“Hi. What can I do for you?” Tess asked.
“I’m just here to touch base.”
“Okay.”
Huffington scowled. “You’re not going to make this easy, are you, Theresa.”
“I’m not trying to make it hard. I didn’t solicit this position. I’m just trying to do it now that it’s mine.”
“You should know that it can be challenging. You’re probably in way over your head, so just be aware.” Huffington sat back and crossed his arms.
“Are you’re talking explicit issues or a general warning? You need to clarify.” She wasn’t in the mood for his bullshit.
“Just letting you know it’s a lot of responsibility. Lots of things depend on how you perform the job.”
Could the guy be any more vague? Was this his normal bluster or something more? “So why are you here? To offer meadvice?”
Huffington shook his head in a clear show of disgust. “Just a heads-up…you’re not nearly as savvy as you think.”
“I didn’t try to take your job,” Tess replied.You lost it all on your own.“And I don’t consider myself to be all that savvy.”
He slowly rubbed the side of his shirt over his left clavicle, and Tess wasn’t sure if it was an intentional reminder of her shooting. She tried to ignore his actions.
He continued, “I’ve thought about things since the vote and decided that I’m retiring next year, so just assign me my cases, and we’ll do fine.”
Tess nodded. “Helene’s doing her job and overseeing the random assignments for me, unless there’s a good reason to place a case with someone or make a change. Anything else?” He needed to walk away with his pride, and Tess decided there was no reason not to try to offer him that. “I can already see it’s a hard job. We all appreciate your years of service. I hope you enjoy your remaining time without so much pressure.”
Huffington grunted and stood up. “Just don’t say I didn’t try to tell you that it’s no cakewalk.”
“If it’s as hard as you indicate, I undoubtedly won’t have the perseverance to dedicate as many years as you have. Thanks for dropping by.”
After he’d headed out, Tess silently congratulated herself for surviving the encounter relatively unscathed. Then her thoughts returned to Bree. To not just the parking lot incident, but what she’d done last night, being the aggressor and instigating the kiss. That kind of risk was way out of character for her.
Maybe it was this yo-yo state of her emotions, but whatever it was, Tess suddenly decided to throw caution to the wind and go for broke. She needed to follow up on reporting the parking lot incident, and she could certainly justify the proposal she was going to make to Bree as professional. She told Helene where shewas going and headed to see if Bree was in her office,
“How can I help you, Judge Fairchild?” Bree asked when she looked up and saw Tess standing in her chambers doorway.
“Did you eat your salad?” Tess maintained a neutral tone. Presiding judge appropriate.
“What?”
“Your salad last night—the reason you were at the café. Did you eat it?”
Bree tilted her head in question. “No, I was too upset.”
“Would you care to meet me at the scene of the incident tonight? I’d like to see it firsthand. And maybe get dinner salads. We both need to eat dinner.”
Bree gave her a skeptical look, but Tess was prepared with an indifferent expression and a cool professional gaze back. Even with her heart in her throat, she wasn’t going to give anything away, except maybe in that return gaze. It was almost impossible to control those traitorous windows to her soul.
“You’re proposing a cordial dinner in the name of professional duty?”
“I might up that label to amiable.” Tess maintained her detached demeanor.
“What if I want friendly?” Bree asked.
Tess clucked her tongue. “We don’t always get what we want.” I ought to know, she thought.
“Okay. I can see the reason for having you check the parking lot out. I’d also like to get some photos because I was too rattled last night.”
