Page 17 of Attraction & Repulsion

Clicking the key fob, she opened the driver’s door while he stood up straight and held the door open so she could climb in. He seemed poised in indecision, not ready for their conversation to end, for the night to end.

Surprisingly, so was she.

But then he said, “Goodnight, Carson.” And with one last look, Jax shut her door and vanished into the night.

Chapter six

“It’s pronounced Presskit, not Presscott,” Carson repeated, somewhat impatiently.

It was Friday, the last day of the week-long Western Legal Professionals Convention. Will, a blond attorney from Los Angeles, had spent all five days mispronouncing the name. When Garrett had suggested Carson head down to Scottsdale for the convention, hope sparked within her that her boss didn’t consider her a lost cause. And much to her delight, the convention just happened to host multiple seminars about the business side of running a law firm.

“I told you, it’s going to be impossible to remember because I had a law school instructor with the last name of Prescott,” Will muttered.

“Well, if you’re serious about transferring to Arizona, then you better pronounce the cities’ names correctly,” Candi, a young paralegal from Tempe, criticized from across the table.

Will and Candi had been Carson’s companions for most of the week. They’d sat at the same table for the very first seminar, and they’d struck up enough of a rapport to keep sitting together.

“Welcome,” the lecturer called, and the humming around the room fizzled out. “My name is Thea Rodríguez of Picacho Professional Development Specialists in Tucson, and today we’re going to learn how to alignyour professional goals with your personal goals. Aligning these goals is important because when your personal life and your job are in harmony you are more likely to succeed in both.”

The projector stationed in the middle of the room clicked on and text appeared on the front wall that said, “Personal Goals and Professional Goals.”

“The first thing I want you to do,” Thea continued, “is make a list of your current goals you have. Separate them into two columns: personal goals and professional goals. I’ll give you about three minutes.”

The scratching of pens on paper filled the room. Carson obediently drew a line down the middle of her paper. On the right side, she listed her professional ideals. She knew she wanted to be junior partner. Again, she thought about delving more into family law. The versatility of practicing on all sorts of matters could give her a fighting chance of opening her own firm—her ultimate career goal.

Before she knew it, the entire right column was filled. She stared at the other side and scowled. It was blank, just like her mind.

What life goals did she have?

She snuck a peak around the table. Will was already finished and flashed a smile at her. Candi was furiously filling out her professional column with impeccable handwriting. Noticing how the others’ entire papers were filled with hopes and dreams only made Carson’s frown deepen.

Did she have nothing to achieve outside of work? Writing down her personal goals shouldn’t be this difficult.Write something, for heaven’s sake.

Eyes dropping to her fidgeting fingers she followed the design on her sleeve up to her inner bicep. There was a subtle bump from a Band-Aid stanching blood from a fresh cut.

She’d been up in the early hours of the morning, sitting on the floorof her hotel room, slicing away at her skin. Her stomach knotted at the memory.

It was then she realized she did have a personal goal. Or at least she consciously thought of it for the first time: freedom.

The presenter called for everyone’s attention once again. “Hopefully by now you have had a chance to determine both professional and life goals. Would anyone like to share?”

There was a brief pause before a few hands rose around the room including Candi’s.

An older gentleman who Carson recognized from another class spoke. “To retire in the next three to five years. I just wasn’t sure which column to put that under.”

Thea laughed. “Seems like that belongs under both columns. Anyone else want to share?”

Candi raised her arm again.

“Yes?”

Grabbing her notepad off the table, Candi cleared her throat. “A professional goal of mine is to become a presiding judge.”

“That would be a great feat,” Thea said approvingly,” I wish you the best of luck.”

Candi scooted back into her chair, looking a bit smug from the attention everyone was giving her.

“Now, the goals that you have written down, are they achievable? If not, how can you adjust them?”

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