The Player (5 page)

Libby was quiet for a moment, but she definitely sounded less happy when she asked, “Why would you think I broke up with Mitch?”

“Libs, you know this is like a record for you, right? How long have you been together? Six months?”

“I’m not getting any younger, Blair. I turn thirty in a few months.”

If it had been anyone else, Blair would have figured she was bemoaning her biological clock. But she knew her friend too well for that. “Libby, tell me you’re not talking about that damned wedding pact slash curse again.”

Libby let out a groan. “You think whatever you like, Blair Hansen, but there’s no denying that you’re turning thirty in a few months too, and you’re getting married in five days.”

Blair released a loud sigh. “Libby, please don’t tell me that you plan on marrying Mitch because of the pact. We made that pact when we were nine. Hell, you’re the only one who still takes it seriously. Megan and I forgot all about it. And I don’t want to hear another word about the nonsense that fortune teller told us twenty years ago. Yes, she was right about Megan, but any idiot can win the lottery once. Seriously, not another word.”

“And yet you will both be married by your birthdays.” She sounded shorter than usual.

“That’s purely coincidence, Libs.” She softened her tone. “Look, I love you, and I know a lot of the time we don’t see eye-to-eye, but I would really hate for you to get married for the wrong reason.”

“Because you’re getting married for the right reason.”

It wasn’t a question, nor was there any malice in her tone. So why did it hurt so much? Maybe because she had called to get reassurance from her friend and there was no way she’d confess her concerns now. “I don’t want to fight with you, Libby. Especially not this week. I need you.”

“I’m sorry,” Libby said, her voice softening as well. “I’m here for you. Whatever you need.”

“Your friend is all set to photograph the wedding?”

Libby laughed. “Yes, and I’ve already talked to your assistant about it this morning. Barry’s going to do a great job, Blair. He was my intern, and he’s fantastic. In fact, I won’t trust anyone else to photograph my own wedding when the time comes. Plus I’ll take photos of my own at the reception. Relax. I’m going to be personally taking care of this for you.”

Out of the three of them, Libby tended to be the most irresponsible, but she took her career very seriously. There was no way she would let Blair’s wedding photos turn into a disaster. “Thank God. With all the other issues—”

“What other issues?” Libby asked a little too eagerly.

Why had she said that? She was only feeding Libby’s odd obsession with their weddings. “My wedding isn’t cursed.”

“Of course it’s not.” She paused. “
You
’
re
cursed.”

“Libby! What did I tell you?”

“I have to go, Blair,” Libby said, sounding distracted. “Noah’s calling me. I’ll talk to you later.”

Before Blair could ask her anything about her odd friendship with Noah, she hung up.

A little over an hour later, Blair walked into the office wearing a black long-sleeve, scooped-neck blouse, white pencil skirt, and nude pumps, her damp hair pulled up in a neat French roll. She stopped to check in with Melissa, who assured her that Mrs. Norfolk was already in the conference room and drinking her latte.

“Has Mr. Norfolk’s attorney shown up yet?” When Melissa shook her head, Blair asked, “And we’re sure someone’s coming?”

“Yes, he called about ten minutes ago, saying he was almost here. His plane got delayed by the weather too.”

Blair sucked in a deep breath at the reminder of Phoenix. More and more pieces of last night had come into memory, and while she was thankful that nothing had happened between her and Garrett, she couldn’t ignore the part of her that was disappointed over it. But right now she needed to deal with her meeting and deposition. Her guilt could rear its head later. “Great. Well, I’m off to see Ben.”

“Good luck! Maybe I should order out for a celebratory lunch.”

Blair put a hand on her stomach to soothe her nerves. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet. This could be about anything.”

Melissa flashed her a grin as Blair headed for the staircase that joined the two floors.

When she stopped next to Ben Stuart’s assistant’s desk promptly at 10:44, she glanced up at her with a questioning glance. “Can I help you?”

Ben appeared in his office doorway and motioned toward her. “Hey, Blair. Why don’t you come in and tell me all about the wedding? I haven’t talked to Neil in ages.”

She tried to hide her confusion. Had he set up this meeting to chat about her wedding? She’d rather be downstairs preparing for her deposition. Hiding her irritation, she followed him into his plush office. He shut the door behind her, and she walked toward his desk, taking in his gorgeous view of the Country Club Plaza.

“Thanks for fitting me in,” he said as he gestured for her to sit in one of two leather chairs in front of his desk. “I thought you’d want to hear this.”

Now she was curious. She’d rather stand, but she was on Ben’s turf, and she suspected he was right; she wanted to hear whatever he had to tell her. She settled into a leather wingback chair while he perched on the edge of his desk.

“We’re voting on a new partner next week.”

She should have been happy to hear this, but something in his voice was off. “Why am I worried this is bad news?”

He grimaced and leaned forward, lowering his voice. “Listen, you have to swear to me that you’ll never say you heard this from me.”

She nodded. “Of course.”

“It’s between you and York.”

“George York?” He’d been at the firm longer than she had, but he brought in fewer billable hours. “Why would they choose him over me?”

“Look,” he stalled. “This is the sticky part that you can’t let on that you know. I’m only warning you because this affects Neil too, but I’ll get canned if they find out I said anything.”

“I won’t tell. I swear. What is it?” How bad could this be?

“Some of the partners are concerned that you’re too blunt and direct.”

She shook her head in confusion. “How is that possible? Why wouldn’t they want me to be blunt and direct?”

He shifted on the desk, looking uncomfortable. “Some of them were born before dinosaurs roamed the earth. Given the choice between a confrontational woman and a mediocre guy, they’ll pick the guy.” He shrugged. “You know how it is.”

She stood, her anger rising. “No. I
don
’
t
know how it is.”

