I needed that time by myself first. To prove to myself I could do it.
That I was enough on my own.
Chapter Three
Georgia
There was nothing quite like starting a new job, not that it’d happened very often in my life. My first job had been as a Saturday girl in a hairdressers’ as soon as I’d turned sixteen. As well as showing me that I had no aptitude for styling hair, it had taught me an appreciation that the world was full of dicks, both male and female. It also taught me that there was peace in silence, and a well-timed finger behind someone’s back went a long way towards making you feel better.
During university, I worked the bars, picking up shifts when I could on top of my regular hours. It wasn’t that I absolutely needed the money for fees or rent, my parents and student loans had made sure that I was covered, and, if I lived on a shoestring and survived off beans and soon-to-be-out-of-date bread, I could focus solely on my law degree. I’d never known my parents to not work though, and if I didn’t have a purpose and an income coming in, I didn’t feel –right.My grandfather, Lord rest his soul, called me a ‘grafter’ and I’d tried to live up to the title.
After graduating, I started my legal practice course, a full-on year of learning legal etiquette and paying through the nose for it. I still needed to do something for a little extra income, so I worked as a tutor for kids preparing for exams, which taught me that I never really wanted to be a teacher.
Somehow I was one of the lucky ones and walked into a training contract, starting two years as a trainee for a middle-sized legal firm with offices in York and London. It was long hours, hard graft and a lot of being spoken down to by some of the senior partners who would pretend to not know your name.
But I did it, and then I did more. I worked hard. I grafted.
Today was the start of my career at Callaghan Green as a fixed equity partner. I had voting rights, earned what was an eye-watering salary and carried the weight of high expectations on my shoulders, but I was ready for it. They were a high-end firm with a reputation for being intelligent and only taking on cases that were complex and technical. A lot of the people I graduated with wouldn’t have considered them; the volume of reading and understanding of precedents was a lot to commit to, but that's what I enjoyed about law. I was excited, nervous and just a little intimidated.
“I can highly recommend the bacon, brie and cranberry sandwiches.”
Payton Callaghan was eyeing my food whilst nursing a decaffeinated coffee that she’d turned her finely structured nose up at when it arrived.
“I just can’t have brie. No one tells you before you get pregnant about the number of things you can’t have any more. Obviously, there’s no alcohol, but they forget the caffeine and cheeses.” She picked at her omelette.
I gave it thirty seconds before she was devouring it.
“Those things will taste so much better after. Thanks for meeting with me, anyway. I really appreciate it.” I shot her a smile, a nervous one. A new job still felt like the first day of school where you didn’t know anyone and you’d give anything for a kind smile.
Payton shrugged. “I feel like someone should warn you about the characters we have working for us. Although, I’m probably one.”
“That’s for sure.” Another woman, neat dark hair cut into a tidy bob, sat down next to Payton. A tiny baby was in her arms, the size that made me want to grab it and never let go, only I knew that was a criminal offence. “I’m Claire O’Hara, was Callaghan, if that explains anything.”
It did. The elder sister, a specialist in family law, currently on maternity leave with her second child.
“It’s good to meet you. How’re you doing?” I looked from her to the baby who was fast asleep.
Claire let out a soft laugh. “Well. She sleeps like a dream, nothing like the horrors we had with Eliza. Luckily, their father doesn’t need sleep, so I get to keep what’s left of my sanity.”
“How old is she?”
“Six weeks and two days.” Claire smiled down at her daughter. “The eldest is with her Grannie Marie, getting some much-needed attention. I decided to find out what the outside looked like and Payton said you were here, so I thought I’d say hi. You don’t mind me crashing, do you?”
“Not at all. Do you want me to hold her while you get a coffee? Because you can have one of those.” I sent a look over to Payton, not sure whether I was going too far to tease when this was only the second time I’d properly met her.
I saw Claire smirk at her sister too. “I’d love a coffee without a baby in my lap in a café. One with lots of lovely caffeine. Would you like me to order you something decaffeinated, Payts?”
“Fuck off.” It was almost whispered. “You’re going to force me into making a bad impression on our new partner.”
Claire grinned. “It wouldn’t have taken her long to suss everyone out anyway. May as well show your true colours from the start. Are you sure you don’t mind holding her, Georgia?”
“I wouldn’t have offered if I did. I like babies.” I stood up and held my hands over the table, taking the bundled precious package. I inhaled, hoping it wasn’t too obvious, and caught that baby smell.
Claire laughed quietly. I’d been caught. “I think that’s why we had Niamh. Eliza stopped smelling like a baby and I missed it. Would’ve been far less painful and a lot cheaper to have someone put that smell into a perfume.”
“Definitely.” I sat down and got myself comfy, tucking Niamh into my arm. I felt myself relax, some of the first day nerves drifted away. “Tell me about these characters then.”
Payton smiled, her eyes on her niece. “Three of them are my brothers, one’s my soon to be brother-in-law and another is Claire. Max is grumpy, and Jackson always looks like something’s on fire somewhere and he’s the only one who can put it out. Claire was a workaholic, but she went part-time and mellowed after she had Eliza. Eli is engaged to my other sister, Ava – who has nothing to do with law, apart from the fact she’ll be marrying a lawyer – and he’s just lovely. We share an office and somehow he manages to cope with all of us.”
