Grace reluctantly put out her hand to shake his. Cary wouldn't take the grin off his face. It was very unnerving.
"I'm sorry I can't stay longer and talk," began Olive, "But I have deposition in 10 minutes. I must go. Don't worry, Cary will take good care of you." She walked off in a hurryingly fashion.
Cary and Grace were left there standing awkwardly, well, awkwardly for Grace.
Cary broke the silence. "I guess I'll show you around." He had stopped with his ridicules grin and had a straight face. He began to lead Grace down the passageway.
"So where you came in was reception. Katherine can help you with everything; phone numbers, information on events, people, places. You name it." He wasn't really looking at her when he spoke; he just continued to lead her through the office.
"To the left is family law and just further down is Mr. Murphy's office. Generally he focuses on criminal cases and Olive does the civil cases."
Grace felt as if she needed to add something. She seemed too silent. "When would this situation change?"
Cary looked back at her; seeming surprised she had spoken up at all. "If the client wants a particular one of them. Special cases. Friends and family. Maybe one of them not having the time to do it. Those kinds of things."
She gave him back a fake smile.
"Down to the right are the copy and mail room and the kitchen. Throughout the whole floor there are lots of different offices and meeting rooms. It will just take a while to learn where they all are. And, yes. Here we are." He stopped talking and walking and stretched his arm out to gesture her into a small office.
Grace walked inside looking around curiously.
"Is this my office or yours?" she replied.
Cary looked to the ground, shook his head and chuckled. As he looked up the grin he lost before came back and spread across his face.
"Both." He replied.
Oh joy, thought Grace.
Grace spent most of the day silent, listening to Cary talk her through everything. He was very helpful which was quite frustrating. It was hard to hate him. But after the morning she was still viewing him as a massive jerk.
In their office there was two desks, Cary had the front one set up so Grace took the back one. There was a case coming up later that week so Cary was getting her briefed and ready, although from what she understood she wouldn't be doing much.
That was okay for her, now anyway. She would have to go to court but she wouldn't be sitting with them. She would be purely observing. That seemed fair. It was her first week.
The case was a fairly simple criminal case. They would be meeting the defendant on Thursday afternoon for a meeting and he would have his first trial on Friday.
From what Grace understood he was being convicted of the rape of a young woman whose body was found in the woods behind a campsite. He was the prime suspect because he was seen at the site sneaking around and was known by her circle of friends as her 'stalker'.
He was pleading Not Guilty.
After going through mountains of paperwork and reading, at five-thirty, Cary said she could go home. It seemed that he would be there for a while.
"Oh Grace! Hello hun. How was your first day of work?" Ringing her Mum was the first thing she wanted to do when she got home.
"It was okay." Grace half-mumbled.
"Just okay? What happened?" Alicia replied between sips of what was probably red wine.
"Nothing really. Just a bad start to the day is all. A jerk stole my parking spot. Then I found out he was my mentor." Grace couldn't help but laugh a little at the coincidence.
Her mother chuckled. "Oh well. As long as he is not a bad mentor. I've had some bad ones. What's his name?"
Grace went to answer but her mother pulled the phone away to call an answer out to Will, her 'so called' partner who she was practically married too. Grace liked him. He was good for her mum, but she would have rathered her father.
"Sorry hun. I've gotta go. I'll call you tomorrow. Bye now." Alicia said, ready to put down the phone.
"Yeah okay mum, sure thing. Bye." Grace replied. She felt a little empty as she put the phone down.
Her apartment seemed quieter then normal so she put on some music and found some leftovers to have for dinner.
She went to bed a little earlier then normal, feeling tired and worn out from the day. She remembered to set the alarm for the morning, not wanting to make that mistake again. She lay in bed thinking of the week ahead.
Don't screw up Grace. Just don't screw up.
She would try her very hardest not too.