Page 29 of The Law of Attraction
“No,” Whitney blurted. “No, thank you.” She glanced over at Matthew. “No offense. I just… kind of like things simple. Please don’t.” She had work to do. This little dog and pony show had gone on long enough.
“Think I’ll stay out of this,” Matthew said.
Her mom chimed in. “Get back to your simple little space, then. Matthew, I definitely want to use one of the new paintings in the area out here.” She pointed out in the reception area. “I added the coffered ceiling over there to make it more cozy last year.”
“It’s very nice.”
Mom took a step out of the office, and Matthew followed. “Lobbies and a place to wait comfortably for your appointment… incredibly important. It’s the first impression every client has of our firm, and I think one of your paintings would be perfect there.”
Whitney waved her fingers before he drifted out of sight. “It was nice to meet you.”
“You too.” He gave her a chin nod. “Maybe I’ll see you around town.”
Her breath caught, and then he was gone. She couldn’t help but listen to them talking in the lobby.
She pressed her lips together and giggled. That smile, and the dimple in his right cheek. She longed to see if there was a matching one on the other side. And did his eyes actually twinkle? The only man she’d ever pictured as having twinkling eyes was Santa.
She forced herself to get back to work, ignoring the ongoing conversation echoing through the walls. Mom shared the history as if she were the docent for the building.
While other law firms gobbled up floors of the tallest buildings in Richmond, Daddy appreciated the legacy upon which this law firm was built. Despite being only four stories, the building’s palazzo-style architecture still drew attention. The single word BANK was etched into the stone across the front of the symmetrical, cornice-style architecture that had neat rows of windows on each level.
Tucked between restaurants, pubs, and boutiques, this building was now overshadowed by a new, dark-glass skyscraper that folks affectionately referred to as the Darth Vader building, not to be confused with the one in Seattle that was much taller but lacked the personality of this one.
At one time in the history of the building Barron, Winters & Wall called home, back in the day when it was only Barron’s, the first floor opened to the third, the second only housing a row of small offices along the perimeter with a walkway and banister overlooking the lobby. Grand chandeliers once hung from the center. She’d seen pictures of them. As the firm grew, they’d closed in the second floor to create additional office space. But still, the classic details of the building remained.
Whitney picked up her coffee to take a sip, but the cold liquid hit her lips and she sputtered.
She pushed it to the side and powered through her notes, checking off every one of her to-do items. A good day, after all. She stood and stretched, letting her arms reach for imaginary stars, slowly twisting and lifting her rib cage. She really should sit with better posture.
While she stretched, she opened a browser and typed in MATTHEW MCMAHON.
A long list of entries filled her screen, along with pictures of his paintings. She scanned the articles. One talked about how he mentored high school students. That was kind of nice. Giving back and all.
She glanced at her diploma in the frame her uncle had handcrafted for her, as well as a picture of her with Carina on graduation day, with their tassels hanging to the side. Next to it, a picture from Carina and William’s wedding a year after that. It had been a quiet yet elegant ceremony on the beach in Antigua. Whitney suspected they chose a destination wedding to avoid conflict with their moms. Carina’s very outspoken mother and their mom would have clashed over everything. In a brilliant move, William and Carina left the ceremony and celebration completely in the hands of the resort, and it had been a zero drama day, start to finish.
Come to think of it, a destination wedding would be the way she’d go if she were ever to take the plunge. Show up and let someone else do all the planning. That had appeal; besides, she and Mom had almost come to blows the last time they planned the office Christmas party together. Whitney had vowed then that she’d never work with Mom on a project, and wasn’t a wedding pretty much a super-big project?
The way things were going, Whitney didn’t need to worry about a wedding anytime soon. At least now that William and Carina had Chloe, Whitney got to play aunt in her spare time, and that had quieted her ticking biological clock… at least for now.
Whitney gathered her things to leave. As she walked past the lobby, Mom and Matthew stood talking in the waiting area. Mom’s back was to her, but Matthew’s eyes caught hers. The slightest lift of his brow confirmed he’d seen her or had that been wishful thinking on her part?
One week later,Olivia was interviewing candidates for the new position, which was wreaking havoc on the rest of their schedule. It was a good thing they were all still going to yoga, because Whitney was putting those well-practiced cleansing breaths to good work lately.
With Olivia occupied with interviews, which Whitney detested doing, she put on her tennis shoes and walked six blocks to the post office to send out the divorce papers that had arrived today. It had been a long time since she’d done that. She needed to integrate this back into her routine now and again. Everything should not come down to billable hours. Health and mind-clearing breaks had to be worth something too.
When she got back to her desk, Olivia popped in. “Thanks for taking that stuff to the post office. I would’ve done it.”
“I know. It was a nice walk. I needed the break.”
“Um. I need to talk to you.” Olivia shifted her weight from side to side. “Do you have some time? Like now?”
“Sure.” Olivia wasn’t usually so fidgety. She wondered what had her tied in knots.
“Wait right here. I need to get something. I’ll be back in a minute.” She backed out of Whitney’s office.
Olivia never acted frazzled like that, and that sent red flags snapping in Whitney’s mind.
She busied herself with the latest paperwork that had been dropped into her inbox while she was out. She separated the work from the junk, and then put the business periodicals on her stack of to-be-read.
