Chapter 21
Chapter twenty-one
Everly
I sat facing the office building as panic tightened my stomach. Instead of going into work, I fumbled for my phone and dialed my sister.
“No way you told them already,” she said without saying hello.
“What if they fire me?”
“Thought you looked that up.”
“I did. Just because they don’t fire me today doesn’t mean they won’t find a reason to fire me later.”
Maddie blew out an exasperated breath. “Later is a later problem.”
“Once I tell them, I can’t take it back.”
“So don’t tell them. Call Levi and say thanks for the best sex of my life, but I decided my job was more important.”
“I never should have told you that.”
“You left on Saturday morning and didn’t come home until Sunday evening wearing his hoodie. Telling me was just confirming what I already knew. You wouldn’t miss Sunday Funday for mediocre cock.”
“I’d probably need to disclose what happened this weekend, whether or not we’re together.”
“Please, stop with the lawyer voice. Do you see this thing with Levi being more than a few rolls in the sheets?”
“Yes,” I said without hesitating.
“Then go tell your bosses you banged the hottest cop in town, and the sex was too good to deny yourself a repeat.”
“I don’t have to be that specific.”
Maddie laughed. “Yeah, but it’d be hilarious if you were.”
“I’m hanging up now.”
“Good luck. Text me later.”
Before I could psych myself out anymore, I grabbed my bag and headed into the office.
“What’s wrong?” Hattie asked as soon as I walked through the door.
“Do I look that bad?” I whispered.
“Like you’ve been wrestling a racoon all night and ate gas station sushi for breakfast.”
My stomach flipped in agreement. I took a breath through my nose and out my mouth. Maddie had shoved cotton balls soaked in rubbing alcohol at me all morning. Whether it was some magical medical secret or absurd enough to take my mind off my nerves for a second, I’d managed not to throw up.
“Bathroom,” Hattie said, putting her phone on DND and shoving me toward the ladies’ room.
She led me into a stall, slammed down the toilet lid, and pointed at me. “Sit. Head between your knees.”
Before I could say anything, she left the stall. I heard the sink running, and Hattie’s hurried footsteps, before she pressed a wet paper towel to the heated skin on my neck.
“I haven’t seen you like this since the McKinnell case,” she said. “You’re not even in court today. What gives?”
“I might get fired,” I said, voicing the worry that had kept me up all night and my stomach in knots.
“Between the two of us, I’m sure we can fix whatever you screwed up.”
More like who I’d screwed. Though calling what happened over the weekend screwing was far from accurate, even if the sex had been mind blowing.
Honestly, it was the only reason I hadn’t spiraled into a ball of anxiety until Sunday night.
Saturday lunch/dinner turned into a sleepover, which turned into Sunday brunch, which turned into an afternoon of orgasms and another incredible meal.
I’d never been sorer or more satisfied in my life.
However, the second I started driving to my apartment, the gravity of what I had to do settled in.
Hattie put her hands on her hips and stared at me.
“I have to tell the partners I’m in a relationship with Officer Stafford.”
Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open a moment before the words came pouring out.
“How? No, I don’t mean how, though I’m always open for details.
When? Wait,” she said, holding out her hand.
“I need a second, or I won’t be any help.
” She closed her eyes and took a few breaths.
When she opened them, she looked more composed.
“Are you just sleeping with him, or is it more?”
“More,” I said. So much more, so fast, my head spun.
“When did it start?”
“Well, you know we’re working together on the Springboard event.”
She nodded and rolled her hands. She didn’t have to tell me time was of the essence. Any minute now, someone would wonder where she was and start looking for her.
“I kissed him last week. Just attacked his mouth.”
“Damn, girl,” Hattie said with a smile.
“I know,” I said, putting my face in my hands. “He’s just so—”
“Hot.”
“I like my job too much to risk it for a hot guy. He’s surprising. Like he has a pet pig he treats like a princess and he cooks and he’s so—”
“Hot.”
“Fine,” I said, lifting my face from my hands.
“My hormones might have gotten involved when I attacked his mouth. It would have ended there if he hadn’t asked me for one date to convince me it wasn’t a mistake.
