“Tomorrow?” She crosses her arms. “I’m free to go home already?”
“If you’re done with everything on your list, I don’t see why that’s a problem.”
“It’s two o’clock in the afternoon, Jameson. Wake up.” She slams a hand on my desk. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
I look to the windows on my left, where the gray clouds and heavy rain are deceiving me about the time.
“My apologies,” I say. “I’m having a bit of an off day.”
“An off month, you mean?”
“I don’t recall sending you home due to weather before.”
“No, but you’ve done tons of other things that have the staff whispering and wondering if you’re suffering from a brain injury.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“I wish I was.” She shuts my door, then lowers her voice. “Is this about Scarlett?”
“Who?”
“Scarlett?” She repeats. “Your secret girlfriend who I pretend like I don’t know about.”
“I’ve never mentioned her to you.”
“Hence the ‘pretend not to know’ part, Jameson.” She offers a small smile. “I’ve seen the way you look when you’re on the phone with her.”
“Well, neither of us has to worry about that anymore.” I set down my pen. “Scarlett and I are done talking to each other.”
“Already? Why?”
I pause before answering. I could easily give her a generic reason, but I need confirmation that I’m right in letting Scarlett go.
“She thought we had a morally bright future together,” I say. “We don’t.”
She blinks.
“She also started thinking that she was entitled to my personal life and what cases I choose.”
“So, you walled her off like you wall off everyone else...”
“I don’t do relationships anyway,” I say. “It’s for the best, and I’m sure you can concur.”
Silence.
“This is the part where you say, ‘I agree, Jameson. Let’s get to work on what matters.’”
She says nothing.
“I agree, Jameson.” I repeat myself a little louder. “Let’s get to work. Say it.”
“I won’t.” She steps back. “I think Scarlett was good for you. She made you come off as human for a change.”
“I knew her for a few months at best.”
“I bet it didn’t feel that way, though, right?”
Silence.
