Page 12 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
Frank stroked his beard. “I’m not criticizing. It was a compliment.”
I grinned. “I know.”
“Cocky bastard.”
Frank and I both chuckled, and I stood up to walk over to my liquor cabinet. I poured us each an inch of sipping whiskey and handed one to my boss. “I wasn’t so sure I’d be able to swing it, but I saw the cracks in the foundation and went for it.”
He nodded. “Your client was lucky to have you behind him.”
“Agreed.”
“Not to mention the jury finds you likeable, for whatever reason.”
I shrugged. “It’s the charm and the good looks.”
“And how humble you are, naturally,” Frank said. The corners of his eyes crinkled with a smile.
“Naturally.”
Frank took a sip of whiskey and swirled the remainder around in his glass. Then he rested the base of the glass on his armrest and looked up at me. “I hear you’re running for office here in Pittsburgh.”
“You heard right.”
“I was surprised to hear that,” he said. “But after thinking about it, I found that it makes sense. I can picture it clear as day. You’d be a good man to have in office, Cal.”
I shrugged. “If I’m being honest, I made this move so I would have more time to spend at home with Asher. My cases have been stacking up lately, and I have this nagging feeling that I’m missing out on important things that I’ll never be able to get back. A change of pace will help with that.”
“You think you’ll be less busy in the office than in the courtroom?” Frank chuckled, bemused. He shook his head at me. “You’re delusional, son.”
“I think I’ll have more control over where I delegate my time.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “Perhaps. But a man like you? With convictions and morals and an uncanny ability to draw the line between what’s right and what’s wrong? You’ll be knee deep in the swamps of politics trying to make everything better for this city. If anything, you’ll spend more time at work.”
“Are you just trying to talk me out of it so I spend more time at the firm?”
Frank sipped his whiskey and smacked his lips. “Am I that transparent?”
“To a lawyer?” I asked, smiling. “Yes.”
Frank shook his head at me, but he was still smiling too. He and I had a good relationship. I’d been working with him since I graduated from Harvard Law School, and we’d become fast friends, rather than boss and employee. Sometimes, on rare occasions, Frank would even come to my place for dinner.
Frank stood up and drained the rest of his whiskey glass. He put it down on the corner of my desk and popped open his suit jacket buttons, letting it hang open, exposing the matching gray vest underneath. “If you wanted to take some time off work, now is the time.”
I glanced at him and shook my head.
“Cal, you and I both know you could do with a break. You haven’t taken a vacation day in three years. If you’re running for office, you must be stretched thin. Take some time. Spend it with your boy and that father of yours. The firm won’t fall apart without you.”
“I can’t just take time off, Frank.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m a single father on a single income supporting my son and father. It’s not that simple. I want to make sure they have everything they need.”
Frank arched an eyebrow. “They have you, don’t they? Everything else is just icing on the cake.”
“Nice pep talk.”
Frank moved toward the door. “Not nice enough, apparently. It didn’t work. Just think about it, Cal. All you have to do is say the word, and I’ll make sure your cases are picked up and you’re not assigned to new ones. The holidays are around the corner. There’s no better time than now.”
