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My adrenalin builds as I call my first witness to the stand.
* * *
‘I thought you said a few hours, Drew? I can’t go through another day of this.’
Standing in the corridor outside the courtroom, I tell Ben, ‘We had a good day. We’ve got this. Everything went according to plan; it’s just taken longer than anticipated. We’ll close this out tomorrow, and you can get on with doing what you’re great at.’
He exhales slowly, his breath trembling. I swear the kid hasn’t stopped shaking all day. ‘Okay. Okay.’
‘Now, go and get some food and try to sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.’
As Ben walks away along the marble floors of the corridor, his sparkly new trial shoes sliding against the smooth surface, Marty pats a hand against my shoulder from behind.
‘You crack me up, Harrington. That shit about inspiring the youth of today or whatever. Brilliant.’
We walk out of the courthouse together, both fastening our jackets by one button when we step into the late afternoon gusts.
‘You saw the jury. They were lapping it up.’
‘I won’t argue with that. The case is yours. I’ve got to tell you, Drew, another win looks good ahead of the vote on Thursday.’
‘Certainly can’t hurt, can it?’
‘Not at all. Steak?’
‘Read my mind.’
We walk to a grill house a few blocks from the court and are seated in a red leather booth.
A waitress makes her way over to us. ‘Hi guys, I’m Cassie.’ She hands us each a menu, and I start looking. ‘I’ll be taking care of you this evening. Can I get you started with some drinks?’
I don’t know why I bother looking at the menu, knowing the rump steak here is particularly good. The waitress comes back with two glasses of ice water.
‘I haven’t seen you here before, Cassie,’ Marty says. I don’t need to raise my head to see he’s flirting. That shift in his voice to somewhere between casual and low husk tells me all I need to know. ‘I’m sure I’d remember.’
She’s laughing, girly and high-pitched, and talking back as I look down the wine list for the reds by the glass. I won’t have more than one since I have to be back in court in the morning.
Cassie takes our order and leaves.
‘You’ve really got it bad, huh?’ Marty asks.
I know what he’s referring to, but I still ask, ‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean, that Cassie has the best rack I’ve seen in a while. She sticks her tits in your face, and you don’t even notice she exists. I’ve got to tell you, Drew, at first, I thought Becky was just another notch. Then I thought you were taking my push for you to appear human to the extreme. Then I started to think you actually liked her, and I was worried, buddy. You made a few slip-ups that aren’t like you. As a partner, I was concerned.’
I roll my jaw, slightly uncomfortable with where this could be going. His comments kind of feel like an insult.
He leans back in his chair and accepts a glass of wine from a different waiter. ‘As a friend, though, I have to admit, I’ve never seen you happier. Your work is back on track, and whatever she’s doing, she’s keeping a smile on your face. You’re not quite such an arrogant bastard. The other partners are noticing, and I think it’s working out well for you.’
‘Well, not that I was looking for your blessing, Marty, but I do like her.’
I like her a lot. A real lot.
My stomach tightens, and I sip my Pinotage to take the edge off.
‘Does she feel the same?’
That twists the knot in my abdomen tighter.
