JENNIE
Nayeon calls me to check in, and I read her the latest invitation that's crossed my desk. April has flagged it as important, and I've learned to trust her. "There's a retirement party next Saturday for a judge who's been around forever, and I'm encouraged to bring a plus one. What are you doing next weekend?"
"Oh, that sounds like fun. We don't have anything planned. I can fly out Friday and be home Sunday," she says.
"Really? Nice. I thought for sure you'd say no."
"Come on. I've been dying to see your new place and to visit my little town again."
"We prefer the word city, but okay. Town's fine, I guess," I say.
"Let's get dolled up and drink a lot. Can you book us at Skyline Salon? I miss cheap pampering."
When Nayeon told me she pays over four hundred dollars for highlights, I laughed. One of the perks of living in the Midwest is the inexpensive living. "I promise to take care of you here as well as you did for me there. Except the whole special massage thing. I did pay you back for that, didn't I?" Panic flutters in my chest as I wrack my brain trying to remember.
"Yes, you did. At the airport when I dropped you off. I'll have to pass on that kind of special treatment. I don't think Orlando would approve."
"Things are going pretty well there, huh?" My mind floats back to the last conversation I had with Lisa, and I brush it aside. I need to focus on Nayeon and not on Lisa, who hasn't contacted me since the night she left my house.
"They are. We got into a blowout the other day, and it turns out I really want this to work, but I'm fighting it so hard. Like if I give in, I'm giving up my independence or something. He told me that's not going to happen. He's not going to be the boyfriend who doesn't trust his girlfriend when she's out with friends. I ended up a sobbing mess on the couch," she says.
I decide she's got enough going on, so I keep my opinion on monogamous relationships to myself. "He's a great guy and I really like him."
"I just don't know if I'm ready for insta-family, you know?"
"Quit fighting it. You make a powerful couple." I learned a long time ago not to refer to Nayeon as cute in any relationship, even if I felt it to be true. "Anyway, bring something sexy so I can show you off."
I'm interrupted by a knock and April peeking her head in before I answer.
"I'm sorry, but Mayor Moore is here to see you," she says.
I hold up my finger. "Okay. I'll confirm times with you next week." I hang up and nod at April, who's been staring at me the whole time. I stand when Sterling enters, and April shuts the door.
"Sterling, what a surprise."
"It's been a while," he says.
I reach over my desk to shake his hand, finding comfort in the space between us. "What can I do for you today?"
"I wanted to tell you that I was disappointed with Seamus's sentence."
I stare at him. He wants a reaction. I don't give him one.
"I'm sorry you feel that way, but he's a repeat offender, and the pre-sentence investigation showed a person unwilling to change or reform. The sentence was within the parameters set by both parties."
His smile wavers a bit. "I get that, but I thought we had an understanding. I thought we bonded over lunch the other week."
"Mayor, I did the job that I was appointed to do. As much as I appreciated and respected your input, I can't offer leniency to a violent criminal because you played football with him in grade school." Oops. That came out bitchier than I intended. I don't want to piss him off. "Thank you for your help, Sterling, but I have to do my job well. I'm sure you can appreciate that our city is safer when judges do take their responsibilities seriously."
"Of course. Of course." He rubs his hands over his face. "I just know he didn't get a fair shot at rehabilitation. I wanted to help out. I thought you could see that."
He looks defeated. Gone is the smiley, happy-go-lucky politician who walked in only a few minutes ago. "Are you in some kind of trouble, Sterling?" It dawns on me that maybe his involvement with Seamus is shady, as Nayeon predicted.
He waves his hands at me and laughs but his voice is shaky.
"Oh, no. Nothing like that. I just told a friend I'd try to help out in any way I could."
I lean forward and study him. "So, you were never friends with him?" How many times has this man lied to me? I still think something's off. I don't get murder vibes, but I do believe whatever he's involved in isn't good. He stares at me as if he's ready to confess something, but then sits back in the chair and takes a deep breath.
