Chapter Thirty-Three
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Riley waited just outside Jack’s building and a few minutes later, he came through the doors followed by a half-dozen colleagues, four men and two women. One of the women, with long curly brown hair and big brown eyes, looked vaguely familiar. She didn’t realize who she was until Jack introduced everyone and Brittany was last. Riley felt her eyes widen at the name. That was why she looked familiar. It was the girl on Facebook in the comments section. Brittany smiled and said hello and seemed happy to meet her.
As they walked over to the bar, Riley glanced at her a few times. Brittany was in her early to mid-twenties, slim and bubbly. She was smiling and laughing the entire time and Riley noticed that she touched Jack’s arm when she spoke. To be fair, she did it to one of the other guys, too. Maybe that was just her way and it didn’t mean anything.
Jack led the way into the nearby hotel bar. It was like an elegant pub with big leather chairs and dark polished wood. The bar itself was dark, the lighting dim and the windows were small and didn’t let in much light. The bar wasn’t crowded, which is why Jack said they liked it.
“We can almost always get space at the bar for our group,” he said as they settled around the corner of the bar. The bartender came right over and took everyone’s order. There were lots of martinis and whiskeys. Riley was the only one drinking wine. She didn’t much care for vodka or whiskey. Once everyone had a drink, Jack raised his glass in a toast.
“Cheers to Riley. She might be joining us soon!”
Riley looked at him in surprise. “Did you already hear something?”
He smiled. “Just that you aced the first round. The in-person was really a formality. But I didn’t tell you that in case it made you nervous. Better to keep your edge.”
She was glad he hadn’t said anything. That would have unnerved her. She still wasn’t at all sure about the law firm. But it didn’t seem like the time to share that they were her second choice. They all seemed to really like it there.
Twenty minutes later, Brittany was standing next to her at the bar, trying to get the bartender’s attention for another drink. He noticed her and headed over a moment later and she ordered another martini. While she waited for her drink, she finished the last few sips of the one she was holding. Riley had barely made a dent in her wine. If she drank vodka as fast as Brittany, she would be feeling miserable the next day.
“Have you been with the company long?” Riley asked.
Brittany smiled. “Just over a year. I joined right after graduating.”
“How do you like being a lawyer?” Riley asked.
Brittany cracked up as if Riley had said something hilarious. “I’m not a lawyer. I’m a paralegal.”
Oh. So that meant she was even younger. Maybe twenty-three or so. Just a baby. “Being a paralegal is okay. I get to do a lot of the same things the lawyers can do, but of course I can’t go to court. I help with their research and documentation. I support Jack. He’s great to work for.” She glanced over at him, admiration shining in her eyes. But Jack wasn’t paying attention. He was deep in conversation with the guy on his left.
Riley relaxed a little. Brittany was cute and a big flirt, but if she worked for Jack directly then she was very much off-limits. Not that she really ever felt like she had to worry about Jack that way. It was more Brittany’s aggressive admiration that was concerning. Or had been. She wasn’t worried about it anymore. She knew Jack would never do anything to possibly jeopardize his partnership.
They stayed for another two hours and Riley had a second glass of wine. She had fun, sort of. Jack’s coworkers were friendly and fun. But every conversation circled back to work and they talked about cases and situations that Riley had no knowledge of. So she sipped her wine and people watched as the bar filled up with suits. It was a mix of attorneys and financial types. The traders had a certain air about them, a cockiness that swarmed around them. They were incredibly impressed with themselves and expected everyone else to be equally impressed. Riley found it tiresome.
“Lawyer?” The voice came from her left and when she glanced over she saw a suspected trader looking at her with a crooked grin and a gleam in his eye. His blond hair was a little too long and flopped over one eye.
“No. Unemployed at the moment, actually. What about you?”
He stood a bit taller and his chest puffed out. “I’m a trader at Bear Stearns.”
Of course he was. She fought back a yawn. “That’s great. Make any exciting trades today?”
She said it flippantly but he took it seriously. “Yeah, as a matter of fact. I made a killer trade. No one saw it coming. The best kind.”
“So you love what you do, then?” she asked.
He grinned. “Well, truthfully, I’d rather be a surfer. But trading pays a whole lot better.”
Riley took her last sip of wine and set her glass down. Jack saw it and walked over. “Do you want to get out of here, get a bite to eat?”
She nodded. “I’m ready.”
Jack closed out his tab and they left. They went to a small Italian restaurant near Riley’s apartment. It was still early, just a little after seven, and they had a relaxing dinner. Riley ordered eggplant parm and Jack went with his usual, a simple spaghetti and meatballs. Riley ordered a glass of red wine, but only drank half of it. She was just too full and too tired from the long day of interviews. Jack finished all of his food and the rest of her wine and ordered a tiramisu for them to split. She did manage to eat quite a bit of that.
Over dinner, Jack filled her in on everything going on at work, the different projects he was working on and he mentioned again that he was pretty certain that she would be getting an offer.
“They must be considering other candidates,” Riley said.
Jack shrugged. “I think they talked to a few, but they weren’t excited about anyone until they talked to you. I guess your background is a perfect fit. And of course I told them how wonderful you are.”
Riley smiled. “Thank you. I think the interview this morning went well, too. I might get an offer from them as well.”
Jack looked a little disappointed at first, but then he smiled. “Well, that’s great and of course I’m not surprised. Did they tell you anything about the benefits at the law firm? Because they are pretty sweet.” He went on to list them. “Five weeks of vacation, though no one actually takes the time, but you get the extra pay. Tuition reimbursement if you want to take any classes. They match on 401(k) immediately, up to six percent. And there’s a pretty significant year-end bonus. It varies by position but I think roles like yours get at least twenty-five percent.”
That was impressive. Riley had never worked anywhere that had bonuses higher than 10 percent. The starting salary was higher at the law firm, too, about twenty thousand dollars higher. That, combined with the bonus, put the total considerably above the software company.
But Riley still liked the software company and the role there the best. She also really liked the company’s CEO. She hoped that they would make her an offer. More money was nice but ultimately she cared more about being happy in her job.
By the time the bill came, Jack was yawning, too. Riley had considered inviting him over to her apartment after dinner. But they were both so tired and she knew Jack had to be up and at work early in the morning. When the bill came, she reached for it but Jack was faster. “I’ve got it. You can get it when you’re employed again.”
She laughed. “Okay, deal.” Jack rarely let her pay, which she appreciated, but she wished it was more equal. She’d feel better if she contributed more often.
“You ready to go? I’m going to jump in a cab. I have an early client meeting in the morning.” He leaned over and kissed her. “Can’t wait until you’re back in town again. Call me as soon as you hear something.”
“I will.”
They walked outside and Jack walked with her to her building. He’d called for an Uber and it pulled up just as they reached Riley’s building. He kissed her again and she watched as he climbed into his Uber. And then she went inside and up to her apartment. It was too quiet and empty without Lily there. Riley looked forward to seeing her and her mother and everyone else at the inn the next night. She had a flight at ten and Amy was picking her up. She’d be back in Chatham hopefully around noon. She was hoping to work on Donna’s project for a few hours before heading over to the inn to get ready for the wine and cheese hour and the turndown service. She changed and climbed into bed and snuggled into the covers. Her last thought as she drifted off to sleep was that she couldn’t wait to get home.