Best Practice

by Carsen Taite

  Chapter Fifteen

  Grace read the email three times, but the message didn’t change. Before we go any further on the case, I’d like to get a second opinion. I’ll give you a call soon.

  Grace threw a file folder at the wall of her office in an intense show of anger she rarely expressed. A second later, Abby appeared at her door.

  “You okay?”

  “Yes,” Grace snarled.

  Abby held her hands up, palms out. “Don’t shoot, I come in peace.”

  Grace let out a pent up breath. No sense taking out her anger on Abby who hadn’t done anything to make her mad. “Sorry, it’s been hell week, and today my biggest paying client went up in flames.”

  Abby slipped in and shut the door behind her. She placed a finger over her lips. “Shhh, if the managing partner hears, she may fire us both.”

  “Very funny,” Grace said. “Right now the managing partner wishes she’d never agreed to hiring an associate with no experience in commercial litigation, but if you tell Campbell I said that, I will give your parking space to Graham.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.”

  Grace sighed, defeated by her true lack of power over the situation, and instantly regretting throwing Perry under the bus no matter how mad she was at her. “No, I probably wouldn’t, but please don’t tell. Campbell has enough going on without listening to my complaints.”

  “Did you really lose Hadley as a client?”

  “Not officially, but I can tell he’s mad. Perry ran roughshod over him during our meeting today.”

  Abby waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, he’ll get over it. Most clients can do with a little good cop/bad cop routine. The key here is that you get to be the good cop and swoop in to save the day. Give him the weekend to cool off. Call him Monday, and I bet everything will be fine by then.”

  Grace considered the advice and decided Abby was probably right. Besides, she was too angry herself to try to cool Hadley down. She’d call him Monday and tell him she was pulling Perry off his case, so he didn’t have to worry about any encounters with her aggressive questions again. She had the weekend to come up with a way to break the decision to Campbell.

  “I know what you need,” Abby said.

  “What?” Grace asked, fairly certain she knew where this conversation was headed.

  “Happy hour at Birdie’s. I’ll call Roxanne and get her to meet us there, or we can go on our own if you’d rather.”

  “Birdies?” Grace flashed to the last time she’d been at the bar. The dim lights, the smokey shadows, the soft beat of a ballad as Perry leaned in close and…Nope, no way was she going back there. “I think I’ll pass.”

  Abby narrowed her eyes. “I get it. Someplace quieter. You could give the tall Swede a call and we could make it a foursome.”

  “Danika? Not going to happen.”

  “It won’t if you don’t invite her. Seriously, Grace, when are you going to give her a call?”

  “Quit hassling me and name another place for tonight before I change my mind.”

  “Winebelly? Half-price bottles?”

  A quiet wine bar sounded like the perfect place to relax, and she desperately needed to unwind. She still had a ton of work to do, but a glass or two of wine might relax her enough to help her get it done in the comfort of her living room. “I’m in. And invite Roxanne if you want, but two rules.”

  “Name them.”

  “No trying to fix me up with any women at the bar, and cut me off after my second glass. I’ve still got some work to do tonight. I need just enough wine to clear my head, but no more.”

  “There went all my fun.”

  “I live to spoil other people’s dreams.” She examined the words as they tumbled out of her mouth. Accurate. She’d squashed Perry’s dreams by manipulating her passport delay at the embassy, and then she’d stomped on Perry’s feelings last week at Birdie’s. Had she always been a killjoy or was this a new skill she’d developed in her tenure as managing partner at an up-and-coming law firm?

  “Come on, let’s go now,” Abby said, hooking arms with her. “Roxanne’s meeting with a wedding planner so she’ll meet us there later.”

  Grace walked with Abby to the lobby. “Graham, we’re taking advantage of our status as partners in this illustrious business and leaving early for the day. Feel free to close up right behind us if you so desire.”

  “Thank you, Grace, but if it pleases you, I’d prefer to stay a bit and finish the inventory of office supplies. It is an almost insurmountable task during the fuss of the day.”

