ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟞𝟚
"Mrs. West, your two o'clock is here."
I looked up from the document on my screen.
Gwen stood in the doorway, one hand resting lightly against the doorframe.
She had learned, over the past year, that knocking before entering my office was appreciated. I had learned, over the past two years, that not everything required an immediate response.
That was progress, in my dictionary.
I leaned back in my chair and glanced at the clock on the wall.
2:03 PM.
I smiled. "Already?"
Gwen smiled back. "Three minutes late."
"Then they can wait three more."
She laughed softly.
I closed the document in front of me and saved the changes.
The office around me was quiet, except for the faint sounds of conversation coming from the hallway.
West Law had changed considerably since the first day I walked into this building and wondered whether I had made the biggest professional decision of my life.
Back then, I had walked through these same doors with a ridiculous amount of uncertainty.
I had stared at everything this place had to offer, and I had tried to imagine myself here. Actually being responsible for something that had my name attached to it.
Now, West Law occupied two floors, we had twelve attorneys, four paralegals, an office manager, a marketing coordinator who had somehow convinced me that social media was not the end of civilization.
And Gwen. Gwen was technically my executive assistant, although she had become much more than that.
She kept my calendar from becoming a stressed out mess, she reminded me to eat lunch.
I looked around my office.
The shelves were full now.
There were framed awards on one wall, photographs from charity events on another, and a small photograph of Jordyn sitting on my desk.
She was five forever.
She was giggling while holding her unicorn stuffed animal. Another photograph showed Cameron and I's wedding photo, with me dipping my finger in the cake, letting Cameron lick off of it.
I looked at Jordyn sometimes when I needed perspective.
She had a way of reminding me that not everything needed to be won. Some things simply needed to matter.
I looked back at Gwen. "Who is it?"
She hesitated. That was enough to make me curious. Now I really wanted to know.
"It's someone you know, I'm sure."
I raised an eyebrow at that.
Gwen looked down at the tablet in her hand.
"His name is Ted, I think?"
My smile disappeared. "Ted?"
She looked up. "Yes."
I stared at her. "From my old firm?"
"I'm sure, yes."
The Ted who couldn't name one successful case Georgia handled without my help?
Mind you, she had the mental capacity of a 6th grader.
What did he need from me now?
I smiled despite myself.
"Well," I glanced toward the door. "That's unexpected."
"Do you want me to reschedule?"
I almost said yes.
Two years ago, Ted could have made my blood pressure rise simply by saying my name.
He was just some man now.
A man who had once had authority over my career. A man who had treated me like I was replaceable.
A man who had underestimated my worth, and my work.
But that version of me was gone, and I had grown past it.
I looked at Gwen. "No."
"You're seeing him?" Her eyebrows lifted. "Are you sure?"
I smiled. "Oh, I'm very sure."
She nodded. "Alright."
She started to leave.
"Gwen? Can you give us about thirty minutes?"
"Of course."
She disappeared down the hallway, and I turned back toward my computer.
Ted.
I hadn't seen him in two years. At least, not since I walked away from his firm.
At the time, I thought leaving meant I had failed. Now I knew better.
Leaving had been the best thing I had ever done for myself professionally. West Law had grown faster than I expected.
The first year had been difficult.
I had spent months building a client list, negotiating contracts, hiring people, setting policies, learning how to delegate without wanting to personally inspect every comma in every document.
I had made mistakes. Plenty of them. I had also learned to admit when I made them.
I had learned that being right wasn't always the same thing as being useful.
I had learned that sometimes people needed five minutes to think before answering. (Including me.)
I had learned that if someone annoyed me, I didn't have to immediately tell them exactly how much they annoyed me.
That one had taken work.
Cameron liked to remind me of it whenever I became impatient, usually while looking far too pleased with himself.
Look at you, he'd say. Growing.
He was right, and I loved that about him.
I glanced at Jordyn's photograph again, then the door opened.
Gwen poked her head inside. "Alright Mrs. West, he's here."
"Send him my way." I nodded.
She stepped aside. A moment later, Ted walked into my office. I barely recognized him.
He didn't look too different, but he did look tired. His hair was all messed up, and his suit was wrinkled.
One thing about Ted was that his suits were always pressed, no matter what. I guess that was the only good thing about him.
I stood. "Ted."
"Dixie." He smiled.
He looked around my office. His eyes moved toward the glass wall overlooking the reception area.
