Chapter 2
Annabel Gordon sat down at her desk on the 27th floor of the Lockhart/Gardner offices. She was thrilled to be working at the prestigious Chicago law firm. For years she had dreamt of living the life she was living now.
She opened the Reid vs. Neeley case file and began reading. Within seconds she was totally absorbed in the case. She kept reading for hours only stopping for a cup of coffee and an apple. She was so into the case, she didn't notice the floor emptying and the lights being turned out in most of the offices.
- Hey, you still here? Annabel looked up and smiled at the person in her office door.
- Oh hi, yeah, just wrapping up, she sat back and moved her head from side to side to loosen up the kinks in her neck.
- A bunch of people are meeting up at Sidebar Grille in 20 minutes for dinner. Wanna join?
Annabel looked at her watch. 8.45 PM on a Friday night and she was still at work. Most evenings, she stayed late, she came in early and she worked most weekends too. Not because she had to but because she loved her job. Since moving to Chicago five months ago, she had gone out with her co-workers only a few times but never to dinner. To be honest she was a bit shy, although most people wouldn't think so when they met her.
- What do you say? I'm going there now, we could share a cab?
Annabel thought about it for a good few seconds before deciding.
- Okay, she smiled and continued, let me use the restroom first?
- Sure thing, see you at the elevators in 10?
Cary turned around and went back upstairs to get his coat. He liked Annabel. Had liked her since she arrived at the firm months ago. She was smart, good at her work and rarely went out with the other first years, when they went out drinking after work. He hadn't really had a chance to get to know her that well, but now Diane had given him a perfect opportunity. Cary had second chaired the Neeley case two years ago and Diane had called him earlier to ask him to work with Annabel on the Reid case.
Meeting up at the elevators, Cary gave Annabel an appreciative glance as he pushed the button. She was wearing a royal blue skirt and jacket. Paired with black loubutins, a white silk blouse and small diamond studs, she looked stunning.
- So you're on the Reid case, Cary said as they rode down in the elevator.
- Yes, Annabel answered, David Lee told me you second chaired the case with Diane. How is she to work with?
- Diane? She's great, Cary answered.
- I really like her, Annabel said, I read a lot about her before I joined Lockhart Gardner. She worked for EMILY's List right?
- Eh, yes, I think so, why do you ask? Cary held the door for her as they stepped into the street.
- I did an internship with them a few years ago, she told him.
- Really, the women's group thing? Cary asked with a smile and a twinkle in his eye.
A cab drove by and Cary signaled for it to pull over. They got into the cab and Annabel turned towards him.
- Don't let Diane hear you call it that. EMILY's List is not just some women's group, Annabel told Cary, EMILY's list raise funds that help elect pro-choice Democratic female candidates to office. Since its founding, EMILY's List has worked to elect 100 pro-choice Democratic women to the House, 19 to the Senate, 10 governors, and over five hundred women to state and local office, including Hillary Clinton and Carol Moseley Braun, who was Recorder of Deeds here in Cook County and is now the U.S. ambassador to New Zealand, and a close friend of Diane's.
- Wow, Cary replied as the cab pulled up beside the Sidebar Grille. They paid and got out.
- Actually, Carol Moseley Braun was the one to suggest to me that I look into Lockhart Gardner, when I decided to move to Chicago. While I interned, I worked for her, Annabel told Cary.
- So, Cary said, I'm sure you'll be a hit with Diane. She likes to mentor but a piece of advise, if you'll allow?
She nodded eagerly at him as they entered the restaurant.
- Diane is a great boss and although your previous work at EMILY's list may score you points initially, kind of like Alicia did with her last name, Diane is all about doing good work. She wants to win and she wants to do well. So work hard and she'll respect and acknowledge you even more for what extra things you may bring to the table.
- Thank you Cary, Annabel said, I really appreciate your advice. Hopefully, I'll do well on the Reid case and prove myself to both Diane and David Lee.
- Don't worry, answered her. He had a feeling she would be just fine.
The two joined several other people around two large tables. They ordered food and was about to eat, when Kalinda walked up to the table and sat down beside Annabel.
- Hi, I'm Kalinda, I don't think we've met?
- I'm Annabel, nice to meet you. You're the investigator, right?
- I am, Kalinda answered and continued, so you're new to the Chicago area?
Annabel, who had just lifted her wine glass to take a sip, gave Kalinda a small nod.
- So where are you from? Kalinda asked.
- I grew up in Connecticut and I went to Georgetown, Annabel answered.
