He excused himself to use the restroom, and I reached instinctively for my phone to skim emails. The top one was from Charlie, sent ten minutes earlier, forwarding me an invite to a Fordham Law recruiting event next week.
Hoping you can get on board with recruiting some of the more hardworking / less snobby kids.
I hit reply.Sure. But why are you emailing me right now?? Enjoy the concert!!
When Alex got back to the table, he accepted my offer to split the bill, and we walked out onto Broadway.
“I had a lot of fun,” he said kindly. I suddenly felt shy and had the urge to just shake his hand and jump in a cab. I was grateful that he wasn’t leaning in or standing too close. I figured I’d know when I wanted to be kissed on a first date.
I had no idea if I’d see him again but was relieved that the whole thing had been totally pleasant and even enjoyable. And I could tell Connor and Caroline that I actually went on a proper date.
A minute after I got in the cab, my phone lit up with a text from Charlie.
So?
I smiled at the screen.
Nice guy! Knows lots about wine.
Ouch.
What??
Do you tell people I’m a nice guy?
All the time, why?
Exactly.
So? Your turn . . .
Nice girl.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The next day, I was scheduled to prep Eddie for a meeting with the New York Film Festival board members.
A few hours before, Patricia called to say Eddie wanted to see me in his office. I wondered if Leo had told him about the settlement.
I walked the internal staircase up to the fiftieth floor. Eddie motioned for me to sit down and close the door.
“The lawyer for the city just called. The permit applications we sent over for the film festival were dated incorrectly, and now we’re right up against the deadline. We’re helping the festival negotiate with the city on a pro bono basis, but we need to be just as buttoned-up as we are for paying clients. If the city uses this as an excuse not to permit the festival, we’re fucked.”
I felt lightheaded as my mind was racing.
I looked at the stack of documents he had printed.
It was a blatant fuckup—the kind that made me physically nauseous. After all this, I couldn’t be the reason the New York Film Festival wasn’t happening.
“Please double-check your work. We could lose all credibility.”
I wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out.
“I’m so sorry. I’ll do everything I can to make it right.”
He nodded soberly. “I know that mistakes happen, especially when technology is involved. But for lawyers, mistakes have catastrophic consequences. Our profession can be very unforgiving. One mistake could tank your career, and you might not get a second chance.” He turned back to his laptop. “I guess that’s the only takeaway I’ve got.”
I walked like a zombie back to my office. Charlie was out all day for another deposition, which left me alone with the looping echo of Eddie’s words. How could I have made such a careless mistake?
