Aaron let out an exhale. “Oh my God, are you all right?”
“I will be. Nothing’s broken, but I’m discovering how bad soft tissue damage can be.”
“I bet. Do you need some legal advice?”
“No, our insurance guy seems to have it all under control. I was actually hoping to ask you for some career advice.”
“Are you thinking of coming over to the dark side?” he asked, and Jessica could picture his smile.
“I am, actually. I’d be the oldest law student in the world, but that also means I’m too old to care what all the young whippersnappers think of me.”
Aaron laughed. “Good for you.”
A swell of excitement filled Jessica’s chest, pushing out the usual low-key dread she harbored in that spot. “It’s insane is what it is. My husband is going to be shocked when I tell him. My kids too. They’ll think I’ve gone off the deep end.”
“But if it makes you happy, I’m sure they’ll be happy for you.”
“One would hope,” she said, regretting the words as soon as they were out. “I just mean it’d be a big change for them too. They’d have to get used to me being a lot busier. But that’s not what I wanted to ask you about. I was wondering if you might know if it’s even possible for me to go back after taking twenty gap years.”
“Well, your LSAT scores will have expired, so you’ll need to take that again. But otherwise, you should be okay.”
“Right, that makes sense.”
“I’d say your first move would be to enroll in a prep course and start contacting some law schools to explain your situation and ask for their advice.”
She grabbed her gratitude journal from her bedside table and flipped it open. “Okay, I’m just writing this all down.”
“And if you really want to immerse yourself in the law, you may want to try to get a job at a firm. That would look good on your application.”
“You mean they won’t consider the paint-your-own-pottery shop to be relevant?”
“As surprising as I’m sure it is, they may not.” His tone was light, and he sounded genuinely excited for her. “I happen to know of a firm that is hiring right now. Tiny place. One lawyer who is desperate to replace his assistant.”
Jessica’s stomach flipped. Could this actually happen? “Are you serious?”
“Oddly enough, yes.”
“Oh my God, am I really going to do this?” she asked.
“I don’t know you that well, but I’m going to say you are.”
“I know me really well and I think I’m going to say yes.” Jessica let out a laugh, a thrill running through her. “So, should I come in for an interview? Maybe bring a resume this time?”
“How about you email it to me, and we forget about the interview?”
“You must beextremelydesperate.”
“I really am. When can you start?”
Her head was buzzing. “I’m still having a little trouble getting around, so I’ll need another week or so to heal up. I think I could manage it by then. I might be moving kind of slowly, but that won’t matter, right? Oh, and I’ll need to get a new car and some business clothes.”
“Don’t go overboard, we’re pretty casual at Fillion and Associates.”
She gasped. “Am I the associates?”
“Pretty much,” he answered.
“That sounds important.”
