“I’ll come by Tess’s house and throw stones at your window until you open it and talk to me.”
“You’re taking devious to a whole new level.” I laughed; I couldn’t help it. “Tess and I were just talking about you before the run.”
He didn’t answer, which made me slightly suspicious.
“Oh my God... Tess told you about our conversation, didn’t she?”
“Yeah. She said she had a vital piece of information I had to know. Her words. So now I have a simple mission.”
“Do tell.”
“No, not how this works.”
“But it requires talking one hour every day?”
“Yes.”
“I see. And does that devious plan of yours begin right now?”
“If you have a free hour, then yes, ma’am.”
“My schedule happens to be free.”
I walked right back to the park, sitting on one of the many benches, toeing off my sneakers and bringing my knees to my chest.
“So... what do you want to talk about?” I asked.
“Whatever you want. Tell me about your day.”
“I’ve just finished a run.”
“You’re running?” Disbelief colored his voice.
“Yep. Turns out that all the benefits you laid out are true. I just didn’t like doing it indoors. I should listen to you more often.”
“I completely agree.”
I laughed. “Shouldn’t have said that. Have a hunch you’ll use it against me.”
“You have no idea.”
Oh, my. What exactly did he have in mind?
“I’ve made a plan. Want to hear it?”
“I’m all ears.”
“I’ll open up my own practice. It’s a bit risky, since I won’t have a big name to back me up anymore, but I don’t want to bust my ass for anyone else anymore. What... what do you think?”
I was on the edge of the bench now, holding my breath. His opinion was important to me.
“I think that’s the best thing you can do. You’re an excellent lawyer and have enough cases under your belt.”
“Exactly.”
“I’m proud of you, Josie.”
“Thanks.”