“So, there’s no reason I need to be here.”
“Nope.”
“And I overreacted by thinking I needed to come here and explain things further.”
“Yes, but I do appreciate the coffee.”
I nodded, sure I had this wrong somehow. Yes, I understood that she was in a delicate position with me, but still…I kept waiting for her to go overboard and demand I be at her beck and call or take her out on a date.
It was weird.
Every second of this was just weird.
“Okay,” I nodded, wondering what the hell to do now. “So, I can leave.”
“I would appreciate that. I have a lot to do before the store opens.”
Right. She was basically kicking me out.
“Okay.”
I walked forward and gave her a kiss, to which she was very perfunctory. Shaking my head in confusion, I walked out, then stood on the sidewalk, trying to figure out my next step.
There was no need for me to make anything right because she wasn’t mad. I didn’t have to explain anything because she left me to go to work. I was in the clear.
And I wasn’t used to that.
I strode back to my car, wondering what I was going to do with the rest of my day, when I remembered that old law office just another block down behind the post office. With my cup ofcoffee in hand, I headed that way, surprised to see that it was still open, though it looked like they didn’t have any clients based on the dust coating the desks as I peered through the window.
The door opened with a jangle, and Mr. Peterson peered out, a surprised smile on his face. “Can I help you?”
“Uh…I was just wondering if you were still practicing. I’m Ryder Lawson,” I said, holding out my hand.
“Ryder!” he grinned, walking out to meet me. The man had to be pushing seventy by now, but he was still as sprightly as ever. “I heard about how you made it big at some law firm in New York.”
“Uh…yeah.”
He nodded. “There are always problems working with big law firms. Can’t blame you for leaving. Come inside. I’ll put on some coffee.”
I glanced down at the to-go cup in my hand, but followed the man inside. How long had it been since he’d talked with anyone about law? Tossing the cup in a nearby garbage can, I walked inside, sneezing immediately at the collection of dust.
“So, you’re back from the big city. Can’t say I blame you. I headed off to Denver once myself. Took a job at some corporate company. Never did like it,” he chuckled, moving some old files off a chair for me to take a seat. “So, any plans now that you’re home?”
“I hadn’t really thought about it,” I sighed, sitting back in the chair.
He eyed me as if he knew exactly why I left and why I was back here. “It’s tough.”
“What’s that?”
“Matching your beliefs with theirs. Either you fall to their commands, or you stand up for what you believe. Good for you.”
I shifted in my chair uncomfortably. “Um…what exactly did you hear?”
He chuckled. “Same thing as everyone else. They fired you because you couldn’t cut it.”
“And…from that, you took that I was standing up for my beliefs.”
He grinned at me, spinning in his chair to pour me a cup of coffee from the small table behind him. “You can take a man out of the west, but you can’t change who he truly is.”
