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“Don’t worry, mama. I’m not taking it.” I opened a bag of chips from the gas station as my stomach growled.
The excitement faded, and she looked at me. “Why would you do that? You have been working yourself to death.”
“It’s a wonderful offer, but you mean more to me than any partnership ever will. New York City is too far away. I’m not leaving you behind.”
The effects of her Parkinson’s had worsened, and she sometimes could not leave her bed. I would love to scoop her and take her with me, but it wasn’t an option.
She held my gaze for a few moments before a faint sigh escaped her lips and she shook her head. “Son, don’t hinder your life because of me. You will have a whole life after I’m gone and you shouldn’t be sidestepping opportunities like this because of your sick mother. Go chase your dreams, just like your daddy taught you.”
I gripped her hands in mine. “Daddy wouldn’t have wanted to leave you alone here. I already hate living hours away, and if I take it, I couldn’t just come visit every weekend like now. It’s thousands of miles away.”
“I can handle knowing you are living your dream, son. Your poor mom was stuck in that small town all her life and you have the chance to go to one of the best cities... please take it. If not for you, then for me.”
She wrapped her arms around me. “I’m so proud of you, son. Even as a young boy, you had the dream of becoming an excellent lawyer and making partner one day. Your daddy would be so proud of you. Go pack your bags and book your ticket. I’ll see you again soon.”
She shoved me out of her room, and a dutiful son never argued with their mother. With purpose in my step, I walked out to my car and dialed the number on the offer, leaving a message that I was ready to accept and book my flight the next day.
New York City, here I come.
Chapter Three
Jennifer
The clock on my desk read 8:02 am and Mr. Longford usually arrived by eight on the dot. After ten years as his assistant, it took something serious for him to miss work. With a sigh of resignation, I looked at the towering pile of reports that needed to be sent out, and the emails clamoring for my attention. A loud racket at the door alerted me to my boss’s presence. He stepped through the doorway wearing his usual well-pressed navy suit, white shirt, and matching tie; his salt-and-pepper hair combed back. The other lawyers in this office were renowned for their short tempers and quick tongues, but not Mr. Longford; he was a gem.
I sprang from my chair, yellow Post-it notes rustling in my hands, the edges digging into my palms. I attempted to smile, but my lips felt like sandpaper. “Good morning, sir. I’ll leave your messages for you on your desk.” My boss stood with a younger man in a navy suit and spoke without taking his eyes off him. “Jennifer, this is Mr. Kneeland, who will replace me. I’m ready to hang up my hat.” His words were heavy, like a hand on my shoulder, and the ground shifted beneath me.
My stomach tightened, and I fought to keep my fear from showing on my face. Why is he just now telling me? I put on a polite smile and offered him my hand. “Nice to meet you, sir.”
The man’s dark brown eyes scanned over my body as if he was undressing me with his gaze. His rough hand grasped mine, and a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he said, “Pleasure is all mine.” I saw something pass between him and my boss before he handed me a white paper cup that exuded the warm aroma of brewed coffee, and a kind smile lifted the corner of his lips now. “I know how hard assistants work, so I brought this for you.” My gaze flicked over to Mr. Longford, and I tilted my head.
He stood up a little straighter as I took it from his hand. Coffee was a way into this girl’s good graces. Most of the workers here had their coffee delivered, but it was so expensive. “Thanks. I’ll leave you guys to work. Don’t forget your meeting at noon, sir. I’ll have the conference room set up by eleven thirty.”
Mr. Longford smiled, revealing a set of straight white teeth. “See, Matt, you won’t have anything to worry about, cause Jennifer has things covered. I’ve never had to write her up. She’s a keeper.” He winked at me, and Matt’s eyes followed my every move as I walked behind my desk. My cheeks burned and my heart raced as I sat down in my chair.
A wave of sadness washed over me as I thought of Mr. Longford’s impending departure. Every Friday morning, he would have breakfast delivered to the office, and we’d settle in for an hour and go over the schedule for the upcoming week, and sometimes even share stories about our weekend plans. He listened to my ideas, and he had become like a father figure. The firm was lucky because he had a knack for calming down even the most difficult clients, and knew which cases to refer to the newer partners who were looking to impress. I hoped Matt could carry on that same tradition.
