by Linda Verji
“I’m offended by the implication that I would con my friend.” Sin tried to look hurt but it was difficult when her eyes were twinkling with unrestrained amusement. “Even con women have ethics.”
“Mm hmm.” Kelly eyed her friend with a healthy dose of distrust. This was the same woman who’d made a career out of trying to con Kelly and A.J. out of their weekly spending money when they were in prison.
“I swear there was no conning involved in the creation of this position,” Sin insisted. “Teddy and I just did some Math while you were at your interview. We realized that since I started working here, the percentage of men coming into the shop has increased by… by what?”
“By seventeen point four percent,” Teddy answered helpfully.
“By seventeen point four percent,” Sin said firmly. “And the number of women who come along to make sure I don’t snatch their man has increased by…”
“Nine percent,” Teddy offered.
“Exactly.” Sin nodded. “Basically by just being here, I’ve increased the reve- rese- the what?”
“The revenue,” Teddy said.
“I’ve increased the revenue in this place just by showing my face.” Sin sat back in her seat with a self-satisfied smirk. “I think that’s work enough, don’t you?”
Kelly laughed. “I thought you said that you weren’t going to use your face to earn money anymore.”
“Going straight is hard, man.” Sin sighed despondently, drawing laughs from both Kelly and Teddy. When their laughter died down, she started, “Speaking of work, Teddy found another firm advertizing for law graduates. Teddy, where’s that ad?”
Teddy paused his game, but before he could bring up the advertisement, Kelly said, “I’m not doing that anymore.”
Both Sin and Teddy turned surprised gazes up to her.
“You’re not?” Sin asked. “Did you find a job when we weren’t looking?”
“No.” Kelly smiled sadly. “I just think that I’m wasting time trying to get back into law. Nobody wants to hire me.”
“You don’t know that.” Teddy frowned. “You haven’t tried all the law firms.”
“I’ve tried more than enough to get the hint.”
“But-” Sin started, but was interrupted when a client called out for Kelly. Kelly left to serve the client. When she came back to Teddy and Sin’s table, they were waiting with protests.
“You can’t quit law.” Sin’s eyes shone with concern. “It’s your dream.”
“Don’t quit.” Teddy added his voice to the clamor. “If no one will hire you, then open your own firm.”
“With what money?” Kelly guffawed.
“I’ll lend you the money,” Teddy promptly offered.
Kelly shook her head. “No, but thank you for offering.”
There were so many reasons why she couldn’t accept Teddy’s money. First, because she knew where his money came from. Before owning Lani’s, Teddy had been an accountant. Only he wasn’t the usual kind of accountant. He’d made a fortune helping the rich evade the taxman and hide their ill-gotten gains in other countries. She couldn’t take his money in good conscious.
Further sealing her resolution not to take his money was the fact that she already owed him enough. When Kelly’s father had needed money to pay Kelly’s legal fees, Teddy had been more than willing to front him the cash. Unfortunately, Jesse was just as proud as Kelly. In the end, Jesse had sold Lani’s to Teddy. Even then, Teddy had ended up paying way more than market value for the café just so Jesse and Kelly would have enough money for her defense.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Kelly had continued to mooch off his generosity even after her father’s death. When Sin had been released from prison, she didn’t have anywhere to go. Teddy didn’t know Sin yet he’d allowed her to stay in the apartment atop the café rent-free just because she was Kelly’s friend. When Kelly had come out, he’d not only given her place to stay but he’d also given her a position in the café. Taking any more from him would be shameless and downright immoral.
“Seriously, you should let me help you,” Teddy insisted. “If you’re worried that you won’t have clients, you shouldn’t be. Between my connections and your father’s reputation you’ll be good.”
“That isn’t even the real problem,” Kelly said. Since she couldn’t say the truth without hurting Teddy’s feelings, she hedged, “The problem is I don’t have any real trial experience. I’d be short-changing my clients.”
“But you worked too hard to be a lawyer.” Sin frowned. “Are you just going to let it go like that?”
