by Nic Tatano
“What about women who never wear their hair up, like me?”
“I plead the fifth on the grounds that I already love you. You’re the sister I never had.”
“Good answer, Mister. Oooh, I almost forgot. Added to all that, she’s got another quality you can’t resist.”
“What else?”
“That scratchy, lives-in-a-smoky-bar whiskey voice. Demi Moore meets Lorraine Bracco meets Angie Harmon. Hell, if she ever got disbarred she could get a job with a phone sex company.”
“Fine, I’ll give you that. Her voice was sexy as hell. Now can we get back to the case we have tomorrow? We’ve got a long night ahead of us already.”
“Sure. But this is a lot more fun.” Ariel flashed a grin as their lunch order arrived. She picked up her fork and stabbed at a piece of salad. “Oh, before I forget, I wanted to run something by you. I have a possible case coming up with a man who…well…is pretty much a horrible person.”
Spencer shrugged. “We represent a lot of people who are long way from being decent. Hey, unless he’s murdered someone, what’s the big deal?”
“Yeah, but this one—”
“Will the client’s checks bounce?”
“No, he has extremely deep pockets.”
“Well, then, I think that ends the discussion. We are in business to make money, after all.”
Ariel nodded. “Hmm, that we are…”
*
Tish finished her research around six just as law school intern Brian Stevens entered her office. She reached over to pet Socks, who had claimed the corner of her desk as her own for the last several hours. “Hi, Brian. Meet your new assistant.”
“Ah, this must be Socks.” The short, sandy-haired, third-year law student moved forward to pet the cat. “So, she actually saved your life, huh?”
“Yep. I could sleep through an atomic bomb. If she hadn’t woken me up I’d be taking a dirt nap because the smoke alarm didn’t go off. I owe her big time.”
“Well, I love cats and I’ll keep her company tonight. She’s in good hands.”
“Thanks, Brian, I appreciate it.” Tish pointed to the round table on the other side of her office. “I’ve left all the stuff for the upcoming case over there. If you could finish by the end of the week that would be great.”
“I’m on it and ahead of schedule.”
“You sure this won’t interfere with your studying for the bar?”
“I’m fine. Trust me, I know how to manage my time.”
“Great, but if you need study time just let me know. Oh, all the cat supplies are in the closet if she needs anything. I’ve already put out plenty of food and water, so you’re good to go in that department. But do give her a handful of treats before you go. That’s been her usual bedtime snack.”
He started to laugh. “Glad you don’t spoil her, Miss McKenna.”
“Hey, she deserves every bit of it. She’s got nine lives and saved the only one I’ve got.”
Three hours later Brian wrapped up his duties. He lifted Socks off his lap, as she had been there the entire time. “Okay, kitty, gotta go. Don’t mess with the paperwork.” He carried the cat to her bed under the desk and set her on it. She immediately curled up into a ball. “Night, Socks. See you tomorrow.”
Socks raised her head as soon as the man closed the door. With all the attention she’d had today, there hadn’t been enough free time to thoroughly explore her new surroundings. The room wasn’t nearly as interesting as the one in which she’d been raised. But at least it was quiet. After all the commotion last night, she needed a peaceful sleep.
But something captured her attention behind the bookcase, and being as curious as any other cat, she had to investigate. She easily fit between it and the wall and saw the open vent that was dimly lit, then heard a voice coming through it. Her ears perked up. It was not her person, but a male voice.
She decided to follow it and entered the vent.
A noise caught Spencer’s attention. He looked up from his notes and turned to Ariel. “You hear that?”
“Your stomach growling? Yeah. Let’s head out for dinner.”
“Not that. Something’s in the wall. Listen.” He cocked his head in the direction of the sound. “Aw, hell. Probably a damn rat. That’s all we need.”
She turned her head toward the bookcase. “Yeah. It’s coming from over there. Well, it is New York City. Though I wouldn’t expect rats in this building.”
