With the Last Goodbye

by Len Webster

  The news saddened Max.

  He knew the real reason Josie wouldn’t show up tonight.

  She didn’t want to see him.

  “Clara!” Noel called out from one of the bedrooms.

  Clara set down her phone and reached for a tea towel, wiping her hands on it then setting it down. “I’ll be back,” she said and then left Max and Ally alone together.

  The moment the sound of the door closing had reached his ears, Ally pulled on his arm to turn him and face her. “What is going on, Max?” she asked, brow raised as she swept her curly blonde ponytail over her shoulder.

  “I’m going to Boston.”

  “But what about you and Josie?”

  “You wouldn’t understand, Ally.”

  She squinted at him. “Try me.”

  Max sighed. “It’s complicated.”

  Ally’s shoulders fell as disbelief consumed her face. “You guys are over?”

  “Yeah,” he confirmed in a whisper. “I had to make a choice, Ally. And I chose my need for forgiveness from my best friends over her. And I’m pretty sure I broke her heart.”

  “Max,” she breathed.

  “Yeah?”

  “But you like Josie.”

  She’s my La Vie En Rose.

  “I do. But …” Max paused as that throbbing in his chest returned. He took a deep breath and shot Ally a tight smile. “But I already said goodbye to her.”

  “Are you sure? Are you really sure it’s over between you two?”

  Max set his hand on her shoulder. “I have to go to Boston. She’s not going to wait and pause her life for me.” He dropped his hand and attempted a smile that he knew she saw right through. “Is everyone on the balcony?”

  Ally nodded.

  “All right. I’ll meet you there in a second.”

  “Okay,” she said.

  Once Ally left him alone, Max let out a shaky breath and pulled out his phone. He opened his messages to Josie, hoping that she had replied.

  He knew she wouldn’t read them.

  He knew he was wasting her time.

  She wanted nothing to do with him, and Max didn’t blame her.

  But he had to try.

  Max: Josie, please let me explain properly. I know I walked away without telling you why but please. Let me see you before my flight. I love you even if you don’t believe it.

  Max: I love you even if you don’t want me to.

  Max: I love you even if you’ve stopped loving me.

  “I can’t do this,” Josie said into her phone.

  “Breathe,” Stella encouraged. “You can do this. It’s just an interview.”

  But it wasn’t just an interview at some law firm.

  It was the same law firm where Max worked.

  Or had worked.

  He was leaving for Boston tomorrow morning.

  He’d take her love for him and that would be that.

  Leaving her in Melbourne to somehow piece herself together.

  “Stella, what if I see him?”

  “Then you hold your head up high and walk right past him. But if you want to give him the finger on your way past, I highly encourage it.”

  Josie let out a small laugh. It was the first since her early morning call from the hospital. “Thanks, Stella. You always know what to say.”

  “At quarter to nine in the morning, I do. I’ll see you at the hospital when you’re done?”

  “Yeah, I’ll see you there. I can’t imagine Gordon Sheridan giving me more than ten minutes to plead for a placement,” she said.

  “Josie, you’re going to be marvellous. Leave everything that has happened in the past two days on that concrete footpath and walk into that building full of confidence. Forget everything else for a moment and go make that dream of being a lawyer yours.”

  Her heart swelled. For once, it had done something other than wither in pain. She was so fortunate to have Stella Weller as a best friend. “Okay. I will. I’ll see you soon.”

  “Good luck!” Stella said before hanging up.

  Josie let out a heavy sigh as she returned her phone into her briefcase. Then she tightened her grasp on the briefcase that Stella had bought her yesterday after she had told her about her interview. Josie had woken up this morning to Stella jumping on her bed with a red box. Inside was a beautiful and stylish leather briefcase. Josie cried at her best friend’s thoughtfulness, and Stella was the first person to tuck one of Josie’s assignments inside. Jason had sent her an email of all the things she should bring to the interview, and her past assignments had been one of them. Tilting her head back, she took in the large gold letters of the sign.

  Gordon Sheridan Lawyers.

  The dream.

  So many law students wanted an interview with such a prestigious law firm.

  And Josie had this one chance to make her mother proud.

  Taking a deep breath, she headed towards the revolving glass doors. When she made it through, she headed to the front desk where Ruby sat. When she had first met Ruby, Josie wasn’t her biggest fan. Until recently, the receptionist had been nice to Josie. She had even smiled at her the last time she had been at Gordon Sheridan.

  The morning she had surprised Max with cupcakes.

  She had been running late.

  But she needed to see him.

  And then he had kissed her and made her forget all her worries.

  Not anymore.

  “Good morning, Josie,” Ruby said sweetly.

  “Good morning, Ruby. I’m here to see—”

  “I’ll see if Max is in and tell him you’re—”

  “NO!” she blurted out as her heart pounded heavily against her ribcage. Josie corrected her posture and cleared her throat. “No. I’m actually here to see Mr Gordon Sheridan. I have an interview with him at nine.”

  Ruby blinked at her and then pressed her red lips together. “You’re a law student?” She sounded surprised.

