Page 58 of Partner Pursuit
“What wouldfail?”
“No music whatsoever.”
She laughed. “All right, let’s go to next top five—less pressure: beach or mountain person?”
“Both.”
“Okay, that works.” She asked, “Morning or night person?”
“Night.” He raked his hand through his hair. “Or usually night. But since I was up all night with my sister and Luna, this beer might put me to sleep.” He stretched out in the deck chair, looking relaxed. The clouds shifted above, forming frothy patterns in the sky, with hints of discernible shapes. The wind whispered, as if to promise more. And she hoped something would happen. “Next?”
“Bicycle or motorcycle?”she asked.
“Bicycle,” hesaid.
“Really? I could see you on a motorcycle.”
“I can’t see you on a motorcycle.”
“No, I’m too cautious for that.” A pleasantly warm night breeze caressedherskin.
“And being a lawyer tends to strengthen that tendency, I’ve noticed. But I would say too smart,” he said. “My turn: hamburger or foiegras.”
“Hamburger.” A cat meowed several backyards over, followed by the sound of a door opening and closing.
“My type of girl.” He asked, “Comedyor drama?”
“Comedy.You?”
“Comedy clearly. I get enough drama in myjob.”
“Do you? Like what?”she asked.
“Like the talent deciding that they suddenly don’t feel up to doing some radio promo I’ve set up for them,” he said. “And you—anyday-to-daydrama in thelawfirm?”
“More than I’d like, lately.”
“Like what?”he asked.
“The litigation department just lost a key bid to defend this big lawsuit. The client picked another firm, even though we’ve been their outside counsel for years. It’s a huge loss. If the litigation department isn’t doing well, they may not make us allpartners.”
Another apartment light went out. It was gettinglate.
“How many of you are up?”he asked.
“Four. One guy in London who seems to be a sure thing as he just closed a large corporate deal, a guy here, another woman, and me,” she said. “The other woman thinks that the partnership will make only one woman, so I feel like she’s trying to undermine me in the case we’re working on together. I’m probably just being sensitive.”
“Do you think they’ll only make one woman?”
“No, but they may make only two partners if litigation isn’t doing well,”shesaid.
“I thought the process was getting smoothed out: that you’ll be told if you’re not going tomake it.”
“You’re definitely told if there’s no way they’ll consider you. But it’s still not a sure thing that you’ll make it,” she said. Not with the firm’s current fraught financial situation. “Your dad’s firm wonthatbid.”
The lights went out from the windows in the adjoining garden, bathing them indarkness.
“I guess that’s our cue to call ita night.”
