Trial & Tribulations

by Rachel Dylan

  He looked down at his watch. “It’s getting late.” He smiled. “Why don’t you let me take you to dinner, and we can finish up discussing any loose ends.”

  She sat back in her chair. “Are you asking me out?” Besides it being totally inappropriate to go out with her opposing counsel, Olivia didn’t consider herself that attractive.

  “Of course not. This is purely business. Think of it as career networking, too. I can throw some business your way that doesn’t fit my firm’s profile. I get a lot of phone calls for things I don’t handle on the plaintiff’s side.”

  She wondered what this guy’s angle was. He surely wasn’t asking her to dinner out of the goodness of his heart. Was he trying to soften her up? That wasn’t going to happen. But on the flip side, networking was a really important part of being a lawyer. And once again she felt positive when she was around him. This was the best she’d felt since she’d walked into the Astral Tech office.

  “So you up for dinner?” he asked.

  “Sure. But since you asked, you’re paying.”

  He laughed. “I do have some manners.”

  **

  Why Grant had asked Olivia to dinner, he wasn’t quite sure. It just seemed like the right thing to do. And he had wanted a nice juicy steak. He’d been eating frozen meals for the past few weeks. Now over dessert and coffee, he knew he’d made the right decision.

  Truthfully, he was probably a little tired of eating dinner alone. He and Ryan usually tried to get together once a week, but they’d both been so busy lately trying to bring in new large cases.

  “Tell me how you got involved in this litigation?” he asked her.

  “Easy. The managing partner told me I was going to take it on and I did. I know you work for yourself, but in a big firm I’m not the one calling the shots. I get my orders from someone else and then execute on it.”

  “What do you think of the whole New Age angle?” He looked into her dark brown eyes and found himself truly interested in her thoughts. Based on the time he’d spent with her today, he would have a hard time believing that she would actually buy into the New Age nonsense. She seemed far too level headed for that.

  “That’s a good question. This is the first real exposure I’ve had to anything New Age. I mean, I’d obviously heard the term New Age before, but that was about the extent of it. I’d seen New Age sections in bookstores. Beyond that, this is all a different world. What about you?”

  “Same thing. Honestly, religion of any type isn’t something I’m very familiar with. I’m fine just the way I am. And that’s not being tied to a fanciful religious belief system.”

  When she raised an eyebrow, it let him know that she didn’t feel the same way.

  “Why is that?” she asked.

  “Good question, counselor.” Did he really want to talk about this with her right now? But here he was about to spill his guts. She was easy to talk to like that. The kindness was evident in her eyes. This woman wasn’t cutthroat. That may come back to hurt her later in her career. It had been his experience that the most successful lawyers were the ones with the killer instincts. This woman had a heart.

  “It’s okay if you don’t want to answer,” she said. “I didn’t mean to get overly personal. It’s just that we were discussing the New Age stuff so I was interested to hear your thoughts on religion in general.”

  “No, it’s all right. I started the conversation anyway. So I grew up in a foster home. Or I should say multiple foster homes. Bouncing around from one to another. I never really knew anything about a supposed God beyond what I saw in the movies and on TV until I hit college. I was initially intrigued by the general concept of there being a God, but not sufficiently so to become any type of believer. I find it hard to believe that a God would allow all the atrocities in this world to exist. And if so, I don’t think that’s a God I would want.” He paused. “What about you?”

  She gave him a gentle smile that made him question his sanity. Women normally didn’t affect him at all. And this petite brunette comes in and starts trying to change all of that without any real effort on her part whatsoever. He needed to put his guard up quickly.

  “My father was a preacher.”

  “Was?”

  “He passed away some years ago. Both of my parents actually.”

  “I’m sorry.” And he meant it. He could see the pain in her eyes. She’d obviously had a strong connection to them.

  “Thank you.”

  “Was it some sort of accident?”

  “Yes. They were run off the road by another driver. The driver sped off and didn’t look back. They never found the person who did it.”

  “Wow, that must’ve been rough. How old were you when it happened?”

  “I was in law school. It had a big impact on my life.” She took a breath. “Anyway, I was raised in the church. It was all I knew. I sang and played the piano. I really didn’t realize there were people who had totally different beliefs until I went to college at Georgetown. There I met people of all different faiths, including those who believed nothing.”

  “That must’ve been eye opening.”

  She nodded. “It was. And I even took a break from regular church going for a few years. But when my parents were killed, I was really drawn back to God.”

  Interesting, he thought. Her sincerity echoed through her words. This woman truly believed in her God. “But how can a God allow something that awful to happen though? That’s the part I don’t understand. You hear people talking about how good God is, and then I listen stories like yours, or I think about my childhood and it’s difficult for me to fathom the existence of a good God.”

  “That’s a valid line of questioning. This life on earth isn’t the main event, Grant. It’s only temporary. Ephemeral. Fleeting. This earth is filled with sin, and the devil is the king of this earth.”