“Not completely.” Kelly pulled in a deep breath. “I think I might start trying out for positions as a paralegal. At least I’ll be using my law qualifications somewhere… if I get hired?”
“How much does that pay?” Sin asked. When Kelly gave her an approximate paycheck of a starting paralegal, she gasped. “What the hell? I’d make more than that working once a week as a fake girlfriend.”
Kelly laughed. “Not all of us have million-dollar faces.”
“You shouldn’t have to be a paralegal.” Teddy offered, “If you won’t let me help you open a firm, then at least let me hit up some of my contacts and see if I can get you a position in a good firm.”
“No, don’t do that, please,” Kelly protested. “You’ve already-”
Before she could finish speaking her phone rang.
“Sorry,” she apologized to her friends before she extracted the gadget from her pocket. She pressed it to her ear. “Hello.”
“Hello.” A cheery feminine voice greeted. “Is this Kelly Garner?”
“This is she.”
“Hi, I’m Marie Scott calling from Chambers & Quinn.”
Immediately, Kelly’s heart started a nervous tapping. “How can I help you, Marie?”
“You had an interview with our firm yesterday, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“Congratulations,” said Marie. “You got the job.”
What? Kelly could’ve sworn that her blood stopped moving right then. Had the woman just said ‘congratulations’? Impossible. How could Kelly have gotten the job when she hadn’t even completed the interview? Kelly swept her gaze around the café to make sure there weren’t any hidden cameras around because it sure felt like she was being pranked. However, the more Marie spoke, the clearer it was that this wasn’t a prank. This was a legitimate call. When Marie finally ended the phone-call after telling her to be at the firm on Monday, Kelly was still reeling in shock.
Bloody hell! Kelly stared at the now dead phone in her hand in wide-eyed disbelief.
“What?” Sin said. “Who was that?”
“You look like you just spoke to a ghost,” Teddy said.
“Guys.” Kelly turned to her friends. “I think I just got hired.”
“What? You’re kidding.” Sin’s whoops of congratulations were enough to attract the attention of everyone in the café. Standing, she dragged a still shocked Kelly in for a boisterous hug. Slowly Kelly’s shock turned into excitement. She’d really gotten a job. She smiled.
* * * * *
BY SUNDAY KELLY’S excitement about her new job had worn off, mostly because she suspected that she hadn’t gotten it on her merit.
“So what if Angelina put in a good word for you?” Sin said as she rifled through Kelly’s closet. “That’s how most people get their jobs these days.”
“I don’t want to be most people,” Kelly said. She was lying on their shared bed watching Sin pick a dress for her to wear on her first day of work.
“What about this one?” Sin held up a short, purple, body-con dress.
“I’m going to an office not a nightclub.” Kelly shook her head. “That’s too sexy.”
Sin made a face. “So people who work real jobs are not allowed to be sexy?”
“Not unless they want to be propositioned by clients.”
“No wonder I never worked a day job.” Sin scoffed before picking out a red dress tha
t was even shorter than the previous one. “What about this one?”
“Are you kidding me?” Laughing, Kelly got off the bed. “I think I’ll just pick out my dress myself.”
Sin settled on the bed to watch Kelly. She said, “You know for a broke girl you’re very picky.”
“I’m picky? Me?” Kelly rifled through her wardrobe for something more work-appropriate. “How?”
“You want a job but you want it on your own terms,” her friend explained. “You didn’t want Teddy to give you cash to start your own firm. Now you don’t want the job that maybe Angelina got you. If that’s not picky, I don’t know what is.”
Kelly hadn’t quite thought of it that way. “It’s not that I’m picky. I just don’t want to be a burden to other people.”
“It’s not like you’re out there begging for them to help you.” Sin said. “They offered all on their own. Plus they’re giving you a handout. You’re going to work at the firm, not sleep.”
“Yeah, but-”
“Yeah but nothing.” Her friend cut her off. “Your pride isn’t going to pay your student loans or have you forgotten about those?”
