dance?” Simone said with a smile, not even Jeremy could knock that smile off of her face tonight. “Y’all been out on that floor for a long time.”
“I know,” Jules said as she sat down. “It was great.”
Jeremy sat down too, just as exhausted as Jules. “I’m getting old, y’all,” he said. Then he looked at Nick. “I know you,” he said.
Simone cleared her throat. She knew just saying his name was going to make her giddy. “Jules, Jeremy, I want y’all to meet Nicholas Perry. He’s my lawyer.”
“That’s right!” Jeremy said, extending his hand to Nick. “I knew I knew you. You filed a couple of malpractice suits against Bay General and a few of my friends got canned bad, man. You won big time.”
“Bay General? Doctor?”
“Surgeon,” Jules said proudly.
“I saw you operate in court,” Jeremy said. “You’ve got skills my friend.”
“But I’m sure you weren’t impressed.”
“You lawyers are gonna be the death of doctors yet. All these frivolous law suits.”
“One of those Bay General ‘doctors’ removed the wrong limb from one of my clients. Her right leg, to be precise. Another one of those ‘doctors’ gave the wrong anesthetic to one of his patients and turned a fine young woman into a quadriplegic. I doubt seriously if the victims would call those lawsuits frivolous.”
“So you’re Simone’s attorney?” Jules asked to change the subject, sensing a rise in temperature at the table.
“Yes,” Simone said smilingly. “He’s going to help me get Shay back.”
“Not again!” Jeremy leaned back and bellowed. “You’re still on that kick?”
“It’s not a kick, Jeremy, okay?” Simone said. Then she looked at Nick, refusing to let Jeremy rain on her parade. “Jules is my sister, Mr. Perry. My oldest sister.”
Great looking sister, Nick thought, as he shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Jules.”
“Isn’t she pretty?” Simone asked and Jeremy immediately looked at Nick. But it was Jules who quickly interceded.
“Don’t put that man on the spot like that, Simone,” she said with a smile and Nick smiled too.
“She’s very pretty, Simone,” Nick said.
“Isn’t Simone pretty?” Jules asked smilingly as she grabbed her sister’s small shoulders and leaned her against her. Jeremy, however, laughed.
“In her dreams,” he said.
“Anyway,” Jules said, to forestall any Jeremy-Simone confrontation, “I think it’s wonderful that an attorney of your caliber would represent my sister. Thank-you, Mr. Perry.”
“She’s a very persistent lady,” Nick said. Simone heard this and beamed. Jeremy, however, chuckled.
“Yeah, she’s persistent all right,” he said. “A persistent pain in the—”
“As I was saying,” Jules said, “I’m very glad to hear that she finally has some representation. I told her countless times not to keep worrying those Georgia courts with petitions her GED-educated behind doesn’t even know how to complete.”
Simone was a little stunned by Jules putdown, especially since Jules didn’t even seem to realize she had put her down, but Nick noticed it.
“I think she did fine,” he said. “Better than many lawyers could have done.”
Jules seemed surprised by such praise and so was Simone. Simone, in fact, felt like walking on air. In all of her twenty-three years on the face of this earth she’d never known anybody, let alone some big shot lawyer like Nick Perry, praise her in any way. Jules, yes, always received praises, and deservedly so, in Simone’s eyes. But for Simone it had always been criticisms and put downs and cynicisms that made her sometimes wonder herself if there was something about her that just rubbed people wrong. Even her mother once told her that she was like “the Christmas gift you give to somebody else.” She was only ten at the time, and her mother didn’t explain what that meant exactly, but
“I know,” Jules said as she sat down. “It was great.”
Jeremy sat down too, just as exhausted as Jules. “I’m getting old, y’all,” he said. Then he looked at Nick. “I know you,” he said.
Simone cleared her throat. She knew just saying his name was going to make her giddy. “Jules, Jeremy, I want y’all to meet Nicholas Perry. He’s my lawyer.”
“That’s right!” Jeremy said, extending his hand to Nick. “I knew I knew you. You filed a couple of malpractice suits against Bay General and a few of my friends got canned bad, man. You won big time.”
“Bay General? Doctor?”
“Surgeon,” Jules said proudly.
“I saw you operate in court,” Jeremy said. “You’ve got skills my friend.”
“But I’m sure you weren’t impressed.”
“You lawyers are gonna be the death of doctors yet. All these frivolous law suits.”
“One of those Bay General ‘doctors’ removed the wrong limb from one of my clients. Her right leg, to be precise. Another one of those ‘doctors’ gave the wrong anesthetic to one of his patients and turned a fine young woman into a quadriplegic. I doubt seriously if the victims would call those lawsuits frivolous.”
“So you’re Simone’s attorney?” Jules asked to change the subject, sensing a rise in temperature at the table.
“Yes,” Simone said smilingly. “He’s going to help me get Shay back.”
“Not again!” Jeremy leaned back and bellowed. “You’re still on that kick?”
“It’s not a kick, Jeremy, okay?” Simone said. Then she looked at Nick, refusing to let Jeremy rain on her parade. “Jules is my sister, Mr. Perry. My oldest sister.”
Great looking sister, Nick thought, as he shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Jules.”
“Isn’t she pretty?” Simone asked and Jeremy immediately looked at Nick. But it was Jules who quickly interceded.
“Don’t put that man on the spot like that, Simone,” she said with a smile and Nick smiled too.
“She’s very pretty, Simone,” Nick said.
“Isn’t Simone pretty?” Jules asked smilingly as she grabbed her sister’s small shoulders and leaned her against her. Jeremy, however, laughed.
“In her dreams,” he said.
“Anyway,” Jules said, to forestall any Jeremy-Simone confrontation, “I think it’s wonderful that an attorney of your caliber would represent my sister. Thank-you, Mr. Perry.”
“She’s a very persistent lady,” Nick said. Simone heard this and beamed. Jeremy, however, chuckled.
“Yeah, she’s persistent all right,” he said. “A persistent pain in the—”
“As I was saying,” Jules said, “I’m very glad to hear that she finally has some representation. I told her countless times not to keep worrying those Georgia courts with petitions her GED-educated behind doesn’t even know how to complete.”
Simone was a little stunned by Jules putdown, especially since Jules didn’t even seem to realize she had put her down, but Nick noticed it.
“I think she did fine,” he said. “Better than many lawyers could have done.”
Jules seemed surprised by such praise and so was Simone. Simone, in fact, felt like walking on air. In all of her twenty-three years on the face of this earth she’d never known anybody, let alone some big shot lawyer like Nick Perry, praise her in any way. Jules, yes, always received praises, and deservedly so, in Simone’s eyes. But for Simone it had always been criticisms and put downs and cynicisms that made her sometimes wonder herself if there was something about her that just rubbed people wrong. Even her mother once told her that she was like “the Christmas gift you give to somebody else.” She was only ten at the time, and her mother didn’t explain what that meant exactly, but
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