  He couldn’t help but laugh. “And this is supposed to encourage me that there is a God?” He considered his words carefully. “Hearing you say something like that is one of the reasons why I reject religious notions. To tell you the truth, I have a hard time believing in anything. The abstract concepts of heaven and hell seem so unreal to me. I’ve never had an inkling of a religious experience. So it’s difficult for me to believe that something like that exists.”

  “I think that’s understandable, given the rough childhood you had growing up in foster homes. But you can start a journey to faith at any point.”

  “And you think you’ll be the one to lead me there?”

  She leaned back in her chair as if she was sizing him up. “You never know, Grant.”

  “I’ll give you that.” He raised his glass to hers. “To new friendships.”

  She raised her coffee cup to his. “Your case has no merit, by the way.”

  “Now you want to get into the trenches.” He shook his head. “No, we’ve had an enjoyable dinner. I won’t let you ruin it with defense litigation tactics.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “So who all did you leave behind in DC?” he asked.

  “My best friend Lizzie Asher. She’s a lawyer at Price Carlock. We’ve known each other since college. She keeps me sane.” She laughed. “And she totally gets the big law firm lifestyle and struggles. I’m a really private person. I have Lizzie and a couple of other close friends. But I’m not really the type to hang out with big groups of people. I work all the time so I’m the worst with making plans and being able to keep them. After a while, friends just stop inviting you when you always are a no show or cancel at the last minute.”

  “So then I’m guessing you aren’t married?’

  “No. I’ve got to focus on my career first. That’s all there’s room for at this point. What about you? Are all your friends lawyers?”

  He laughed. “Almost. You know how it is in the legal community. I’ve got someone working at the firm now who I used to work with at my prior firm. He’s a great guy and a top notch lawyer. Also my other buddy Ty is deployed right now
. He’s definitely not a lawyer.”

  “That must be tough for you with him overseas.”

  “It is, but like you, work is my top priority. It can be all-consuming.”

  “Can I ask you something else?”

  “Sure,” he said.

  “I know you’re skeptical about God, but you aren’t actually taken in by the New Age stuff are you?”

  He saw her shoulders visibly tense up. She was actually worried that he might be interested in New Age propaganda. “No way. If I was going to do the whole religion thing, it wouldn’t be some freaky incense witch holistic thing.”

  She started laughing hard.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yes, sorry about that. You’re a funny guy.” She took another sip of coffee. “Although I don’t think your client would like to be thought of that way by his own attorney.”

  “You won’t tell on me. I can see it in your eyes. You think it’s all a farce too. A highly profitable farce for both of our clients, but still...”

  She shook her head. “Actually, I think it’s all too real but not in a good way.” She reached out and put her hand on top of his. “Grant, this stuff is nothing to experiment with. Regardless of whether you want to believe it or not, there is good and evil out there. And here on earth, the evil has a strength that you wouldn’t believe. I don’t want you to get sucked into that.” She gave his hand a squeeze and then pulled back.

  And he suddenly felt cold. He couldn’t help but be impacted by her passionate words. How could he not respect that? Even if he had a totally different opinion. “Don’t worry about me, Olivia. I promise that you don’t have to be concerned about me being drawn to any of this stuff.”

  “I just had to say something. It’s easier to get lured into it than you think. Especially when you’re going to be so involved in aspects of the business because of the litigation.”

  It was time to shift topics. “I’m glad we’ve had this dinner. Just because we’re legal adversaries doesn’t mean that we can’t also be friendly colleagues.”

  “You know, I’m surprised but I actually enjoyed this. I was feeling kind of down and then you came over and things brightened up a bit. Even though we argued like cats and dogs over the discovery requests.”

  He looked at her. “And don’t think that since you and I had this nice dinner it means I’m going to let up on my document requests. I have a job to do.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “And I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”

  “You ready to get out of here?” he asked.

  “Yes. Thanks for offering to drive.”

  “No problem.” He’d insisted on dropping her car off at her hotel and driving them to dinner in the city.

  “I can take a cab back to the hotel.” She stood up from the table.

  “Nonsense. I’ll take you back.” He wasn’t going to just shove her into a cab.

  “Thank you.”

  Her smile warmed his cold heart. He needed to get his head checked. If she hadn’t professed her faith in God, he’d wondered if she wasn’t a witch casting a spell on him. But he knew better. She was a Christian through and through. He’d actually never really talked with someone so in depth about religious things before. He knew that Ty was a Christian, but the two of them didn’t get into any deep religious discussion. But Olivia had a way of getting him to talk. He figured she’d be pretty good in the courtroom too when she questioned witnesses.

  They arrived at her hotel, and he pulled his SUV into one of the parking spots in the front by the lobby and placed the car in park.

  “I’ll walk you up.” Windy Ridge was a pretty safe community, but he had a protective side when it came to women. Even if they were the enemy on the other side of the case.

  “You know I’m a big girl, right?”

