The Intern(9)

“What? You don’t have a drink yet?”

“Ah, I decided not to. It’s a school night.”

“But it’s my birthday.”

“I’ll catch you later,” the other guy said, glancing at Ty as he slunk away.

Ty had a funny habit of coming between her and anybody she showed interest in. If it wasn’t his birthday, she’d have called him on it. He ordered her a Manhattan, and one for himself. An obvious play—that had been their celebration drink when they were together. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. But his next sentence wiped their relationship issues from her mind.

“I hear you’re applying to the internship in Judge Conroy’s chambers. That true?”

“Who told you that?”

“Remember Sean Chen? Buddy of mine, graduated last year? He’s clerking for her this year.”

“Sean is Judge Conroy’s law clerk?”

“That’s right.”

“And he told you I applied for the internship? Why is that any of your business?”

“He thought we were still going out.”

“Even if we were, he shouldn’t be blabbing like that.”

“He was just making conversation. You know this place is a fishbowl. Nobody can keep a secret.”

“Why do you care if I apply? Unless you want the job for yourself?”

She’d felt so flattered when Judge Conroy invited her to apply. Well, maybe she wasn’t the only one the judge asked. Ty would be formidable competition.

“I’m not applying. I hear it’s a rough place to work, so I decided against it. I’m simply passing along that information. There’s a cloud around Conroy. I thought you should know, so you could reconsider if it’s a good use of your time.”

She looked at him in surprise, remembering that Danny claimed Judge Conroy was in on fixing his case. She didn’t believe that for a minute. Then again, it had been burned into her mind from way back that Danny was unreliable, and Kathryn Conroy walked on water. Conroy was one of the most noted alums of Madison’s prestigious Catholic high school. Years after she left, the nuns sang her praises. Conroy was why Madison first got interested in becoming a lawyer. She couldn’t be corrupt. No way.

But then, what was Ty talking about?

“What kind of cloud?” she asked.

“I’m not sure. I’ve just heard rumblings.”

“Rumblings. Seriously? If you know something, spill it, or else don’t badmouth people.”

“I’m just worried you’re overly impressed with her. You hang on her words in class like she’s this fountain of wisdom.”

“She’s a renowned federal judge. An amazing teacher. So yeah, I’m impressed. Nothing you said changes my mind.”

“It’s not a good place to work, that’s all.” He started ticking off the problems on his fingers. “They’re strict with deadlines. It’s a heavy case load. They want a lot of hours. And the last intern left on bad terms. They actually fired her. Imagine that happening to you.”

“You just described every judicial internship that exists.”

“Who fires an intern?”

“Maybe she did a poor job. I’m not worried. I plan to kick ass.”

Earlier, Madison had been thinking of withdrawing her application because of the complication with Danny. Count on Ty to rile up her killer instinct. His opposition made her want the internship even more.

“The last intern probably thought that, too.”

“You know what I wonder, Ty? I wonder if you’re planning to apply for the position, and you don’t want the competition.”

“I said I’m not.”

“Can you blame me if I’m skeptical? Everything’s a move with you.”

That had been a problem between them. He had a bad habit of fighting dirty when it came to getting ahead, like a lot of people at Harvard. He also came from a gilded background. Maybe not as much as Chloe, but his father was a prominent African American surgeon, his mother a high school principal, and they had a high profile in their hometown. Someone like Ty could never understand where Madison was coming from or some of the things she had to do to get ahead. He’d never struggled.

“Look who’s talking,” he said.

“You still don’t get me, do you?”

“I could say the same.”

The drinks came. She took out her wallet, but he waved it away.

“I’m paying,” she insisted, handing over her debit card. “Happy birthday, this is your present.”

“What about the crazy stuff in her past? Assassination attempts? Violence? Did you know her husband was murdered?”

“Yeah, I know all about her.”

Madison had Judge Conroy’s résumé practically memorized. Top of the class from Harvard Law. A prestigious clerkship. Ten years in the U.S. Attorney’s Office where she prosecuted high-profile cases before getting appointed to the bench as one of the youngest federal judges in the country. It was true that the judge had faced down terrible tragedy, but she carried on. How could you not admire that?

“Right, she went to your high school. I remember you saying that. No wonder you stick up for her. It’s the old girls’ network, huh?”