“Terry, I really don’t think this is going to work. Riker and I are just entirely too different. We’re not even on the same spectrum as far as lifestyles go, and his self-righteous holier than thou attitude…”
“You are going to continue with this,” she cuts me off. “I don’t care if you actually have to marry the son of a bitch in a ceremony that’s broadcast to the entire world. This is exactly the kind of thing that we’re being paid to do.”
She pauses and takes a deep breath before driving the nail into my coffin. “Riker is the most important client that Ellis and Partners has ever had. If you want to keep your reputation intact, and continue on with the firm, you will do this. Get him out of the trouble that he’s in, at any cost. If you can do that, I will make you partner. Do we understand one another?”
I’m reluctant to agree, but can’t stop the words from forming across my tongue. “Yes, Terry.” I keep my voice steady as turmoil wars through me. I don’t want to continue with this absurd charade. I don’t want it to end in a public blow out of humility and pain or for Nia to be trapped in the wreckage when it finally comes to an excruciating end.
Sinking onto the bed, my body feels heavy, weighted down by a responsibility that should never have been dropped so squarely on my shoulders. My phone slides from my fingers and makes a muffled thump as it hits the carpeted floor at my feet. I should have told her no, should have just let her fire me and walked away with my head held high.
There are other jobs out there. Other firms that I’m more than qualified to join. But none of them hold the same power that Ellis and Partners does, and if I walk away, I can’t be certain that any of the other firms would be willing to take me.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Terry would make sure that if I left, it would be with a questionable reputation trailing behind me. Inappropriate relationship with a client, refusing to keep the interest of the firm and the clients a priority. Even if it was just speculation, there wouldn’t be anyone willing to take that kind of chance on me.
A soft knock sounds against the other side of my bedroom door just before the knob turns, and Nia peeks her head in. I smooth out my features and plaster a grin across my face. “What’s up, baby girl?”
“Is there something going on, mom?” She doesn’t hesitate. “You’ve been acting kind of weird ever since you got home.”
She’s definitely not holding anything back, now, as she pushes the door all the way open and walks over to where I sit on the bed. I search her face for some sign that she knows what I’m hiding from her, but all I see is genuine concern. Maybe she actually didn’t watch TV today, or if she did, she must not have seen anything about Riker and me.
“Just a rough day at the office.” I sigh. “Hey, guess what?” I ask, essentially deflecting her line of questioning.
“What?” she asks.
I pat the bed next to where I’m sitting. She hops up and snuggles warmly into my side. “I love you, so, so much! Did you know that?”
“Yes,” she grins, “but really, how could you not? I’m, like, the perfect kid.”
I tickle her side and she keels over in a fit of giggles. “You think so, do you?” I laugh.
“Yes!” Her high-pitched squeals resonate through the room.
“Maybe pretty close,” I say, pulling her into my lap and hugging her tight. I lean my face into the thick curls of her black hair, breathing in the scent of warm honey and sweet wisteria. She wraps her arms around me and hugs me back. How did I get so lucky to have such an awesome kid? I wonder.
She slides off my lap, her breath coming in spurts from the excursion of our tickle session. “I love you, too, mom.” A sly grin spreads across her face. “You know,” she says cleverly, “I wasn’t kidding when I said you needed to date more men. You never go out.”
“Maybe you should just let me worry about that,” I respond with a laugh. “You can just worry about being a kid. Besides, what would I need a man for, anyway? I’ve got you, that’s enough.”
“Yeah, for now, but what happens when I go off to college, or when I get married and have a family of my own? I won’t always be here,” she says sagely. “You need some love in your life, so you won’t be alone when I’m gone.”
“Since when did you become such a little grown-up?” I don’t want to let her see just how profoundly her words affect me. She’s too smart for her own good.
“Seriously, mom,” she says with an exasperated sigh. “I read the Cosmo sitting on your nightstand.”
“Oh, you little monster,” I holler.
She runs laughing and squealing from the room, her small feet leaving an echoing trail of footfalls as she disappears down the hall.
13 Riker
It’s been a whirlwind of a few days with Jane as we do interviews and work together, and as much as it surprises me, I’m actually enjoying myself. And I don’t just mean that I’m tolerating it and enjoying the occasional laugh or two, I mean that I’m genuinely having a good time with her, and I look forward to seeing her with every meeting. It has been busy though so I’ve decided to take the night off tonight, and I met up with Mark and Dawson at a club to relax.
They’re friends of mine that I’ve known for a while, and we like to meet up as often as we can to hang out and shoot the shit. They both work on Wall
