Page 64 of The 1 Lawyer

And I didn’t try to dodge the truth. “I’m on the job, working as a lifeguard. First order of business, gotta set up the beach umbrellas and chairs.”

“What possessed you to take up this occupation? What, are you working on your suntan?” He chuckled at his own joke.

I smiled broadly and glanced up at the yellow ball of the sun. “I’m getting my vitamin D, for certain. It’s one of the perks of the job.”

He squinted, searching my face like he was trying to read me. “So you’ve given up the practice of law? Just like that, after all these years? I remember when the Bar Association Journal called you the number one lawyer for southern Mississippi. Guess we won’t go toe-to-toe in court anymore.”

“Sure we will. I’m in the office three days a week, Monday through Wednesday. I’ll see you in court, guaranteed. Looking forward to it.”

That was not a fabrication. I was looking forward to taking him down again. But I kept it civil. “Like I said, Monday through Wednesday, my office door is open. You drop in sometime, I’ll put the coffeepot on for you.”

The guy backed away, preparing to continue his morning jog. “Maybe I’ll see you at the White House Hotel for happy hour.”

I kept a smile on my face. “Not likely.”

After Glenn Fielding jogged away, I finished setting up the chairs. I felt pretty good about the encounter. I hadn’t lied, hadn’t lost my cool. Hadn’t let him ruin my morning.

After I checked the National Weather Service website, I raised a green flag over the beach. The water was calm, ideal swimming conditions.

Before I climbed up the white lifeguard perch, I lifted my sunglasses and swiped zinc oxide down the bridge of my nose. Once I settled onto my chair overlooking the beach, I saw a group of un-supervised kids—maybe nine or ten years old—run up to the water’s edge.

I scooted forward on my seat, keeping an eye on them.

When they ran into the water, I tweeted my whistle and called, “Y’all be careful! Don’t go in too deep!”

One of the boys turned around and flipped me the bird.

It felt kind of like being in court again.

CHAPTER 50

JENNY INTENTIONALLY arrived at the restaurant five minutes early; it was important to let people know she respected their time. But when she walked into Neelah’s Soul Kitchen in Gulfport, the man she was scheduled to meet was already there, seated at a table near the back.

Pastor Gates would have been hard to miss—a man of his stature stood out even when he wasn’t wearing the black garb and clerical collar of his professional calling. Approaching the table, she saw that he was bent over a paperback book. When Jenny pulled out the chair across from his, he looked up.

“Good afternoon, Jenny.” He marked his page and set the book aside.

“Hello, Pastor. Thanks for meeting me today.”

A waitress appeared at his elbow. “Hi, Pastor. Remember me?”

His face lit up. “Imani! Pleasure to see you. How’s your mama?”

“She’s good, got out of the hospital. She sure appreciated you coming to pray with her when she was sick. Mama’s saying that she wants to get back to church now that she’s feeling better.”

“I’m delighted to hear that. You tell her I look forward to seeing her. To seeing both of you,” he added.

The girl gave a quick nod and pulled a small spiral notepad from the pocket of her jeans. “Today’s lunch special is smothered pork chops with two sides and a corn muffin.”

“I’ll have the special. With the yams and black-eyed peas. And a cup of black coffee.”

Without bothering to study the menu, Jenny seconded the preacher’s choice. “And a glass of ice water, please.”

When the waitress walked away, Gates said in a somber voice, “Her mama has had a bad time of it. Cancer. But she puts her faith in the Lord.” He glanced over at the waitress and then turned back to Jenny. “We all need to remember to do that.”

Jenny placed both hands flat on the table. “Pastor, I’d like to offer my condolences for the death of your cousin Benjamin. More than a year has passed, but I know that time doesn’t erase the loss.”

“Well. The Apostle Paul tells us that the Lord won’t give us more than we can bear.” He looked away. When his eyes met Jenny’s again, they were troubled. He took a deep breath and continued. “My family has struggled with a weighty load of grief. You’re aware of that; everyone around here knows it. We still hadn’t recovered from Aurora’s murder when Benjamin died. And the scandal around his death—people calling my cousin a killer, saying he’d committed murder and then died by his own hand.” Gates shook his head and said with a mournful expression, “I have to wonder if the Lord is testing us.”

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