  Grace held back a laugh at the idea of Graham choosing paperclips over happy hour, but since it was the kind of thing she might do, she couldn’t really judge. She followed Abby to the parking lot. “Roxanne’s planning a wedding without you?”

  “Very funny. She has a hard time telling any of her friends no when they come to her for help. What can I say, my girlfriend is the nicest person on the planet.”

  “You’re not so bad yourself.” Grace pointed at the Armada. “I’ll drive. If Roxanne isn’t able to meet us, I’ll take you home.” It was a small thing, but having a vehicle at her disposal made her feel less out of control, and after the day she’d had, she needed all the control she could get.

  The ride to Winebelly was short, and when they arrived the waiter led them to a cozy booth in the back, and Grace let her mind stray to thoughts like what a perfect venue this place was for a date. Did Perry like wine? The thought popped into her head, unbidden and she shook it away.

  They ordered a bottle of red and took the first few sips before Abby launched in. “Look, I don’t mean to be a nag—”

  “Which is exactly what people who are about to be a nag say,” Grace interjected.

  “True, but I’m merely looking out for you. Danika is hot and she’s clearly interested. You still have her number, right?”

  Damn, Abby was persistent. “Yes, but I’m not calling again.”

  “Again? You called her? When? Did she call you back? What did she say?”

  “Slow down,” Grace said. “Yes, I called her. I asked her to brunch. We went to Magnolia last Sunday for brunch.”

  “And you waited this long to tell me? Have you been getting laid all week and didn’t tell us? No, wait, you wouldn’t be this grouchy if you were getting some.”

  Grace sighed. “Are you done?”

  “Not even.” Abby rolled her hand. “Tell me everything.”

  “There’s not much to tell. We didn’t jell.”

  “You didn’t jell?” Abby over enunciated the words.

  “That’s what I said.”

  “What does that even mean? It sounds like code for you’re not giving it a chance.”

  “She doesn’t eat gluten.”

  “What?”

  Grace could barely believe she’d chosen that particular nugget to defend her lack of interest in Danika, but now that she’d gone there, she went all the way. “Gluten. You know, the stuff that makes everything taste better.”

  “Corn tortillas, ice cream, cheese.”

  “Do you suddenly have food Tourette’s?” Grace asked.

  “So many foods without gluten.”

  “I guess so, but I feel pretty strongly about eliminating an entire category from my food repertoire.”

  Abby set her glass down and scrunched her brow. “Let me see if I’m understanding this correctly. The hot blonde with a great job asks you out, and you blow her off after one date because she has a dietary restriction?”

  “It’s not like that,” Grace said, bracing for Abby’s next question.

  “Then tell me what it’s like. I thought you were serious about wanting to meet someone.”

  Grace wanted to blurt out that she had met someone, but the someone she was completely attracted to was completely wrong for her. She needed to process her feelings, get the unrelenting distraction out of her system. She could trust Abby, right?

  Neither Abby nor Campbell had ever judged her in any way, b
ut she had a nagging feeling that whatever was going on between her and Perry might drive a wedge in her friendship with Campbell, and telling Abby could make it even worse since she’d never shared a secret with Abby or Campbell and not the other. No, she had to work out her feelings about Perry on her own, which meant she was going to bury them for now and think about something else. “I do want to meet someone, but I’m not in a hurry about it. We didn’t click, it’s as simple as that. You know how it is. When you know you know.”

  Abby nodded slowly. “You speak the truth. I knew there was something special about Roxanne from the moment I first saw her.”

  Grace seized on the comment to steer the conversation away from her own lack of a love life. “When is the Bride’s Best Friend going to start planning her own wedding?”

  Abby bit her bottom lip and avoided Grace’s gaze, and Grace realized she wasn’t the only one with a secret. “Have you already asked her? When? How?”

  Abby shook her head. “I haven’t. I don’t want to horn in on Campbell’s big day, but I did buy a ring, and you’re officially the first person I’ve told.” Abby pulled out her phone and scrolled through her photos. She handed the phone to Grace.

  “What am I looking at here?” She enlarged the photo and gasped at the gorgeous pink gem. “Tell me that’s not a natural pink diamond.”

