sent bright light spilling across the landscape, cavorted around the base of a snow–dusted tree stump.
As he watched them, Thomas reflected on how much he’d missed Geneva in recent days. The absence of her smile had begun to remind him of an absent sun on a summer day.
"Those little guys visit almost every night," she remarked when she noticed the activity that had drawn his gaze. "They’re like the Three Stooges."
Thomas looked back at her. "I’d forgotten sights like that. I’d forgotten a lot of things, I guess." He shoved his fingers through his short–cropped dark hair.
"You seem a bit distracted tonight."
"Maybe a little," he conceded. "I’ve spent most of the day wrestling with how to handle a new case."
"You have more than one client now. That’s wonderful."
"I have a half dozen clients," he told her, signing effortlessly.
Geneva briefly pondered his announcement. "You’ve become very proficient at signing in recent weeks."
"I’m highly motivated."
Glancing away, she absently smoothed a single fingertip up and down the stem of her wineglass.
Thomas waited for her to look at him before speaking. "It’s important to me to be able to communicate with you, Geneva. If I hadn’t known how to sign because of my mother, I would have enrolled in a class."
She sank back in her chair. "I don’t know that you should bother."
"I think you’re worth the effort, or don’t you agree?"
"Thank you," she said, not really answering him and looking a little dazed by his bluntness. "I’m glad about your clients, Thomas. It appears that you’ll be able to eat this winter."
He chuckled. Even without his new clients, he could afford to feed himself and the entire population of Cedar Grove for the next hundred years. "So it seems."
"Are they challenging? The cases, I mean."
"More than I expected them to be, but I’m on the opposite side of the legal fence these days. It takes some getting used to."
"I don’t understand. It seems logical to assume that you’d be able to anticipate the tactics of your adversaries, so you’ll have an edge in court."
"I don’t doubt my abilities. It’s the people. I’m representing real people for a change. Average people who actually need me."
"I assumed you always had."
"Not really. I handled a series of major corporate cases, and people counted only in a statistical sense with most of the legal work I’ve done. This feels more…" He paused, searching for the right word.
"Personal?" Geneva finger–spelled.
Thomas nodded, pleased that she understood. He remembered the manner in which his parents had often completed each other’s sentences and thoughts. He’d never experienced that degree of closeness with a woman, not even his ex–wife. It was then that he realized that being with Geneva was his only hope of ever finding the inner peace he’d searched for in vain during the last several years. Without her, his decision to make a new start would end up a hollow victory.
"Very personal, and far more important. This is the kind of law my father practiced. It’s the kind of law I’d originally planned to practice."
"And now you are," she reminded him.
"Better late than never." His voice sounded harsh, and he wondered if he’d ever get beyond his conviction that he’d wasted far too many years on meaningless causes.
"From what Rose has told me, you’ve been involved in some very high–profile cases involving the corporate world. Cases that involved a great deal of money."
"Yes."
"I have to admit that what she described often sounded somewhat cold–blooded to me."
"It was.
I
was," he admitted. "The ultimate chess player orchestrating a high–stakes game. With tens of millions of dollars at stake in that kind of litigation, I had no other choice."
"I find it difficult to believe that you’ve ever been cold–blooded. You’re a very… passionate and intense man when you set your sights on a goal."
"I know." He studied her briefly. "I’ve
As he watched them, Thomas reflected on how much he’d missed Geneva in recent days. The absence of her smile had begun to remind him of an absent sun on a summer day.
"Those little guys visit almost every night," she remarked when she noticed the activity that had drawn his gaze. "They’re like the Three Stooges."
Thomas looked back at her. "I’d forgotten sights like that. I’d forgotten a lot of things, I guess." He shoved his fingers through his short–cropped dark hair.
"You seem a bit distracted tonight."
"Maybe a little," he conceded. "I’ve spent most of the day wrestling with how to handle a new case."
"You have more than one client now. That’s wonderful."
"I have a half dozen clients," he told her, signing effortlessly.
Geneva briefly pondered his announcement. "You’ve become very proficient at signing in recent weeks."
"I’m highly motivated."
Glancing away, she absently smoothed a single fingertip up and down the stem of her wineglass.
Thomas waited for her to look at him before speaking. "It’s important to me to be able to communicate with you, Geneva. If I hadn’t known how to sign because of my mother, I would have enrolled in a class."
She sank back in her chair. "I don’t know that you should bother."
"I think you’re worth the effort, or don’t you agree?"
"Thank you," she said, not really answering him and looking a little dazed by his bluntness. "I’m glad about your clients, Thomas. It appears that you’ll be able to eat this winter."
He chuckled. Even without his new clients, he could afford to feed himself and the entire population of Cedar Grove for the next hundred years. "So it seems."
"Are they challenging? The cases, I mean."
"More than I expected them to be, but I’m on the opposite side of the legal fence these days. It takes some getting used to."
"I don’t understand. It seems logical to assume that you’d be able to anticipate the tactics of your adversaries, so you’ll have an edge in court."
"I don’t doubt my abilities. It’s the people. I’m representing real people for a change. Average people who actually need me."
"I assumed you always had."
"Not really. I handled a series of major corporate cases, and people counted only in a statistical sense with most of the legal work I’ve done. This feels more…" He paused, searching for the right word.
"Personal?" Geneva finger–spelled.
Thomas nodded, pleased that she understood. He remembered the manner in which his parents had often completed each other’s sentences and thoughts. He’d never experienced that degree of closeness with a woman, not even his ex–wife. It was then that he realized that being with Geneva was his only hope of ever finding the inner peace he’d searched for in vain during the last several years. Without her, his decision to make a new start would end up a hollow victory.
"Very personal, and far more important. This is the kind of law my father practiced. It’s the kind of law I’d originally planned to practice."
"And now you are," she reminded him.
"Better late than never." His voice sounded harsh, and he wondered if he’d ever get beyond his conviction that he’d wasted far too many years on meaningless causes.
"From what Rose has told me, you’ve been involved in some very high–profile cases involving the corporate world. Cases that involved a great deal of money."
"Yes."
"I have to admit that what she described often sounded somewhat cold–blooded to me."
"It was.
I
was," he admitted. "The ultimate chess player orchestrating a high–stakes game. With tens of millions of dollars at stake in that kind of litigation, I had no other choice."
"I find it difficult to believe that you’ve ever been cold–blooded. You’re a very… passionate and intense man when you set your sights on a goal."
"I know." He studied her briefly. "I’ve
Similar Books