We went hiking on Saturday, and he kissed me, and we ended up back at his house, and I didn’t leave until last night. ”
“Wow,” Hattie said, leaning against the stall door.
“Now I have to tell the partners.”
Hattie straightened. “We can work with this. When you first told me you were with him, I thought maybe he’d knocked you up and that’s why you looked green.
Since that would have taken a bit of time, I thought you might actually get fired.
The partners would have hated that you didn’t come clean earlier.
You just started seeing him, so that’s good. Do you have any cases in common?”
“Just one,” I said. “Bryant Wythers. Levi asked Chief Fitzwilliam to pull him from the case on Friday. It’s the only reason I agreed to go on the date.”
“Please, you went out with Levi because he’s a fine specimen of a man. The fact he’s also willing to play by the rules means he’s worth taking a risk on.”
“But you agree it’s a risk,” I said.
She put her hand on my shoulder. “You know it is, Evie. You wouldn’t be freaking out if you didn’t. They can’t fire you for it though.”
“No?”
She shook her head. “You’re following the rules. And it’s not like they’ve got the cleanest reputations. George married his paralegal.”
“He did,” I said, my eyes widening.
“Yep.”
“I don’t think I can lead with that.”
“Right,” Hattie said, standing straighter. “First, I’m going to go back to my desk and book a meeting for you with the partners. They still have half an hour at ten. I’m not even sending a meeting request, just blocking it off.”
“I didn’t know we could do that.”
“We can’t. I can,” she said, pointing at her chest. “You’re going to walk to Karma and buy us both caffeine.
As much as you can stomach. Then you’re going to put on more makeup, so you don’t look like death.
” She studied my face and frowned. “I can’t believe your sister let you leave the house in that shirt.
Here,” she said, unbuttoning hers. “Trade with me. That color isn’t doing you any favors. ”
“Right,” I said. I stood, hung my suit jacket on a nearby hook, and started taking off my white button down. “How do I approach the conversation? Do I ask for permission? Forgiveness?”
“Neither,” Hattie said, holding out her green shirt to me.
“OK,” I said, tugging on the shirt. It was too short in the sleeves and too big in the bust, but it’d look fine under my suit jacket. “So what? I just waltz in there, tell them I’m dating Levi, and to plan accordingly?”
As soon as I said it, I knew that’s exactly what I had to do.
“Knew you’d get there,” Hattie said, patting me on the shoulder. She eyed me once I had her shirt all the way buttoned and nodded. “Much better. Let’s do this!”
“Hattie,” I yelled after her as she bolted from the stall. “Button your shirt.”
She looked down at herself and sighed. “Bring me back a cookie too. I’ll be worthless without the sugar high until I know how your meeting goes.”
Once we were both presentable, I followed her back to the reception area. Coffee at Karma. Then makeup. Then toss a grenade at my career.
“Everly,” Taylor said, standing at his office door. “Got a minute? George and I want to hear how the Wythers case is going.”
Shit. Shit. Shit. I couldn’t meet with them, especially about Bryant, and then waltz into a meeting two hours later and announce I was dating one of the officers who arrested him.
“Yes, sir,” I said. “I’ll grab my notes.”
He nodded and went back into his office. Hattie gripped my shoulders and turned me to face her.
“You’re the best attorney in this firm,” she said, giving my shoulders a shake. “No matter what they say to you about Levi, that doesn’t change. They know it. You just have to act like it. Now get going.”
I nodded, my throat too tight to speak. Hattie shooed me toward my office, and I gave myself exactly ten seconds to panic, followed by twenty seconds to calm down, before grabbing the case file and heading to Taylor’s office.
Both partners were seated at the small round table in the corner, which wasn’t uncommon when they met outside the formality of the conference room.
I’d had countless discussions with them at that table, but I wished we’d be having this one in the conference room or across a desk from each other.
It felt too cozy for the bomb I was about to drop on them.
“Morning, Everly,” Taylor said. “Hope you had a good weekend.”
Good? More like life changing. “I did,” I said, pulling out a chair and sitting. “How was Chloe’s birthday party?”
