Chapter Four

On her way to their meeting Diane was thinking of a similar sunny day from four years ago, when she'd told Cary about her plan to leave Lockhart/Gardner and asked him to join her. She had thought Will had teamed up with their third partner behind her back and meant to start her own firm to get back at them. In the end she'd stayed with Will and had to take the offer back, disappointing Cary.

Cary would probably be just as disappointed today when she would tell him about her plans. But she still hoped they would be able to discuss it without a fight. He should appreciate that she wasn't going behind his back. She hadn't even called any of her clients, she wanted to share the news with her partner first and not allow any rumors to get in the way.

They met on the street again, just like the other time. She didn't want to have this conversation in the office, since his reaction was unpredictable. The last thing she needed were witnesses to a possible fight with her partner.

"I'm leaving," she opened with the same words she had four years ago and judging from the expression on Cary's face, he also had a deja vu feeling about the scenario. He was even wearing a similar outfit as the last time given that he arrived jogging again.

"The firm?" he guessed, keeping the eye contact with her.

"Yes," she nodded and waited for his conclusion.

"Are you retiring?"

He thought of the same thing her husband had and that put a barely visible smile on Diane's face. And she could easily have tried to fool him like she had tried with Canning and David a year ago, but she'd chosen a completely different tactic this time.

"No," she paused again to see where his mind would go next.

"Then we have a problem," he concluded as he probably realized her true intentions.

"Maybe not. I'm joining Alicia, so I don't see too many of my clients following me," she revealed that he didn't really have a reason to get angry with her.

Of course she could see her clients leave the firm after she does and she certainly wouldn't offer to talk them out of it. She doubted many would even think of following her to a small practice, but it didn't bother her at the moment.

"Why would you do that?" Cary was confused, but she didn't really blame him.

I'm tired, she thought, but this was something she didn't mean to share with him.

"I need a change," she went with the less dramatic explanation.

"It's a career suicide," he pointed out.

"Maybe, but this is my decision," she insisted firmly.

She had another reason she barely had the courage to admit to herself, let alone to anyone else, and especially not to her husband. She didn't feel completely healthy anymore. Maybe age was just a number, but those numbers started to really count for her recently. She could definitely benefit from a less stressful environment. Chasing money wasn't the most important thing in life anymore.

"As long as we get to keep your clients," Cary said a bit jokingly.

"That's their decision," she reminded him.

They both knew they would surely lose one client, the one who prevented Alicia from coming back to her firm on the first place. Not that it mattered anymore. Alicia actually seemed happy with her new situation and Diane was sure she would feel the same way once she would officially be out the door for good.

"Will you tell the partners?" Cary moved on from understanding her reasons and began to think ahead.

"Yes, I just wanted you to be the first to know," she admitted.

She tried to do it differently than the last time when she had plotted behind Will's back, or the time Cary had done the same with Alicia behind her back. All of her cards were on the table now and that probably explained Cary's fairly calm reaction.

"I appreciate it," he fleshed her his boyish smile.

"We've been through a lot together," she smiled back at him. She felt relieved that the conversation went so smoothly.

"Yes and I'm grateful that you stood by me through the trial," he put to words what she'd already felt. The trial had actually mended their broken relationship.

"Hope my exit package will reflect that gratitude," she mentioned a little playfully, but that was actually the part she dreaded. Last time she had planned to leave the firm for the judgeship, the negotiation had become really ugly.

"Knowing David, it probably won't," Cary pointed out the real problem, she knew that David on the other end of the table was always a real nightmare.

"Good luck with handling him in the future," she tried to shake off the previous thought and look ahead, at the times when she wouldn't have to deal with the egoistic divorce lawyer anymore.

"I have a feeling I'm going to need it," Cary seemed insecure, but she understood.

In fact she wasn't even sure how long the partnership of the two of them would actually last. But that wasn't really her problem. If Cary had any fears about his own future, he certainly wouldn't let them show to her.

"Thank you for handling this so well, I wasn't sure how you'd react," she had to give him credit for making it a lot easier for her.

"So much has happened lately," he sighed and she claimed to see the sadness in his eyes. She didn't have to wonder who was the cause of it.

"Yeah," she kept her reply short, just to make it clear she understood.

"We will miss you, well I will," he admitted something unexpected and it put a smile on Diane's face.

"I won't be too far away," she replied grinning, leaving the interpretation to him.

Cary began to chuckle, understanding what she meant, that their paths would surely cross again, it was a small world after all.