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After searching the cabinets to no avail, he grabbed the decaf canister, grumbling the whole time. But, he reasoned, it was better than nothing, and perhaps the scent of fresh coffee would trigger his brain.
He checked his phone as he waited for the coffee to brew. Lanie had sent him a draft of the advertisement for a law clerk. As he read it, he had to give his sister credit. She’d managed to sum up everything he needed in very few characters. He gave her the go-ahead to post the ad and poured himself a mug of coffee before heading to the living room.
A few hours later, another knock on the front door startled him. When the person didn’t immediately enter, he scrambled to hide his computer under a couch cushion before rushing to open the door.
“Hey, big bro.” Lanie stepped around him and into the house. Her arms were laden with packages.
“I thought I told you that you didn’t need to cook for me tonight,” he replied, struggling and failing to keep the annoyance out of his voice.
“I’m not here to cook for you, but I did note you were low on a few things. I took the liberty of picking them up.” She side-eyed him. “Don’t worry. I’m not staying, so you can return to working on the sly without my interference.”
His mouth fell open, but before he could respond, she moved by him and carried her bags into the kitchen. After he recovered from his shock, Steven followed her down the hall.
“Did you tell Rose?” he demanded from the doorway.
She rolled her eyes. “No, I’m not your warden. But you should tell her.”
Once she put the groceries away, she turned and leaned against the counter, folding her arms.
“I thought you weren’t staying,” he said, shifting uncomfortably.
“I’m not, but I did want to let you know we already got our first applicant.”
His eyebrows shot up. “That was fast.” He leaned forward. “Did you have a chance to look over the application?”
She nodded. “I’m no expert, but he sounds perfect. And I’m taking his quick response as a good sign we’ll be able to find someone to assist you real soon.” She pushed off the counter and stepped toward him. A wave of relief washed over him, and he moved out of her way. When she reached the front door at the end of the hallway, she glanced over her shoulder. “But if you want to interview him in person, you’ll have to get the okay from your actual warden.”
He waved a dismissive hand. “If it’s to help me reduce stress, she won’t mind.”
His sister’s doubtful look made him second-guess himself, but he kept his face neutral as she left. Once she was gone, he retrieved his computer from the couch.
As he reviewed the application, he was buoyed by the credentials of the applicant, a recent Georgetown University graduate looking to gain experience while he studied for the bar exam. Based on the address, he lived in the suburbs, which were about forty-five minutes away from Cedar Haven. Steven hoped that meant the applicant wasn’t also applying to the big law firms in DC because there was no way his tiny firm could compete with their salary offers.
After making a few notes on the application, he debated how to approach Rose about his returning to the office to conduct interviews. Lanie had made it sound like Rose wouldn’t be amenable, but he couldn’t imagine why. After all, the only reason he was hiring a law clerk was to appease her. He couldn’t very well hire someone without an interview. And although he could hold a virtual meeting, he was old-fashioned enough to want to meet candidates face-to-face. There was only so much he could discover about a person over a computer screen.
With any luck, Lanie could schedule the interviews to occur on the same day, which would limit the time he needed to be in the office. Whether that would be enough to appease his fiancée, he didn’t know, but if nothing else, it might at least postpone an argument. After crossing his fingers, he sent a text message to Lanie to start setting up interviews.
Chapter Twelve
Rose tapped the steering wheel as she drove to Steven’s house. They’d planned to get together to discuss the wedding budget. Since she’d had the morning off, she spent it going over the figures, and things weren’t looking good. Although she had made some decent overtime with all of her double shifts, she couldn’t say the same for Steven. She planned to ask him about his business’s finances, but she didn’t expect to hear good news. Their current financial situation had renewed her desire to discuss postponing the wedding again.
She’d spoken to Carissa that morning regarding their upcoming payments. Though Carissa had sympathized with their situation, she told Rose they needed to decide what they were going to do and soon. The vendors were willing to negotiate a new date for the wedding but only if they got paid by the deadline, which was the next day.
When she reached the door, it swung open before she could knock. Steven greeted her with a smile.
“How are you feeling?” she asked as she followed him into the house.
“Better.” He maneuvered to the table, where he had set out a pitcher of iced tea and two glasses. “How was work? Is Lisa’s daughter better?”
Rose nodded. “Yes, thank goodness. I couldn’t handle another double shift this week.” After pouring the tea, she squared her shoulders and removed the binder she’d used to track the wedding details and expenses. “So, about the wedding budget.”
His body tensed, and he fidgeted beside her. This is not a good sign. But she focused on the figures because she needed him to understand what they owed before they discussed his share.
“We’ve got several items coming due in the next few weeks. Invitations should have been sent this month, but with everything that happened, I ordered them late. I’m hoping to get them out before the Fourth of July.” She pushed the binder closer to him. “The next payment to the caterer is due next week, which is fifty percent of the total charge. Our last payment will be due once we have a final head count in August.” Then she flipped the calendar page. “The final payments will be due two weeks before August twenty-sixth.”
Steven’s eyes widened as he took in all of the four-figure amounts. “And how much does this total?”
After flipping back to the previous page, Rose pointed at the equations she’d added yesterday. “It comes down to about fifteen thousand dollars still to pay.”
