Mia stared down at the steaming cup in front of her.
He… He's dead. The defendant of my first trial is dead.
"Ah, cheer up, kitten." Said a deep voice with a slight Hispanic accent to it.
Mia looked up at her co-worker, Diego Armando. The dark skinned man gave her his best smile.
"I appreciate the sentiment, Diego, as well as the coffee, but I don't think cheering up is something I can do right now."
Diego took a long gulp of his coffee before speaking again. "You already forget what I told you? The worst of times are when lawyers have to force their biggest smiles."
"And how exactly am I supposed to smile? Mr. Fawles is dead and his killer is running free… Maybe I'm not cut out for this lawyer business."
Diego suddenly slammed his coffee cup onto the table, sending the liquid flying into the air, yet not spilling a drop. "Don't even start talking like that, kitten. Yeah, the guy's dead. But you did the best you could. No one can fault you for that."
"But Diego-" Mia was quickly cut off.
"Kitten, life can be a lot like coffee."
Mia sighed. "Another of your coffee philosophies? I'll humor you. How is life like coffee?"
Diego smirked. "It can be pretty bitter. Not to everyone's liking." He reached for a packet of sugar on the table, something Mia never thought she'd see him touch. "But, if you do it just right." He tore open the packet and poured half of it into Mia's cup. "You can make it nice and sweet."