Chapter 19 #2
Tatum thanked her lucky stars for the day she'd hired Sam. Sam knew what she was doing, got things done without fuss, and had never once reported back to Bunny, or hovered, or made loaded comments about Tatum's life choices. Right now, that was worth more than gold.
Sam also had contacts everywhere and could dig up things that made Tatum profoundly grateful on a regular basis. In return, Tatum made sure to give her raises whenever possible and bonuses that were larger than most.
Tatum ran quickly through what was on her desk. Nothing urgent. She sent a few emails and was just jotting a note to herself about one of her outstanding cases when Sam walked back in.
"Coffee. Doughnut." Sam held up each hand as she said the words.
"Awesome. I was just about to write the letter for the Maguire case. Give me a sec."
"You can dictate it while you eat. Sound good?"
Tatum nodded. "Sounds perfect."
Sam put the coffee and doughnut on the desk and disappeared, returning a moment later with her notepad and pen.
"It still amazes me that you prefer to take dictation like this," Tatum commented, taking a bite of the honey-glazed doughnut. Her favorite.
Sam laughed. "I spent years learning it. I'm not wasting that skill."
"Fair enough." Tatum took a hit of caffeine and got her thoughts in order. She dictated the letter in no time, then leaned back in her chair and took a second bite of the doughnut.
Sam closed her notebook. "Your parents are waiting."
"They can wait," Tatum responded. Although, just the thought of them waiting ratcheted up her anxiety. The doughnut sat a little funny in her belly. She was determined to enjoy it anyway. She was done hopping to it.
"Do anything fun this weekend?" she asked Sam. "Anything new?"
"I went out to dinner with some friends," Sam said. "Brooklyn. The food was divine, but the service left a lot to be desired. The waitress seemed to be having an off day."
"That happens." Tatum popped the last of the doughnut into her mouth.
"Yeah," Sam agreed. "You know who I saw though? Josh."
"In Brooklyn?" Tatum asked.
"Yeah. Not in person, mind you. His picture was on the wall at the restaurant. It's a new trendy place that has pictures of locals spread across this one wall."
"But he lives in Manhattan, doesn't he?" Tatum asked.
"I think so," Sam agreed. "I asked, and the waitress said that the guy Josh was with in the picture, Rafe, was from the neighborhood. Apparently, Rafe is big into parkour and all things outdoors."
"Huh. Doesn't really sound like Josh, but I guess people do weird things for love." She had a brief flash of Archer in her mind's eye, the way he'd looked at her last night. She immediately dismissed the memory. Now was really not the time.
"I guess so. I was going to ask Josh about it, but the waitress said they broke up in spectacular fashion. I decided discretion is the better part of valor on that one."
Tatum grinned. "Don't blame you one bit."
Sam got to her feet. "Anyway, I'll get this sent out. I'm also doing prep work for the Anderson trial."
Tatum's hand stilled on her coffee cup. "The Anderson trial?"
"Oh." Sam's expression shifted. "That's probably what your parents want to talk to you about. They told me you were doing the Anderson trial. Should I stop?"
"No." Tatum shook her head. "Keep going. It's better to just do what they want for now. I'll let you know."
"Okay." Sam headed out.
Tatum took another sip of coffee and wiped her hands on a napkin.
The Anderson trial was not on her list of things to do. Not today, not any day. The moment Sam had said those words, Tatum had felt instant revulsion that went deeper than just disliking the man. It was something more visceral than that.
She didn't want to do this anymore. Any of it.
Corporate law. Fighting for fat cats who could afford to lose.
Defending men like Anderson, who used their money and power to hurt people, and expected lawyers like her to clean up the mess afterward.
She'd spent years telling herself it was intellectually challenging even if it wasn't morally satisfying.
But sitting here now, "Anderson trial" still ringing in her ears, she felt something shift in her chest. Like a weight lifting.
She was done. She hadn't fully realized how much she wanted out until this exact moment.
She sat with that realization for a moment.
Then she pushed back her chair and stood. She'd kept her parents waiting long enough. She made her way across the floor, nodding to colleagues, and came around the last corner, nearly colliding with Gil.
"Nice to see you, Tatum, " he said with a smile. Gil Bennett stood just under six feet, with dark blond hair, kind brown eyes, good-looking in an easy, unremarkable way until he smiled. Gil had a genuinely nice smile.
"Good to see you too, Gil. How's the case going?"
"Slowly," he said.
"Slowly is good. Means more money," she said in a low voice that mimicked her father. It was his favorite phrase.
Gil laughed. He was a good man, about her age. Her parents had tried to fix them up at one point. She hadn't been having it, but Gil had been gracious about it, and she'd liked him ever since.
He dropped his voice. "Your father's pissed. And Bunny didn't look too happy either."
"Thanks for the heads-up."
"Anytime." He offered her a sympathetic smile and continued down the hall.
Tatum took a breath and headed for her father's office.
"Morning, Bunny. Stuart." Neither of them wanted to be called Mom and Dad at work.
Her father's voice was perfectly mild when he said, "Nice of you to join us." The mildness was the rebuke. It always was with Stuart.
"What is it we need to discuss?" Tatum asked.
"I'm well, thank you for asking. And you?" Her mother's tone had all the warmth of a January sidewalk.
"I'm glad you're fine, Bunny. What did you want to talk about?"
"Why aren’t you sleeping at your apartment?" Bunny launched straight into it.
Tatum blinked. That had come from left field, and she wasn't prepared for it. She certainly wasn't telling them the truth.
"Cockroaches," she said. "The building's having a problem. They've got people dealing with it, but it might be a week or two, so I asked Archer Gray if I could use one of the Society apartments." She wasn’t supposed to discuss the Society in front of her mother since she wasn’t technically a member, but since both her grandfather and her father were members, it wasn’t like Bunny didn’t know of its existence.
Her father's eyes narrowed. The temperature in the room dropped. "I see. Josh says you and Archer are more than friends."
Josh has a very big mouth. "Whether Archer and I are more than friends is irrelevant," she said aloud. "If that's all you wanted to discuss, I'll be leaving now."
"No," her father said. "That's not all."
Tatum bit back a sigh. "What can I do for you, Father?" She knew calling him Father instead of Stuart would irk him, but she was beyond caring at this particular moment.
"I want you to take on the Anderson case."
Tatum grimaced. "I heard."
"Lou Anderson is a family friend," Bunny started, smoothing her skirt as if the matter were already settled.
Tatum cut her off. "Anderson is a slime ball. He's disgusting, and I won’t work on his case."