Page 72 of Love Is an Art
No.
I don’t want to see her again. I can’t be distracted. I need to focus on securing this transfer.
This is my career on the line.
Look what happened at that thank-you dinner. I used her ex as an excuse to pull her close to me.
Working together will be a nightmare. I’ll never be able to keep my resolution that we shouldn’t date.This is about self-preservation.
“But she has experience.” Brooke turns her screen to face me and starts reading out Tessa’s experience.
Indeed, Tessa has a long list of impressive accomplishments. And there’s her picture. She has her arms crossed in that typical lawyer “I’m-all-business” picture. I huff. Far cry from the paint-stained woman who swooped down Wall Street with me. If only I’d checked her picture when Brooke had first mentioned hiring her. I’d never have approached her at that bar. Or probably, I would’ve introduced myself to her as her client.
I feel a pang.
And it would’ve been a different story.
Although then, I would’ve missed out on what a truly terrible painter she is. My lips curl up slightly in a wry smile.
And maybe it wouldn’t have been a different story. We’d have dated, and then she’d break my heart out of the blue. I wouldn’t be what she wanted. I wouldn’t be enough.
“Shouldn’t we bid this out?” I ask. “I don’t think we should hand it over to her just because she did a good job on the last one.”
“I thought you would want to move quickly.” Brooke’s eyes narrow. “And as confidentially as possible.”
Point taken. I’ll have to tell Charles, but I definitely don’t want Arthur to find out. He’ll bandy it about and use it as ammunition against my full-time transfer to venture capital.
“Can’t she at least prepare a presentation that shows she’s the right person?” Let her do some work for this. “This is my career on the line. You said you thought it was a bit risky to settle. I’m worried about placing my career in the hands of some aggressive, reckless lawyer.”
“She has a perfect resume for this. She speaks Spanish. And we already know she’s smart.”
“I thought all the lawyers at White & Gilman were smart,” I say.
“Are all the managers here smart?”
I smile slowly at her. “That’s the least impolitic thing you’ve ever said. I thought you were always careful to tread the line.”
Brooke and Sebastian are the smartest lawyers here. Brooke’s diplomas from Howard University and Harvard Law School are framed and hanging on the wall of her office. Deal toys decorate the credenza next to me.
Brooke huffs. “She’s good. It’s your investment. But it’s ultimately my decision.”
“Why are you so invested in hiring her? Do you know her outside the office?” Was Brooke in on the whole artist deception?
“No. I was super impressed she settled that case so quickly. It saved me time and budget.”
“What about that Tim guy from Howard, Parker & Smith? He seemed good.”
Brooke puts her hands on her hips. “I’m not going to waste his time asking him to pitch when I’m going to choose Tessa. He doesn’t speak Spanish.”
“You’re going to hire her, no questions asked?”
“Fine. I’ll ask her to prepare a presentation listing her strengths and her suggested approach.”
“We dated,” I blurt out. “Isn’t that a conflict of interest?”
“You dated?”
“Yes.” I cross my arms.
