My friend is always one for dramatics.
Reading the street sign, I realize I’m close to the courthouse, and if I can get there, I should be good. They’d be idiots to follow me inside.
“Uh, I think I can lose them.”
“Chris, don’t be stupid and get yourself killed. What the fuck would someone be following you for?” Carlos sounds exasperated and confused.
Making a right, I tell him, “Technically, if something happens to me, it’ll be your fault. I would’ve never heard of Lily if you hadn’t called me.”
My heart clenches at that statement. Already, I don’t like the thought of not having her in my life. Which is insane. But crazy doesn’t negate the truth—I’m falling for Lily.
Shaking my head, I focus on the road. Seeing an opportunity, I swerve into the left-turn lane just as the light changes to yellow and make the turn. I let out a relieved exhale when the car between me and the SUV stops at the light rather than running it after me.
“I lost them,” I reassure him.
“Fuck, Chris. I think we need to talk.”
Checking my rearview mirror, I make the final turn before pulling into the courthouse garage. “Yeah, we probably do. I’ll call you in a few days.”
Before he can respond, I disconnect the call, needing a moment to myself before heading into court. There’s an odd feeling in my gut. It isn’t fear for my safety from what just happened. No, it’s a bone-deep dread that if something happens to me, there’s no one to look out for Lily.
And that scares me more than anything else.
I’m still a little rattled walking into court. But my client deserves my best, so I clear my mind of anything but what I’m about to do. Mandi and my client are already seated at one of the tables.
“Bill. Mandi. Sorry, I’m late. Traffic was a little crazy.”
Not a complete lie.
My client, Bill, stands up and shakes my hand. He’s a small business owner who hired a supposedly well-respected contracting firm to remodel his newly purchased office space. Since the work wrapped up, he’s had nothing but problems, from electrical issues to plumbing leaks to shoddy drywall work.
The contractor is the biggest asshole I’ve ever met, and that’s saying something. Mediation has failed three times, and I was sick of his shit, so I told him Bill and I’d see him in court.
So here we are. I would love nothing more than to burythis smug jerk so he can’t rip off hard-working people because he’s over-committed to clients and performs subpar work to get jobs done quicker.
Mandi’s eyeing me suspiciously. I should’ve known she’d be able to tell I’m a little shaken up.
“All rise.”
I set my bag on the table in front of my chair and wait as the judge enters the courtroom. I’ve been in front of him before, and he’s always been a fair judge. Hopefully, today is no different.
“Please, be seated.”
Everyone takes their seats.
“Are both sides ready to begin?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“No, we are not.”
Both the other attorney and I speak at the same time. My head whips in her direction, annoyed that she didn’t make me aware of this and wasted all our time.
I look back at the judge, who’s staring over the top of his glasses at us. “Your Honor, this is ridiculous. I spoke with Ms. Boothe two days ago, and she said nothing about not being prepared to begin today.” I pull a file from my bag. “Furthermore, I have transcripts of our failed mediation that prove that opposing counsel here has a history of coming to meetings unprepared and remains unwilling to reach an agreement that’s acceptable to both parties. And quite frankly, Your Honor, it’s disrespectful to your and my time, and her clients’ as well.”
The judge shifts his stare from me to the other attorney. I do feel a little bad for her. She is clearly a newer attorney, and I know when I was just starting out and was under the kind of scrutiny she is, I was shitting my pants.
“Is that true, Ms. Boothe?”
