Page 23 of Cass

I smile at him. “I bet.”

“Honestly, I was very impressed with her in the interview. She’s definitely got something special about her. She’s really looking forward to working for you. She reminds me a lot of you at that age.”

“I’m still that age, Steven. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He laughs. “Send her my way when she arrives.”

He nods in appreciation. “I will. Thank you.”

About thirty minutes later, there’s a knock at my office door. I look up to see Steven with a very attractive young woman. She’s got long, dark hair, with pretty blue eyes. “Cassandra, this is Beth O’Connell. I mentioned her to you earlier.”

I stand up and move to shake her hand. “Hi Beth. It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Cassandra Blackstone. Welcome to Cooper and Kronfeld.”

She shakes my hand back. “Thanks, Cassandra. It’s really nice to finally meet you. Your reputation certainly precedes you. And, of course, Mr. Kronfeld has so many nice things to say about you.”

I look up at Steven. “Are you lying about me again, Steven?”

He laughs. “Always. I’ll leave you two ladies to get acquainted. We’re so happy to have you here, Beth.” She smiles at Steven as he walks out of my office.

“Please have a seat, Beth.” She does. I move back to my desk chair. “So, Beth, tell me about yourself.”

“Well, I grew up not too far from here. I went away for college but came back for law school to be closer to my family. My mother isn’t well.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Thank you. I’ve spent the past five years at Lincoln and Lynnfield, but am ready for a change.”

“How come?”

“They’re a bit of an old boys’ network over there. Frankly, I’d rather learn from a strong woman like you.”

“Thank you. They are definitely a bit of an old boys’ network over there. This firm is much more progressive. What about your personal life?”

“I’m freshly divorced with a baby boy.”

I smile at her. “I’vecertainlybeen there. Divorced that is. How old is your son?”

She smiles, clearly thinking about her son. “He just turned one last week.”

“That’s great. My godson’s almost one. They’re a handful at that age, aren’t they?”

She laughs. “They definitely are. Working on mergers and acquisitions is a walk in the park compared to chasing after a toddler.”

I nod. “What made you get into this type of law? It’s pretty stressful and a lot of hours. It’s not for every working mother.”

“It’s just something I’ve always wanted. I’m not sure there’s any one reason, though there aren’t a lot of women in the field. I’d like to change that.” She’s certainly right about there being few women in the field.

She continues, “I like that no two deals are exactly alike. I’m more of a chocolate person. Mundane, repetitive, vanilla law would bore me.” I couldn’t agree more. Those are the exact same reasons I got into this type of law.

“Well, great. If you ask around, you’ll know that I’m a bit of a ball-buster, so be prepared for that. I want to see a lot more women partners at this firm, so I’m going to whip your ass into shape. Are you up for it?”

She smiles. “Absolutely. Whatever you need. That’s why I wanted to work for you.”

“Good. I also completely lack a filter, so if you’re easily offended, we should find someone else for you to work with.”

She laughs. “Nope. All good here. It takes a lot to offend me. I promise.”

We spend the rest of the day reviewing my open files. She’s very smart and catches onto things quickly. I like her immediately. I wish I knew a man her age. She’s attractive, funny, and smart. The whole package.

My cell phone rings at about 5:30. I see that it’s Darian and accept the call. “What’s up, nympho?”

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