Until Then (Cape Harbor 2)

“No worries, Mom. I love how you and Dad are enjoying your retirement.”

“You should join us on our cruise.” The suggestion, while nice, was impossible.

“Maybe next time,” she replied. “Listen, Mom. I gotta run.”

“Oh, Renee, you work too hard. You need to take a break.”

She hated the name Renee. Her parents, Theo, and her coworkers all referred to her by her given name, but she preferred Rennie. Yet, it only ever stuck with the Cape Harbor crew and college friends.

“Theo and I are going away for New Year’s. Up to the mountains.”

“But you hate skiing. I don’t understand why you’d take a vacation if you don’t love the destination. Relationships are about compromise.”

“I don’t mind it. It’s just not my favorite activity. Besides, Theo loves to ski. I’m happy being in the spa all day.”

“All right, dear. I have to go. I’m tired, and your father and I have a big day planned. We’ll talk soon. Love you.” Before Rennie could respond, her mother hung up.

Rennie sat back in her chair and swiveled to look out the window. She replayed her mother’s words in her mind. She couldn’t recall a time when her parents fought or even had a disagreement. To her, they were always even keeled and happy. Rennie wanted a relationship like her parents’.

Her intercom buzzed again, and she pressed the button so Ester could talk. “Just your friendly reminder about the staff meeting. Your lunch is in the conference room.”

“Thank you, Ester.”

Rennie gathered her binder, along with her notes on Grady’s case, and made her way down the hall to the conference room, which filled up quickly. She found an open seat, but before she sat down, she searched the various food items on the table, looking for her name. She grabbed her salad, went over to the drink cart, picked out a Sprite, and went back to her chair.

Unlike their quarterlies, where the discussions centered around money and bottom lines, this meeting was about their cases and who needed help with research, depositions, or investigations. If Lex Davey was anything, he was nosy. He wanted to know everything, give input on cases—as if he knew what he was talking about—and instruct the lawyers on how to settle or hit it out of the park for the big bucks. Unfortunately, the staff had no choice but to appease him, but at least he provided lunch once a week.

Rennie dug into her salad, trying to eat as much as she could before she had to talk. She tried to listen to her coworkers, to see if she could offer anyone help and to see who could help her with Grady’s case.

“Renee, you’re up. What do you have, and do you need any help?” Lex asked her.

She set her fork down and moved her salad away so she could flip through her notes and recount the controversial divorce case she had. “The Sotos have a mediation meeting after the first of the year. Mr. Soto has stalled on talks, which we are using to Mrs. Soto’s advantage. She wants to wrap this up because she has a contract she’s waiting to sign for another book series. I’ve also taken a pro bono case for a family I grew up with. Ester filed the contract today. An arrest and arraignment are imminent.”

“What’s the case? And since when do you practice criminal law?” Lex interrupted.

Rennie tried not to let his behavior get to her, but the man was rude. She cleared her throat and told the conference room about her weekend and what the charges would be against her new client. Rennie made eye contact with a few of her team members who specialized in criminal cases and hoped they’d volunteer some of their time. If not, she would beg.

“I don’t practice criminal law, but under the circumstances and knowing what the family wants for their son, I believe I can get my friend the help he needs.”

“I’m confused,” Lex huffed.

“What’s confusing? Surely I’m not the only lawyer in the firm to help out a friend or take a case as pro bono.” She stared down her boss. He side-eyed her, which Rennie didn’t like.

“Pass it off. Don’t waste company time on something like this.” Lex moved to the next partner, effectively shutting her down. He pissed her off, and she hated the way he spoke to her. Rennie had no intention of passing the case off to anyone. She would represent Grady because it was what she’d promised his family.

While she stewed over the way Lex treated her, she continued to pick at her salad. She took notes on a few of the cases her colleagues spoke about and intended to send them case files she had recently worked on, and she worked hard not to roll her eyes when Lex talked about how to practice law, spoke about ethics and the legal system. He knew nothing. As soon as Lex adjourned the meeting, Rennie gathered her things, steadied her salad on her binder, and walked back to her office.