Page 2 of Paradise West
“I don’t think so,” Annette replied. “You want me to open it for you?”
“No, that’s not necessary. I’ll get to it after I speak with Mr. Stewart.” Charli stood from her desk with a slight groan, massaging her lower back. “Damn, I’ve been sitting too long.”
Annette’s lips twisted to the side and her hands came to her hips. “You always sit too long. I’ve been telling you that for years.” She pointed to the far sideof the office. “We should put a treadmill over there, that way you can get some exercise while you work.”
Charli chuckled lightly. Annette was the firm’s resident mother hen and dispensed life and health advice to everyone, whether they wanted to hear it or not.
“I get plenty of exercise,” Charli responded as she stepped in front of the mirror by the door. She straightened her suit jacket, smoothed back her shoulder length honey blonde hair, and pinched her cheeks, checking her appearance in different angles.
“You look fantastic, as usual,” Annette muttered, giving Charli a sardonic look before walking out. “As if you need my reassurance about that. Now, go get ‘em, tiger!”
I plan to.
Under normal circumstances, Charli would be thrilled to be on Mr. Stewart’s radar. But this meeting made her feel uneasy and anxious—chaotic emotions she had worked a long time to conquer.
Knock it off, Charli...you’re being paranoid. You’ve made this man very wealthy over the last few years. This can only be good news.
With a firm nod and a smile to herself, she strode confidently to the huge corner office on the tenth floor.
“Oh, thank God you’re here,” his assistant exclaimed, looking harried as she scrambled up from her chair. “Right this way, Miss Harris.”
Charli followed her to the large conference room down the hall, suddenly overwhelmed with a feeling of foreboding like a little girl being led to the principal’s office.
The assistant knocked and stuck her head in the door; rowdy male laughter escaped from inside the room. “Miss Harris is here to see you, sir.”
“Show her in, show her in,” Mr. Stewart’s voice boomed exuberantly.
Charli stepped into the room and stopped short, schooling her face to neutrality even as her blood chilled at the scene before her.
Mr. Stewart was seated at the head of the long conference table and at his right was Evan Blake, her nemesis and all-time arch rival at the firm, lounging back in a high-back judge’s chair with a trademark sneer on his face. She and Evan had graduated from the same class at Boston University and started at the firm on the same day. The one thing she had learned about Evan over the years, other than that he was a major douchebag, was that he was lazy as sin and would do anything—no matter how dirty or unethical—to advance his career.
To Mr. Stewart’s left was Keith Davis, one of the longest serving members of the firm’s Board of Trustees. Charli’s stomach clenched and time seemed to freeze as she fought to maintain control.
This can’t be good.
She took a deep breath as she stopped just inside the room, vaguely hearing the door close behind her.
Keep your shit together, Charli. Cool, calm, and professional.
“Have a seat, Miss Harris,” said Mr. Stewart, directing her to a seat next to Evan. “There are a few matters we need to discuss with you.” He motioned toward his left. “You remember Mr. Davis?”
Squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin, she rounded the table and took her seat. “Of course. It’s good to see you again, Mr. Davis,” she replied lightly, clasping her hands, and resting them in her lap, struggling to maintain the professional cool-under-pressure vibe she was famous for. “What can I do for you?”
“We were wondering about the status of the Parker case. Has a trial date been set yet?”
Charli gave a firm shake of her head. “Discovery is complete and we’re submitting a motion for a summary judgement this afternoon.”
Mr. Davis tilted his head and speared her with his laser gaze. “The client is comfortable with a summary judgement?”
“If it removes the need to go to trial, reduces his legal fees, and gives him the settlement he wants, yes. It was actually his preference.” She held his stare, unwilling to back down.
“Hmmm.” He pursed his lips then looked down at a paper in front of him. He glanced back up and gave her a brittle smile. “We’ve decided to go in a different direction.”
The confusion was immediate, but she carefully kept her expression blank as she stared across the table at him. “What exactly does that mean?”
Mr. Davis gestured toward Evan. “We’d like Evan to take over the case, as well as the others you’re currently working on.”
Charli’s head jerked back as if she’d been physically slapped and her jaw dropped, her hallmark control plummeting to her feet. Her shock was palpable. They were going to remove her entire caseload? She glanced at Evan who just smirked at her, clearly enjoying her humiliation. The urge to smack his face was nearly overwhelming.