“Chaos,” he said with a laugh.
“My weekend was fine too,” George said, scrolling on his phone. “How are we with the Wythers case?” The man hated small talk more than taxes, and usually his abrupt swerves to business didn’t fluster me.
My cheeks heated, and the silence they expected me to fill stretched. George put down his phone. Taylor gave me a questioning look.
“Officer Stafford asked to be removed from the case on Friday.”
“That’s great,” Taylor said, his eyes lighting like they always did when he sensed an advantage. “I have no doubt you can eviscerate that rookie officer in court.”
My stomach ached. This time, it wasn’t from the news I had to share. I liked Tristan. Would I try my best to knock him off balance like my boss wanted? Yes. But afterwards, I had to live with the fact that I had.
“Why would he drop the case?” George asked. “He was a narc in Richmond. This is exactly the kind of case he should handle.”
I sat up straighter. There wouldn’t be a better opening than that. “Because Officer Stafford and I have formed a personal relationship. He didn’t want to compromise the case.”
“Define personal,” Taylor said gently.
“We’re—” I started. My cheeks heated. I’d never discussed my personal life with either of them. It was more embarrassing than I anticipated.
“Are you serious, Hendricks?” George asked. “You’re screwing a cop?”
And that’s why I kept my private life private at work.
“George,” Taylor said, holding up his hand to his partner.
Any apprehension I had evaporated. I wasn’t about to get yelled at for doing the right thing. “Office Stafford asked to be removed from the case because he wanted to take me on a date.”
“Oh,” George said. “Well played, Hendricks.”
What? Did he honestly think I’d agreed to a date with Levi simply to get an advantage on a case?
Taylor rubbed his forehead. “George, shut up and let me handle this.”
George must have seen the anger on my face because he wisely stopped talking.
“Everly, will your relationship with Officer Stafford be something we need to address moving forward?” Taylor asked.
“Yes.” Seeing how things were going, I wasn’t saying any more than was necessary.
“Are there other open cases involving Officer Stafford?” Taylor asked.
“No.”
“Are you prepared to disclose the relationship when necessary to maintain the ethics of this firm and your duty to your clients?”
“Yes.”
“OK, then,” Taylor said. “What else can you tell us about the Wythers case?”
“What?” George snapped.
“There’s nothing more to say about it, George,” Taylor said.
“She’ll inform any clients who need to know and get their consent to continue representing them.
If anything, this could help us. Chief Fitzwilliam will probably pull Stafford from any cases involving Everly, and he’s the best they’ve got.
Plus, I wouldn’t be surprised if it hurts his chances of making detective when Gunterson retires in a couple months. ”
My stomach dropped. Levi hadn’t mentioned anything about a detective job opening at the station. I knew being with me wasn’t ideal for him career-wise, but I had no idea he was up for a promotion. Just like you are. Or were. This conversation was not going as well as I’d hoped.
“It limits her client potential,” George said, not even looking at me.
“Some clients won’t consent, and I assume she won’t accept new clients when he’s the arresting officer.
If he makes detective, he’ll have his hands all over cases.
Are we really going to let her relationship affect the practice? ”
All of that was true; however, the delivery made my blood boil.
Taylor rubbed his forehead like the entire conversation had given him a headache. “George, she’s following firm policy. Let it go.”
“It’s an interesting choice for someone trying to make partner,” George said to me.
Taylor uttered a curse under his breath.
“So, I should have waited until after I made partner, like you did, before screwing who I wanted?” I said without blinking.
Taylor gaped at me.
George laughed. “Hendricks, you’re a gem. I wish Preston had balls half as big as yours.”
“I need an antacid,” Taylor said, going to his desk. “Then can we please move on before you say anything else actionable, George?”
I sometimes wondered how the two of them ended up in practice together.
Though the fact Taylor not only saw the potential of my relationship with Levi hurting his career but celebrated it made them more alike than not.
Taylor followed the rules and said the right thing, yet I knew exactly where I stood with George.
I was a gem with balls. I’d also limited my client potential.
Only time would tell which had the bigger impact on their choice for junior partner.