Love You Better (Better Love 1)

“Bless you, Saint Geoffrey. You are my salvation.”

He winks. “Good luck, V.”

Coffee in hand, I stride into the conference room, eyeing Amelia cautiously.

“Fifteen minutes ago, Ames? Really? How hard did you have to hustle to beat me?”

She pops a perfectly arched brow and smirks. “I spilled coffee on my pants, and I’m pretty sure I lost an earring between my front door and my car.”

I flick my eyes to her dress slacks, scanning for a coffee stain. “At least they’re black?”

“Yeah, and it’s French vanilla, so my thighs are gonna smell scrumptious today.” She flips her braids over her shoulders and gives them a little shimmy, and I can’t hold back my giggle.

Amelia is one of the reasons I love it here. She’s a paralegal at the firm and oversees most of my internship tasks. She’s also taking law school classes online and a mom, and I honestly couldn’t have dreamed of a more perfect mentor. She’s hardworking, she’s knowledgeable, and she makes the days more enjoyable. She also shares my passion for law, so her drive fuels mine.

Becoming a lawyer has been the ultimate goal since the summer after ninth grade. I went to Kelley’s house to swim and saw Ms. Pierce coming home from work. She was wearing a sleek pencil skirt and carrying a black leather briefcase; she looked like the most empowered woman I’d ever seen. She was a stark contrast to my own mother, who was always ragged and exhausted and disheveled after pulling doubles at the diner. I didn’t know women could look so powerful.

So professional.

So awake.

After that, I wanted to be just like Ms. Pierce. I wanted to be an empowered, successful woman, and I spent the next three years peppering her with questions about her job. When I wanted an internship to give my law school applications a competitive edge, Pierce, Pierce & Associates was the obvious choice. A paid undergraduate legal internship is a rare find, and I’m not ashamed to say I took full advantage of my connection to the Pierce family.

Their general practice fi

rm employs lawyers who specialize in a variety of fields, providing me with loads of experience-gaining opportunities, and Ms. Pierce happens to be the firm’s prestigious family law attorney, which is the field of law that I’m interested in. It couldn’t be more perfect.

I take one of the files Amelia has stacked on the desk and flip it open, sliding my glasses on so I can better scan the details on the page.

“What’s on the agenda for today?”

“Well, Ms. Pierce said we’re to review and update the Harrison estate account, which is the file you’ve got in your hands, and…” She pauses, and I meet her eyes.

“….and?”

“And…it’s also these files.” Her hands span out like Vanna White over what appears to be a pile of twenty additional file folders.

“Jeebus. That’s a whole forest.”

“I know. They had Geoff print out everything for you to go over. Past tax forms, a list of assets, financial records, his will, insurance policies, et cetera. The whole nine.”

She slides me a fresh legal pad, a tray of Post-it flags, several highlighters in assorted colors, and a stack of file folders.

“It’s a lengthy estate, and Ms. Pierce wants it ironclad because Mr. Harrison received a terminal diagnosis, and he has a feeling his son is going to contest. It’s got the potential to get ugly.”

“Good gracious.” I study the table in front of me, my eyes wide, both overwhelmed and excited to dive into the sea of documents. I’m already mentally organizing my tasks for where and how to begin. Usually, I work with more of the firm’s family practice cases, but I relish any opportunity to gain experience in all fields of law.

Amelia and I marvel at the files once more, and then steel our resolve for what’s about to be many hours of work.

“Welp,” I exclaim, downing the last of my coffee, “let’s jump on it! We are dangerous mountain lions of greatness. Let’s show these file folders who’s boss.”

Several hours, multiple cups of coffee, and two turkey pesto paninis from my favorite café later (praise Saint Geoffrey for his heroic lunch run), Amelia and I are ready to call it a day. It’s been exhausting, and I think part of my cerebrum has gone numb from overuse, but we’ve done good work today.

“Thanks be to the Goddess of Espresso and Endurance, for we have succeeded!” I declare dramatically, throwing both hands up and tilting my head to the heavens. “We covered a lot of ground today. I’m proud of us.”

“I’m proud of us, too, V. We make a good team.”

“We do. Will all my colleagues be as awesome as you?”