Page 21 of Passionate Defense

“Please don’t,” Lanie urged. “I appreciate the support, but you need your jobs. I have Ethan and will be fine until I get back on my feet. Besides, I wasn’t let go. When I complained about my case assignments and got a bunch of crap about my lack of revenue in response, I quit.”

“It was their choice to have attorneys on the Public Counsel panel. It makes them look philanthropic. But they know full well the billing is far less than private cases. Holding you responsible when the partners are the ones in control of case assignments is unfair.”

“They set you up,” Beth surmised. “Why?”

“Does it matter?” Lanie sighed. “I’m fed up.”

“I heard you told Walt Simons where to shove his latest proposition,” Trudy stated, lowering her voice when one of the partners’ secretaries popped out of her office. When she disappeared into the break room, no doubt to fetch the boss man a cup of coffee, who was too good to do it himself, she pumped her fist. “I’m proud of you for standing up to him.”

“Juicy gossip sure travels fast.” She shrugged, surprised she wasn’t as upset over losing her sucky job as she thought she’d be, even without another on the horizon. It was how they went about it that ticked her off.

“Simons is such a tool!” Beth grumbled. “But I’m proud of you for not taking his shit anymore.”

“You’re a legend around here already,” Trudy gushed. “All of us girls have wanted to tell that skid where to stick it for years.” Her enthusiasm dimmed slightly as she added, “We’re all going to miss you, honey.”

“Skid?” Lanie inquired.

“Loser,” Beth translated before slinging an arm around her shoulder. “You can’t leave me here all alone. Who am I going to dish with at lunch?” As if realizing the slight to her other friend, she apologized. “I didn’t mean I wouldn’t still go with you, Trudy. But I’ll be lost without my Lanie.”

“I understand,” Trudy said with a smile, brushing it off. “No offense taken.”

Beth gripped her arm, appearing concerned. “I’m serious. Who am I going to ask for legal advice, or complain about the partners to, or whine to when my case is going south?”

“I have a phone, honey,” Lanie blithely reminded her. She loved Beth, but she was a drama queen.

“That’s not the same.”

“Skype? FaceTime? Or we could still meet for lunch. I’ll have plenty of time on my hands.”

“Speaking of lunch,” Trudy inserted. “I was on my way to get a bite to eat and heard through the grapevine that you told Walt he had a little dick. Is it true?”

“Lordy,” Lanie murmured with a shake of her head, “the office grapevine is faster than text.”

“How do you think I found out?” Beth asked, Trudy chiming in at the same time with, “That’s how I knew.”

“Good grief, I’m surprised they didn’t put it out on video.”

“That’s an idea.” Trudy grinned. “I’ll check the feeds and see what we’ve got. I can picture it on YouTube with a racy title. ‘Groping Boss Gets Cock Blocked by Honey Comb.’ It will go viral.” Trudy giggled as the other two gaped at her. “What? I can talk dirty when the situation warrants.”

“It’s not the words,” Lanie noted, “it’s the detail. They must have been peeking through the blinds. Unbelievable.”

“Forget that,” Beth inserted. “Come to lunch with me and give me all the firsthand gory details. My treat.”

“Since you’re paying, and my budget has been shot all to hell”—she grinned sheepishly at her friend—“it’s a date.”

Trudy hugged Lanie’s shoulders. “Sorry I can’t join you, but there’s some separation paperwork and the matter of your benefits. I’ll get it all together and call you later so we can go over it.”

The elevator doors at long last slid open and arm in arm, she and Beth squeezed into the crowded car. After waving at a tearful Trudy, Lanie found herself staring at her distorted reflection in the shiny steel. That’s when the weight of what happened sank in and she leaned against Beth for support.

In silence, they waited as the lights signaled their descent. Unable to discuss it more with all the people around, they walked quietly to the Midtown Deli around the corner, their favorite lunch spot.

Fifteen minutes later, they were seated and waiting for their food before Beth broke the silence.

“I would have paid money to see you tell off Walt the Pig.”

“I was calm and collected when I told him there were nine other junior associates with the firm who needed practice on his throwaway cases. In every single one of them, the client was a bottom-feeding scumbag or the PD’s office wouldn’t have passed them off. Walt had the nerve to tell me I was doing so well with them he was thinking about assigning them all to me.”

“What did you do?”

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