He held up his hands in defense. “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger.”

He was right, but it didn’t ease her anger. “What the hell am I supposed to do? Would they rather I play nice and lose cases?”

“No, I think they just want to see you’re capable of having a softer side.”

“So they want me to bake some cookies and bring them in?” she asked, her voice rising.

“No. I’ve convinced them to hold off the vote until next week.” He paused for a moment. “Until after your wedding.”

She looked at him like he’d lost his mind.

“The fact you’re getting married is in your favor. They want a married partner, and it’s seen as a plus that Neil’s a doctor.” He cringed. “I shouldn’t be telling you any of this.”

She waved her hand in dismissal. “You already said that, and I won’t tell anyone, I swear. But if they want a married partner, why not go with me? George York isn’t married, and if the office rumor mill is to be believed, he isn’t even dating anyone.”

“Like I said, a few old—but influential—coots are worried you’re not feminine enough.”

“You’ve got to be shitting me. That’s sexist, not to mention illegal.”

His eyes hardened. “I swear to God, Blair, if you file a suit, I’ll lie through my teeth and deny it all. You’ll lose the case
and
your career.”

She put her hands on her hips. “Stop being such a drama king. I wouldn’t do that.” She knew it would be career suicide, but it didn’t mean she didn’t wish she could make them pay.

“Listen, it’s not all of them, and they
can
be swayed. All you have to do is show up at your wedding in a pretty dress and smile like a demure blushing bride. Then you’ll check the marriage box while being sweet and covered in white lace or taffeta or whatever the hell your dress is made from. You’ll be a shoo-in. I’ll make sure of it.”

She had to wonder if she wanted to be a partner. She already knew from personal past experience that some of the partners were sexist, so if the others were really that sexist . . . But she reminded herself that Ben was right—the older partners were in their sixties and seventies. They’d be out soon, one way or the other. She also reminded herself that she and Ben weren’t friends, despite his role in introducing her to Neil. He had no obligation to tell her anything. In fact, he was going out on a limb.

“Well, thank you for the heads-up.” She glanced at the clock and took several steps toward the door.

“A couple of other things, Blair.”

She paused with her hand on the doorknob.

“I think Rob Sisco Jr. might be watching your performance for the rest of the week. And he’s looking for reasons to vote against you.”

Her mouth dropped, but she quickly recovered. “Thanks. What’s the other?”

He grimaced. “If they don’t make you partner, they’re letting you go.”

“
What?
”

His jaw tensed. “You didn’t hear it from me.”

She nodded as she walked out of his office, shell-shocked.

“Tell Neil I’ll see him at the reception,” he called after her.

She was momentarily confused before she quickly recovered. “Yeah. He’s excited to see you.”

She tried to act normal as she made her way back to Melissa’s desk, sorting through Ben’s bombshell announcement. She should be pissed. She should be ready to fight, but she was too numb to feel anything.

Melissa looked up at her, smiling with excitement. “Well?”

It was nearly eleven, and even if Blair
could
share her conversation with Ben, she needed to process everything first. “Has Lopez’s replacement arrived yet?”

“Yes, he’s in the conference room with the younger Mr. Sisco.” Worry filled Melissa’s eyes.

“
Shit.
” So Ben’s information had been spot on.

Melissa leaned forward, her face pale. “What’s going on, Blair? I take it you weren’t offered a partnership.”

“I can’t get into it right now.” She started to feel lightheaded, but she couldn’t let her job performance suffer now. Now, more than ever, she had to prove she was worth keeping on staff. “I’ll tell you about it later. In the meantime, I need you to discreetly find out if any firms are looking for an associate attorney
.
You can
not
mention my name.”

“What?” Melissa’s eyes flew open, and Blair instantly regretted mentioning it without more explanation. Not that it would help. The outlook was bad any way she presented it.

Instead, she left the poor woman behind as she hurried down the hall and stopped outside the conference room. She took a moment to put her game face on, feeling more unprepared to deal with this deposition than any she’d had since graduating from law school. Knocking on the door, she walked into the conference room, then nearly passed out when she saw the opposing counsel.

Garrett Lowry.

Garrett was in a foul mood as he walked into the law offices of Sisco, Sisco, and Reece. He’d been uncharacteristically distraught and surly most of the morning, but he’d assured himself that he might still have a shot with Blair. Perhaps the fact that she’d left like that—without saying anything—meant that she felt something for him. Hell, he’d just use his staff to track her down. Then he’d go to her and present his case. While the first part of his plan would be relatively easy since she was a practicing attorney, the plan for the later part was sketchy at best. But at least he had a vague hint of a plan. It was enough to put his mind at ease so he could concentrate on the deposition.

He stopped at the front desk, and the receptionist gave him an appreciative stare. “I’m Garrett Lowry here for the Norfolk deposition. Can you let B.A. Hansen know I’m here?”

She made a call to the back, then gave him a friendly smile. “Ms. Hansen’s assistant will be with you in a moment to show you to the conference room.”

A pretty blonde opened one of the glass doors that cordoned off the back offices. “Mr. Lowry, if you’ll follow me.” As she started down the hall, he pushed all thoughts of Blair out of his head. If he screwed up this case, then he’d be the laughingstock of the office.

A middle-aged man greeted him outside the conference room. “Good morning, Mr. Lowry. I’m Rob Sisco Jr., one of the partners here, and I’m going to sit in on the deposition.”

Ms. Hansen’s assistant seemed taken aback by the news, and Garrett was surprised himself. Philip Lopez was no bumbling fool, which meant Ms. Hansen had to be on top of her game. Garrett had to wonder what could have precipitated this supervision.

Rob Sisco pushed the door open and allowed Garrett to enter.