Page 103 of Passionate Defense

“I won’t tell Ethan you called him eye candy. His professorial dignity would be bruised,” Lanie quipped with a grin.

“I see you aren’t denying it,” she challenged.

“Why would I when it was my idea in the first place?”

She’d made it to the door when Vicky stopped laughing long enough to call to her.

“Lanie, wait. Speaking of your sexy man, when are you and Ethan coming out to the Cape again? Ray and I would love to have you two join us for a weekend before the snows hit. He loves to pick Ethan’s brain and debate him on the rules of law, particularly since I won’t do it anymore. While the men deliberate, we can relax, drink wine, build a bonfire on the beach, go shopping.”

“That was your beach house?” she replied, completely shocked.

“Ethan didn’t tell you? He mentioned he was looking at rentals and naturally Ray offered ours. We don’t get away as often as we’d like and would rather the house be enjoyed than sit empty.”

“We had a wonderful time; the town was charming, and the house and beach were absolutely beautiful. We didn’t want to leave. Let me talk to Ethan about his schedule and get back to you. Are we still on for the theater on Saturday?”

“Certainly.”

As Lanie turned again to leave, a thought occurred to her. Glancing back, she asked, “Is it a conflict of interest with you presiding over so many of my cases? I mean, since we’re friends and all?”

“Between Ray and I, we have socialized with just about every lawyer over thirty in the city. That we both preside over friends’ cases is inevitable, and recusal is rarely necessary. It happened once when Ray had a business arrangement with an attorney appearing before me. Opposing counsel made a stink about the connection. This was some time ago, mind you. As attorneys before appointment to the bench, our circle of friends includes mostly lawyers, judges, and other people in the legal community. If we avoided everyone we might run into in court, we’d have no friends, or the docket would be backed up worse than it is now while waiting for a judge with no connection. Anyway, the idiot challenged my impartiality with the chief justice, but that was the last time.”

Lanie smiled; they didn’t call her Judge Studor the Barracuda for nothing. “I’m going to update my clients and let them know to expect a settlement offer before the first witness is called in the morning.”

“If they come back with five, ask for fifteen. Even without Simons, they’re good for it. Mostly because they pay their associates and staff abysmally.”

“You’re telling me,” Lanie replied, the sting of all the work she’d done for so little reward still fresh.

As she walked down the corridor to the room where her clients were waiting, her step was a little lighter. The women they’d abused would be compensated, including herself, indirectly. She declined being named in the suit herself so she could defend them. All the billable hours she’d put in on the case would be settlement enough, and well deserved if she didn’t say so herself.

Chapter 23

LIKE AN EXUBERANT CHILD, Lanie bounded onto the bed with a whoop. She landed with a bounce that sent ripples through the mattress. Her laughter filled the room as Ethan, who’d been reading quietly, lost his grip on his book. It fell to the floor with a thud. Unfazed, he picked it up and placed it on the nightstand.

“The news is good I take it?”

“Good,” she scoffed. “More like freaking fantastic. They agreed to ten million each. Can you believe it? The total payout from WW&S will be eighty million dollars.”

---