ERIN

"Have a good day," I call from the driver's side of the 300, trying to keep a grin off my face as I watch Nina's cheeks flush at the comment. "What time are you done?"

"School's out at 3:30, but I have to take a test after school, I should be done around 5,"

"Alright," I tell her, making a mental note of the hour. "I'll swing by and pick you up, just text me when you're done,"

"You really don't have to do that," She assures me. "I can find my way back to the apartment."

"Nina stop," I tell her. "I'll be here okay?"

"Okay," She says, looking back at me with an unsure smile. "I'll see you later,"

"See you later," I say as she closes the doors and I roll away, not oblivious to the dozens of sets of eyes on her as she walks through the front doors. I remember being in high school, news travels fast and it's more than likely that they all know what went down just a couple days ago.


"How's the kid?" Olivia asks, a cup of coffee clasped between her hands as she spends her few free minutes debriefing in my office. "How are you?"

"It's going interestingly," I comment slowly. "Jay's worried about me,"

"Why?" She asks, taking another sip of the bitter dark liquid.

"He's worried that I'm taking my work home, not savoring my twenties I guess."

"Well," She adds, "I can't say that I haven't had the same worries about you,"

"You have?" I ask. "You haven't said anything,"

"I didn't think it was my place," She replies softly.

"It's not forever," I assure her. "It's just until I can find her a placement."

"Alright," She responds, knowing that she's treading on unsteady ground. "Just be careful okay?"

"Okay," I tell her, "Go get to work, Joe's going to get pissed,"

"Please," She says with a scoff, "He would never,"

"Go," I say with a laugh, getting back to the overwhelming stack of paperwork in front of me, grateful for a distraction from the rest of my life.


JAY

I sit in the front seat of my car, adjusting my tie in the tiny rear view mirror for the tenth time, before taking a breath, and grabbing the briefcase out of the passenger seat. I reluctantly hop out of the driver's seat, struggling to navigate the maze of a parking garage below the firm's Michigan Avenue office.

I carefully call for the elevator, illuminating the perimeter of the the round silver button and wait less than patiently, the toe of my shoe involuntarily and anxiously tapping against the concrete floor.

I legitimately thought about applying for this job under my mom's maiden name, hoping that for once, I would get a job on my merits and not my name. But I would walk in the first day and that secret would be out, so I'm stuck. Not that it's the worst place to be.

I take a final deep breath as I hear the door ding, opening up to the hustle and bustle of the offices of Shelby & Kane.

"James Halstead?" I hear from a very perky woman, who looks even younger than me.

"Jay please," I tell her, reaching out to shake her hand.

"Nice to meet you Jay," She replies, returning the gesture.

"And you are?" I ask, feeling quite out of place in what seems to be the hub of the office, people rushing past me without even a second look.

"Sorry, pardon my rudeness." She replies, a slight southern drawl coming out of her tone, "Cassidy Tanner, I'm your assistant,"

"I'm sorry what?" I ask her again. Why do I have an assistant? I thought this was supposed to be an entry level job.

"Your assistant," She says, flashing me a pearly white smile.

"Oh okay," I say, accepting the very odd truth that's been placed in front of me.

"So Ms. Shelby instructed me to direct you to her office," She tells me. "It's just down the hall on the right, her name is on the door, you won't be able to miss it. And I can take your bag,"

"Oh alright," I reply, handing it off to her and watching her disappear down the other end of the hallway. I take a second to gather myself before taking a right towards her office. I'm not nervous about talking to Rebecca, well Ms. Shelby now I guess. She worked on one of my mom's earlier Senate campaigns before she and Aaron Kane started the firm maybe ten years ago. I didn't put it together that she was the same Rebecca Shelby until after I applied, but it was a nice surprise.

"I'm here to see Rebecca Shelby," I say, speaking to who I presume is her assistant after I push through the frosted glass door with her name etched on it. Before the guy even has a chance to respond, I hear her voice from behind yet another wall of frosted glass.

"Jay, welcome," She says, taking my hands in hers, her warm demeanor still the same as I remember it when I was ten years old. "Glad to see that you're not still the 10 year old that I had to chase around your mother's office,"

"It's nice to see you again Rebecca," I say, not totally sure what I'm supposed to call her.

"C'mon in, we've got some things to talk about," She says, leading me into her office, her height matching mine in a pair of five inch heels.

"I have an assistant?" I ask her as we sit down, her behind the desk and me in front.

"You met Cassidy," She says with a small laugh. "Yes you do have an assistant, she's shared between you and Josh Clark, who you'll meet soon."

"Why do I have an assistant?" I ask her, my previous question, though presented as a statement, still unanswered.

