Page 2 of Miss Fortune

“Why?”

“Because I hit their car. Give me a few minutes.” I turned to see the woman had followed me.

“What the hell is wrong with him? Isn’t he too old to have fits?”

“Nothing is wrong with him.”

Her look of disdain had the next words freezing on my tongue. Why bother to tell her he was autistic? She was a judgy asshole like countless others his mother, Lily, had to deal with on a daily basis.

The red bottom of her expensive shoe tapped on the pavement. “I can’t tell you how inconvenient this is. We’re already running late.”

Having been raised in the Midwest, I was generally considered a nice-mannered person, but this lady was trying my last nerve.

Toby started screaming, “Out, out, out!” over and over.

“My God, aren’t you going to do something about him? What kind of mother allows this sort of behavior?”

I grabbed my registration and proof of insurance and turned around, ready to go off on her, only to see a gentleman in a suit had joined us. And, oh boy, was he handsome. Blond hair, brown eyes, and one of those chins you only see in shaving commercials.

Chapter Two

Caleb

Traffic was the worst. Traffic in the rain in Los Angeles was a fresh hell. Especially when trapped with another person in the small confines of my sedan. I normally preferred my quiet on the morning drive in to the office, but Tabitha, a woman with whom I’d gone out on two dates, had guilted me into giving her a ride this morning. Her car was in the shop for some sort of repair, but I wasn’t sure why she hadn’t been able to obtain a rental or couldn’t have taken an Uber.

“Commuting in with someone makes the time go by faster, don’t you think?”

Nope. Not at all. Although this was a favor as far as I was concerned, I got the distinct impression she considered it as a step moving forward into a relationship I had no interest pursuing. I’d been blunt about my limitations. I only did casual dating, and I only did it on Friday and Saturday nights. Seeing anyone during the week upset my routine like it was this morning.

I was grateful when a call came in over my Bluetooth. Grabbing my ear pods so I could keep it private, I turned toward Tabitha. “It’s the office. I need to take this.”

She responded with a pout but turned her attention to her phone.

“Caleb Morrison here,” I answered.

“Hi, Caleb, it’s Doris.”

Doris had worked as my legal secretary for the ten years since I’d started at the firm. She was a godsend in keeping me organized, and I wasn’t sure how I’d manage the next six weeks while she was gone recovering from her upcoming knee surgery.

“Good morning, Doris. I’m glad you called as I’m running late with traffic.” I typically tried to be in the office before eight, but my entire morning routine had been thrown off by picking up Tabitha this morning. Why had I agreed to this again?

“Oh, yes, I heard the roads were terrible. I’m glad I take the train. Should I move your nine o’clock interview?”

Right. The temp filling in for Doris over the next six weeks was coming in today. “I thought you said she’s perfect for the job, and was already cleared with HR.” They did a standard background check and would deal with the salary requirements. As for my opinion, it didn’t make a difference who filled in. I’d settle for fifty percent of what Doris did and limp through the rest.

“She’s terrific and highly qualified, but I wanted to ensure you’re comfortable with her.”

Comfortable. Not a word I’d ever use when it came to change. Besides, since Doris was scheduled for surgery in two days, I didn’t have many options if I had an objection to her.

Glancing at the dashboard clock, there was another forty minutes to go six miles. Doable? In LA, you never knew.

“No, don’t move the interview. I should be there in time. I’ll spend ten minutes with her, give you my blessing, and then you can start showing her the ropes.” The sooner this temp was familiar with my routine, the better. I dreaded the next six weeks without Doris. My position as a busy partner in a large law firm didn’t give me time to waste on someone who didn’t get it.

“Sounds good. Do you want me to connect you with Billy Ames? He emailed you this morning requesting a few minutes to chat.”

Always about the billable hour, even during a commute. But at least the client phone call would keep me from having to engage in small talk with Tabitha. “That would be great, Doris. Thank you.”

Billy connected, and I went into business mode. It’s what I did fourteen hours a day. It’s what I was successful at doing. It’s what people paid me a lot of money to do.