Look Closely - Laura Caldwell [88]
He closed the door as he stepped into the office. Not a good sign.
“How are you?” Lev said, but it seemed a formality of a question.
“Fine, fine.” I took in Lev’s gray suit, half a size too small as usual. He was one of the few men I knew who often talked about his weight, someone who made no bones about the fact that he struggled with it. That trait made him seem very human to me, unlike so many of the other older partners.
Lev shifted in the chair, as if it was a little tight, just like his suit. “Hailey, you know we have partnership elections coming up very fast here.”
“Of course.” I sat up straighter. “And you know how badly I want to be partner here.” I sounded false, like a beauty pageant contestant talking about world peace.
“Yes, well.” He coughed. “We still haven’t received your essay.”
I managed not to groan. I’d started the damn thing on the plane to Portland and never finished it. I was unable to bring myself to write the part about my father, about how I wanted to follow in his footsteps.
“I’ve started it, Lev, but this McKnight case is keeping me so busy.”
He nodded, appeared unconvinced. “It was due over a week ago. Everyone else has turned them in.”
“If you could just give me a few more days.”
“I don’t know. The election committee put off our first meeting until we could get your essay, but word got out. Some of the other attorneys who are up for partner are complaining about special treatment.”
I didn’t even have to ask who these other attorneys were. I was sure that Paige Amboy had learned I was the holdout and was leading the pack on this one.
“I’d like to work on it today,” I said, “but I’m leaving for Chicago.”
“Depositions?”
“I have a conference at McKnight headquarters first thing tomorrow morning. Then I’m meeting a potential witness.” Amy had tracked down Eden Fieldings, one of the members of the Fieldings family, whose company had been taken over by McKnight so many years ago. Eden had told Amy that her father, the founder of the company, was too incapacitated in his advanced age to speak to attorneys, but she agreed to be interviewed herself. I needed to get the whole story on the Fieldings takeover before the trial. What I didn’t say to Lev was, I might go to Woodland Dunes; I might find out what happened to my mom; I might see a man named Ty.
“You’re not going to the cocktail party?” Lev said.
The firm had a monthly cocktail party in the reception area. It was that night, and I’d forgotten all about it. “I won’t be able to make it,” I said.
Lev shifted in the chair again, and tugged at his tie. “Hailey, I think you need to put in an appearance tonight. You need to convince everyone in this firm that you’re serious about being partner.”
“Isn’t it enough that I make more money for this firm than any other associate?”
Lev raised both hands in the air, a futile gesture. Both of us knew that revenue alone wasn’t enough. An associate had to kiss ass and grovel and attend all the necessary functions, which I had avoided lately, especially since I received that letter.
“I think you need to postpone your trip and make sure you come to the party,” Lev said. His tone was grave, and I heard the message under his words—You’d better do something or I won’t be able to help you. You won’t make partner, at least not this year.
And yet for the first time in my life, I cared about something more than work. It had never happened to me before—boys, vacations, clothes, hobbies (what were hobbies, exactly?)—nothing had ever been as important as work. But now my career was taking an inadvertent back seat to my mother, my siblings, that damn letter.
“I’m sorry, Lev,” I said. “But I can’t be there tonight. I’ll get the essay to you as soon as I can. Thanks for coming by.” And then I stood from the chair, signaling the end of our conversation.
21
I was in Chicago by eight-thirty that night. I checked into the Ambassador East Hotel on State Street and wondered how to fill the next few hours. I’d already