ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟚𝟙
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If I hadn't shown up for work, I'm pretty sure Georgia would've told Ted, and Ted would've fired me right there on the spot.
It's not like me and Cameron were poor-never that- I just wouldn't know what else to do with my time other than help people and win.
Winning was the most important thing for me.
So I'm sitting in the office, reviewing details on Georgia's case, and what she wrote as little notes.
She wasn't a bad lawyer, but she also wasn't a good one.
There were a whole bunch of spelling errors in her notes, and her organization was just not it.
Sometimes I wonder how she passed the fifth grade.
Just then, my phone buzzed from my pocket. I pull it out, and the contact number is Cameron. He was texting me.
I decide to settle on. I didn't need more weight on my body.
Very persistent of him. I completely focus my attention on texting him now.
I rolled my eyes. His idea of "productivity" was watching true crime while shoving oatmeal raisin into his mouth. He was the one who supported my career while no one else did, even if he didn't understand a single thing about it.
I typed "Disgrace to the department." but deleted it before hitting send. Instead, I let out a soft sigh, my thumb hovering over the screen as I watched the little bubbles pop up again.
Before I could reply, the office door swung open with a sharp thwack that rattled the partition.
Georgia stomped in, her heels clicking aggressively against the linoleum. She looked like she'd been dragged through a bush backward, her legal pad clutched to her chest like a shield.
She didn't even attempt to say afternoon, or look at me- she just dumped a stack of manila folders onto my desk, the sudden weight of them making my mahogany table groan.
"The client is losing his mind, Dixie," she snapped," He says he wants a motion to dismiss, and he wants it by noon. I don't care how you do it- just hurry."
I looked up, my eyes drifting from my phone to her frantic, un-composed face. "I'm working on the discovery phase right now, Georgia. If I stop to rewrite your motion, the entire timeline for the pretrial hearing shifts."
"Then shift it!" she hissed, leaning over my desk. "Do you want to win this or not?"
"Correction," I say calmly. "I don't want you to win, I want to win."
My phone buzzed again.
I looked at the text, then back at Georgia's chaotic, messy files. I took a deep breath, setting my phone face down. At least this time, she knew how to ask.
"Fine," I said, my voice turning cold and professional. "Get out of my office. By the time you come back, the motion will be perfect. And Georgia?"
She paused at the door, her hand on the frame. "What?"
"If I rewrite this, I'm taking the lead on the hearing. I don't want you tripping over your own feet while I'm trying to close the deal."
She glared at me, her face flushed with indignation, but she didn't argue. She knew, just like I did, that I was the only reason she was still employed at this firm.
She turned and stormed out, leaving me alone with her mess.
I pulled the first folder toward me, grabbed my fountain pen, and got to work. If the universe was going to hand me a disaster, I was going to turn it into a masterclass.
~
More than half the office has left by now. It was only me, a couple janitors, and security workers.
Though, that all didn't matter to me. What mattered was that I was finally done. I had spent 5 hours constructing all the evidence needed for Georgia's case. Obviously I wasn't going to just hand it to her like that. This was proof to Ted that I could bounce back, and I do belong at the top.
On the desk, my phone rings again. I assume it's Cameron without looking, but this time, it's not.
I stare at Judge Johnson's number for a moment before answering. "Judge Johnson."
"Dixie."
I shut my office door even though there were like no more than five people in here. You still have to be careful, and no one must know I'm still on this.
Especially Ted.
My pulse pounds. "We can't do this."
"What?" He pauses.
"We cannot talk about this right now."
I look out my window before lowering my voice. "I'm still at work."
"Dixie, this is important."
"I know it's important." My hand presses against my forehead.
Nothing about the Deyes case was useless information.
"If anyone hears me discussing the Deyes case, Ted will lose his mind."
"Ted? Your boss? You're telling me he doesn't know you're still on this?"
"No, Judge. I haven't. Not that easy when everyone's trying to move on and I have you constantly on my shoulders." I say, a little agitated. I mean, it was a stupid question.
When he speaks again, his voice is careful. "I found something."
"Yes, I also found something. What's your point?" I say.
"It's not something I can explain in thirty seconds."
I close my eyes, sighing. Of course it wasn't. My gaze lands on the clock hanging across the office.
I have been here since 9 AM, now it's 10:45 PM. 25 more minutes until I get home.
"Can it wait?"
He sighs a long, reluctant sigh.
