I knocked on Max’s door.
He wal
ked around his desk to greet me.
“Don’t you look stunning today.” He led me inside.
The comment took me off guard. I didn’t bother to thank him. I hadn’t bothered with a lot of mundane things in the past week. I’d had enough energy to get myself to work. Enough to kick ass while I was there and then enough to get home.
After that I spent the night locked in my room with wine. One, sometimes two bottles. I switched from red to white. I didn’t care. As long as it helped me forget, I didn’t care about any of it.
Max had an oval table in the corner of his office. It was well-worn. I imagined he had crafted brilliant arguments and closing statements here. Researched historical cases. Mentored some of American’s most prestigious graduates. It should have felt like an honor to sit on one side while he sat on the other. The moment was lost on my struggle to move through it.
I handed him a copy of one of the files I made. It had the latest transcript from Lana’s statements.
“This is great work Elliot.” He read one page after another. “Your interview questions are on point. I can’t think of anything else I would have asked her. This is extremely thorough.”
“Thank you.” I waited while he sifted through the material.
“How many aides do you have working on this with you?”
“Only two,” I reported. “Jessie and Gregory. They are my mentees. Because of the sensitivity of the case I didn’t want to broaden the scope. It’s a huge research commitment, but they are up for it.”
“I think that makes what you’re doing even more impressive. You’re handling a lot right now.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. There were moments when the cracks in my armor would appear. I didn’t know when they were going to come, but I respected Max Harrison. His approval meant something to me.
“You are interested in staying on in the faculty position?”
I nodded. “Absolutely. It was the reason I came here, even if it doesn’t work out. I know the field is competitive, but I think I’d like to stay in the city. I want to continue to help the clinic somehow even after I’m no longer in the program.”
“I would say given your dedication to your class, your students, and this,” he pointed at Lana’s file, “you are easily in the top five for the position.”
“Really?” My eyes widened. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am.” He smiled. “I can see you here. And at the clinic,” he added with a wink.
The last part made me squirm.
“Great. Great.” He tapped his pen on the table. “You know this case reminds me of a review I worked on a few years ago. I had it printed in the Harvard Law Review.”
He rose from the table and strolled to his bookshelf. He paused on a leather-bound volume and handed it to me.
“You might find this interesting. I’m extremely proud of it.”
I moved to stuff it in my bag.
“Why don’t you look through it now?” he suggested. “We could discuss it.”
“I know your time is valuable, Professor Harrison. And limited.” I smiled. “I can read it tonight at home. Thank you for sharing it with me.” I didn’t feel comfortable sitting here while he watched me read.
“Really, it’s fine. Take your time.”
He returned to his seat, but nudged it closer. “I had another idea about the Foley case I wanted to discuss. It’s an important angle we have to consider. This suit is going to be in the headlines. I thought we could go over some strategies for handling the press. Using their influence to our advantage.”
“All right. Do you want to set that up for next week?” I retrieved my phone so I could check my schedule.
I felt the tap of his hand on my wrist and I looked up. My skin prickled.