“No, I haven’t forgotten.” Kelly groaned. “So you think I should take the job?”
Sin rolled her eyes. “Well duh! Of course you have to take the job.”
And that’s how Kelly ended up in front of the building that hosted Chambers & Quinn on Monday morning.
She dragged in a deep breath, straightened her shoulders before making her way to the elevators. There were several people waiting for the elevator. Kelly couldn’t help studying them and wondering if they were her coworkers. When the elevators doors opened, everyone filed in. Kelly ended up right at the front.
The doors were closing when someone shouted, “Hold.”
Kelly instinctively tapped on the open button to keep the doors from closing. However, a moment later, she regretted that action.
“Thank you,” Spencer said right before his eyes met hers.
For a moment he seemed frozen by shock.
“Are you getting in?” Someone in the back called out. “Some of us have places to be.”
It was enough to unfreeze Spencer and with a murmured apology he got into the elevator. Kelly immediately shuffled as far away from him as she could in the cramped elevator and averted her eyes so she wouldn’t have to see him. Still, she remained ridiculously aware of his presence in the elevator. What made it even worse was the fact that he kept sneaking glances at her.
Stop looking at me, she wanted to scream. Her hand balled into a fist at the side of her body. Just try to greet me and see if you’ll still have a mouth, she mentally warned.
Fortunately for him, he didn’t say a word to her. What the hell was he doing here anyway? Meeting him here last week was coincidental, but this… this was just incredibly bad luck. Hopefully, he was going to a floor above or below hers and she would never have to see him again. The elevator doors opened on the second floor and several people got off. Unfortunately, Spencer wasn’t one of those.
Kelly moved further back into the elevator to create more distance between them. Spencer turned slightly to glance her way but he didn’t say anything. The doors opened at the third floor, some people got out. Spencer stayed.
Lord, I know I’m a sinner. Kelly closed her eyes. But this is not the day to punish me. Please, please tell me we’re not going to the same floor. Please let him go to a floor above the fourth floor.
The doors opened out to the fourth floor and…. Yup, Spencer got off.
Swearing to give God a piece of her mind when she had time, Kelly trudged out of the elevator a good distance behind Spencer. What was he doing here anyway? As far as she knew he was still an Assistant District Attorney. Was he here to confer with a defense attorney? If that was what he was here for, then she hoped he did it fast and left so she wouldn’t have to see his face again.
“Good morning, Mr. Chambers,” the receptionist, a petite brunette with a bright smile, immediately stood when she spotted Spencer.
“Morning, Marie.” Spencer stopped at her desk. “Do you have today’s paper?”
“I put it in your office,” Marie said. “Would you like me to bring you a cup of coffee?”
“Please.” Spencer nodded before he wandered away.
Kelly, on the other hand, remained rooted to the spot. Had she just heard the receptionist refer to Spencer’s office? Spencer had an office here? Why? And then that’s when it clicked.
Chambers & Quinn.
Spencer Chambers.
Crap!
CHAPTER 3
Kelly was an idiot.
Only an idiot would’ve missed all those clues. Maybe the fact that she’d ended up being called to Chambers & Quinn for an interview wasn’t enough to raise suspicion. However, when she’d met Spencer coming into the building the other day, she should’ve realized something was off, that there was no such thing as coincidence. She should have done her research.
“Good morning?” Marie, the receptionist, finally turned her attention to Kelly. “Can I help you?”
“H-hi,” Kelly stuttered even as her gaze remained locked on the hallway that Spencer had just disappeared through. “I’m Kelly Garner, the new hire. I was told to come in today.”
“Welcome!” Marie smiled brightly. “I’m Marie Scott. We talked the other day.”
“Ah yes!” Kelly shook Marie’s outstretched hand. “It’s great to meet you in person.”
“You too,” Marie said. “I’m told that you’ll be joining the Criminal Justice Division and working under Angelina. She’s not in yet but I can show you to your desk.”
