Page 5 of Partner Pursuit
“A surfboard—impressive!” Audreysaid.
“Do you thinkhe surfs?”
“Maybe that’s how he catches all his fish.” Not that she was surprised that he caught a lot of fish. That intrigued glance when he’d laughed at her comment. Her stomach flipped again. She would’ve swallowed a hook if she hadn’t overheard his remark to his friend.
Eve asked Audrey to point him out to her if she saw him. Audrey took a bite of the curried chicken and said, “Oh wow, Eve.Sogood.”
“So, it’s a yes as a menu option for my catering gig in three weeks?”Eve asked.
“Yes. The mix of spices—it’s delicious.”
Eve smiled. “Chef Burns seems to be feeling me out for the executive pastry chefposition.”
“That’s amazing.” Audrey savored another bite. “But you’re still doing the catering? Shouldn’t you just focus on getting thatposition?”
“I can’t do these hours forever. I don’t want to be working nights and weekends. I never see Pete. Especially because he works all the time too. But, we can’t both continue like this.” Eve lived with her boyfriend, Pete, who was in finance. Eve rested her head on her hand. “I thought being an executive pastry chef at a restaurant was the holy grail, but I’m thinking I need to check out someback-upoptions.”
“But you shouldn’t be the one giving up your dreams,” Audrey said. That’s what her mother had done. And she never failed to tell Audrey she deeply regretted it—having to start over when her husband’s death meant she had to return to theworkforce.
“My dream is a balanced life where I get to see my boyfriend, my friends and family, and be a chef.” Eve sipped her wine. “I’ll still work.” The music volume from the party next doorincreased.
Audrey shifted uncomfortably in the iron chair. She wanted a balanced life too, but having it all was a myth. She was going to have to live at the office 24/7 if she wanted to be a partner. And Eve had been pursuing her dream of a pastry chef with the samesingle-mindeddetermination. “But what if Chef Burns promotesyou?”
“If he promotes me, I’ll put my all into that. Then I’ll be able to create my own menu. But until then, I’ll try the catering or apply for jobs as a pastry chef for a chain where the hours are better, you know, explore other options. And you?” Eve gave her a look as if to suggest she should dothesame.
Now was not the time to be exploring other options. The window to leave the firm had been one or two years ago when she was a fifth or sixth year—that’s when her peer girlfriends had departed, but she’d decided to go for it. She leaned forward to be heard over the music. “Tim and I won the pitch today for anewcase.”
Eve clinked her wine glass against Audrey’s. “Congratulations!”
“It’s a really cool case. Cutting edge legal issues, an entertainment company, a female general counsel.” She waved her hand expressively, smiling as she recalled the smart questions of the general counsel. Answering them correctly had been invigorating. “It’s my dream case. And my other case ishigh-stakestoo, with a great team. I spent the earlier part of the week at that client’s New York office, pulling relevant documents for the document production.”
“Are the employees there?”
“Oh yes, they get to watch me go through all their stuff. I had to go through one guy’s gym clothes.” That guy had not been happy.
“That’s a clever hiding place—right next to the smelly socks!”
Audrey shuddered. “You have no idea. The clothes were still slicked wet with sweat and it smelled rancid. But a file wasin there.”
“How do you know what might be relevant? It’s not like they’re tagging it ‘smoking hot bad document.’”
“If only they would…” Audrey looked out over the brownstone backyards. Kids were being called in for the night, their childish voices disappearing from sounds of the night. “No, we have to read through everything. The team has been there for days now. But people generally don’t hide things well. Maybe they’re too confident they won’t get caught. When I kept a diary on my laptop, I named it ‘calculus homework’ so no one would ever be tempted to review it.”
“Except a mathgeek.”
“No plan is foolproof.”
“Did you find any juicy admissions?”Eve asked.
Audrey shook her head. She’d finished her curry chicken, her plate completely empty.
“That’s just scary that you read everything,”Evesaid.
“Well, don’t mix personal and work. You shouldbesafe.”
“What do you mean? Every recipe I make is a little love letter.” Eve gave a chef’s kiss. “Besides, you’re one to talk what with your little office crush on PreppyBoy.”
“True. You’d think I’d learn not to have office crushes.” Audrey sighed. It had been two years oflate-nightchats, and Tim still hadn’t asked her out. Eve was right that she should stop mooning over him. Especially after herbreak-upwith her last boyfriend, Kevin. They had dated when she was afourth-yearassociate and he was up for partner at the firm. When he didn’t make partner, he left. And they’d broken up soon afterthat.
