Page 33 of Dopplebanger

“True. And I know that my sense of fair and right has often made me come across as a wee bit judgy.”

“Justice is important—it’s something I’m a big advocate of.”

“You are?”

“Why do you sound so surprised?” Duh, because Evan didn’t care about the law like I did, but I decided that standing in for my brother didn’t mean I couldn’t be more honest with her about whoIwas. With any luck, it’d help me deal with the guilt. “I do work at a law office, after all.” Or I would soon, and I had before, and now my definition of honesty was tiptoeing toward a gray area.

This is trickier than I thought.

“Yeah, but I thought you just filed and stuff like that. I had no idea you cared about the cases you were doing paperwork for.”

“Admittedly, I’d like to move beyond filing. I’m going to get more serious about it, too.”

“If you’re passionate about it, I think that’s a good idea.”

“I am.” I was also about to nerd out, but I couldn’t help myself, and more than that, Iwantedto tell Gwen. To go a bit deeper and talk to her the way she’d talked to me when she’d admitted the stuff about her past and her friends. “Some people like law because they say it’s always the same. A set of rigid rules. But that’s not necessarily justice. Justice means being impartial or fair, and it can change depending on the circumstances. It wouldn’t be fair to simply punish all people the same way without looking at what led them to their crimes. Every person has different problems going on in their lives, and I like to help them solve their problems, or at least try to help find a way back from them.”

Funny, because in some ways, cleaning up my twin brother’s messes had meant a lot of problem solving. Maybe growing up with him was simply great hands-on training. “There’s also a dignity about the courtroom and the privilege of representing others, along with the challenge to do it fairly and effectively. The other thing that I love about the law is that it protects those who need protecting. Children. The neglected, the abused, and the at-risk are given a voice.”

“Hearing you talk about it that way, I’m surprised you’re not looking to become a lawyer yourself.”

“Well…” I glanced at her. “That’s actually the goal.”

“Not to sound judgy—the way I admitted I sometimes can—and I mean this in the nicest and most supportive way possible, but you might want to get started if that’s what you really want.”

I laughed. “Don’t worry, I realize I’m not getting any younger.”

Her hold on her knees loosened and she reached across the console and placed her hand on my forearm. “You know that’snot what I was saying. I guess I just want you to know that I believe in you. That if you want to be a lawyer, I believe you’ll not only be one, you’ll be an amazing one.”

Even though I’d already been through law school and passed the Bar, hearing her say that sent an unfamiliar sensation through my chest, one that was squishy and strange, yet oddly comforting. “Thank you. What about you? Are you happy at your job? You said you kind of fell into it.”

“I did, and while it’s not what I first pictured when I was getting my accounting degree, I love my job. I get to see a ton of cute animals and occasionally play with them, and I work with amazing people. There’s also new challenges that arise every day, which appeals to my squirrel nature.”

She grabbed a packet of M&Ms, tore open the top, and tossed a couple in her mouth. “Okay, one more question, and I want you to be completely honest…”

Tension crept across the line of my shoulders, but I promised myself I would tell the truth, even if I outed myself.

“You’re afraid to let me drive, aren’t you? Afraid I’ll scratch your precious car?”

“No.” A tiny part of me enjoyed the idea of her putting a scratch on it—it’d serve Evan right for not appreciating what he had. But the literal thought of a mark on such a beautiful, pristine car made my lungs seize up.

“O-M-G! You’re practically hyperventilating at the thought! I’ll have you know, I’m a really good driver—that flat tire wasn’t my fault.”

“But I like driving. I like being able to push faster on the open road, and more than that, I like having you as copilot. You’re good with the snacks…”

She tossed an M&M at me, and when I caught it in my mouth, she clapped like I was a circus monkey. “You can keep going with the compliments. I pick the best music…”

“Hell, no.”

“Ah!” She tossed an M&M at me, hard and without an arch, and I brought up my shoulder just in time to block it from pelting me in the face. “Oops, sorry,” she said with a laugh.

“That’d be more convincing if you weren’t laughing. Now you don’t get to hear the rest of what I was going to say.”

“Oh, come on. I’ll even get the M&M before it melts.” She shifted, pushing onto her knees and then leaning over the console and fishing around on the floor at my feet.

Let the record show that I, Ethan Haynes, resisted making a “while you’re down there” joke. Barely, but it still counts.

Gwen popped back up, so quickly that if I hadn’t jerked back, the top of her head would’ve smacked my jaw.

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