“Alright Frank, let’s go talk to Tara.” Ann turned and headed toward the front door.
I sighed and leaned against my office door. “Ok, so am I mistaken, or was that whole thing about a pumpkin?”
Marissa smiled, looking at the door as she watched the couple leave. “Not just any pumpkin.” She turned to her desk. “Thepumpkin. There’s a pumpkin growing contest every year. The whole county gets in on it. Frank wins every year and Tony is always trying to take his title.” Marissa grabbed a cup from her desk and held it out to me.
She looked at my open office door and the papers scattered on the floor. She raised an eyebrow. “Did you have a party without me?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Nah, leaned back too far in that chair and it broke. The papers were a casualty of proximity.” I rubbed my back. “You might have been right about the desk being safer.”
Marissa sat on the floor near the papers. She began sorting them into piles and putting things back in various colored folders.
“How do you know all this?” I motioned to the mess of papers. “Some were from five or six years ago.”
“Well, I did work here then. Plus, nothing is ever resolved, just buried and brought back up later.” She started picking up a blue folder. “This one is about all the disputes against Coach Peters. Instead of starting a new file for each complaint, Harry put them all in one folder.”
I grabbed some papers. “These are all against Coach Peters? What did he do?”
“Nothing,” Marissa grabbed a paper. “Played one kid too much, and played one not enough. Won by too much, lost when he should've won.” Marissa grabbed the folder. “He is the best coach we’ve had in ages. Not a bad guy, caught in a hard spot sometimes. Can’t please everyone, you know.”
I stared at the enormous stack of papers piling up. “Did Harry charge everyone when they opened a file or complaint?”
“Nah. He would just listen to them for a few minutes, show them he wrote it down, and then they were on their way.”
“It’s no wonder this place is a mess, with no profit. It’s more free counseling services than law.”
Marissa smiled. “Yeah. Harry was focused more on people than profit.”
“You can’t run a business like that,” I added, not wanting to upset her, but even if I didn’t save this firm, someone would need to and that person would need to make some changes.
“You’re not wrong.” She picked up a blue folder and put a pile of papers in it.
I sat on the floor and started handing Marissa papers. She could sort them far faster than me, anyway.
“So, why are you still working here?” I hoped I didn’t sound rude, but she always talked about it being a means to an end.
“Partly money.”
I should offer to help her achieve her goals, so she would be more willing to help me with mine. “I also think it’s time for a bonus, that should help you achieve your goals.” When I joined Raymond & Johnson Law my bonus could help pay up my depleting savings, this would be a necessary step in the process.
She smiled. “That would be awesome.”
“You said partly money,” I prodded.
“Hillsdale isn’t the easiest place to fit in sometimes. When I came here . . .” She paused and I didn’t press. “It was rough. Harry offered me this job, and it gave me a distraction when I needed it. He was kind to me, but also didn’t look at me like I was broken. After a while, his wife became sick, and I couldn’t leave him when he needed me. Plus, there is Nan I need to look after.”
“That’s your grandma.”
“Yeah.” She grabbed more papers and stuck them in various folders.
“But you’re leaving now?” My eyebrows pulled down. “What changed?”
“Harry’s gone and Nan is dating Bert.” She stacked all the folders.
Where does Carol fit in all this? I stood and offered a hand to help Marissa up. She eyed me but set her soft hand on mine. I squeezed it as I pulled her up beside me.
Time for donuts. “Let’s eat.” I walked beside her as we grabbed the food and headed to the foyer couch. “How do you know Carol?”
She sat beside me. Our legs brushed against each other. “Carol is complicated.” She took a big bite into her maple bar and then licked some frosting off her finger. “I hate thinking of her overextending herself while she’s hurt.” She leaned back into the couch and sipped her drink. “Thanks for breakfast.” Her cheeks turned red. “I left in a bit of a hurry this morning. What’s your plan exactly?”
