CHAPTER TWO
I know you said you’re going to try to work on balancing work and life. Just remember, not one eulogy at a funeral for someone has ever uttered the words, "If they only spent more time at work."
~Text from Pa to Max~
Max
I wake up and stretch. I know I should get ready and go into work, but I’m gonna work from home for a couple of hours and play hooky the rest of the day.
I haven’t taken a day off in…fuck, I don’t even remember the last day I didn’t work at least a few hours.
It’s Friday, and after this week, I think I’ve earned this partial day.
I’m living in the cottage that Jane had when she met my brothers. I would like to find and buy a place for myself, but like everything else in life, that takes time, and there are never enough hours in the fucking day.
I get my ass up, do my morning routine, and start the coffee.
I don’t bother getting dressed in my usual business attire, but slip on some comfy, worn jeans and a Henley.
I love my work, I really do, but I feel like it’s become my whole existence.
I knew going into law it was going to be more than forty hours a week, but I want…
no, I need to be able to spend time with my family, the club, and if I’m being fucking honest with myself, I want to get to know Christy, and not just as her legal counsel.
The coffee machine makes the noise that lets me know it’s got some of its liquid gold ready for me.
I doctor up my cup and grab a seat at the table.
I open my laptop and get to work on my emails.
There’s never an end to them, I swear. When I decided to go into criminal justice, I knew there would be cases where I would take on clients I believed were guilty but still deserved a proper defense.
What I didn’t count on was how many people deserved appeals because their original counsel, often a public defender, did such a poor job.
The number of inquiries I get a week about cases like that borders on ridiculous.
I really do need to hire a paralegal and another lawyer.
My last assistant, who was also a paralegal, left when she realized I was not looking for someone to become a girlfriend or a wife.
That’s the second one to do that. I mean, do these women watch movies and think all of us are looking for that?
I think keeping work and my personal life separate works best for me, plus I’ve never been attracted to aggressive women like that.
Thankfully, I think Haley is going to work out just fine.
Logan was great to recommend her. She’s not a paralegal, but she’s getting my calendar straight, and my filing system has never been so up to date.
Right now, she’s only part-time because her little boy, Benji, has a lot of doctor appointments.
That reminds me, I need to talk to Kierstie about what playpen to buy for the office so she can have him with her sometimes.
I get lost in my emails, responding to some that I can help with and referring others to different attorneys closer to the defendant.
I also sent a few emails seeking guidance on how to help Christy and Mary get some identifying paperwork.
I did some preliminary searching yesterday, and from what I found, Mary might have an easier time because she has the legal name of her father and paternal grandparents, thanks to Anna.
She could also take a DNA test and prove her relationship to Anna.
I’ve looked into the name Christy knew her father by, and there’s no trace of anyone with that name.
I’m gonna talk to Ma. To see if Christy describes him to her, she might remember him if he was there when she was.
Christy is also trying to remember if she knows her mother’s maiden name, but since she says she only heard it once or twice, I’m not counting on it.
My phone buzzes on the table next to me with an incoming text. I glance at the time and realize I’ve been at this for over three hours. I open my phone and see I’ve got two text messages.
Pa: I was thinking you and I could grab some lunch. What do you say?
Pa: You’re not at your office. You okay, Son?
Me: Yeah, I’m fine. I decided to work from home for a couple of hours and then take the rest of the day off. Wanna come by here and go for a ride on the way to lunch? It’s been too long since I went for a ride.
Pa: Get your boots on. I’ll be there in a few minutes.
Me: I’ll wait for you outside.
Pa doesn’t respond, but I shut my computer down, put on my boots, and grab my jacket. There ain’t much that some wind therapy can’t solve.
Pa pulls up a few minutes later, and he barely slows down, so I pull out behind him. We ride for almost an hour. About forty-five minutes into the ride, Jon pulls up next to me. Pa pulls into Lefty’s. Jon and I park next to him.
When I get off my bike, I look at Jon, and my face must show my surprise.
He shrugs his shoulders. “I saw y’all ride past the shop.
My mind wasn’t on work, so I decided to take a long lunch.
Shandy’s working the front desk today and doing inventory.
I don’t have the patience to deal with that today.
” Pa has joined us and looks at Jon. “That’s because you’ve got your head up your ass about your sister and haven’t gone to talk to her since everything happened up on the mountain.
You and Kierstie are the last two stubborn ones.
” Jon looks like he’s gonna say something, but Pa holds up his hand.
“That’s between you and Madison. I’m not getting involved, and we’re not here to talk about that.
We’re here to get lunch and let your brother talk through some shit I can see swirlin’ around in his mind.
” Jon nods, but I swear the tall fucker studies me the whole time we’re walking into Lefty’s and finding a table.
We sit, and the waitress comes over and takes our drink order.
When she leaves, Pa leans back in his chair and looks over at me.
“Son, now you know I try not to intervene in how my kids are living their lives, but other than the wedding last weekend, we’ve hardly seen you in months.
You come in just in time for Sunday dinner and usually duck out almost before dessert is done.
You’ve not come to many family days at the clubhouse.
I know you’re setting up your practice and getting it established, but, Son, this ain’t healthy.
Your Ma is worried about you.” Pa never says he’s worried.
He has always said, just Ma is, when we know it’s both of them.
The waitress brings our drinks and takes our orders, not one of us needing a menu here.
Once she’s done, Jon speaks up before I can say anything.
“I know you went into law to save those who didn’t get a chance for a fair trial and to help those others who won’t, but you can’t fucking drown yourself in that.
I think I saw you more often when you were away at law school than I do now when you live just minutes away from us. ”
I nod my head. “Believe it or not, you’re both telling me shit I know.
I’ve hired Haley, and she’s working out great, but she’s not a paralegal or a lawyer.
I need to hire one of each. Even with the caseload I’ve got, which I know is too much, I’m still turning down work because I don’t have enough time.
Just today, I referred six cases to other attorneys because they’re closer to Walla Walla.
That’s not a commute I’m looking to make, nor do I have time to do it.
I love my work, but I don’t want it to be everything.
” I take a sip of my beer and rub my face before I continue unloading on Pa and my big brother.
“I’ve been wanting to find a place of my own to buy and haven’t even had a moment to look.
Then there’s the whole dating thing…I don’t think I’ve even had dinner with someone in over a fucking year, and I’d really like to get to know—” Jon interrupts me.
“Do you have someone you’re interested in, or do you want to be set up, because Jane has—” I hold up my hand.
“Brother, I don’t need to be set up on a date.
I can find a date. It’s the free time that I need to work on first.”
Pa nods. “Well, you got a whole family here to help you with whatever we can, but I’m glad to hear you’re gonna be getting some help in your office.
Your Ma will be happy to hear. She should be seeing you more often.
Does her heart good to see her kids as often as she can.
” I glance over at Jon fast enough to see him roll his eyes.
We both know Pa likes it just as much as Ma does, even though he never admits it.