  Abby grinned. “It is the genuine article.”

  “Abigail Keene, how in the world did you afford it? Have you been embezzling from the firm?”

  “As if. No, Tommy Barclay,” she said, referring to her client who owned a chain of bridal stores. “Hooked me up with his jeweler friend who cut me an amazing deal. Roxanne swoons every time she sees pink diamond engagement rings, but then she talks about how white diamonds are much more practical. Romance shouldn’t be practical, should it?”

  It was a loaded question, and Grace was tempted to debate the point, take Roxanne’s side, and say something about how the extra money Abby had spent on the fancy pink ring would be better spent in a mutual fund, socked away for retirement. But when she replayed the thoughts in her head, even she realized they were devoid of passion. Practicality had its place, but what better time to toss off caution than when you found the one person you wanted to spend the rest of your life loving? Perry’s face flashed in her mind and she could almost hear her calculating how many people could live off the proceeds of the ring, and she smiled at the thought. She pointed at the picture. “She’s going to love it, and she’s going to love you for noticing what she likes. But just so you know, she’d love you even without the pink ring because you’re a great catch.”

  Abby grinned again. “Thanks, G. And the right person is out there for you. I predict she’s going to show up soon. Promise me you’ll keep an open mind, gluten and all.”

  “I promise.”

  An hour later, they’d polished off the bottle of wine and caught up on current events. She considered ditching the work she’d had planned for the rest of the evening and asking Abby if she wanted to order a bottle of champagne to toast her impending engagement, but before she could make the suggestion, Abby’s phone pinged with a text from Roxanne.

  “She’s done with her client. Should I ask her to join us?”

  Grace loved Roxanne, but the idea of spending Friday night as a third wheel, especially now that she held the secret of the pink ring, wasn’t very appealing. “I should go. I’m pretty beat, but have her meet you here and I’ve got the next bottle.” She pulled out her credit card and went in search of their waiter.

  Thirty minutes later, she walked through the door to her house, chucked off her shoes, changed into something comfortable, and poured a finger of whiskey into one of her fancy Dutch glasses. If she was going to have to work on a Friday night, at least she was going to do it in comfort. She tucked into one of the barstools at her kitchen island and reached into her briefcase for her laptop.

  Uh-oh. She pulled the bag toward her and rummaged through all the compartments, but it wasn’t there. She could’ve sworn she’d taken it with her when she’d left the office, but she’d been so wound up, it was possible she’d forgotten. Either someone had taken it out of her car while she was at Winebelly or it was still sitting on her desk at the firm. Not knowing was eating at her. She reached for her phone, hoping Graham had been serious when he said he was working late, and she dialed the firm. She waited through the rings, about to hang up, when finally, the ringing stopped and a voice answered. “Clark, Keene, and Maldonado.”

  The voice was familiar, but it wasn’t Graham. “Perry?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Grace?” Perry stared at the phone, suddenly unable to form more words. She’d been about to call Campbell to see how much longer before she showed up, but the insistent ringing of the phone on Graham’s desk had compelled her to answer, and now Grace was on the other end of the line and she had no idea what to say. Judging by the silence, Grace didn’t either.

  “Uh, is Graham there?”

  “Graham left a little while ago. Do you want me to call him?” There, she’d managed to speak two whole sentences.

  “No, that’s okay. I was just…I mean I think I may have left my laptop in my office, and I was going to ask him to check and see if it’s there.”

  “I can look. Hang on.” Perry set the handset down, ignoring Grace’s voice telling her not to bother. She jogged back to Grace’s office and spotted the laptop sitting in the center of her desk. She picked up the extension. “Guess what I’m looking at right now.”

  “Damn. I mean I’m glad it’s there and I didn’t misplace it.”

  “Do you need it right now?”

  A second of silence and then, “No, it’s fine. I was going to do some work tonight, but I’ll run by and pick it up tomorrow. Thanks.”

  Perry stared at the phone in her hand, uncertain about what had just happened, but certain Grace had hung up on her after the longest conversation they’d had all week. She set the handset down and spotted a scrawled set of notes in Grace’s handwriting on the pad next to the phone. Ways to win Hadley back. Apology. Reduce fee. New strategy.

