Page 55 of The Rules Of Attraction
“Yeah. Before I was born. I didn’t really know her. She died when I was three.”
“Oh God, I’m sorry. I’m prying now.” His brows lowered.
“No, no. It’s general questions. She had an undiagnosed heart condition. There wasn’t anything anyone could have done. I think I remember her smile, maybe. It’s… something.”
The look of sympathy on his face was so evident I had to say something.
“Please don’t look like that.” I said with a little smile.
“Like what?”
“Sad. I’m okay. I’m just having a rough time getting myself up and running.” I wished not having parents was my only problem. There was so much more that added to my depressed state. It just felt like because so much was happening that it was everything rolled into one.
“Well, I can help you with that. I hope.”
“You have. A lot.” I saw a flicker of desire in his eyes and I knew he was thinking about the night we had together. “Chicago seems like a nice place.” I said quickly to keep the mood light.
“It is. Lots to do here.”
“That’s exactly what Eilesh said. When she told me about the job. I figured I’d come here for a fresh start.”
“You sound like you know her outside of business.” He narrowed his eyes.
“I do,” I thought for a moment and came up with the perfect excuse for everything. One that would allow me to have some form of clear conscience while I was here. “We met in college.”
“Eilesh went to George Town.” He stated, then continued with curious eyes. “You went to Georgetown?”
“I’m… a civil litigation lawyer.” It felt so good to say that.
“Well hell.” He chuckled. Then the smile that crept up his face made me confused me. I wasn’t sure if he didn’t believe me, or if he was actually amused.
Some people didn’t believe me when I told them I was an attorney, the common argument I’d had to contend with was I didn’t look the part.
“What? What’s funny?”
“Attraction.”
There was that word again. His explanation for everything, but I was kind of starting to believe it. Coincidence was too meager a word to describe how we’d been thrown together.
“Attraction?” I echoed. I wasn’t ready to show him I’d accept his theory yet.
“Yes. Have another explanation? We meet at a night club, knowing nothing about each other. Then it just happens to turn out that I’m the boss of the job you left me to get to, and we’re both lawyers.”
“It’s a strange occurrence.”
“It is what it is.” He held my gaze for a few long seconds before talking again. I could literally see the interest peaking in his mind and geared myself up for more questions. “Why the PA job? I’d hate that, plus I don’t follow orders very well.”
“It’s manageable right now.” Here was the excuse I’d thought up. I didn’t have to tell him about Ashfords, or where I’d previously worked. I also felt comfortable with what I’d said so far. “It’s manageable while I find my feet again. I didn’t want something too stressful.”
That wasn’t far from the truth either, but it was a truth I hadn’t quite acknowledged.
When Eilesh and I were talking about this job, she thought it would be good for me to ease myself back into something that wouldn’t be too demanding.
“I get it.”
“I do hope to have my own firm one day though. That’s the goal.” Sure maybe in another hundred or so years, or in another life at this rate. It was still my goal though, no matter how long it took. I didn’t want to lose sight of that, it was the thing that kept me going through everything from way back when. Every time I went to work for someone new I thought of how it would enrich my own experience and add to the skill set I’d need to run my own place.
“That’s really cool.”