"You're a senior strategist, you all have assistants." She answers simply, like it's the easiest thing in the world.

"Rebecca, I'm 24, this is my first real job, other than fundraising for my mom."

"Exactly," She says, cutting me off. "We believe that you will be an invaluable asset to the team here, you don't have experience, but you have lived through a Presidential campaign. That is why you're here, understand?"

"I guess so," I say with a weak smile. "Thank you again for the job, I really needed to get out of my brother's place,"

"You're welcome," She tells me, "but let me be clear, your last name got you in the door, but it will not keep you here. That is on you, prove it to me that you're going to work hard, I don't want to be saddled with another one of these Washington trust fund kids. So you work, and I keep you here, deal?" She asks, holding out a perfectly manicured hand over the desk.

"Deal," I respond, shaking her hand back.

"Now get to work,"


"Ah the golden boy arrives," I hear as I walk into my office, my bag settled on top of the modern desk, facing another one with a pompous looking guy, who I'm almost positive was in a frat, looking over at me.

"I'm sorry," I say, turning to look at him.

"Josh Clark," He says, holding out my hand to shake mine. "No famous last name, I worked for my job."

"Jay Halstead," I say, taking that with a straight face. "And I'm hoping to prove to you that I'm more than the name,"

"We'll see," He says, taking a seat across the office.

"Looking forward to it,"


ERIN

"You almost ready to go?" I call over to Nina, glancing down anxiously at my phone. Jay was supposed to meet us at my place and it's very odd for him to be late, to anything.

"Yeah," She replies, emerging out of her bedroom with a coat draped over her arm. "Is Jay meeting us here or at the house?"

"Supposed to be here," I ponder quietly.

"Wow less than 24 hours with the kid and he's already bailing," She tells me with a smirk.

"Very funny," I say as my phone vibrates in my hand, Jay's named across the top of the text.

Hey baby, I'm sorry but I don't think I'm going to make dinner with your parents. Trying to make a good impression at work, so I'm staying late. I think my partner hates me, but I'm working on it. I'm sorry again, tell your parents I'm sorry too. I love you. -J

"Uh he's not coming," I tell her. It's weird, him cancelling on me because of work. It's kind of refreshing though, he has a job. He's growing up, becoming an adult. It's nice.

"Oh so he did ditch," She says again as I lead her out of the apartment.

"Shut up," I say with a laugh as I shut the door behind us.


"So your dad's a cop?" She asks.

"Yeah, a sargent. He runs his own division on the north side,"

"Wow, fancy pants." She says with a smile.

"Yeah something like that," I reply with a chuckle, knowing that that could not be farther from the truth. Looking over at her, I realize that it's been too easy. She's a troubled kid, how does that all evaporate in 24 hours? She didn't skip any classes today, which her principal told me is rare and she didn't fight me at all about this dinner, not even an attitude. It just seems too good to be true. Maybe after so many shitty hands, the universe decided to actually deal me something good. Well, in the midst of the shit. But it's something.

"And here we are," I say, pulling up to the little brick bungalow on Emerald Street.

"It's nice," She comments as I turn off the ignition, the two of us quickly hopping out.

"Yeah," I say as I join her on the sidewalk. "I always liked it,"

"So who exactly is here again?" She

"Well you'll be meeting my mom Camille and my dad Hank, and maybe my brother Justin. He might be at football practice though, I'm not sure."

"How old is your brother?" She asks.

"Almost 18," I reply as we ascend up the front steps.

"That's kinda weird, I'm almost his age." She tells me with a grin.

"Yeah," I say, trying to forget that simple little fact. Everyone keeps telling me that I'm making a mistake, I don't need me telling myself that too. I smile over at her, trying to hide my inner anxiety as I ring the doorbell. I don't know what I'm so nervous about. Seeing my mom again? She's sick, but it's not like she's going to drop dead right now, she still has time left. Maybe it's bringing Nina home with me? Maybe it's just all of it. I guess we'll find out.

"Where's Halstead?" My dad demands as he opens the front door, glancing over us. I roll my eyes, knowing that this was coming.

"He got caught up at work," I tell him. "He sends his best,"

"I'm sure he does," He replies under his breath.

"Hush Hank," Camille says, coming up behind him, warm as ever with open arms. "Excuse my husband, you must be Nina,"

"That's me." The teenager next to me responds nervously.

"Well don't just wait out on the stoop, c'mon in." She invites us. We quickly oblige, shedding our shoes at the front door. I smile over as Camille takes Nina under her arm, leading her deeper into the house and I'm sure talking her ear off.

"You okay kid?" Hank asks me as I take off my coat.

"Yeah," I say, tossing on a smile to convince him as much as myself. "I'm good."