"He's a friend of a friend. I didn't know him personally, but I offered to help someone."
"A friend," I repeat. I want to throw his words back at him, but I keep quiet. Something tells me Sterling Moore is in a bad place. "I can't do anything. What's done is done. The sentencing is out of my court. Besides, I'm sure his lawyers have already appealed."
He stands. "I get it. I do. Thanks for your time."
I stand, too, but he doesn't shake my hand. He leaves without closing my door. I watch as he raps his knuckles on April's desk and winks at her as he leaves. He acts as if the last five minutes didn't happen. What the actual fuck is going on?
"What did he want?" April leans her shoulder on the door frame and hugs the stack of manilla folders to her chest.
"Nothing. Just to follow up on something we discussed a few weeks ago." She nods. It looks like she believes my lie. "Can you shut my door on the way out?" I ask.
Once my door is shut, I lean back in my chair. Something detrimental to somebody was in that warehouse, and Seamus Williams was hired to destroy it. But why would he be stupid and careless enough to get caught an hour after the fire? I can't tell anybody anything because what's there to tell? That the mayor is upset with a sentencing? That he asked me for help and I denied him? I know favors are doled out daily. We learned that in law school. Ethics was pushed hard because it's so easy to give in to temptation. Judges are pushed harder. Fuck my life right now. I want to call Nayeon back, but she's busy, and it's not fair to keep bothering her when both of our workloads are gigantic. I pick up the invitation for the party I just invited her to. She's gorgeous, smart, and will be able to hold her own talking to anyone at the party. Plus, she'll have my back and report any gossip. I email my confirmation and mark it on my calendar. I have a feeling my very near future is going to be an endless stream of holiday parties and more visits by the mayor.
--
"You're here." I throw my arms in the air and race toward Nayeon, whose enthusiastic squeal gets the attention of the patrons in the foyer. I'm so happy to see her that my eyes well up. I didn't realize how much I needed my best friend until she's in my arms.
"Finally. I'm here. I'm sorry it's so late."
"I don't care. Just never let me go." I notice her two carry-on bags. "Tell me you're moving in and that's all your stuff."
She laughs and pulls out of my embrace. "I couldn't decide so I have two dresses, two pairs of shoes, my fluffy robe, pajamas, makeup, hair care." She nods as she lists everything in the bags.
"Oh, and your Christmas present."
I step back. "Shut up. You do not. That's not for two months. Nayeon, I haven't even thought about presents yet."
"Stop stressing. Come on. Show me your place. I'm so excited to finally see it."
I grab one of her bags and roll it to the elevator. "I'll come down here tomorrow and get us breakfast. This coffee shop has wonderful chocolate croissants and lattes."
"Yum. I'm hungry. The plane's snack was just junk food. Tell me you have something to eat."
I punch the sixth floor and list everything I have for her. "I went with nostalgic snacks that probably won't taste as good as they did when we were in law school. All the fruit, all the vegetables, Christopher Elbow chocolates, slices of different Andre's cakes, pretzels with cheese sauce, and Hot Tamales."
"Sounds perfect and absolutely horrible for me. Is it too late for wine?"
I hold the elevator door open as she crosses the threshold. "We have to worry about it only when we have to ask if it's too early."
"I love you. You get me," she says.
"I love you more." I unlock my door and stand back to gauge her reaction. She turns to me, her mouth open, and I beam.
"Oh, my God. It's gorgeous." She drops her bag and twirls her arms like Maria von Trapp. "This is perfect for you, Jennie Bear. Absolutely high-end perfection."
"It's not too over the top?"
She grabs my shoulders. "You deserve everything. All of this. All your successes. I'm just so fucking proud of you." She pulls me into a hug, and I can't help but lean into her strength.
"Thanks. Let me give you the tour." I take her to the guest room, which is located right when you walk into the loft. The walls to her room are only eight feet tall so they don't reach the ceiling, but they give her privacy. I love the open concept. She puts her bags on the guest bed, then walks the steps up to my room.