Then they heard the meow and saw a cat emerge from behind the bookcase. “Well, I’ll be damned.” Spencer got up and crouched down next to the cat. “Where did you come from?” It meowed again and nuzzled his hand. Spencer noticed it had a red collar. “This isn’t a stray.”
Ariel got up and looked behind the bookcase. “Oh, I see what happened. It obviously came through the vent. They must have forgotten to put the covers back on when they did all the remodeling on this floor last month. And since the bookcases are built-in, the vents are gonna stay open.”
“I guess it’s somebody’s office cat.”
“Someone has an office cat in the Empire State Building?”
“Hey, why not?” He picked it up and looked at the collar, turning it all the way around to see if there was an ID tag. “There’s nothing to identify the owner. But obviously it’s gotta be someone on this floor.”
“Sounds right. Can’t imagine a cat can climb up or down in a steel vent.”
He looked at the cat. “You hungry, kitty?” It meowed.
Ariel headed out the door. “I’ve got some cans of tuna in the break room. And milk for coffee. I’ll go get it.”
Spencer sat down and put the cat on his lap, then started to stroke its soft fur. He was rewarded with a purr. “Y’know, an office cat is not a bad idea. So who do you belong to?”
Ariel returned with some food for the cat, putting a saucer of milk and some tuna in a dish on the floor. “See if she’ll eat something.”
Spencer put the cat near the food. It ate about half of the tuna, drank a little milk, then took off behind the bookcase. “Well, that was a quick visit. So much for trying to find her owner.”
“She must know her way around.”
“Maybe so. Guess I’ll pick up some cat food in case she drops by again.”
Ariel shook her head as she shot him a smile. “You crack me up.”
“What?”
“I know what you’re thinking.”
“You do, huh?”
“Now you want an office cat, don’t you?”
“Not terribly practical for a law firm, but if that one likes to hang out here I won’t complain. We always had cats when I was a kid, and to be honest I’ve been meaning to get a pet.”
“Well, don’t spoil her. You can’t get a reputation as the lawyer who stole someone’s cat. There are laws against that, you know.”
“What laws?”
“Catnapping.”
CHAPTER TWO
Tish saw that her three closest friends had already arrived at the restaurant. Normally they went out on the weekend, but in light of the situation with her house, Rory, A.J. and Madison insisted they get together for moral support on Tuesday evening. Tish couldn’t help but agree; being literally driven from her home in the middle of the night was beyond stressful. Even though no one had been hurt, living in Madison’s guest room on weekends for a few months and a Manhattan hotel during the week while her home was being repaired would be disorienting. Her home had been a second office with everything impeccably organized; now it was a water and smoke-damaged disaster. If she hadn’t had a hanging bag of a few outfits she’d just bought in her car, she would have had nothing to wear.
Of course, Tish had no choice but to count her blessings. She had adopted a cat who had literally saved her life.
Everyone got up to hug her as she arrived. “Thanks, guys. Really appreciate all your help.”
Madison, the tall redheaded network television reporter who had given her Socks, patted her on the shoulde
r as they all sat. “You’re good to go in our guest room. Nick’s got everything squared away. He took your clothes that survived to the cleaners and hopefully they can get the smoke out of them. I’ve got some outfits for you in my car, enough to get you through the rest of the week. Y’know, since the insurance company is going to buy you some clothes, you might consider jazzing up your wardrobe a bit.”
“Nice try. Anyway, your fiancé is a saint. I’m jealous. But I hate that I’m cramping your style moving into your love nest on weekends for a few months.”
“You’ll get used to Madison screaming,” said Rory, Madison’s best friend who lived across the street and worked at home as a copywriter. The slim brunette flashed a wicked grin.
“Yeah,” said A.J., the petite New York Italian gal who ran the family delicatessen. “So much for keeping the windows closed during sex to keep it a secret.”
