The Empire State Cat's Christmas Gift

by Nic Tatano

  “Asked and answered, counselor. And you’re in danger of being in contempt of your assistant.” She pointed to the door. “Down the hall. Now.”

  She looked down at the cat. Socks offered a loud purr and a lick of her hand. “He is really sweet to my cat.”

  “And he’s been really sweet to you. Of course, if you’re going to throw him away I might take a shot at him. He’s awfully cute. I’d do him in a New York minute.”

  Tish whipped her head up at Shelley. “Excuse me?”

  “Awww, is Tish jealous that some other woman might scoop up Spence? I have learned a few lawyer tricks from you.”

  “That wasn’t fair.”

  “Objection overruled. All’s fair in love, my dear boss. Now either walk down the hall or I’m going to crack open the wine right now, because I’m the one who’s gonna need it.”

  *

  Tish gently tapped on the door and entered Spence’s office. She saw Ariel and a young guy who looked to be an intern at the copy machine. Ariel turned around and was taken aback. “Oh, hello. I, uh, wasn’t expecting you. Is there a problem with the files I sent over?”

  “Not here about the case. I…well…was wondering if I could talk to Spence.”

  “He’s in court today. And I think it will be an all-day affair.”

  Tish looked down at the floor. “Oh. Well—”

  “He’s in that new judge’s courtroom. What’s her name? Rebecca Winston. And, you know, I’m pretty sure they will recess for lunch.”

  Tish looked up and saw Ariel smiling at her. “Lunch.”

  “Right. Y’know, that meal in the middle of the day? I would venture to guess you can catch him then.”

  “Yeah, I guess I could.”

  Ariel moved toward her. “Look, Tish, I’m really sorry to have put both of you in this situation. If I could have found a way out of this—”

  She put up her hand. “You don’t owe me an apology. I’m the one who’s sorry about the way I acted. I’m usually very professional.”

  “I probably would have reacted the same way. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Thank you. You’re as understanding as Spence.”

  “No one’s as understanding as Spence.” Ariel offered a warm smile. “And somehow when you really like someone, when true emotions are involved, being professional can go out the window, ya know?”

  Tish laughed. “I didn’t. First time for me.”

  “Welcome to the club. By the way, in regard to our case from hell, I tried to get my client to settle again yesterday.” She shook her head. “He won’t budge.”

  “Thanks for trying.”

  “I’ll keep at it. The negative publicity has got to be wearing on him.”

  “We can only hope.”

  “And it’s not doing our firm any good either. Trust me, Tish, I wanna make this go away as much as you do. Maybe more. By the way, did Spence ever tell you why we started this firm and took some of the clients we did?”

  “No.”

  “Have a seat. I have a story to tell you.”

  *

  Tish watched from the back row of the courtroom as Spence systematically destroyed the star witness for the opposing side. It was clear he was winning, as she noted the other attorney shake his head in disgust while Spence got the witness to paint himself into a corner.

  Spence was good, really good.

  And then she felt something she hadn’t expected.

  Pride.

  That’s my guy up there.

  Wait, hold on. You threw him away, remember?

  He’s not yours right now.

  Shelley’s right. If I don’t do something, another woman is going steal a great guy.

  She looked at the clock, noting it was close to noon. The judge would call for a recess shortly.

  C’mon, judge, hurry up.

  The second hand on the clock seemed to be moving in slow motion.

  Spence wrapped up his questioning. “I have nothing further for this…witness.” The jury smiled as the judge looked at her watch.

  “And with that,” she said, “I believe it’s a good place to break for lunch. Court is in recess till one-thirty.” She swung the gavel and left the bench.

  Tish’s heartbeat kicked up a notch. She took a deep breath and headed toward the front of the room, weaving her way through the crowd going the other way. She noted Spence didn’t get up from his table, instead pulling out a pack of crackers from his briefcase. Another attorney came up to him and asked him to lunch. Spence shook his head, telling the guy he had work to do.

  She stopped at the rail right behind him. “Surely that’s not all you’re gonna have for lunch?”

  He turned around. “Tish. Uh, hi. What are you doing here?”

  “I would have brought Socks to thank you for the ID tag, but I didn’t think the judge would approve of cats in the courtroom.”

  He smiled a bit as he stood up. “My buddy is a veterinarian and he knocked that out for me. I was worried she might go through the vent and end up in the wrong office.”

  “Not likely. I think Socks knows a good thing when she sees it.”

  “So do I when it comes to women. Now, does that mean her owner knows a good thing when she sees it?”

  “Most times she does. Occasionally she acts like a complete idiot. But luckily she has advisers who remind her of said idiocy. So I throw myself on the mercy of the court.” She pointed at the crackers. “That’s not a healthy meal for a growing boy.”

  He shrugged. “I figured I’d get some work done.”

  “Is it work that can wait?”

  “Depends on the alternative.”

  “Well, since I never did get the next one after our first lunch, I was thinking this might be a good way to even things up. I mean, if you’re willing to forgive me for—”

  “No reason to forgive you for anything, Tish. I completely understand your point of view.”

  “So…does that mean you want to have lunch with me?”

