. “Erika, over here!”
Anna thanked Bob as Erika joined her for the ride up. The firm kept her too busy to make friends with her co-workers, but Erika came close. They exchanged a few words each day. Everything about Erika from her great height to her graceful walk attested to her previous career in modeling. Anna admired the woman’s stylish cut. Sometimes she wished she could wear her hair that short
“Hold that elevator!” a deep baritone demanded.
Bob reached in and pushed a button for their floor. The door slid shut, and Anna heard Bob tell the new arrival he’d get him on the next one.
The man snapped, “I didn’t see anyone on that one. Why didn’t you hold it like I asked?”
Anna hoped Bob wouldn’t get in trouble for giving her special treatment. Sooner or later someone would notice. To prove her point Erika asked, “How do you always manage to get an empty elevator car?” Erika squinted as she removed the skinny stir straw from her hot beverage and sucked on it. “Is that the right word? Car?” She kept repeating the word as if that would help. “Car.Car. Elevator car.” Erika tilted her head to the side. “Or is it box? Elevator box? That doesn’t sound right.”
“Bob is nice to me because I’m nice to him,” Anna said. “Most people treat him like he’s a piece of furniture.”
“Who is Bob?”
“Thedoorman.” At Erika’s nonplussed look, Anna went on to explain in a dry drawl. “You know, the guy that holds the door for you when you’re carrying stuff and flags taxis for you after work and holds an umbrella over your head when it’s raining.”
Erika made a face. “He has a name?”
Anna frowned, hoping Erika was kidding and not oblivious to the fact other people lived in the world. “I take time to ask about his wife and grandkids. At Christmas, I give him a gift card, and sometimes I bring him a hot beverage when it’s cold outside.” She shrugged. “My parents told me to treat others the way I want others to treat me.”
Erika released a derisive snort. “This city will eat you alive, girl.”
Anna set her briefcase and bag in the corner so she could brace herself against the wall close to the door. She prayed for a quick, uneventful trip. Not many people knew she suffered from claustrophobia. She’d invited Erika to join her so the other woman could take her mind off the fact they were trapped in a metal box, but Erika seemed distracted.
Anna closed her eyes and took slow, deep breaths, her nose an inch from the door.
“Dolce?” Erika asked.
Anna blinked. “Sorry, what?”
“Your coat?” Erika gestured to the knee-length gray tweed Anna was wearing with the black belt secured around her waist. “Dolce? Am I right?”
Anna nodded. She had no idea what famous label Erika was wearing. She didn’t know fashion well enough to recognize designers just by glancing at the clothing. They worked for the same people, so Erika’s dress had to be expensive. Every time Anna was forced to buy a high-priced item it made her stomach muscles clench, but the partners insisted their associates look a certain way. Nobody cared if spending six months’ worth of utilities and food on one pair of shoes gave her an ulcer.
“How does it feel to be the youngest partner in the history of the firm?” Erika asked.
“It isn’t official yet. Don’t jinx it.” Anna took a deep breath and slowly released it. “And it’sjuniorpartner.”
Erika scoffed. “You aren’t planning to work here long enough to makeseniorpartner, are you?”
“What would be wrong with that?”
“Those old dinosaurs don’t have a life outside this place. I heard a rumor they sleep here. The three of them have coffins in a hidden crypt somewhere behind Mr. Griffin’s office.”
Anna stared at Erika’s face, trying to read her expression. She could never tell when the woman was joking. The fact was Annadidwant to work at Griffin, Hyde, and Pierce until she retired. The law firm felt like home to her.