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“Sweet,” Janine said. She handed him a few pieces of paper. “Those are your calls.”
If he didn’t come in at the end of the day, she’d send him an email with all the calls he got and he could return them when he had a chance that night or the next day. But when she knew he was coming in, she handed them over. It was amazing how many people hated leaving voicemails.
Since there were files with the notes, she pulled the cases too.
“Thanks,” he said.
“It’s been a busy morning. Lots of traffic tickets this month for some reason.”
He laughed. The end of the month did tend to bring that about. Janine would take care of that.
“Then I guess you should get to it,” he said.
After lunch he was lost in his work when Janine buzzed him. “Roni Hollister is here to talk to you if you’ve got a minute.”
Oh shit. Looked like he didn’t escape this.
“Send her in,” he said. He wanted privacy for the lecture he was going to get.
“Hi,” she said. He got up and was holding the door for her and then shut it.
“Let me start by saying I’m sorry. I had no idea your son would take off like that when I made the suggestion.”
She burst out laughing at him and he wasn’t sure what to make of that. “He’s a sly one,” she said. “You should have seen your face.”
“Shock and terror,” he said. “I know not to mess with a protective mother. I’ve got one of my own. Then the three-minute limit and I thought I was toast.”
“You were back in time. Thank you for entertaining him for those few minutes. It helped because after he ate the cookie he was calm and willing to watch a movie on his iPad until my mother arrived.”
Phew. Luck was on his side in more ways than one.
“He’s a good kid,” he said. “Very polite.”
“He is both. A good kid and polite. He told me everything you two talked about.”
“I didn’t ask him anything other than the three minutes and hide and seek,” he said.
“I know. He told me. He said he mentioned his father doesn’t like to play with him.”
“I don’t want you to think I was prying.”
“Even though that is what lawyers do,” she said, lifting one eyebrow at him.
Which told him everything he needed to know about her dislike of his profession.
“It’s what we get paid for most times. I don’t need to ask a six-year-old personal questions about his mother. I can do that myself if I want to know.”
“And he told me why he picked the cookie out. E6.”
“He is a smart one,” he said.
“His logic to get away with the cookie. I saw one just like it on Janine’s desk. Don’t you like vending machine cookies?”
He hoped to hell his face didn’t flush, but he opted for the truth. “Not particularly. But when I was looking at the offerings, Eli reminded me we only had three minutes. I didn’t want him to get in trouble and Janine has a fondness for them. I got to be her hero today.”
“I bet you like being the hero,” she said.
It was the way she said it. Like it’s the last thing she’d want.
