months. Almost half of it complete.
The buzzing of the phone on her desk startled her. Besides weekly staff meetings, she barely had any interaction with the rest of the staff. Paul passed it off as the nature of the work she was doing, but she secretly wondered if the lack of contact was more about who she was. She lifted the phone and answered the call.
“A Melinda Stone is holding for you.”
Thank God. A friendly voice. “Thanks, please put her through.”
Melinda didn’t wait for her to say hello before launching in. “You, me, lunch. I’ll pick you up and we’ll go someplace swanky.”
Swanky wasn’t in Cory’s budget right now. She wasn’t being paid either from her old job or her new one. But she knew once Melinda had her mind set, it wasn’t worth fighting. “Sure, but you’ll have to pick up the tab. I’m still living off my piggy bank.”
“Deal. See you in thirty minutes. We have reservations at Capital Grille.”
Melinda was a foodie of the highest order. When they arrived at the restaurant, Cory wasn’t surprised when the maître d’ greeted her effusively and led them to one of the best tables in the place. The waiter practically genuflected, and Cory had no doubt Melinda tipped as well as she ordered.
Once they placed their orders, Melinda started in. “How’s life among the less fortunate?”
“Aren’t I one of the less fortunate?”
“I suppose. I hope you’re not still mad at me. When the attorney for the bar suggested this as a way for you to keep your license, I figured you’d jump at the chance.”
“I am grateful, just sulking. I hate it. I’m assigned to intake. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but on the first day, they had me meet with a new client. I guess I thought I’d actually get to do some substantive work.”
“Back up, sister. New client? I thought all their clients were wards of the prison system. Did they really send you out to the pen on your first day?”
Cory laughed at Melinda’s attempt to speak the slang of criminal lawyers. “Pen? No. Actually, I met with the new client’s sister.”
“Dish. What was it like meeting with the family of a murderer? Did I guess right, the guy’s a murderer, right?”
Melinda was goofing, and Cory knew it, but her words stung. She didn’t like hearing Serena’s brother reduced to “murderer” and Serena as the “murderer’s sister.” She didn’t know anything about Eric beyond what Serena had told her, but she knew Serena’s layers went deep.
She missed her. Silly, really. How could she miss a person she’d only known for a day?
But it had been a long day, full of disclosures and confidences. She and Serena had talked for hours before they parted, and Cory had hung on to the hope they’d talk again. They had shared more in that single day than she’d shared with Julie during the whole of their relationship. She and Julie barely discussed anything that wasn’t related to the cases they’d worked and which hotel would be good for their next meeting. Naked, but never really intimate. She’d felt more intimate with Serena in the few hours they’d spent together than she’d ever felt with Julie.
Cory jerked back to the present when Melinda snapped her fingers under her nose. “Hey, where’d you go? You’re missing this wonderful plate of calamari, and I’m not waiting on you.”
“Just thinking. You know, the woman I met wasn’t what you would’ve expected.”
“I’m sure.”
“No, really. Her brother’s on death row for murder. Looking at his rap sheet, you’d think he’s a piece of shit. Graduated from petty crimes to robbery to rape and murder. I don’t know him at all, but I met his sister and she seems perfectly normal.”
“So what do you think happened?”
“Well, I do know they were separated when they were young. Druggie mom, both kids went into foster care. Serena turned out great. Eric’s sitting on death row.”
“Serena, huh?” Melinda put down her fork
The buzzing of the phone on her desk startled her. Besides weekly staff meetings, she barely had any interaction with the rest of the staff. Paul passed it off as the nature of the work she was doing, but she secretly wondered if the lack of contact was more about who she was. She lifted the phone and answered the call.
“A Melinda Stone is holding for you.”
Thank God. A friendly voice. “Thanks, please put her through.”
Melinda didn’t wait for her to say hello before launching in. “You, me, lunch. I’ll pick you up and we’ll go someplace swanky.”
Swanky wasn’t in Cory’s budget right now. She wasn’t being paid either from her old job or her new one. But she knew once Melinda had her mind set, it wasn’t worth fighting. “Sure, but you’ll have to pick up the tab. I’m still living off my piggy bank.”
“Deal. See you in thirty minutes. We have reservations at Capital Grille.”
Melinda was a foodie of the highest order. When they arrived at the restaurant, Cory wasn’t surprised when the maître d’ greeted her effusively and led them to one of the best tables in the place. The waiter practically genuflected, and Cory had no doubt Melinda tipped as well as she ordered.
Once they placed their orders, Melinda started in. “How’s life among the less fortunate?”
“Aren’t I one of the less fortunate?”
“I suppose. I hope you’re not still mad at me. When the attorney for the bar suggested this as a way for you to keep your license, I figured you’d jump at the chance.”
“I am grateful, just sulking. I hate it. I’m assigned to intake. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but on the first day, they had me meet with a new client. I guess I thought I’d actually get to do some substantive work.”
“Back up, sister. New client? I thought all their clients were wards of the prison system. Did they really send you out to the pen on your first day?”
Cory laughed at Melinda’s attempt to speak the slang of criminal lawyers. “Pen? No. Actually, I met with the new client’s sister.”
“Dish. What was it like meeting with the family of a murderer? Did I guess right, the guy’s a murderer, right?”
Melinda was goofing, and Cory knew it, but her words stung. She didn’t like hearing Serena’s brother reduced to “murderer” and Serena as the “murderer’s sister.” She didn’t know anything about Eric beyond what Serena had told her, but she knew Serena’s layers went deep.
She missed her. Silly, really. How could she miss a person she’d only known for a day?
But it had been a long day, full of disclosures and confidences. She and Serena had talked for hours before they parted, and Cory had hung on to the hope they’d talk again. They had shared more in that single day than she’d shared with Julie during the whole of their relationship. She and Julie barely discussed anything that wasn’t related to the cases they’d worked and which hotel would be good for their next meeting. Naked, but never really intimate. She’d felt more intimate with Serena in the few hours they’d spent together than she’d ever felt with Julie.
Cory jerked back to the present when Melinda snapped her fingers under her nose. “Hey, where’d you go? You’re missing this wonderful plate of calamari, and I’m not waiting on you.”
“Just thinking. You know, the woman I met wasn’t what you would’ve expected.”
“I’m sure.”
“No, really. Her brother’s on death row for murder. Looking at his rap sheet, you’d think he’s a piece of shit. Graduated from petty crimes to robbery to rape and murder. I don’t know him at all, but I met his sister and she seems perfectly normal.”
“So what do you think happened?”
“Well, I do know they were separated when they were young. Druggie mom, both kids went into foster care. Serena turned out great. Eric’s sitting on death row.”
“Serena, huh?” Melinda put down her fork
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