  He laughed a bit. “You know, for a woman who is so off-the-charts brilliant, you continue to ask a lot of stupid questions. C’mon, I’m starving.”

  *

  Spencer handed the menu to the waiter and turned to Tish, who was wringing her hands. “For God’s sake, will you relax?”

  She exhaled. “Sorry. I was wondering how you’d react to me just showing up.”

  “We’re here, aren’t we?”

  Finally, she smiled. “Yeah.”

  “But I think we need to set some ground rules for the immediate future.”

  Her face dropped. “Spence, if you want to see other people, I certainly understand—”

  “Again with the stupid comment. Why the hell would I want to see other people when I just had this terrific woman ask me to lunch? Of course, your comment could imply that you want to see other people.”

  Her eyes widened. “No! I didn’t mean—”

  “Kidding!” He reached across the table, took her hands and locked eyes with her. “We’re okay, you and me. I have absolutely no desire to date anyone else. We. Are. Okay. Got it?”

  “Yeah. Sorry. I was really nervous coming to see you.”

  “When I said we need to set ground rules, I meant regarding the upcoming Brent trial. We don’t ever need to discuss it until it’s over. At all.”

  “I’ll agree with you on that.”

  “So here’s the deal. Ariel has hired outside help to do what I usually do. Hell, Brent can afford a team of lawyers, so he doesn’t care. I’m not going to have anything more to do with the case. I may sit in the courtroom from time to time to watch my two favorite women work, though.”

  “Is this some version of a catfight that appeals to male lawyers?”

  “Of course not. To be honest, I knew when I saw you in action I could learn from you. So I’ll be picking up a few tricks. I already got one the first time.”

  “Really? What was that?”

  “You turned to the jury, took off your gla
sses to supposedly clean them and gave the jurors a world class eye roll with your back to the judge.”

  “Oh. That. Luckily I haven’t been caught yet. Thankfully there aren’t any mirrors in the back of the courtroom.”

  “Anyway, I’d love to try that little maneuver. Can I see it again so I can get it right?”

  She shrugged. “Sure. You take off your glasses as you turn.” She removed her glasses. “Then—”

  “Whoa.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I had missed those eyes. Forgive the lawyer’s trick.”

  She laughed and shook her head. “Naughty boy. And it just hit me that you don’t wear glasses. I am totally clueless today.”

  “Hey, I got you to laugh. Tish, please stop beating yourself up. This isn’t law school where you have to be perfect. Real life isn’t perfect and it’s not something in a book. You’re too hard on yourself. You don’t have to be the valedictorian of life. You get an A-plus with me, that’s all that matters.”

  “Thank you. I’m simply wired to win at everything. Though I still feel like I deserve the blame for everything. Benny and my assistant both let me have it this morning.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Sometimes I need different points of view when I’m being an idiot. And Ariel told me the story about your dad and why you took on the clients you did. Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

  Spence shrugged. “I guess I’m not too proud of some of my work. It was great that I could help my father but think I lost part of my soul along the way. You helped me find it again and reminded me who I really am.”

  She bit her lower lip as she locked eyes with him. “I’m glad.”

  He grabbed his glass of water and leaned back. “Tish, there’s one more thing we need to agree on.”

  “What’s that?”

  “The time machine rule.”

  “Huh?”

  “We pick up where we left off. This past week never happened. Okay?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

  “Good. Now what are you doing Friday night?”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Tish knocked on the door to Spence’s apartment, her heart beating a little faster than it should. She shook her head, frustrated with her anxiety.

  Relax. He wants you back.

  She took a deep breath as the door opened and his smile instantly drained her tension. “Hey there, welcome to my humble abode. C’mon in.”

  She entered the apartment, expecting the usual Spartan bachelor decor, instead finding it tastefully decorated. Burgundy leather sofa, antiques, a Monet print on the wall, a beautifully set dining room table with candles already lit. “Wow. Nice place.”

  He shut the door. “Thanks. You can blame Ariel. She’s the one with the good taste. If I’d decorated the place there would be nothing but a recliner, a giant flat screen, a popcorn popper and a beer cooler.”

  “So you admit the place needed a woman’s touch.”

  He moved closer and took her shoulders. “The apartment isn’t the only thing that needs a woman’s touch.”

  She blushed. “I can see what’s on your mind.”

  “I was really afraid I’d never get to see those eyes and kiss you again.”

  “Well, worry not counselor. As you said at lunch, we’re here aren’t we?” She sniffed the air. “And I smell something good. Ariel take care of that too?”

  “Nope, I actually know how to cook. I’m not a typical bachelor in that sense.”

  “Good to know.”

  “Want some wine?”

  “Now you’re the smart one asking stupid questions. Hit me, barkeep.”

  Dinner had been terrific, and the two (or was it three?) glasses of wine had lowered her inhibitions. She’d leaned against him and melted into his shoulder during the movie, his arm wrapped around her the whole time.

  She was finally relaxed. The time machine thing was working.

  As usual, Spence had been the perfect gentleman.

  The credits rolled as the movie ended. Spence grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. “Did you like it?”

  “Yeah. You?”

  “I thought it was well done.” He pointed at her empty glass. “You want more wine?”