Confusion and uncertainty bubbled in my chest as I tried to make sense of what this meant. He had mentioned retiring before, but hadn’t been specific about when. Whoever held the answers needed to provide them soon, so I could begin planning a retirement celebration worthy of his thirty-five-year legacy. An accolade he more than deserved.
The steam from the creamy latte warmed my hands as I slowly sipped it. A flutter of surprise in my stomach as I saw my name written on one side of the cup. I couldn’t be the only one who thought it was weird Matt brought me coffee. And he didn’t just get any coffee, this cup was from the best cafe around - Coffee Chaos - the best coffee within a five-mile radius. His taste in coffee was almost as good as his taste in suits.
Everyone loved to fuss over Starbucks, but they weren’t even close to being as good as Coffee Chaos. The small, family-run cafe with its inviting ambience was a preferred spot by many of the locals. Most women who patronized the store order their drinks, drowning in sweetness, but not me. I liked mine, bold and robust. The barista was always willing to accommodate my desire for extra shots of espresso, something that must have baffled her as she watched me leave the counter each time. I tapped away at my computer, attempting to get through my never-ending email inbox. Despite my best efforts, the task seemed insurmountable.
My eyes darted over to Laura, my best friend who had been stuck with Mr. Curran since day one. He was notorious for losing his temper, especially when the job wasn’t going perfectly, and he loved to yell right outside his office door in front of the entire staff. His office door slammed open almost every day as he bellowed criticisms of her work, regardless if she’d done anything wrong or not. He stomped around, face red with anger and spit flying from his lips. Everyone else averted their gaze to avoid becoming a target themselves. He was a complete menace.
Mr. Curran perched behind his desk since dawn, wearing a pair of glasses on the edge of his nose, and a deep scowl that never seemed to fade. Laura stayed until late in the evening to keep up with him, her eyes heavy and back aching from hours of sitting at her desk. My boss strutted in a bit before eight in the morning and left by six every day, never staying past seven. If only Mr. Curran retired soon and freed Laura from her misery.
My gaze shifted from one end of the inbox to the other, watching as the number of emails dwindles from over a hundred to thirty-four. I know what was coming—Mr. Longford was going to announce his retirement to the clients. His replacement would need to be briefed to take over all his ongoing cases. I could just imagine competing firms biding their time and waiting for this news so they could swoop in and try snatching up our corporate clients with lucrative offers once they got wind of his retirement. It was such an underhanded move, but part of the game.
The clickety-clack of keyboards punctuated the hum of the office. I read two more emails marked urgent, archiving them in a folder before standing up and walking over to Laura’s cubicle. We were like sisters, but right now her focus was on her computer - her fingers typing away as she bite down on her plump lower lip. “Did you know Mr. Longford is retiring?” She looked up, pausing from her work with a small shrug of her shoulders. “Yes, didn’t you?”
I waved my hands in frustration as she was still typing. “I’m his assistant! You would think I would be the first to know. Can you figure out when his last day is? It looks like he will be busy with his replacement.”
Laura’s slender fingers stilled on the keyboard, and she grinned. Her eyes sparkle, as if a secret shared only between us. “Can you believe our luck? A guy that looks like that graces us with his presence. You are so lucky!” She wiggled her eyebrows before turning back to her computer.
Her sharp wit and quick tongue made me chuckle every time. She made me laugh even in the darkest of days at work, which was no small feat, considering most of the men had a permanent scowl on their face. Some of the newer partners were good looking, but their attitude was less than desirable. It was all about how much money they were bringing in and rejected any other topics of conversation in favor of self-aggrandizing stories about their achievements. They overestimate their worth compared to their salary.
I rolled my eyes and took a drink of my lukewarm coffee. “He’s just like all the rest,” I muttered under my breath. “I’ve got enough work to keep me busy for a year, and now I’ll have even more. But what choice do I have? Gotta pay the bills somehow, right?
