Page 27 of Legally Mated
“Just that the President has decided to have this afternoon’s meeting in the Cabinet room. Lots of windows. Lots of potential witnesses.” She sat gracefully and opened her pad. “It’s a good sign. He’s not giving himself, or the Secretaries he’s invited, an opportunity to back out of this.” She peered up at me from underneath her eyelashes. “I hope you appreciate the ambush on yourbehalf.”
“Is he sure this isn’t going to blow up onusall?”
“Nothing is sure, but I think you’re underestimating him. He comes off as damn easy-going, but I’d much rather go up against one of you guys on full moon than him when he’s decided that something’s going to happen. And he has a majority government, on its second term. He has nothing to lose, and a legacy toleave.”
My hackles rose. “You know, we are not any more disposed to violence than your people.” I punctuated my sentence by stabbing at the desk with one finger. “I’d appreciate it, if we’re going to be working together, if you wouldn’t buy into those old wives’tales.”
Her eyes widened and then she nodded. “Sorry, that was a rude and careless thing to say. It won’t happen again, from me, or from anyoneI’mwith.”
I stared at her in momentary surprise, then nodded and sat back, the rug ripped out from underneath my indignation. It made me wary, but her chagrin had been obvious in both her expression and her scent. “It’s become a part of your culture that we’re ravening beasts. The only ones that would apply to would bethepups.”
She laughed, more of a snort, and looked up at me with her eyes bright with delighted humor. “If yours are anything like my nieces and nephews, I’d say there’s not that much difference between ourspecies.”
“Not much,” I agreed. I didn’t know what to make of her, but at the moment I both liked her and didn’t like her.Wait and see.“So, what did you want to talk about that needed me here, bymyself?”
“You,actually.”
“Me?”Why?
She nodded. “First thing we need to do is get this millstone of not having passed the bar off your neck. There’s no law that I can find that makes it illegal. Do you think you’re capableofit?”
“Yes.”
“Then whathappened?”
I shrugged. “Typical prejudice. You know what this business is like, everyone knows everyone and everyone owes someone a favor or four.” I started doodling on my legal pad, a habit I’d picked up from Laine. I missed him fiercely at the moment and wondered wistfully what he was up to. “There was some debate about even letting me in, but my LSAT was high enough they had a hard time denying me. I’ll give them credit—once I was past that first hurdle, most of them graded me on the same curve aseveryoneelse.”
“But not allofthem.”
I shook my head. “No, not allofthem.”
“And that carried over to your barapplication?”
“I never even got that far,” I told her. “I tried every professor in the program, and all I could get was two recommendations. No one outside the university wouldriskit.”
“I see.” She nodded slowly, her eyes focused on some distance I couldn’t see. “You have everything elseyouneed?”
“Or I can get it,” I said, hope suddenly rising in mychest.
“So, the first thing we need to do is find out who’s blocking you in Tennessee, and get you newreferences.”
“I’m sure Laine would givemeone.”
“And I suspect that by the time we’re done working through all this, I’ll be able to give you one. That just leaves thethird.”
My heart soared and I could almost feel the certificate rough beneath my fingertips. But I couldn’t let it rest there. “There’sCas,too.”
“Cas?”
“He went through for tax law, but he’s in the same situation as me. Glorified accountant is what he calls himself right now, but our law is so complex at the moment, we reallyneedhim.”
She pursed her lips and appeared to think about it. “One thing at a time, for now. Unless he thinks he can find recommendations with a bit of support from the WhiteHouse.”
“I canaskhim.”
“Do that. And in the meantime, we’ll work on finding you that third reference, and I suspect we can make sure that there are no other barriers left inyourway.”
I raised my eyebrows at that. “Okay, that’s good for me. What abouteveryoneelse?”
