Page 12 of Until Tomorrow
Why?
ELI: OH MY FUCKING GOD DID YOU FORGET DINNER WITH ME TOMORROW????
Nope. Just pushing buttons.
ELI: Rude.
“Knock, knock.” Alexander Burke rapped his fist on the door as he said the words. I immediately dropped my phone and got to my feet. Mr. Burke was the leading partner atBurke, Fletcher, and Howelland the hardest man to impress. He and his husband rarely took part in any of the firm’s social events, unlike William Fletcher and Michael Howell. Meeting with him was rare, and getting a visit from him even more so, especially an unsolicited one. Mr. Burke waved me off as he wandered into my office, “Don’t get up on my account.”
And he shut the door.That did nothing to quell my anxiety.
I followed his movements as he scanned through my bookshelves. For a lawyer, Mr. Burke was the most relaxed man I’d ever met—and that was saying something because I knew Elliot. His graying hair was a bit overgrown and swept back from his thin face while glasses perched on the end of his nose. From his gait as he walked to his posture as he stood, the man was in no hurry. Even the causal nature of his clothes—a dress shirt with no tie and the sleeves rolled up, partnered with nice jeans—screamed anything but a lawyer.
It made me curious how a man like him could be the leading partner in the firm. Fletcher and Howell were something of legends. Cutthroat and pristine in everything they did. They and their wives were active in molding the firm and its staff. Fuck, how many holidays had Eva and I sacrificed to those two?
“What can I do for you, Sir?” I asked. I didn’t sit down, but I did slide my hands in my pockets before I started fidgeting with everything on my desk.
“Do you read for fun, Mr. Ashwood?” he replied instead as he traded one leather-bound book for another, making his way down my shelf.
“Oh.” I blew out a breath of air to stall. “I read the news in the morning.”
“The news is rarely fun,” he commented.
“I would have to agree with that, Sir.”
“Alexander,” he corrected. “Just call me Alexander.”
Was I internally screaming a little bit?Yes, I was.
“Of course.”
“Did you know,” Alexander began as he made his way to my desk. He sat in the chair across from mine, crossing one leg over the other. I followed suit. “That, even though I’m hands off these days, I do know everything that goes on in my firm.”
“I would imagine that’s a smart business practice,” I said.
“I’ve had my eye on you, Logan. From the day I hired you. You work hard, you’re innovative, you question things. So, now, let me ask this. Why did you hire one of your fellow employees to handle your divorce?”
My heart skipped a beat.Shit.
“It’s a no-contest divorce, Mr. Burke,” I explained carefully. I didn’t want to get fired over this.
“Alexander,” he corrected again. “And you’re misunderstanding me. Why would you give the office gossips fodder for their midday romps by using Miller to draw up your paperwork? The kid’s good—I’ll give him that—but he leaves everything on his desk for everyone to see. It’s why we don’t give him cases.”
“Son of a bitch,” I grumbled and dropped into my chair.Great.I was about to be the next office commodity. “I didn’t know that.”
“This is why you come to me with these kinds of things,” Mr. Burke replied.
“With all due respect, Mr. Burke, I see you once a year for a few minutes at the holiday charity gala,” I told him, hoping to hell I didn’t piss him off. “If I’m being honest, I’m surprised you even know who I am.”
“I like you, Logan,” he replied with a shrug. “I keep track of the employees I handpick.”
“Handpick?”
“Fletcher and Howell didn’t hire you. I did. And I’m picky about who I hire. In fact, you’re the last one I picked. I haven’t seen potential like yours since you walked through my door.”
“Oh… thank you.” I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. I’d been entirely led to believe that Mr. Burke didn’t care about the direction the firm went.
“It’s funny what happens in these circles when you prioritize your personal life over work, but I like my husband far more than I like the people here,” he continued, and I chuckled.