  “Of course, but it would just make me feel better.”

  They walked to her room in silence.

  “I’m right up here,” she said.

  They got to her hotel room door and she shrieked. Instinctively, he pulled her back away from the door and close to him. That’s when he looked up and saw what she had seen. A bright red pentagram covered her door.

  **

  Olivia took a few deep breaths and gathered herself as she thought about what just transpired. Grant was still there and had refused to leave her side. Hotel management insisted that she’d been the victim of unfortunate random vandalism. Full of apologies and excuses, they’d immediately switched her to a new room—a much nicer executive suite to make up for the inconvenience.

  She couldn’t stop shaking because deep in her heart, she didn’t think this was random. No, this was specific. She was targeted because of who she was and what she was doing. It had to do with Astral Tech. Why were they coming after her? She was representing them.

  Then it hit her like a freight train. Optimism had to be behind this. How in the world had she gotten involved in this madness?

  The only silver lining to an awful situation was Grant Baxter. He’d been amazing. She couldn’t stop her visceral response to the door. It was like the dark forces that she had hoped to never face again had attacked her. Someone was clearly sending her a message, and it wasn’t one she wanted.

  But Grant had jumped into fix it mode and had literally been a God sent. That thought jarred her. Had God sent this man into her life?

  She watched as he discussed matters with the last remaining hotel staff member before seeing them out.

  “You should be all good in this suite,” he said.

  She reached out and touched his arm. “Thank you, Grant. You really went above and beyond here tonight.”

  He shook his head. “Hey, I was there too. I saw that nasty scene at your door. No one should be subjected to that.”

  “About that.”

  “Yeah?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “Do you think your people could be involved?’

  “My people?”

  “You client. Optimism.”

  He took a step back. “Why do you say that?”

  “We’re representing these companies, Grant. These aren’t your regular run of the mill businesses.”

  He put up his hands. “I understand that, but what you’re saying is a huge accusation.”

  She took a deep breath. “This can’t be a random coincidence.”

  His eyes widened. “How can you be sure about that?”

  “While the pentagram can mean different things, it is a widely known demonic symbol. Someone was trying to intimidate me.” She took a deep breath. Trying to draw the necessary strength to explain to this man how powerful the forces of darkness were. A man who didn’t even believe in any spiritual realm. Maybe she should take the first flight back to DC.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked.

  “Whether I need to tell the firm that I can’t deal with this and need to go back to DC.”

  He shook his head. “No, Olivia. You aren’t going to run away. We’re attorneys. We don’t just cut and run from our clients. You know that. I’m sure there’s a logical explanation. Just like the police said. It’s vandalism. Unfortunate for you but still. You’re reading way too much into this. I think all your examination of the Astral Tech app must be impacting your judgment.”

  “Yeah, like a pentagram just naturally appears on hotel room doors.”

  “We’ll figure it out.”

  She sighed. “I’ll never forget the kindness you’ve shown me tonight. But remember, we’re on opposite sides of the fence here.”

  He didn’t say a word.

  “Exactly,” she said.

  “I’m sorry. You’re really taking me out of my element here.”

  “It’s your client!”

  “You don’t know that. How would they have found you?”

  “Good question. Did you tell them about me?”

  He blew out a breath. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean they tracked down your hotel room.”

  “This is the closes
t hotel to the Astral Tech office. It would be the most reasonable place for me to say, and they could’ve found out my room number if they tried hard enough.”

  He shook his head.

  “Give me a more logical explanation then.” She stood hands on her hips daring him to defy her.

  He ran his hand through his dark hair. Then he made direct eye contact with her. “Honestly, Olivia, I’m out of my depth right now. The moment you started talking to the cops about all of this…”

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “But it is what it is. That symbol has meaning.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Honestly, I’m going to pray on it. Ask the Lord what He wants me to do.”

  “And you think he’s going to answer you?”

  “I don’t think, I know.”

  He shook his head. “I’m in awe by the absolute confidence you have in your faith.”

  “It comes with time. If it’s something you’re interested in, I’d be happy to talk to you about it.”

  “Thanks. But believe me, I’ll be just fine on my own without any God.” He paused. “But I do care about your safety. Are you sure you’re okay here alone tonight?”

  “Yes. I’ll be fine.”

  “I have a rental condo that’s currently vacant. If you need a place, the offer is open.”

  She laughed trying to lighten the mood. “I guess it pays to be a plaintiff’s lawyer, right? You’ve got the big house in the Chicago suburbs and a rental condo.”

  He grinned. “Will you give me a call tomorrow and let me know how things are going?”

  “Sure. And I’m sorry that our nice night ended on such an awful note.”

  “No need to apologize. I have to admit I’ve never dealt with anything like this in my whole thirty six years on this earth. You’re exposing me to a lot of new things, Olivia. But I think it’s time for me to go if you’re sure you’re okay for the night.”

  “Definitely. Thank you for everything today.”