Madison started to blush. “Stop it. Anyway, Tish, my network wants you and Socks sometime this weekend, probably on the Saturday morning show.”
“What for?”
“Cat saves owner’s life, film at eleven. It’s an incredible tale. Or tail, as the case may be. And you know the story of my litter of orphaned kittens refuses to die. The dominoes of their effect on people continue to tumble. They’re a bunch of furry good luck charms.”
“No argument here.”
“Besides, you can throw in a plug for the local shelter and talk about pets that need adopting.”
“Sure, I’ll do it.”
A.J. handed Tish a business card. “My cousin Angelo says he should have you back in your house around Christmas. He pulled some of his guys off another job and got the insurance company out there already. He said everything is covered and you get replacement value. Don’t worry, they won’t cut corners. Your house will actually be better than new. He’ll be getting in touch with you to pick out paint colors, flooring and that sort of stuff.”
“Thank God you’re related to a contractor. This means a lot, A.J. Thank you so much for getting him over so fast.”
Madison leaned back as she studied a menu. “So how’s the furry little lifesaver doing in her new weekday home?”
“Socks seemed to really like being in the office instead of at home by herself during the day. And my law intern is keeping her company in the evening. She already sleeps at night. You sure I can bring her home on the weekends?”
“Of course. You can’t leave her in the office and she’ll love playing with Bumper again. And my cat will be thrilled. You sure you don’t want to leave her with me full time?”
“She’d miss me too much.”
Rory rolled her eyes. “Wait for it…”
“Fine,” said Tish. “And I’d miss her too much.”
A young brunette waitress arrived at the table with a water jug and filled their glasses. She pulled an order pad from her apron. “Good evening, ladies. Can I start you off with something from the bar?”
Tish nodded. “Big bottle of bourbon. No glass.”
The waitress laughed. “I’m sorry, but we don’t allow drinking right from the bottle. Though I could wrap it in a brown paper bag and you could go out back.”
“Then a nice chilled bottle of Pinot Grigio with four glasses please.”
“Sure.” She wrote down the order. “Let me tell you about our specials this evening. Tonight our chef has prepared—”
“Hey! Waitress!” The man at a table in the middle of the room interrupted her, waving frantically while looking angry. He pointed at her. “You! Right now!”
The waitress turned and her face dropped. “Excuse me a minute. We have a problem customer at one of my tables and I need to deal with him.”
Spencer and Ariel stopped eating as the portly middle-aged bald guy at the next table was making a scene chewing out the young waitress. The eating in the entire restaurant had stopped, as everyone was watching the man.
“I ordered the steak well done, and it was medium! Can’t you people get anything right?”
The waitress was shaking a bit. “Sir, if you’d told me that when I brought it to you, I could have sent it back to the chef—”
“You should have checked it before you brought it out, you stupid bitch!”
Spencer threw down his napkin. “Okay, that’s it.” He stood up and approached the guy. “Hey, buddy, that’s enough.”
The man turned to him. “Why don’t you mind your own business. It’s my problem.”
“You just made it everyone’s business with your big mouth and rude behavior.” He pointed to the man’s empty plate. “And if you had such an issue with your steak, why did you wait till you ate the whole thing before complaining?”
“What difference does it make? It tasted awful. She couldn’t even take a simple order!”
“Obviously you just want a free meal.”
“I want what I ordered!”
“That doesn’t give you an excuse to talk to the young lady like that. You owe her an apology.”
“Like hell.”
Spencer turned to the waitress who now had her arms wrapped around her waist. She was pale and trembling. “How much is his check?”
“Thirty-eight dollars.”
Spencer pulled out his wallet and handed her a one-hundred dollar bill. “Keep the change.” He turned back to the man. “Now, since you got your free dinner, why don’t you get the hell out and let the rest of us eat in peace? And do everyone a favor. Don’t come back. Next time go buy a hot dog at Coney Island.” He tossed two dollars at the man. “Here, it’s on me.”
