He nodded and smiled again at the passing waiter, who took an empty glass and left a slip of paper in its place. Rob opened it and showed her the phone number before putting it in his pocket.
“Jeff won’t like you bringing home a boy toy.” She wanted to change the conversation, as she wasn’t comfortable with the feeling that both Audrey and River had actual gifts. Or talents. Or whatever it was.
“I think a lot of people really believe they have those abilities. And maybe that belief helps them figure out ways to make it real to some degree. And Jeff would tell you that maybe those people reallydohave gifts and that we shouldn’t be so jaded.” He patted his jacket pocket. “The number isn’t for me. It’s for a friend I know who needs to get over a breakup.”
She believed that. Rob and Jeff, despite their innuendo and flirting, were totally monogamous. “I don’t even know what it is River thinks she can do. I know she reads tarot cards, which is about as bunky as you can get. I could do the same thing using packets of sugar.”
He laughed. “You’d only tell someone things that would win you cases.” His gaze met hers, and his expression turned serious. “Really, though. How are you doing with all this? It’s a lot.”
“Softie.” At the roll of his eyes, she gave in. “It is a lot, and I’m feeling the pressure. But I can handle it.” She bit her lip. “She’s nuttier than peanut butter, but I’m still bummed we can’t befriends or fuck buddies. She’s really hot, and I actually like her as a person.”
He blinked rapidly and pushed his empty plate away. “You know those are the ingredients for a relationship, right?”
“But I don’t have a pot to mix them in, so it doesn’t matter.” She too pushed away her plate. She was so full she wouldn’t need to eat for the rest of the day. As they headed back toward the office, she decided she wanted a strong coffee for the afternoon. “I need caffeine. Coming?”
He motioned for her to lead the way and frowned as they headed away from the standard chains. “Where are we going?”
“It’s a place River and I ran into each other.” She opened the door for him, and he tossed his head like he was tossing his hair over his shoulder.
“Why thank you.”
They got in line, and Marina saw the same young person River had spoken to the day of the festival. It made her think of River’s laugh, and then about the disastrous smoothie issue. How could she already have so many memories of doing things with someone she’d hardly seen?
She noticed Rob paying attention to the posters on the walls, the clientele, and the workers. His head tilted, and he looked thoughtful.
“Hey there! You’re River’s friend. What can I get for you?” It was the young enby who’d served them when she’d been there before.
River’s friend. Why did that make her feel warm inside? “Not her friend. Just someone she knows. I mean, I would be her friend. She’s great. It’s just that things are complicated?—”
The barista’s eyes went wide, and they looked from Rob to Marina.
Rob snorted and shook his head. “My friend without a decent vocabulary or sense of place will have a four-shot latte withcoconut milk. I’ll have a matcha latte with soy.” He paid and left a nice tip in the jar.
“Thanks. Um, see you around.” The barista threw Marina a quick smile and turned their attention to the next person in line.
“You’re even making a fool of yourself without her around. You’re totally cursed.” He looked at one of the flyers on the wall. “Looks like some good stuff happening at the Center on Halsted.” He took a photo of the flyer. “I forget sometimes how good it feels to be in queer spaces.”
Marina just nodded. Why did the mere mention of River send her into idiocy mode? She stood beside Rob, not really looking at the posters until one caught her eye. The logo was one she’d admired recently. “This is her shop,” she said, pointing to the Echoes and Insights poster inviting LGBTQ youth to a tarot workshop.
“It’s pretty cool she’s involved with the baby queers.” He shrugged. “At least it gives them a place to gather in a totally different neighborhood.”
“Yeah, but they shouldn’t be walking through that neighborhood at all, let alone at night. It isn’t safe. When the changes happen, it will be way better for them.” She thought of the cracked sidewalks, the flickering streetlights, and the empty lots. No, kids already at risk shouldn’t be going there.
“Not true.” The young barista stood behind them, their drinks in hand. “On workshop nights a group of elders meet us at the station, or we carpool over there. And after, those elders make sure we travel home safe. We’ve never had a problem out there. Not like here, where Jimmy got harassed on the bus the other day, and Carmen and her girlfriend had to duck into a store to get away from some guys who were shouting shit at them. Changing the buildings doesn’t suddenly mean we’re safer.” The barista thrust the drinks at them. “When was thelast timeyoutook care of any baby queers?” They turned away before either one could answer.
They made their way out of the coffee shop in silence, and then Rob harumphed. “I can’t believe I just got told off by an enby young enough to be my kid.”
“But they’re right.” Marina didn’t like admitting it. “You just said it was nice to remember what it’s like being in a queer space. I haven’t given any thought to anyone under twenty…probably since I was that age.” She sipped at the drink, hoping the barista hadn’t spit in it. “But that’s life, isn’t it? We all grow up and move on.”
He nodded but didn’t say anything, looking contemplative as they made their way to the law firm. With a quick wave, he headed to his office as she went toward hers.
After she sat at her desk, she sifted through the various messages piled on top. She hadn’t had one from Sheila today, and she was starting to feel itchy. It would come, she just didn’t know when. She frowned at one message and hit the intercom button. “Yvonne, what’s the message about an interview?”
Yvonne’s voice came back. “She didn’t say. Just that she was a reporter interested in an interview, and she’d call back later.”
Which case did the reporter want to talk about? Attorneys rarely gave interviews because everything was confidential. It couldn’t be coincidence that someone wanted to talk to her the moment she took over Black Pinnacle as a client. The question was whether it was going to be about one of the East Coast acquisitions or if it was about the South Shore project. That was unlikely. No one cared about the tiny bit of the city sandwiched between multiple other gentrified areas.
Well, whatever it was, she’d probably just no-comment anyway and let Sheila’s team know so they could handle it their way. There was no chance in hell she’d get in front of a camera on behalf of Sheila Black.