He took in the size of the space, the employees moving through the hall, the West Law logo mounted behind reception.
Then he looked back at me. "Well."
"Hello to you too." I smiled politely.
He laughed. "I've been meaning to come by."
"Oh, I'm sure."
He walked farther inside. "This place is impressive."
"Thank you."
"I heard you've expanded."
"Oh yes, we did."
"How many attorneys now?"
I thought about it. "About twelve."
His eyebrows rose. "Twelve? And you're still taking cases yourself?"
"Of course I am."
What kind of wacko Dixie West would I be if I didn't take a couple cases for myself?
"That's impressive, you know."
"I try."
"You always did work hard." He smiled.
I stared at him for half a second.
That was interesting.
Two years ago, he had called my work ethic obsessive, and now it was impressive.
Funny how vocabulary changed when the person standing in front of you had become successful without you.
Ted looked toward the photograph on my desk and his expression softened slightly.
"Is that Jordyn?"
My smile became smaller. "Yes."
"She was beautiful young lady." He nodded.
"She was."
A brief silence followed.
I gestured toward the chair across from my desk. "Have a seat."
He sat, and I returned to mine.
Ted looked around again. "You've done really well."
"Yes Ted, I have."
His eyes came back to mine.
I wanted to laugh at that.
It was not the response he expected.
"You're very confident."
"I've earned it, don't you think?"
He leaned back slightly. "That's good."
I waited for him to speak.
He had asked for the meeting. He could explain why.
Eventually, he smiled. "So, how have you been?"
I almost laughed. When was he ever going to stop beating around the bush?
"Busy."
"Clearly. Are you happy?"
I looked at him. "Yes, I am."
"Good." He nodded.
"How have you been?"
His smile faltered at my question.
"Busy, but not like you."
I smiled. "Clearly."
He laughed.
I decided to make it easier for him.
"So," I folded my hands on the desk. "Why are you here?"
Ted looked at me, then exhaled.
"I'll get to that."
Oh, sweet Lord, some people just knew how to piss me off.
"Better start gettin' to it, then."
He smiled. "You haven't changed much."
"That's not necessarily a compliment." I tilted my head.
"No, excuse me." He looked around again. "You've changed plenty."
I leaned back. "How?"
"You're a lot calmer." "You used to react to everything."
"I still do. I just hide it better."
He nodded. "West Law has become a serious competitor."
"Oh? To whom?"
"To us."
I smiled politely. "I didn't realize I was competing with you. I've been busy running my own firm."
He looked down at his hands. "Exactly."
I waited.
Ted finally looked back at me. "I want to make you an offer."
"An offer," I raised an eyebrow. "What kind?"
"I'd like you to come back."
I stared at him then I laughed loud, in his face.
Ted watched me carefully.
I looked back at him. "You're serious?"
"Very."
"You want me to come back to your firm?"
"Yes, Dixie."
I narrowed my eyes on him.
"It's Mrs. West to you now."
Ted furrowed his eyebrows then cleared his throat. "Okay. Mrs. West."
"As what?"
"We can discuss the position."
I smiled politely. "No."
"You haven't heard of the offer yet." His eyebrows pulled together.
"I don't need to."
He sighed. "Fine."
He leaned forward. "I'd like you to come back as a partner."
I stared at him, waiting for him to continue.
"Or, if you prefer, we could structure something more independent. You could bring some of your clients. We could collaborate on larger cases."
I remained silent.
He kept going. "It could benefit both firms, you know."
"Both firms. As in, West Law and your firm?"
"Yes."
I nodded slowly. "Interesting."
"I knew you'd see the value." Ted smiled.
I looked at him. "I didn't say all that, now."
His smile faded.
"You asked me to come back to the firm that spent years making me feel like I wasn't good enough."
"That isn't what happened."
I laughed quietly. "Really?"
"Dixie, you were talented. We all knew that."
"Did you? I remember being told I needed to prove myself."
"You were very emotional at the time." Ted shifted in his chair.
I stared at him.
People always preferred the word emotional when a woman remembered something accurately.
"You were going through a difficult period, you had a lot happening personally. And the firm was under pressure."
I nodded. "Of course."
"You understand." Ted watched me.
"Oh, I understand perfectly," I smiled. "You needed someone to blame."
His jaw tightened. "That isn't fair."
"Neither was what you did."
Ted shifted again. "Look, Dixie. I came here because I recognize what you've built."
"You only recognize it now." I scoffed, rolling my eyes.