She must have seen every muscle in my face tense.
“Drink?” she asked, almost throwing me the menu.
I nodded a little too emphatically and caught the bartender’s eye. “May I have a French pinot noir, please?”
“Nothing French by the glass. Just California reds.”
I pursed my lips and looked in her direction. “What are you having?”
“1942.”
I hesitated.
“Try it. You won’t even know it’s straight tequila.”
I took a sip. It burned like hell.
“I’ll do the same, please,” I said.
Andie looked pleased. “Any word from Eddie?”
I quickly scanned my emails. “He said to order appetizers, and he’ll be here in twenty.”
“He’s a busy guy. Pretty impressive.”
I looked down at my glass and took another sip, trying not to cough.
“When did you finish law school?”
I smiled sheepishly. “I started at the firm last month.”
“Holy hell, you’re green.” She sighed. “I always wanted to be a lawyer. I wish we could trade places.”
I tried not to look surprised. “When did you change your mind?”
She laughed. “When I realized there was a faster way to take over the world, I guess.”
She took a sip of tequila and paused. I wondered if she was done with small talk.
Then she asked, “Did you always want to be a lawyer?”
I shook my head. “I always thought I wanted to be an actress, but practicality got the best of me. I didn’t even know entertainment law existed until I was in my twenties. It seemed like the perfect way to pragmatically do what I love.”
She suddenly looked interested. “You know I have a lot of connections in Hollywood, right? You never know what direction life could take you,” she said, looking pleased that she could potentially offer something. I couldn’t tell if her intentions were genuine or if she wanted to motivate me to work my ass off, but it didn’t matter. At least we were having a conversation.
By the time Eddie arrived and the hostess showed us to our table, it felt like Andie’s iciness was beginning to melt. I wondered if Eddie had intentionally given us a head start.
He ordered a bottle of Saint-Émilion. We each ordered steak, and Andie chose three shareable sides for the table. Two hours later, we’d learned everything about Eddie’s beginnings prosecuting Brooklyn mobsters.
I watched Andie’s eyes harden. “And now you’re defending accused white-collar criminals. Like me.”
“Accused, not convicted,” he reminded her. I felt a jolt deep in the pit of my stomach, wondering if he’d read the memo.
She softened. “Well, I’m personally glad you switched sides. If I’d had an Eddie Kaufman in my corner earlier, I might have made better choices.” She smiled. “Maybe I’d even have ended up like my new friend Sam. Climbing the Big Law ladder.”
Eddie smiled. “We’re all on our own path, Andie. I don’t doubt for a second you’re going to be okay.”
He settled the check, and we walked out together. As he hailed Andie a cab, she leaned over and gave me a warm hug. “Come to LA. I’ll introduce you to some fun people.”