"Your bedroom is fucking amazing. Whoever designed this loft is a mastermind. It's like they were in your head."
"I hired an interior designer to do most of the decorating. I picked out a few things, but this is mostly her work." I wait for Nayeon to finish gushing about my place before we sit down to relax, and then I catch her up on my life, including the weirdness with Sterling.
"First of all, your mayor is hot."
I give her a look that says I'm not amused.
"Okay, besides that, I told you he was dirty. I knew it the minute you told me about the case. What did you find out?"
I shrugged. "Nothing. I have nothing. Honestly, I think he's in over his head. Like somebody has something on him and he's just a puppet. That explains his weird behavior and our conversation. If you find my body—"
She waves her finger inches from my face. "Don't even say it. Don't even joke about it, not a word." I see the lightly veiled anger and, for the first time, realize she's concerned for me.
I hold her hand and gently squeeze her fingers. "I'm not worried, but I need somebody in my life to know what's going on. And I need to know if I'm imagining how weird all of this is."
She rests her head on the back of the couch. "You're not. Something's off with your hottie of a mayor, but I get it. We've come a long way, and both of us need to be careful. Especially you. You live alone and have two controversial cases under your belt."
"I'll be fine. Threatening a judge isn't smart." I change the subject. "In other news, Lisa's been here twice."
"Now this I can get behind. What's going on there?"
"Same. I got desperate for sex and texted her." I drop my head in my hands. "I hate that I'm so weak."
"You're a strong, passionate woman. You both want the same thing—really good sex without the complication of a relationship. If it's working, don't worry about it. Everything else will fall into place." She smirks behind her wineglass.
"What?"
"What what?"
"What's the smirk for? What do you know that I don't?" I don't love her smug look.
"Nothing really. I just think it's interesting that you've become fuck buddies and how you allegedly don't want a relationship, but you haven't talked about anyone else."
I snort. "It's not by choice. I can't do the hard-and-fast hookups anymore because people are starting to recognize me. And we know I always struggle to make friends. People don't take me seriously."
"You're cursed with a deliciously curvy body and a face that stops traffic," she says.
Heat feathers my cheeks at her compliment. I know my looks are both a blessing and a curse. I've used both to my advantage and apologize for nothing. "Oh, stop. I'm just confident."
"Oh, yeah. That, too. The important thing is that I'm here. We'll meet people at this party who'll either help you professionally or be just like us. I wonder if we'll see Irene there?"
We were a trio in law school. Irene got a job in Overland Park, and when Nayeon moved, our trio fell apart. Completely my fault.
During the two years I was working on the MedPharmo case, many of my colleagues moved to different cities, different firms, and I lost touch. It's been over four years since either of us has spoken to Irene. "I hope so. I miss her quiet humor."
"We should call her." Nayeon reaches for her phone.
"It's eleven thirty. We're not calling anyone," I say.
"Okay. Maybe tomorrow. What time are we headed to the salon?"
"Four. The party starts at six thirty, and dinner is served at seven."
"Do you even know this judge?" Nayeon asks.
"I know some of his cases. Remember when that train derailed because the engineer fell asleep and a dozen people died? That was his."
"Okay. That was like ten years ago, right?" she asks.
I nod. When we were baby lawyers. When life was both simple and overwhelming at the same time. "I never met him though. He was a hard judge. Nobody liked to be in his courtroom. Everybody going to this party is probably only going because they want to see him retire."
"Whatever you need me to do, let me know. I'm yours for the night."
I laugh at her phrasing. Nayeon and I have never fooled around.
I think we knew right away that we were destined to be besties, so we didn't want to ruin our friendship by having sex. That rarely ends well. "Okay. Let's go to sleep. We might have an all-nighter ahead of us, and we're going to need to rest." I hug her tightly but am reluctant to release her. I really need to start making friends who live here in town.
"Don't forget the croissants and coffee in the morning," Nayeon says before closing her door. "You know how I take my coffee."