The man got up and stormed out to a round of applause.
The waitress put her hand over her chest and exhaled as Spencer sat down. “Sir, thank you so much for sticking up for me. And picking up the check. That was incredibly nice of you.”
“Not a problem.”
“You sure you don’t want change?”
“I think you earned a big tip for dealing with that idiot.”
“Well, thank you again. If you need anything, let me know.”
Ariel reached over and patted his hand as the waitress headed back to work. “My partner, legal shark by day, Boy Scout by night.”
“Just doing the right thing. He had no right to talk to her that way.”
“I know, I was giving you a compliment. While every woman wants to be treated like an equal, every woman wants a man who will stand up for her. I’m proud to have an old fashioned guy like you as a partner. And a friend.”
Tish wore a dreamy look as she stared at the man who had rescued the waitress. “Damn, that was some old fashioned chivalry over there. And he’s awfully cute.”
Madison nodded as she sipped her water. “Yeah. Too bad he’s sitting with some babe.”
Rory turned back to the menu. “And now we know the reason some babe is sitting with him. White knights are hard to find.”
A.J. shook her head. “Yep. The good ones are always taken.”
Madison playfully slapped her arm. “Hey, Nick wasn’t taken when I snagged him.”
Tish patted her hand. “He snagged you, sweetie. You swallowed the hook and practically jumped into the boat.”
“Okay, no argument here. But come to think of it, we don’t know if that woman is his girlfriend.”
The waitress returned with their wine. “Sorry about that, everyone. Our manager says drinks are on the house tonight.”
“Hey, not your fault,” said Tish. “You okay?”
“Just shaken up a bit. I think I’m the one who needs the big bottle of bourbon. Thank goodness for Mr. Capshaw taking charge of the situation.”
Madison cocked her head at the man. “You know the guy?”
“He’s one of our regulars. Very nice guy and really good tipper. And of course he just saved me from a jerk and getting stuck with the check, which I really couldn’t afford.”
Rory looked at the pretty brunette sitting across from the man. “Do you happen to know if the woman sitting with him is his wife or girlfr
iend?”
The waitress shrugged. “No clue. But if she isn’t, take a number. What woman wouldn’t want a guy like that?”
*
After a supportive dinner with her friends, Tish had a spring in her step the next morning as she headed into the office, but it vanished when she saw the worried look on her assistant’s face. “What’s wrong? Oh my God, is Socks okay?”
“She’s fine. And I already fed her.”
“Then why do you look like you just ate the cat food?”
Shelley handed her a newspaper. “Because we just lost our biggest and nicest client.”
Tish’s eyes grew wide as she saw the headline. “Oh my God! His company went belly up?”
“Apparently some of his employees embezzled a ton of money while driving the company into the ground. Dammit, I hate that it happened to such a good guy.”
“I know. But that was part of his problem. He was too damn trusting.” Tish scanned the article. “I told him he couldn’t be such an absentee owner. But he said he had good people running things. What a shame.”
“Anything we can do?”
“I’ll give him a call right now. Maybe I can get my friend in the DA’s office to help him recover the embezzled funds. Not sure what I can do about the company shutting down.”
“Damn, this has been the week from hell. First your house and now this.”
“Yeah, and with this new development my house is now on the back burner. I gotta make some rain, Shelley. He was responsible for more than fifty percent of our revenue. We’re gonna need some new clients.”
“Speaking of new clients, you’ve got one coming in shortly.”
“I know, but that’s a contingency. We have to win to get paid.”
“You usually win, Tish. Hell, you’re way over ninety percent.”
“Yeah, but right now we need some definite income. And that case is going to take a ton of time. Plus, it’s a David and Goliath case and I’m going to need a big friggin’ slingshot to win or even get a settlement. Damn, now I almost wish I hadn’t taken it.”
“You took it because you’ve got a good heart. You could always refer her—”