  Josie nodded. “I am.”

  The receptionist’s brow arched. “Max get you this interview?”

  Josie flinched.

  She hadn’t expected Ruby’s assumption to hurt her the way it had. Josie shook her head. “No. Actually, my tutor did.”

  Ruby hummed and then pointed towards the elevators. “Top floor. His office is the large one. I’ll call him to let him know you’re on your way up. Good luck.”

  “Thanks,” Josie murmured and then made her way to the elevator.

  Once she reached it, she pressed the up button and the doors opened. She stepped inside, spun around, and pressed the top floor button on the panel. She shifted her gaze from the panel to the building exit to find Max staring at his phone as he entered the building.

  It was as if they were in slow motion.

  Him glancing up from his phone and the elevator doors closing.

  Her heart yearned for him.

  Called out his name.

  It acted wild at the sight of him.

  But just as he began to turn his gaze to the elevator, Josie dropped hers to the ground and the doors closed. She sighed in relief, hoping he hadn’t seen her. Max was the last person she wanted to talk to before her interview with his father.

  This wasn’t about him.

  It was about her.

  It had to be about her.

  And it was about repaying Jason for going out on a limb for her.

  The ride up to the top floor of the building was slow and torturous.

  Josie quickly forgot her basic knowledge and practices about being a lawyer.

  She forgot all the questions to ask.

  Her nerves caused her to forget everything.

  When the elevator doors finally opened, she took a shaky step out and reassured herself that she could do this. She tightened her hold on the briefcase handle and glanced down at her outfit to make sure she looked professional and worthy of being hired.

  She’d tucked her white silk blouse into her tight pencil skirt that hit below the knee. Her stockings were new
without a run, and her black Mary Jane heels tied her outfit together. She ignored Stella’s opinion of stilettos and decided professionalism was key. Her knowledge of the law and her grades were what was needed to impress. Every step she took towards Gordon Sheridan’s office was as if it were a step towards battle.

  The interview being her war.

  Stella’s instructions to leave all her emotions behind her seemed to be working.

  She was determined.

  She needed this placement to become a lawyer.

  If she didn’t, it meant she’d have to search outside the top four law firms, and even that was difficult. If she didn’t land at least a second interview, she could say goodbye to become a practising lawyer within two years.

  When she finally made it to the door, fear and anxiety now ravished her system. That bravery and confidence she once had was now gone, and Josie took a step back. Her breathing was laboured, and she couldn’t understand what made her want this.

  Want to work for Gordon Sheridan when she knew his son so intimately.

  Loved his son so unnaturally.

  Josie spun around as she fought back the pain that began to seep into her veins.

  “Miss Faulkner,” Gordon Sheridan said behind her.

  Breathe, Josie.

  Breathe.

  There are worse things going on in your life.

  Josie inhaled through her nose and turned around to find Max’s father with a smile on his face.

  “Good morning,” he said so sweetly. During her tutorials, they had played a video of him speaking after one of the trials he had won. He was powerful and scary. The only other time she had met him, he had been kind to her. He had given her advice. He was the opposite of the man she thought he was. And today was no exception. “Would you like to step into my office and start this interview?”

  Josie opened her mouth to say yes but only air tumbled out. So she nodded her head and followed him into his office. She watched as Gordon sat behind his desk and gestured for her to take the seat across from him. Once she reached it, she lowered herself on the chair and set her briefcase on her thighs.

  “Nervous?” he asked.

  Josie nodded.

  Gordon Sheridan laughed. It wasn’t fake. It sounded genuine. “No law student would ever admit that to me.”

  OH.

  Shit!

  “Umm …”

  “It’s refreshing,” he assured. “May I call you Josie?”

  “Please do,” she encouraged.

  He smiled. “So Jason Silverman is your tutor?”

  She nodded. Then she swallowed the lump in her throat and summoned whatever courage she had left in her to speak. “Yes, Mr Sheridan. He’s my legal practice and ethics tutor.”

  “And has he tutored you before?”

  “Yes. A few of my units in first and second year.”

  “So this is your third?”

  “Yes.”

  “May I ask how old you are, Josie?”

  “Twenty-two.”

  “And why is a twenty-two-year-old only in her third year and not her fourth?”

  My mother was diagnosed with cancer in my second year.

  “I took some time off,” she answered.

  “To travel?”

  “To find myself.”

  Gordon blinked at her as if her answer stunned him. “And what did you discover?”

  Josie knew he wanted honesty. He didn’t want bullshit. He was a lawyer, for God’s sake. He could smell bullshit a mile away. So Josie would give him the truth. “That life is always bigger than I am … and that I’m not done trying to find myself in it.”

  “Wow,” he breathed. “The moment I met you, Josie, I knew you were different. But I must confess, I am a little surprised.”

  Her brows furrowed. “You are?”

  Melbourne’s most feared lawyer nodded. “I didn’t expect Jason to be the one to plead for an interview for you. I would have thought Maxwell would have.”

  No.

  Please don’t let us discuss him.

