Page 61 of King of Justice

I poured her a glass and handed it to her. “So, to recap… your division is like our CSR arm. We’re making it official. The pro bono clients we accept there are strictly artists in need of guidance against contract exploitation. Our contracting department will support you until we hire someone who’s dedicated.”

“What about humanitarian cases?”

“Those are mine alone; you don’t need to worry about them.” When she didn’t say anything, I looked up and saw her quietly examining my face. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“You never told me, by the way… whatever happened to Travis?”

“He—Uh…” Lowering her gaze, she slightly nodded. “Yeah, I don’t think we’ll ever speak again. It’s for the best.”

“Were you close?”

“Clearly, not as close as I thought.”

“Hm.” I nodded and quickly decided that it was the wrong question to ask. “So, are you excited?”

“Um, overwhelmed. I’ve been in Cold Spring for what feels like forever and now...” She shrugged. “New apartment, new job…”

“New relationship?”

“Barf,” she giggled for a second, but I didn’t join her in laughter. She soon stopped, regaining her serious expression. “What about you?”

I spread out both palms in the air. “What about me?”

“We… rarely talk about our feelings.”

“That’s because the last time you asked a real question, you took it back immediately and insisted that I didn’t respond.” I paused, studying the slight change in her expression. “I’m respecting boundaries you placed—not me.”

“I’m trying to change that, Nathan. I know it’s a weakness, not a strength.”

“Every quality is a strength if used right.”

“You mean you prefer not discussing emotions? Why am I not surprised?”

“That’s not what I’m saying.” Standing up, I made my way around the desk and leaned down, reaching out with my hand to touch her chin as she lifted it up to look at me. “I want you to do whatever you want to do, because you want it… not because you think it’s what should be done.”

“I’ve just been confused,” she admitted, shaking her head away from my reach. “I think… this whole thing with Travis could’ve been avoided if everyone was clear about what they were experiencing. But instead, we… we…”

“Run away from our feelings and let the world outside tell us how we should behave?”

She smiled. “Close enough.”

Sighing, I got up and picked up my drink before walking toward the window. “So, did you find your answer?”

“My answer?”

“To the question you killed as soon as it breathed the air.”

“Oh.” She paused while I watched the city underneath throb with the unstoppable life of blossoming springtime. “I think I did.”

Her answer sparked my curiosity, but I didn’t want to seem too eager to know more. Spinning on my heel, I deliberately made it slow, unhurried. “Care to share?”

“Here’s what I came up with,” she started. “You know when you start to care about where their life is going, even if that’s away from you.”

“Selfless. Sounds on-brand,” I joked.

“And when you start seeing their flaws as the things that make them unique… like quirks. Instead of being repulsed by them, you find them endearing.”

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