Page 63 of Pride & Precedents

"That's ridiculous," Mr. Bannister scoffs. "He's one of the finest attorneys in this firm. I agree with Richard. Three months' suspension for inappropriate conduct with a subordinate," Mr. Bannister turns his stern face to me, "and for the dust to settle with the Moore-Watanabe fiasco."

Mr. Banks nods, but Mr. Smith pushes away from the table and angrily storms out of the room. Mr. Banks sighs and follows him out.

Mr. Bannister stands, but I remain seated, still in shock.Three months' suspension?

"It took balls to push back about Ms. Sanchez, Henry. If you'd told us earlier, we could have addressed this more proactively."

"Yes, sir."

Mr. Bannister walks towards the door, but turns before opening it.

"Did I ever tell you about my paralegal before Cici?" I shake my head. "Annabeth. She was before your time. We travelled everywhere together. Once things changed between us, she moved to Real Estate."

He knocks on the table twice and smiles meaningfully.

"Take this time off and come back rested, Henry. You're a valuable part of this team."

Mr. Bannister opens and shuts the door behind him.

I grab a tortilla and start loading it with chicken, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and cheese. I go through the motions numbly, still processing my suspension and Mr. Bannister's bombshell.

Adam and Noah wait impatiently behind me for their turn at the taco bar. I don't know how we all ended up at Mom and Dad's on a weeknight, but having family around when everything else in my life is falling apart is a blessing I won't question.To think I ever put work overthis!

Cory is conspicuously absent. Noah's right, he's going through something, but I'm still glad I don't have to sit across the table from him when he's in the mood to lash out. Noah, on the other hand, seems to be trying to stare a hole through my face.

I ding my glass, and everyone quiets down around me.

"First, I want to say thanks, Mom and Dad, for always letting us come raid your kitchen, even though we're old enough to cook our own dinner."

"But no one throws down like Mom," Noah interjects, making Mom blush. Adam and Dad both raise their glasses in agreement.

"Second, I want to let everyone know that I'm going to be around a lot more for my baby brother's wedding planning. I won't miss anything; not a fitting, not a cake tasting. Just think of me as your wedding wingman going forward."

I take a bite of my taco, ignoring the concerned expressions that surround me. Dad is the first to speak.

"And how do you suddenly happen to have all this spare time?"

"Yeah," Adam adds. "Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I thought you barely had time for the wedding and now you're going to be ateverything?"

Damn. That's what Adam thought of me?Seems like this suspension came at the perfect time. I put my taco down and look him in the eyes.

"First of all, you're my baby brother, and this is your big day. Of course I'm going to be there." I slap Adam on the back and he gives me a small smile, clearly still skeptical.

"To answer your question, Dad," I continue, "I've been suspended for three months, effective immediately." I ignore Mom's gasp. "The partners found out about Camila and I. We didn't break any rules," I rush to add when I see Dad's frown, "but between Camila, what happened with Naomi, and Tanner getting past security to threaten me—"

"What?!" Mom squeaks, and I push forward, eager to get everything out.

"They thought I should take some time off until things die down. Assuming Camila comes back after passing the bar, she will be reassigned to another department."

I take another huge bite of my taco while everyone just stares at me.

"I'm sorry to hear that, son, but you don't have to take that lying down. You can appeal. Although it's not what I would've done, if it wasn't against policy, they can't try to push you out."

I sigh and put down my taco again. It's quickly disintegrating into a pile of toppings.

"Dad, just stop. I don't need to appeal. The circumstances might not be ideal, but do you realize I haven't taken a realvacation in years? Not since before I was promoted to partner." I press on, when Dad looks ready to interrupt.

"Every time I flew somewhere, I brought my laptop. I didn't go anywhere that didn't have great Wi-Fi. For Christ's sake, I literally settled the Delancey case on the front steps of your brownstone instead of being inside to celebrate Adam's engagement. Work-life balance has been nonexistent."

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