hadn’t been a hint that it was a possibility. Now the best she could hope for was that Jessie had had more success with the three who had stayed.
That hope died when the elevator doors swung open. Rachel didn’t wait for Lucy to exit, sliding past her as if she couldn’t get away fast enough. Ginger and Christina followed. Stepping out of the elevator, Lucy turned to look at them. None met her gaze.
“Thank you for coming,” Lucy said. “I know seeing you meant a lot to your father.” The door slid closed. She faced the wood-paneled doors, rooted to the moment.
After several seconds, the receptionist asked, “Are you all right, Ms. Hargreaves?”
Lucy had a smile in place when she turned to answer. “I’m fine, Margaret. This meeting was the only thing I had scheduled for today, so if you’d like to take off now, I can lock up when I leave.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind waiting.”
“Thank you, but I’m sure.” Lucy unbuttoned her jacket as she walked down the hall. Despite being hand-tailored, the suit just didn’t fit right. Every time she wore it she swore she would never wear it again. Then, when she took it off, the little girl who had never owned anything that hadn’t come from a Sears catalog would rebel at getting rid of a perfectly good piece of clothing just because she didn’t like it. Invariably, the suit wound up in the closet instead of a bag for Goodwill.
Jessie liked to tease her about her frugalness, saying that if he’d hooked up with her in the beginning he would have saved himself three bankruptcies. When she countered that without him she would still be handling cases that belonged in small claims court, he impatiently dismissed her ride on his coattail as serendipity. Jessie had spotted her ability where others only saw her gender.
In fifteen years her firm had grown from an office in a strip mall to eight senior partners, twenty-five associates, and turn-away business. Financially, the firm would survive the loss of Jessie as a client. Privately, Lucy’s world would spin a little slower. Worst of all, her days would lose that spark of expectation that she would pick up the phone and hear Jessie’s voice challenging her with yet another complex partnership idea that she was convinced held more problems than potential.
She stopped outside the conference room, removed her glasses, and pressed the tips of her fingers to the bridge of her nose. She needed new glasses—but stopping to think about it now was a delaying tactic. She didn’t want to face Jessie, didn’t want to hear him try to convince her the meeting had gone better than it had, and most of all, she didn’t want to see the loss of anticipation that had animated him that past month.
Wishing she were anywhere but there, Lucy opened the door and went inside. Jessie sat with his back to her, turned toward the window. “Well, how did it go?” she asked.
“I hate to admit this, Lucy, but you may have been right.”
She moved to join him. “You knew the first time would be hard. We’ll give them a couple of—” She caught her breath when she saw him. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead. His eyes radiated pain. “What is it?” When he didn’t answer, she dropped to her knees to study him closer. “What’s going on?”
“I’m okay. Just give me a minute. It takes a while for the medicine—” He gasped and bit his lip as another wave of pain struck, this one nearly doubling him over.
“I’m calling an ambulance.”
“No—don’t do that. They’ll take me to the hospital and—” He gasped again and folded his arms across his chest. This time he did double over. “Damn, damn, damn,” he moaned. “Why today? Why now?”
Lucy ran for the phone and dialed 911. She fought to remain patient as the dispatcher asked what seemed an interminable number of questions. Finally, it occurred to her that the doors had to be unlocked for the paramedics. She hung up and ran down the hall, saw Margaret
That hope died when the elevator doors swung open. Rachel didn’t wait for Lucy to exit, sliding past her as if she couldn’t get away fast enough. Ginger and Christina followed. Stepping out of the elevator, Lucy turned to look at them. None met her gaze.
“Thank you for coming,” Lucy said. “I know seeing you meant a lot to your father.” The door slid closed. She faced the wood-paneled doors, rooted to the moment.
After several seconds, the receptionist asked, “Are you all right, Ms. Hargreaves?”
Lucy had a smile in place when she turned to answer. “I’m fine, Margaret. This meeting was the only thing I had scheduled for today, so if you’d like to take off now, I can lock up when I leave.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind waiting.”
“Thank you, but I’m sure.” Lucy unbuttoned her jacket as she walked down the hall. Despite being hand-tailored, the suit just didn’t fit right. Every time she wore it she swore she would never wear it again. Then, when she took it off, the little girl who had never owned anything that hadn’t come from a Sears catalog would rebel at getting rid of a perfectly good piece of clothing just because she didn’t like it. Invariably, the suit wound up in the closet instead of a bag for Goodwill.
Jessie liked to tease her about her frugalness, saying that if he’d hooked up with her in the beginning he would have saved himself three bankruptcies. When she countered that without him she would still be handling cases that belonged in small claims court, he impatiently dismissed her ride on his coattail as serendipity. Jessie had spotted her ability where others only saw her gender.
In fifteen years her firm had grown from an office in a strip mall to eight senior partners, twenty-five associates, and turn-away business. Financially, the firm would survive the loss of Jessie as a client. Privately, Lucy’s world would spin a little slower. Worst of all, her days would lose that spark of expectation that she would pick up the phone and hear Jessie’s voice challenging her with yet another complex partnership idea that she was convinced held more problems than potential.
She stopped outside the conference room, removed her glasses, and pressed the tips of her fingers to the bridge of her nose. She needed new glasses—but stopping to think about it now was a delaying tactic. She didn’t want to face Jessie, didn’t want to hear him try to convince her the meeting had gone better than it had, and most of all, she didn’t want to see the loss of anticipation that had animated him that past month.
Wishing she were anywhere but there, Lucy opened the door and went inside. Jessie sat with his back to her, turned toward the window. “Well, how did it go?” she asked.
“I hate to admit this, Lucy, but you may have been right.”
She moved to join him. “You knew the first time would be hard. We’ll give them a couple of—” She caught her breath when she saw him. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead. His eyes radiated pain. “What is it?” When he didn’t answer, she dropped to her knees to study him closer. “What’s going on?”
“I’m okay. Just give me a minute. It takes a while for the medicine—” He gasped and bit his lip as another wave of pain struck, this one nearly doubling him over.
“I’m calling an ambulance.”
“No—don’t do that. They’ll take me to the hospital and—” He gasped again and folded his arms across his chest. This time he did double over. “Damn, damn, damn,” he moaned. “Why today? Why now?”
Lucy ran for the phone and dialed 911. She fought to remain patient as the dispatcher asked what seemed an interminable number of questions. Finally, it occurred to her that the doors had to be unlocked for the paramedics. She hung up and ran down the hall, saw Margaret
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