Charlie looked exhausted as he waited outside Joe’s a couple of hours later.
“Late night?” I winked.
He groaned. “I already had my wild days as a paralegal. My body can’t tolerate that little sleep.”
I filled him in as we walked back to the elevator bank, careful not to repeat any names.
“I just want to nail this memo. It feels more make or break than anything.”
He grinned. “Nah, you’re in the circle now. All you have to do is stay in the circle.”
I crossed my fingers. “Can we talk about how ridiculous some of those people were last night?”
“Oh, yeah. I figured I’d let you form your own opinion, but those events are garbage. There’s a reason the firm opens them up to seat fillers, and it’s not because they’re generous.”
“If they all end with getting staffed on cases like this, I’ll fill a seat anywhere they need me.”
Charlie rolled his eyes. “Okay fine, I’ll be your plus-one, but only for the free booze and titillating conversation. And I’m not even talking about ours.”
I rubbed my temples as we sat down at our desks. “I might have to crawl under the desk and nap before I can turn these notes into any sort of coherent memo.”
Charlie peered over the desk divider at the stack of pages, which I promptly grabbed and put on the side of my desk.
“Highlyconfidential!” I exclaimed, yawning simultaneously.
“You nap, I’ll flip through them.”
“I’m serious. Can I trust you to leave them alone if I just put my head down right here for five minutes?”
“Not a chance. You know what I just went down to court for? Some real estate investor got an eviction notice from a commercial building in Midtown, and we had to file a temporary restraining order. I’m desperate to read anything that doesn’t mention REITs.”
“Don’t make me ask.”
“Real estate investment trust.”
“You’re better than that.”
“I’m not Hollywood material. Too nerdy.”
“And I’m an Italian girl from Virginia. Probably the last person who belonged in that meeting.”
Charlie grinned. “You’ll belong wherever you decide you want to belong. Not sure if high-stakes poker is really your scene, though.”
I took a deep breath and glanced warily at the stack of notes. “No napping. I need this memo to be the best thing Eddie ever read.”
I harnessed a second wind and started summarizing recent rulings of Second Circuit cases where the antigambling statute was front and center. I was struck by how judges could write such dry opinions about gambling.
“Is poker easy to learn?” I asked a few minutes later.
“I’ve got a game going right now on my phone.” He grinned. “I can give you a quick tutorial, if you want.”
I hesitated. “I don’t really have time. I have to keep going on this memo.”
He shook his head. “A good lawyer becomes an expert in whatever their clients are into. Otherwise, you’re a half-baked advocate.”
He swiveled his chair toward my side of the desk. “Here. I’ll show you the basics.”
The “basics” were all I needed to realize poker was complicated.
