揌e抣l be forced to reimburse you,?I tell her. 揇o you not have anything you can use??I know I warned her about this. I tell every client to get a credit card in her own name because this always happens eventually.
揧es, but it only has an eighteen-thousand-dollar limit,?she replies. 揟hat won抰 begin to cover the trip. I need my platinum card back.?
I still. 揑 said reasonable expenses, Sophia. Your husband isn抰 a millionaire, so the court isn抰 going to consider a trip that costs more than eighteen grand reasonable.?
揑 thought you were supposed to be the lawyer who believes in women,?she says. 揜ight now, it feels like you抮e on his side.?
I sigh. She isn抰 the first client who抯 accused me of hating women the minute I tell her what she doesn抰 want to hear.
I straighten the files in front of me. 揑抦 not on his side, obviously, but you can抰 draw blood from a stone. A trip that costs more than eighteen grand is a big swing for most people, and even if I get you half his income for the next five years, that抯 two hundred grand, before taxes. Which means it抯 a big swing for you too.?
揑f you get me half??she asks, clutching her Chloe handbag, as if I plan to take it from her next. 揑 thought that was a certainty. I can抰 raise two kids in LA for less than that.?
揧ou won抰 have them all the time,?I remind her. 揂nd he抣l be paying tuition.?
Her eyes narrow, as if I抳e insulted her somehow. 揑 want full custody,?she says. 揑 don抰 want his little whore around my kids.?
Evan Waterhouse might not have been the greatest husband, but he seems like a very involved father. I just no longer have it in me to exact revenge on an innocent man for my father抯 mistakes. 揟hat isn抰 what we discussed. And you would have to prove he抎 done something very, very wrong to get that.?
She tilts her head to the side, studying me. 揥hat would be considered very, very wrong??
揑f he was abusive, or violent,?I reply, comfortable in the knowledge that Evan is neither of those things. 揑f he was an addict and refused treatment. It would have to be pretty extreme.?
揙kay,?she says, taking the manila folder back. 揋ive me a week.?
I watch in dismay as she walks out of the office. I抳e long wished my mother had been more vindictive, more cutthroat on her own behalf. I抳e long been cutthroat on my clients?behalf. But right now, it feels very much like I抦 on the wrong side.
揑 think she抯 going to fabricate an accusation,?I tell Ben when he calls that evening. 揝he said, 慻ive me a week? There was no mention of abuse at all when she first saw me, and I asked. I抦 just not sure I want to be a part of this anymore.?
I half expect him to encourage me to fire her. He抯 given me the sense on more than one occasion that he thinks family law won抰 make me happy.
揑t抯 not the time to be jettisoning clients,?he warns instead, after a moment抯 hesitation. 揧ou need all the hours you can get until Fields has made you partner. Especially when he抯 still mad at you for threatening Webber.?
It抯 the first time he抯 admitted that I抣l be the one to make partner rather than Craig. I wish I had time to gloat but the topic at hand matters more.
揑 can抰 just keep charging her money if I抦 not going to continue with her case.?
揑 know. But she hasn抰 done anything wrong yet. Just leave it for now. We抣l figure it out when I抦 home.?
I smile, even though he can抰 see it. I love not being alone in everything anymore. But I especially love that he抯 the one in my court. There抯 no one I抎 rather have here.
揧ou抮e still coming back Friday, right??I ask, a little embarrassed by how needy the question is. He抯 only been gone for a day and it抯 already too long.
揥hy??he asks. 揇o you miss me??
揑抦 very hungry. There抯 been no one here to make sure I eat.?
After we hang up, I go to my room and clear out two drawers for him. I guess I sort of want him to feel like he belongs here.
On Tuesday, I place an order for a bigger television since Ben hates mine. On Wednesday, I go to my favorite home store and buy d閏or: throw pillows, a new duvet cover, matching lamps for my nightstand and Ben抯。 I replace the plant I killed off months ago桞en will water it, even if I forget.
On Thursday, the defendant in Ben抯 case decides to settle. In theory, this means he can be done with the whole thing on Friday, but there抯 snow in the forecast. The mere idea of his flight getting canceled steals my breath. I hadn抰 realized, until this moment, just how much I was counting on seeing him.
揟ry to get back,?I tell him. 揑 don抰 want to prepare for the depositions all on my own.?
He laughs. 揂nd you抮e hungry,?he reminds me.
揑 am. I抦 extremely hungry.?