  Perry’s gut clenched. She’d acted out during the meeting with Hadley that morning, but she hadn’t said anything she hadn’t meant. Had her honesty cost Grace a client? That hadn’t been her goal, and she felt a surge of guilt. Was that why Grace was working on Friday night—to try to win back the favor of John Hadley? Perry might not agree with the approach, but she didn’t want to be responsible for any harm to Grace’s livelihood.

  She couldn’t repair the damage she’d done, but she could make sure Grace had what she needed to try to win Hadley back. She shoved the laptop in her backpack and fired a text off to Campbell. Don’t worry about picking me up. I’ve got plans. See you later.

  Next, she downloaded an app for the least vile ride share company, and walked out front, making sure the front door of the law firm locked behind her. The driver who picked her up was very chatty, but content to carry most of the conversation, which was great since she was consumed with trying to think of what she would say once she showed up on Grace’s doorstep. Here’s your laptop, can we be friends again? Here’s your laptop, want to go get a drink? Here’s your laptop…

  Ugh. There wasn’t anything to say. She’d told Grace she was interested and she knew Grace was interested too. If Grace wasn’t willing to act on her feelings, there wasn’t anything left to say. When the car pulled up in front of Grace’s house, Perry started to tell him to keep driving, certain showing up unannounced was a terrible idea. Grace was a planner, queen of the careful maneuvers—not the kind of woman who welcomed unannounced guests.

  But she was here and she had something Grace wanted. She would give her the laptop and leave. It was a small overture of peace. “Wait here,” she told the driver. “I’ll be right back.”

  She took the steps two at a time, determined to get this errand over with as quickly as possible. When she reached the door, she pressed the doorbell an
d waited, shifting from one foot to the other, but when Grace flung open the door, she came to attention.

  “Perry?” Grace looked over her shoulder out toward the street. “What are you doing here?”

  “Don’t worry, I’m not staying.” Perry tried not to stare at Grace’s short shorts, long bare legs, and her thin cotton T-shirt—thin enough to reveal she wasn’t wearing a bra. She reached into her backpack and pulled out the laptop. She handed it to Grace. “I brought you this.” She backed up a step. “Well, I better get going.”

  Grace looked at the car and back to her. “Who drove you here?”

  “Some chatty guy named Flint. He has purple hair, but he’s a platinum level driver so he knows his stuff, at least that’s what he told me about a dozen times. I know, I know, I said ride share was the transportation of the devil, but you sounded like you really needed your laptop, and…” Grace was staring at her like she’d lost her mind and when she replayed her words she realized she was rambling like a kid on a first date. She took another step back. “Anyway, Flint will start worrying if I don’t come back soon.”

  “Tell Flint he’s free for the night and come in and talk to me.”

  Perry looked back at the car and then back at Grace, trying to decipher her expression. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. See you inside.”

  Grace turned around and walked back into the house, leaving the door open a tiny crack. Perry stared at the crack musing that it could be a metaphor for the extent of her relationship with Grace. Big enough to see what she wanted, but too small to find a way through. If she stayed would she get a chance to see inside or was Grace going to use this opportunity to drive home her ever practical point about their respective roles and why kissing was a bad idea?

  Perry looked back at the car and Flint waved. If she cut him loose, she’d be stuck here, at the mercy of Grace’s mood. Of course, she could call another car, but there would be logistics, like did she stand in Grace’s front yard and wait for a ride or stay inside and look out the window? Bottom line, things could get awkward, and she didn’t want to feel awkward. She’d spent a week dwelling on every detail of the kiss they’d shared. She’d kissed a ton of women before, but kissing Grace had been different. The other women had been casual, fleeting—classmates in law school, various locals she’d met in her travels, and the random fellow activist, like Linda. She hadn’t shared a history with any of them, not like she had with Grace. If she chose to stay and there was no kissing, could they go back to whatever they’d been before the kissing? She wasn’t sure, but she was here and she might as well find out.