Page 30 of Saltwater Promises
Chapter 13
Claire felt like a weight lifted off of her chest. She’d wanted to tell Margie as soon as it happened, as soon as she heard about the inheritance, but Uncle Robert’s words rang in her mind. He insisted that people would treat her differently if they knew about the money, and he didn’t want that for her.
He stressed that she should tell no one, and though she was trying to stay true to her word, if she didn’t tellsomeone, she felt like she would burst.
Over the years, she’d trusted Margie with many things, particularly with the girls. Camping trips, rides to and from the mall, a visit to Canada once. She’d trusted Margie with the most important people in her life. Money was nothing compared to that, and Uncle Robert would just have to get over it.
Sitting at the table, Claire had to remind herself to pay attention. She still felt a bit off after telling Margie her news.
Margie, however, was excitedly chattering nonstop, asking her brother about some of the recent flights he’d taken in the seaplane.
“Maybe you can take us up again?” she said.
He shrugged. “Sure. Just let me know when.”
“And if I’m busy, maybe you and Claire could go!”
Claire looked down at her plate, trying not to laugh. Margie was so obvious, and Mike was so patently not interested in her.
She cleared her throat. “If you’re busy, then I’m busy, too Margie.”
“Well, that’s not – ”
Mercifully, Hank cut in. “Claire, have you had any leads on a new job?”
She shook her head. Hopefully Margie would tell him the truth soon, so she wouldn’t have to keep up the lie that she was looking for another paralegal job. “No, not really. But I’m not worried about it.”
“No, you shouldn’t be,” he added. “You have an impressive amount of experience.”
Claire smiled. Hank was so much nicer than Jeff, Margie’s ex-husband. No wonder Margie was convinced that Claire, too, could find love on this island. “Thanks, Hank.”
He continued. “You worked in the public defender’s office, right?”
She nodded. “I did, years ago when I first started. After that, I worked in a personal injury firm for a while, and then Joe Martin convinced me to work with him again.”
Mike raised an eyebrow. “The state attorney general?”
Claire turned to him, a bit surprised to hear him speak. “Yeah, but he wasn’t the AG back then. He was just Joey. He was a stellar public defender, absolutely amazing at trial. We’d go to watch him sometimes. It was better than TV.”
“So why did he quit the public defender’s office? Money?”
“No, money doesn’t mean anything to Joe.” Claire laughed. “Drove his wife crazy sometimes. It was nothing like that. He just burned out. As did I. Right at the five-year mark, like everyone predicts. As good as an attorney as he was, he still couldn’t fight the system.”
“He could fight, just not win,” Mike said. “Sounds tough. I get it. Are you still in contact with him?”
It seemed that she had finally caught Mike’s attention. Margie was probably in heaven, but Claire got the odd feeling that she was involved in an interrogation, not a conversation. “Yes, we’ve stayed in touch.”
Mike sat back, crossing his arms. “What kind of guy is he?”
“A great one, I guess?” Claire laughed. It wasn’t like she had a crush on the man, but she respected him. “He’s smart, but not arrogant. He works hard, and he’s fair. He’s worked on all sorts of cases as AG. It’s been incredible to watch.”
“Like what?” Mike leaned forward.
Like Claire had hoped her career would’ve been, if she’d ever gotten the chance to be an attorney. She pushed the thought from her mind. “Oh gosh, it’s been incredible. He took on a company that was polluting the Columbia River and sued them into bankruptcy. All of their assets were used for the cleanup. About two years ago, he went after a pharmaceutical company for scamming people in Washington and he actually won. Then there was the case where he caught state employees spending millions decorating their offices.”
“Interesting,” Mike said. “With powerful people, you never know who’s in it for the glory.”
She nodded. “Sure. But that’s not Joe. I would bet my life on it.”