Even as she followed the petite brunette, Kelly couldn’t help wondering what she was doing. Right now she should be leaving this office, not trailing the receptionist deeper down the wide hallway. There was no way in hell she could work in the same firm as Spencer. Sure, she probably owed Angelina for this position but still…
Wait! A sudden thought struck her. What if her new job had nothing to do with Angelina? What if this was all Spencer? God, no. She didn’t even realize she’d stopped walking until Marie stopped moving too and called out, “Hey, are you coming?”
“Sorry.” Kelly trailed after the brunette even as her mind reeled with the implications of her new dilemma.
“You’ll be sharing with the other junior members of Criminal Justice and the guys from Civil Lit,” Marie said as she led the way into a spacious and airy office.
Four of the five desks in the space were already occupied by men. The men looked up from their work when Marie and Kelly walked into the room.
“Guys, this is Kelly. She’ll be working under Angelina,” Marie introduced. “Kelly, this is…”
Kelly struggled to keep track of everyone’s names as Marie pointed them out one-by-one. There was Russell, the primary investigator for both teams, Casper, a paralegal under the Civil Litigation Division, Sam, a junior lawyer under the Civil Litigation Division, and Duke, a paralegal under the Criminal Justice Division.
They all looked like really nice people and welcomed her with smiles. Within ten minutes of talking, Kelly decided that she liked them. Her workspace wasn’t too bad either. Even though the five of them were sharing an office, the space was big enough that there was a sizeable distance between her desk and the closest one. Additionally, the firm had sprung for the best furniture, computer hardware and storage cabinets. She was even allowed to pimp out her corner the way she wanted. To top it off, the job also came with free membership to the gym in the next building, comprehensive health insurance, free lunch at the swanky restaurant downstairs and discounts at the bar across the street. It would’ve been the perfect job, if Spencer wasn’t here.
The introductions were barely over when Angelina herself walked in.
“Duke, where are the files-”Angelina stopped speaking when she saw Kelly. Her eyes lit up in unrestrained thrill and her mouth turned up in a smile. “Kelly, you’re here.”
<
br /> “I am.” Kelly forced a smile.
Angelina looked so happy to see her. How in the world was she going to tell her that she was quitting because she couldn’t work in the same firm as Spencer? Just the thought of having to see his face every single day sent equal measures of distaste and anger pulsing through Kelly.
“It’s good to see you,” Angelina said. “Why don’t you come into my office so we can talk about your pay and the rest of that good stuff?”
“Actually, you can’t do that right now,” Marie cut in. “Lawrence has called a GM for nine-thirty. It’s nine-twenty-five.”
“Ugh!” Angelina groaned. “Lawrence and his impromptu GMs. Is it too much to ask that these things be scheduled in advance?”
“Don’t ask me. I’m just the messenger,” Marie trilled before skipping out of the office.
Moments later, Kelly found herself in an elevator with the rest of her workmates, sans Spencer, on the way to the firm’s general meeting. She’d quit as soon as they came back up, she promised herself.
As it turned out, Spencer was already in the conference room. Her stomach muscles knotted the moment she saw him. He glanced her way when she walked into the room and their eyes met, held. Kelly’s lungs immediately seized, her stomach muscles tightened and her top lip lifted in an automatic sneer. Spencer quickly averted his eyes. For the rest of the meeting he ignored her, and she ignored him right back.
Good riddance to bad rubbish.
As is with most firms, only the senior and managing partners got to sit at the conference table. Kelly and the other junior staff were relegated to standing at the edges of the room. The meeting began with introductions.
“As some of you already know,” Lawrence said, “we have some new blood in our ranks.”
Spencer’s introduction had by far the most fanfare. Lawrence waxed on and on about Spencer’s virtues and qualifications. His over-excitement at Spencer’s arrival in the firm was enough to give Kelly pause, until Casper whispered to her that Lawrence was Spencer’s godfather. Apparently, the older man had raised Spencer after his parents (who were Lawrence’s partners) died.