4. Brooke
brOOKE
After one of the strangest nights of my life, I returned home Saturday morning, showered, and hid under the covers on my bed for the rest of the day.
As the remnants of my headache waned, memories of my time in the elevator with Stu returned with a vengeance.
I can’t believe what happened. It was bad enough that I had a panic attack due to being stuck in the confined space.
Then I made it worse by kissing a stranger, drinking too much of his whiskey, cuddling against him, and passing out in his arms.
Ugh. God knows what embarrassing things I said to Stu after the alcohol took hold. Regardless, I can’t imagine what he must be thinking of me. It must have been incredibly awkward for him to carry me to his suite. Reliving it in my head is painful enough.
Cringing at the memories as they run through my head, I’d like to erase them—except for the kiss and the feel of his warm body against mine. I’d rather hold onto that part.
At least he lives on another continent. There’s comfort in the knowledge our paths will never cross again.
Saturday morphs into Sunday. Fortunately, there aren’t any events for the summer interns today. That means I can continue wallowing in my embarrassment alone.
Wearing sweats, I camp out on my sofa, curled up with a blanket, pillow, mug of hot tea, and a pint of chocolate ice cream.
I flip between cooking shows and romance movies all day, not paying close attention to any of them.
It’s background noise to keep my mind from wandering to Stuart as I scroll mind-numbing posts on social media.
I should go to the gym or do something else productive, but emotional and physical fatigue mean my energy level is near zero. Short of refilling my tea and taking bathroom breaks, I remain wrapped in my blanket despite the fact my behind keeps falling asleep from sitting in one place for so long.
When my phone buzzes with a text message, I dread reading it because it’s probably work-related. A quick glance at the display confirms my fear. Almost instantly, my neck and shoulder muscles tense. It’s a text from Mr. Barclay, a senior partner at my law firm.
Damn.
I’m so not ready to face the real world. I thought I was safe at least until tomorrow morning, but no such luck.
It’s not that I don’t like my job. It’s just not what I expected.
When I studied law, I didn’t understand that a job at a large firm would completely consume my life.
Working days, nights, and weekends is the only way to have a chance at a promotion to partner.
Sure, I could walk away and find a less stressful job, but that’s not me.
When I set a goal for myself, I do my best to achieve it. Otherwise, in my mind, I’ve failed.
Failure isn’t an option, so I give in and read the text.
Mr. Barclay: We’re assigning you to handle an urgent charity project for one of the firm’s largest clients. The family is quite wealthy. Clear your schedule for the next week.
Me: What about my current projects?
Mr. Barclay: They’re being reassigned. You’re meeting with the PR team at their office on Monday morning at 10 a.m. Be ready to shadow the client’s representative this week. Check your email for details.
Me: Yes, sir. I’m supervising two summer interns. Are they being reassigned as well?
Mr. Barclay: Take them with you to some of the events. Otherwise, HR will fill their time.
A million questions run through my head.
Why me? Why would this client need a full-time shadow for a charity project?
It’s also a little strange that we’re meeting at the office of our client’s PR team instead of our law offices.
That makes me think they’re not expecting any significant legal issues.
Barclay also mentioned that the client isn’t a major corporation.
Apparently, it’s a foundation formed by a wealthy family.
I wonder which one. Why didn’t he include that info?
Experience has taught me not to ask. I’ve been assigned this task, and the reasons are irrelevant—at least according to Barclay and the other senior partners. As a junior associate, I’m expected to do the work and not question the judgment of the senior partners.
It’s a rather archaic system, but it’s the profession I na?vely chose. It pays well even if it can be frustrating at times. When my peers and I complain to the more experienced associates, they remind us that one day it will be our turn to hand out assignments if we succeed.
When that day comes, I’ll change things.
The new associates will be welcome to ask me anything.
If they have a better idea than mine, then great.
I’ve promised myself I’ll never assume my way is the only good one.
But that day is far in the future, if it ever arrives, which means there’s no point in belaboring the issue today.
Instead, I open my email to read Barclay’s message to prepare for tomorrow morning.
To my surprise, he answers at least a couple of my unasked questions.
It seems our firm is also a sponsor of our client’s charity project.
That means we’ve agreed to have a presence at the various events.
Apparently, another attorney, Brad Shackleford, was scheduled to take that role.
Another client requires his presence in Asia now, so he’s no longer available for this project.
For some unknown reason, I was chosen to take his place.
At least the assignment sounds straightforward. All I have to do is follow a rich guy around for a week. It should be a cushy assignment for a change.