- Kalinda nodded and was about to ask something else, when Cary leaned in and said:
- Kalinda, it's Friday night, cut the investigative small-talk and let Annabel enjoy her dinner.
- Oh, it's okay, Annabel said but Kalinda shock her head and replied:
- No, it's alright. I'm hungry anyways. Annabel turned to Cary and they began talking. Kalinda signaled for the waiter and checked her cell-phone while she waited for him.
She was still waiting to hear back from Diane. She checked her text messages and saw that there was one from Diane.
"Can it wait? Diane"
Kalinda texted her back and put her phone away. She glanced at Annabel and Cary, something was definitely going on between them. She sighed. Monday seemed a long way from now. At least she had the rest of the weekend to confirm her suspicion before she presented her finds to Diane.
Across town Diane and Kurt had just finished dinner. They moved into the living room and sat down in front of the fireplace.
- I never knew I could feel this good, Diane sighed and leaned her head against Kurt's shoulder. His arm immediately came up to gather her closer.
- Well, you're right about that, he agreed. They sat together for a while in complete but comfortable silence.
- How do you usually celebrate Christmas, Diane suddenly asked.
Kurt looked at her and seemed to think it over for a while before he answered.
- I don't know if there's anything usual about it but I sometimes spend it with my sister, her husband and their three children. But this year the last of the kids headed off to college, so I don't know what my sister is planning. From what I understand they're talking about a big ski trip for the whole family instead of all of them coming back home. My oldest nephew has his own family now and I don't think they'll be there this year, so, I guess I don't really know what usual is anymore.
He smiled at Diane and said:
- Which is why I'm so glad, I now have my own wife to celebrate Christmas with, he leaned over and gave her a sweet kiss.
Diane felt her heart expand and a smile spread on her lips. Life was good. She never thought she'd meet someone like Kurt. For years, decades even she had worked her way to the top. A position she wanted and didn't make excuses for, but as a woman it still meant not taking time off for maternity leave, hence she had never had the family, she once thought she would, and most men after she reached the age of 45 had thought her somewhat cold and calculating due to her job. But with Kurt everything was different. She even felt different, too bad it was way to late to think about having a family, and...
- Hello, earth to Diane, Kurt softly told her.
- Sorry, I was miles away, she told him.
- What were you thinking about? You looked very serious, Kurt asked her.
- Did you ever think about having children, Diane asked him.
Surprised Kurt looked at her.
- Sure, at one point but that's kind of out the window, he told her.
- Well, technically, it's not out the window for you, just for me, she said.
Kurt looked at her. She looked serious but not sad per se.
- You regret never having children, he asked her.
- Well, regret isn't the right word, she said. Her eyebrows wrinkled the tiniest bit before she sighed and closed her eyes.
Kurt took her hand and gave it a small squeeze, his thumb sliding back and forth over her wedding band.
- You okay? he asked after a while.
- Yes, she answered and opened her eyes, sometimes I imagine my life if I hadn't become a name partner, if I had just done the traditional family and townhouse. But I know that I wanted more, I wanted my own firm and I wanted to work all that I wanted without the responsibilities of small children, school recitals, family dinners, she paused for a bit before she continued, you'll love this part, she told him, I used to love The West Wing, the tv-show. In it, the press secretary CJ Cregg plays the strong, intelligent, well-educated woman, who's just damn good at her job. She sacrifices her love life, works 24/7, never sees her family and still feels good about life and herself. Then at the end of the show, she still ends up with a husband and a child...
- Honey, I'm not sure, what you're saying, Kurt asked her.
- Me neither, she answered, I guess I'm just saying, I sometimes think about the fact that no matter how hard I work or how successful, I become as a lawyer, people will still be waiting for me to settle down with a husband and 2,5 kids and by now that's never gonna happen, so I don't ever know why I'm telling you this, she looked at him as if to find the answer in his eyes.
In some ways it scared her, how dependent she had become on him in such a short amount of time. She loved him of course but it was more than that. He understood her, and she had never had that with anyone before.
- You know what, let's go to bed, Kurt said and stood up. He held his hand out to her and together they walked up the stairs and went to bed. Right before she fell asleep, Diane remembered, she had asked Cary to talk to Annabel Gordon about stepping in on the Reid case and let her know when he had spoken to Annabel about it. She reached over to look at her phone but the only thing waiting for her was a text from Kalinda:
"Sure, we'll talk Monday"
Diane fell asleep wondering what Kalinda wanted to talk to her about, since she wasn't working on any cases for her right now. Just when she was about to text Kalinda back, Kurt rolled over and drew her into his arms.
- Sleep, he ordered her. She smiled and fell asleep.