  She looked up at him, keeping her head on his shoulder. “I think I’ve reached my limit.”

  “What happens if you go over it?”

  “Don’t know. I’ve never gone that far. I’m a pretty conservative girl.”

  “Big part of your attraction.”

  “Well, you seem to be a conservative guy. That’s a big part of your attraction as well.”

  “That said, do I need to get you back to your hotel, or can you stay awhile?”

  “It’s only eleven and it’s not a school night. And Benny said I could stay up late.” He laughed as she sat up straight, then swung one leg over him, straddling him on his lap. She pulled out her hair clip, shaking out her shoulder length hair, then took off her glasses and locked eyes with him.

  “Whoa.”

  She smiled as she ran her hand across his cheek. “Am I always going to get that reaction from you when I take off my glasses?”

  “Yeah, but I think this time it has a little to do with the fact the wine may have left the conservative girl on my lap in the dust.”

  She felt his hands rest lightly on her waist. “No, I’m not over the limit. I should have clarified that the conservative girl exhibits that persona in public. In private, well—”

  “So you’re kinda like a comic book hero with two identities. Same deal as Superman.”

  “Huh?”

  “You both take off your glasses before the special powers kick in.”

  She slid closer to him, their lips inches apart. “First of all, a female superhero is a superheroine.”

  “Ah, you’re right. Forgive me.”

  “That said, I hope my other identity meets with your approval.”

  “Let’s just say that like a typical superheroine, you seem to have special powers over me.”

  “Actually, you might have that backwards, Mister.” She tilted his chin up and gave him a long soft kiss. “But I’ll never admit it.”

  Tish looped her hand around Spence’s elbow, resting it on his forearm as he walked her back to the hotel. The night air was chilly and she hunched up her shoulders. He noticed, took off his sport jacket and put it on her. “Thank you.”

  “You looked cold, Tish.”

  “Well, it is autumn. Listen, I really enjoyed tonight, Spence. And I really needed it.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  “I’m so impressed with you.”

  “You liked the pasta that much, huh?”

  “I wasn’t talking about your cooking, which is amazing. I meant how you handled the whole situation of the past several days. You’re so laid back, so understanding. It’s like nothing upsets you.”

  “It’s not that big of a deal, Tish.”

  “Yeah, it is. Most guys would have told me to get lost. Or badgered me to come back. You didn’t do either and gave me time to figure things out.”

  “You can thank Benny for that.”

  “Yeah, we’re lucky to have him. He set me straight as well. But back to what I was saying…you’re so…different.”

  “How so?”

  “You’re such an old fashioned gentleman. You’re sweet to me. You’re even nice to my cat. You stand up for waitresses in distress. I practically attack you on the couch and you don’t ask me to spend the night.”

  He stopped walking and turned to face her wearing a worried look. “I’m sorry if I offended you—”

  “No, you’ve got it backwards. I’m impressed that you didn’t.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Don’t get me wrong, Tish, I’m really attracted to you physically and there’s nothing I’d like better than to wake up next to you, but we haven’t known each other that long and sex is a big step for me. Besides, even if I did ask
I know you’re not ready to spend the night with me either.”

  “See, that’s what I mean about you being so different. It’s like you can read my mind.”

  He tapped his forehead. “Maybe I picked up some stuff from the magic show.”

  “Whatever it is, don’t lose it.” They started walking again. “Although if I’d had another glass of wine and you’d asked me to stay…”

  They both laughed as they reached the hotel. “Well, here we are. Home sweet home.”

  She rolled her eyes. “More like room boring room. I am so sick of this place already. I can’t ever feel comfortable here.”

  “How are the repairs going at your house?”

  “They assure me I will be back home before Christmas. Luckily A.J.’s cousin is the contractor or I wouldn’t believe that for a minute. They’ve got the roof done so weather is no longer a factor. But if I’m not home by the holidays, I’ll be really depressed being stuck in a hotel. I love Christmas. Kinda go wild decorating the house. The holiday sorta turns me into a little girl.”

  “I look forward to seeing what you do. Well, keep singing I’ll be Home for Christmas and you probably will be.”

  “Maybe so. Funny, Socks has adjusted to the office a lot better than I have to the hotel.”

  “Well, she does have an extra outlet for treats.” He led her into the hotel. “C’mon, I’ll walk you to your room. Even superheroines need someone to watch over them.”

  “I think that’s your superpower, Spence. Honestly, I have never felt so safe on a date in my life.”

  “I’m not sure how to take that.”

  “Sorry, that didn’t come out quite right. I meant that when we’re out in public you’ll be the perfect gentleman and protect me. But in private, let’s put it this way…you might not be so safe with me.”

  “Something tells me you like being in charge.”

  “Just figured that out, huh?”

  “Nah, kinda got the clue when you pinned me to the couch for about an hour.”

  “You didn’t seem like you were trying to get away.”

  “I may be a gentleman, but I’m not stupid. You don’t argue with a hot woman on your lap.”

  She blushed a bit. “I’m not hot.”

  He shook his head and smiled. “Again, she’s brilliant in the courtroom, clueless about the obvious. I’m getting you a mirror for Christmas.”