  “When Jason called, I was shocked,” he continued. “You’re the kind of candidate every firm would want. I was stunned to hear that you hadn’t applied for any firms. Why was that?”

  I can’t tell him the whole truth.

  “My friends in my classes had already applied.”

  “And?”

  “Law is competitive. I just wasn’t competitive or cunning enough to apply against them.”

  Gordon nodded and then leant back into his chair. “What do your parents do, Josie?”

  Josie flinched.

  It was a topic she hadn’t expected.

  And definitely not a topic she wanted to speak about.

  “M-my parents?”

  Max’s father nodded. “Yes, your parents.”

  “How does my parents’ occupations have anything do with me sitting here wanting a placement at your law firm?”

  “It gives me an insight as to who you are.” His light brown eyes flickered. They were darker than his son’s, and they were intrigued by her. But Josie didn’t find comfort in them. She knew questions would be asked, but she hadn’t expected questions about her parents. It was so far from the topic of law.

  “My mother has her own small natural makeup and beauty products business,” she answered.

  “And your father?”

  “They’re divorced.”

  Gordon leant forward and set his arms on his desk. “And what does he do?”

  Josie sighed. She hated talking about her father. Most times, when people asked, she would say that her father divorced her mother and that was it. The conversation ceased. But Gordon Sheridan was a skilled lawyer. He knew how to get answers out of people. And Josie definitely felt as if she were on trial.

  “My father is the Australian Ambassador to Germany.”

  His eyes widened. He was impressed—just like everyone else who had found out who her father was. “Your father is a diplomat?”

  She nodded.

  “You could have used him to get any law firm to agree to an interview with you,” he pointed out.

  “I haven’t needed my father since I was eight. I’ve made it through law school without him. My desire to be a lawyer was in spite of him,” she revealed. “If you don’t mind, could we maybe discuss anything else other than my parents?”

  “All right,” Gordon agreed. “I think I’ve got everything I need.”

  Crap.

  Crap.

  Oh, God.

  I’ve screwed up this interview.

  Josie knew there were no second chances with Gordon Sheridan.

  Her clipped tone was more than enough to have her sent packing.

  “Are there any questions you have for me, Josie?”

  “You haven’t seen any of my academic reports or my recommendations,” she said as she grasped the briefcase zipper.

  Gordon nodded. “I’ve already seen them.”

  She let go of the zipper, confused. “You have?”

  “Jason sent them to me. He wasn’t sure you’d turn up, so he sent them in advance.”

  “Oh,” she breathed.

  “Can I be honest with you, Josie?”

  “Please, do.”

  She steeled herself, ready for him to tell her that she wasn’t ready to be a lawyer.

  That she didn’t have what it took.

  That she was stupid for believing in a dream she had held onto for so long.

  Gordon inhaled a deep breath. “I read through your assignments. You have a brilliant mind, Josie. You have passion. You could make a great lawyer.”

  “Could?”

  He nodded. “You still have a lot to learn.”

  And there it was.

  The confirmation she had dreaded.

  It was enough for her to grasp the handle on her briefcase and get up from her seat. She would thank Jason for thinking of her and for believing in her. She would also apologise to him for not being the potential lawyer he though
t she could be.

  “Thank you for your time, Mr Sheridan. I’m honoured I had the chance to sit in the same room as you. Someday, I’ll be a lawyer, and I can say that I got to share ten minutes of my time with Gordon Sheridan.” She watched him stand, and Josie held out her hand to him.

  He glanced down at her hand as if her gesture offended him.

  Her dream of being a lawyer had hit another setback.

  Another year.

  Chances were, she’d never make it.

  And she knew deep down that those chances were high.

  “Have a nice day, Mr Sheridan,” she wished, lowering her hand when he hadn’t shaken it. She spun around and made her way to his office doors. When she reached them, she paused and remembered what he had said about her assignments. Josie turned around, and he raised a brow at her. “My recent assignments were because of your son. He taught me things my textbooks couldn’t, and someday, I’ll thank him for that.” Tears formed and then fell. She was horrified that Gordon saw her so emotional. Josie reached up and wiped them from her cheeks.

  “Josie, may I ask you another question?”

  She nodded.

  “Why do you think this interview is over?”

  “You said I had a lot to learn. It speaks for itself.”

  Gordon let out a small laugh as he reached over and pulled tissues from the box. Then he walked over and handed them to her. “I meant, there’s a lot I could teach you, Josie.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Every year, I let Jason recommend students to me who he thinks could make it here at Gordon Sheridan. Jason hasn’t recommended a student to me since he started his role at Deakin five years ago. So when he recommended I hire you, I read your assignments and knew I could mentor you. I think you’ll be a brilliant lawyer, Josie.”

  Josie was stunned.

  She was speechless.

  Gordon Sheridan wanted to be her mentor.

  But none of it felt right.

  She didn’t feel right.

  Josie pressed the tissue to her cheek, knowing what she had to do. Lowering the tissue from her face, she noticed it damp with her tears.

  Real tears that proved exactly why she had to do it.

  Why she was saying goodbye to a dream.

  “Mr Sheridan, I have a request.”