Page 34 of Finding You
“I’m hungover and cranky.”
She smiled at me. I hated her perkiness right now. “You come back here and land one of the most eligible bachelors in town and yet you are sitting here moping on my porch?”
I shivered. “It’s like twenty degrees out. It’s hard to be cheery in this cold.”
Emily snorted. “You try keeping these little monsters locked up all day. Trust me, if they don’t run around they will eventually turn on me.”
“By the looks of it they’ve turned on each other. Is that Jacob hitting Ezra with a tree branch?”
“It’s fine. He’s the youngest so he’s tough. Coco will break it up.” I looked down at Coco, the twelve-year-old chocolate lab, as she sighed and trotted over to where the kids were attempting murder.
“So what’s eating your ass, and not in the good way?” Emily never failed to thrill me with her dirty mind.
“I’m just frustrated about my firm.”
“You mean your old firm?”
“Why are you being such a Debbie downer?”
“Because I think you need to face reality. You may not be going back to law firm life. Don’t give me that sad puppy face. I didn’t say you wouldn’t go do something else awesome. Why aren’t you sending out résumés?”
She was annoying me. I thought she was on my side. “Without a recommendation from Burns & Glenn or a reasonable explanation for why I was terminated, I have no shot at another job right now. Especially as the legal gossip is already spreading.” I pushed my hands through my hair, frustrated and exhausted.
“So what are you going to do?”
“Max retaliated against me because I wouldn’t sleep with him. He did this. He set me up. And I want his blood.” It was the first time I had said it out loud, but it was the truth. I wanted to sue. I wanted to take down Max Shapiro and every person who enabled him to hurt me. And I wanted to force a reckoning in the legal profession. I wanted transparency so women would get a fair shot in the industry. But was I really capable of achieving all this? My own mother certainly didn't think so.
Emily put her arm around me and squeezed. “I love you, Astrid. And I want you to get justice. But prepare yourself. He is a powerful, rich, middle-aged white man, right?”
I nodded.
“So all the scales are tipped in his favor. It’s not fair. But it’s also not surprising,” she said.
“I know that. But I just can’t accept it.” And that was the truth. The firm trained me. It was the best, and I was the best. I wanted that partnership. I deserved it. I had billed more hours, worked on more pitches, done more pro bono, and kissed more partners’ and clients’ asses than anyone in the building.
“Ultimately, it’s your word against his.”
“I know. And that’s why I’m so angry.”
She squeezed me tighter, and I rested my head on her shoulder.
“How much does your mom know?” she asked tentatively.
“She knows enough,” I replied. “She called me this morning.”
“That explains your mood. Let me guess, you got the ‘I’m disappointed’ speech?”
“Oh, you know it.”
She laughed. “Remember when I got caught with peppermint schnapps at my junior prom? My mom called your mom to give me the lecture. I still remember it. I think I have PTSD.”
“That’s my mom. She does it to criminals all day. No one is better at expressing disappointment than Justice Wentworth.”
“True. But Astrid, you are a grown-ass woman. You don’t have to please your mom or your law firm or anyone else. Take care of Astrid.”
“I’m trying.”
“And why are you in such a rush to go back anyway? You have Declan now. You are making friends here.”
