Page 15 of From the Courtroom to the Court
"They're just a few drops, we can continue," the lawyer says.
Leah is about to tell her whatever she wants, that it's no problem for her, however, what a second ago were just a few drops suddenly turns into a downpour that falls mercilessly on them.
"To the locker room!" Leah shouts, grabbing her bag before running off.
Emily follows her, but halfway there she realizes she's left her raincoat with her phone and car keys in the pockets. She stops abruptly and, in doing so, slips on the stone path in such a way that one of her feet remains anchored in place while the other moves forward, leaving her legs split on the ground.
"Oh my God!" Leah exclaims, holding back her laughter. "Even in my best athletic days I couldn't do the splits like that," she adds, turning to Emily, who looks at her from the ground with a strained expression.
"I'm going to have sore groins for the rest of my life," Emily mutters as Leah helps her stand up under the torrential rain that has already soaked them.
Leah is grateful that the water is soaking her face because while she runs to get Emily's raincoat, she cries with laughter. When she returns to her, she takes her hand and runs at Emily's awkward pace until they enter the locker room, drenched to the bone. The place is empty because the few people still at the club are still training, and Leah doesn't know if she's grateful to be alone with Emily or would prefer someone else to be with them.
"How are you feeling?" Leah asks while wringing her ponytail over the sink, letting a thin stream of water fall.
"I don't think I'll ever be able to close my legs again," Emily jokes, walking with her legs apart toward the lockers.
Leah lets out a small laugh, unable to help it. She loves that Emily is always in a good mood, even in moments when others would be hysterical.
"You might have torn a muscle, you should get it checked," Leah suggests.
"No way, it wasn't that bad," Emily downplays it, opening her locker.
Leah walks to hers, located four away from the lawyer's, and opens it to get dry clothes to change into. The first thing she removes is her shirt and she lets it fall to the floor with a dull thud that catches the lawyer's attention. Emily's gaze gets stuck on Leah's body, toned and fit in a way that each muscle is marked with a fine line that she imagines tracing with her fingers. Leah, unaware of the eyes fixed on her, also removes her bottoms, and when Emily sees her in her underwear, she feels her stomach jolt and her sex contracts violently, causing her to let out a choked squeal from the surprise of such arousal.
Leah turns to her with concern drawn on her face.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, I just got a cramp in my leg," Emily lies and begins to do some rather abrupt and strange stretches—the first thing that comes to mind—which make Leah smile.
"If you keep stretching like that, you'll end up injuring your back," she says, arching an eyebrow.
Emily stops abruptly while lamenting not being more skillful. She could have just said her groin hurt and Leah would have believed her, but she got so nervous that her clumsiness transferred to her mouth as well.
When they're both changed, Leah opens the door and confirms it's still pouring.
"You can't leave like this," she says, turning to Emily. "Are you hungry? I'll treat you to dinner at the club restaurant."
"Really? Thanks, I'm starving," Emily accepts and follows Leah through one of the interior doors that only club staff have access to and that connect to the main building.
At this hour there are hardly any customers in the restaurant, so Leah takes Emily to her favorite table, the one she usually occupies when she eats with her mothers and Mia or the few times Stella has visited the club. It's the only one in the corner of the room, next to a double window that allows them to see a wooded area on one side and the main entrance on the other.
The conversation flows between them without either daring to ask about the other's private life, but at this moment they don't need to, because between work anecdotes and comments about Emily's training, they're laughing so hard their stomachs hurt.
"Have you ever seen your daughter laugh like that with Stella?" Anne asks her wife when the couple enters the dining room for dinner.
"No. And she certainly doesn't have the chemistry she seems to have with Emily," Natalie replies with a smile.
Chapter 8
Emily Harris walks through the doors of Atrinium restaurant, a huge establishment where her family often gathers. Located very close to the famous Cooper River, it's a typical Southern restaurant with a rustic yet cozy style. The terrace is the most charming part, and at this hour the views offer a golden sunset reflecting on the water, with fishing boats gliding in the distance. The exposed beam ceiling and wrought iron lamps give it a touch of distinction, and what she loves most about this place are the exposed brick walls that the owner has decorated with black and white photographs of Charleston in its earliest years, along with fishing nets and metal lanterns.
The Harris family celebrates signing a million-dollar contract to handle the legal department of a multinational company they've been working with for several months. After proving they were the best option, they reached an agreement, and the firm is now officially the representative of Betters Industry. Emily had nothing to do with it, although she contributed some ideas to secure the deal. It was her mother who led the negotiations; Bilma is fierce and, besides being a good lawyer, she excels at closing agreements.
Emma signals for her to sit beside her; she saved a chair for her when she arrived at the restaurant. The cousins do almost everything together; in fact, many people think they're sisters. Emily always advises her, and Emma is her eternal defender.
"I thought you'd arrive earlier," Emma whispers when her cousin sits down.