Finally, "Very well."
I release a breath. "I get off at eleven."
"I'll call then."
"Mr. Johnson, I like punctuality. Don't be late."
"I'll be available."
The judge pauses.
"Be careful, Dixie." Something about the way he says it unsettles me.
"I will."
The line disconnects. I lower the phone slowly before taking two deep breaths.
I grab my coat from off the hook, and just as I'm about to pack all my stuff, someone busts through the door.
I nearly have a heart attack as my hand flies to my chest. "Jesus Christ."
The person freezes. "Hello to you too."
Cameron.
Holy moly. Thank the Lord it was just him. I was afraid someone had been spying in on me, listening in on my calls.
The giant 6'2 firefighter standing in my doorway holding absolutely no concern for the ten years he just shaved off my lifespan. Relief floods through me so quickly it almost makes my knees weak.
For half a second I'd genuinely thought somebody from the firm had overheard me talking to Judge Johnson.
Instead it's just my husband, standing there looking unfairly handsome for eleven o'clock at night.
His dark jacket is unzipped, exposing a plain beige shirt underneath. His dirty blonde hair is slightly messy, probably from running his hands through it all evening.
"You're ridiculous, Cameron! Scared the jeepers out of me." I say suddenly.
"That's not the answer I was looking for."
"What answer were you looking for?"
"Why do you look like you saw a ghost?"
I stare at him, then at the clock before sighing and looking back at him. "I thought someone heard me."
His expression changes immediately. "What do you mean?"
I close my eyes briefly, realizing he has no idea about all of this.
"Nothing."
His eyes narrow- he knows that's a lie, I know he knows that's a lie. Fortunately for me, he lets it go. But I know he's going to bring it up later.
I look around him, at the empty hallway. "Why are you here?"
His face immediately softens, like the answer should be obvious. "To pick you up."
"Cameron, my car."
"What about it?"
"It's literally outside by the front."
He shrugs. "We'll get it tomorrow."
"So what you're telling me is you drove all the way here to pick me up?"
"Yes, Dix. I don't understand why that's so confusing to you."
"Why?"
"Because I wanted to."
As if people regularly drive across town just because they miss somebody.
I start shoving files into my bag, mostly so I have something to do besides stare at him.
Before I can even register what he's doing, he walks over and gently takes my wrist. I immediately freeze.
"Come home." He says quietly.
I look anywhere but his eyes, because at this point I have no words. Cameron always found a way to get me speechless. And I didn't like it.
I didn't like it because that's not me.
Dixie West always knows what to say.
Not around him, she doesn't.
"I wanted to see you, you know."
"You literally saw me this morning."
"Well unfortunately, Mrs. West, mornings aren't enough for me. Now, lets go home."
He steps closer, one hand settling on my waist. The other gently tilting my chin upward. It became obvious what he was trying to do.
"Cameron, we're at my workplace."
"Where else would we be?" He smiles.
"Many, many places." I say rambling, "Like a wedding, a cruise, maybe camping, or-"
He shuts me up by leaning down and kissing me. It's a brief, searing interruption that effectively atomizes my train of thought.
His lips are warm and insistent, pressing against mine with a confidence that leaves me dizzy. The kiss deepens before I can even think to stop him. I lean into him, my arms around his neck.
Until reality comes crashing back.
I shove against his chest with trembling hands, breaking the kiss with a gasp.
"No," I insist, voice firmer this time, even as my own pulse thrums in my ears. "This isn't- we can't-" I gesture wildly at my office. "Here."
My palms stay pressed against his shoulders, keeping him at bay despite the way my body protests the distance.
I turn towards my desk, grabbing my file folder, phone charger, and the insane amount of legal pads. Beside me, Cameron helps. By the time we're finished, he's carrying half of it.
Because apparently firefighters are incapable of carrying normal amounts of objects.
We walk toward the elevator together, his shoulder brushing mine every step.
The second we step outside, the cold air smacks me in the face.
We reach his SUV and Cameron immediately walks around to the passenger side.
"What are you doing?"
He opens the door. "Being a gentleman. Ever heard of it?"
"I have hands. I can open my own-"
He cuts me off, smirking. "Get in the car, Dixie."
I stare him down as he continues holding the door open. The man had all the patience in the world when it came to nonsense. The rest of the drive passes quietly, and before I know it, we're pulling into the driveway.
Home.