“Help yourself,” Helen replies without looking up, already plopping onto the worn sofa, her eyes scanning the page.
Lou takes a mug and settles beside her.
I watch Helen over the rim of my mug.After a night swimming in caffeine, my system is too saturated for another drop to matter.
“Sí,” Helen nods slowly, her gaze flicking back and forth, across the page.“¡Sí, exacto!” She slaps the paper onto her knee.“This is exactly what we need.Strong, clear.This is impressive writing, Ames!”
“Yes, that it is,” Lou agrees, resting his mug in his lap.
“Well,” I start, hesitant.“I had some help—a lot of help, if I’m being honest.”
Helen frowns.“But yesterday when I left, you were all alone scratching at that blond head of yours.”
“Matthew dropped by,” I confess, taking a longer-than-necessary swig of coffee.
“Matthew?”Lou sounds confused.
“The lawyer, Matthew?”Helen’s question is more of an exclamation.
“Yes.The lawyer, Matthew.”My face heats up.
Helen leans forward with a knowing smile.“So… you and him… here alone, all night…”
“No, stop!”I groan.
“Come on, Helen,” Lou interjects, and I couldn’t be more grateful.“Clearly, they were busy drafting this perfect statement.”
Helen tilts her head at him, eyebrows raised.“Clearly, you’ve been out of the game too long, old man.”
“I’m just saying a statement like this takes time and focus,” Lou defends.
“H-he actually wrote it all in two minutes while I watched.Stared would be more accurate,” I confess with a timid grimace.
Helen preens triumphantly.“You were saying?”She directs her question at Lou.
“I stand corrected,” Lou shrugs, drinking from his mug.
“It doesn’t matter,” I snap, needing to shut this down.“What matters is that we have a solid petition ready to go.”
“And,” Helen adds, “we now have a real chance against that greedy bastard.”
“Oh, definitely.”
“Exactly.”
Lou and I chime in agreement at the same time.
“And,” Helen continues, “with Matthew now in the picture, that so-called fiancé of yours will be out.And we all live happily ever after, as you Americans like to say.”
Rolling my eyes, I place the mug on the tray beside me and stand.“I can’t,” I say, raising my hands in resignation as I round my desk.
“Tell me I’m wrong,” Helen insists, ignoring my discomfort.
“Now, now, ladies,” Lou intervenes.“We have our work cut out for us, Helen.So let’s stop badgering Amy and get to it.”
“Vale,vale,” Helen replies, rising.“¡Vámonos!Let’s get those signatures!”
“Thank you,” I say with relief, dividing the pile in two.“This one is for you, sir.”I extend the stack to Lou with a smile.
