"What can I get you?" Kelly asked as she stood by Table Six with her pen poised over her notepad.
"A glass of fresh mango juice and..." The man seated at the table paused briefly to study his menu. His forehead drawn in a frown, he asked, "What dessert would you recommend to go along with it?"
"Everything here tastes really good," she said, "but if I had to choose, I'd go with the strawberry cream-cake."
"The strawberry cream cake it is." With a smile, the man handed her the menu.
"It should be about ten minutes," Kelly said before heading off to the counter to place the order.
As was usual these days, Lani's was booming with business. Though the café wasn't a terribly big place, it was bursting at the seams. Almost all the tables were occupied by hipsters, couples and college-age kids. They were a marked difference compared to the older crowd who'd patronized the café when Kelly's father still owned it.
Kelly wasn't really sure what had drawn the younger crowd in. The décor and layout was still the same. It was just ten two-top tables along the exposed brick walls, floor-to-ceiling windows that faced the busy street, and ten oversized armchairs arranged in groups and nestled into cozy corners. Maybe they liked the new owner; he was certainly hip enough to fit in with this crowd.
"One mango and cream-cake," she said to the acne-ridden teenager behind the register. Moments later, the customer's order was ready, and Kelly carted it to him.
"Miss, more coffee here," a feminine voice trilled just as Kelly started back towards the counter.
Kelly turned to face the 'customer' a.k.a. Sin. Sin was parked at one of the tables at the corner giving herself a manicure. Seated across from Sin was a handsome bespectacled man who was engrossed with a game on his tablet. With a roll of her eyes, Kelly grabbed a jar of coffee from the counter then started towards the pair.
"You're supposed to be working not ordering," Kelly scolded Sin even as she poured some coffee into her friend's mug.
"This is me working," Sin said as she gingerly picked up her mug to sip her coffee.
"Teddy, do you need a refill too?" Kelly asked Sin's companion.
Theodore Cole, better known as Teddy and the new owner of Lani's, didn't even look up from his tablet as he said, "Yes, please."
"How is doing your nails working?" Kelly asked Sin as she filled up Teddy's mug.
"I am working." Sin waggled her fingers as if to dry her nails. "This is my job."
Kelly guffawed. "Really?"
"Really." Sin nodded. "My job is to look good. I'm the new face of Lani's."
"The new face of – what?" Kelly shot her friend a wide-eyed look. "Since when did the café have a position like that?"
"Since yesterday," Sin insisted. "Ask Teddy."
Teddy nodded. "Yes, it's a new position that I created just for Sin."
"Did she con you or something?" Kelly made a horrified face. "Blackmail?"
Teddy laughed. "Nothing like that."
"I'm offended by the implication that I would con my friend." Sin tried to look hurt but it was difficult when her eyes were twinkling with unrestrained amusement. "Even con women have ethics."
"Mm hmm." Kelly eyed her friend with a healthy dose of distrust. This was the same woman who'd made a career out of trying to con Kelly and A.J. out of their weekly spending money when they were in prison.
"I swear there was no conning involved in the creation of this position," Sin insisted. "Teddy and I just did some Math while you were at your interview. We realized that since I started working here, the percentage of men coming into the shop has increased by... by what?"
"By seventeen point four percent," Teddy answered helpfully.
"By seventeen point four percent," Sin said firmly. "And the number of women who come along to make sure I don't snatch their man has increased by..."
"Nine percent," Teddy offered.
"Exactly." Sin nodded. "Basically by just being here, I've increased the reve- rese- the what?"
"The revenue," Teddy said.
"I've increased the revenue in this place just by showing my face." Sin sat back in her seat with a self-satisfied smirk. "I think that's work enough, don't you?"
Kelly laughed. "I thought you said that you weren't going to use your face to earn money anymore."
"Going straight is hard, man." Sin sighed despondently, drawing laughs from both Kelly and Teddy. When their laughter died down, she started, "Speaking of work, Teddy found another firm advertizing for law graduates. Teddy, where's that ad?"
Teddy paused his game, but before he could bring up the advertisement, Kelly said, "I'm not doing that anymore."
Both Sin and Teddy turned surprised gazes up to her.
"You're not?" Sin asked. "Did you find a job when we weren't looking?"
"No." Kelly smiled sadly. "I just think that I'm wasting time trying to get back into law. Nobody wants to hire me."
"You don't know that." Teddy frowned. "You haven't tried all the law firms."
"I've tried more than enough to get the hint."
"But-" Sin started, but was interrupted when a client called out for Kelly. Kelly left to serve the client. When she came back to Teddy and Sin's table, they were waiting with protests.
"You can't quit law." Sin's eyes shone with concern. "It's your dream."
"Don't quit." Teddy added his voice to the clamor. "If no one will hire you, then open your own firm."
"With what money?" Kelly guffawed.
"I'll lend you the money," Teddy promptly offered.
Kelly shook her head. "No, but thank you for offering."
There were so many reasons why she couldn't accept Teddy's money. First, because she knew where his money came from. Before owning Lani's, Teddy had been an accountant. Only he wasn't the usual kind of accountant. He'd made a fortune helping the rich evade the taxman and hide their ill-gotten gains in other countries. She couldn't take his money in good conscious.
Further sealing her resolution not to take his money was the fact that she already owed him enough. When Kelly's father had needed money to pay Kelly's legal fees, Teddy had been more than willing to front him the cash. Unfortunately, Jesse was just as proud as Kelly. In the end, Jesse had sold Lani's to Teddy. Even then, Teddy had ended up paying way more than market value for the café just so Jesse and Kelly would have enough money for her defense.
As if that wasn't bad enough, Kelly had continued to mooch off his generosity even after her father's death. When Sin had been released from prison, she didn't have anywhere to go. Teddy didn't know Sin yet he'd allowed her to stay in the apartment atop the café rent-free just because she was Kelly's friend. When Kelly had come out, he'd not only given her place to stay but he'd also given her a position in the café. Taking any more from him would be shameless and downright immoral.
"Seriously, you should let me help you," Teddy insisted. "If you're worried that you won't have clients, you shouldn't be. Between my connections and your father's reputation you'll be good."
"That isn't even the real problem," Kelly said. Since she couldn't say the truth without hurting Teddy's feelings, she hedged, "The problem is I don't have any real trial experience. I'd be short-changing my clients."
"But you worked too hard to be a lawyer." Sin frowned. "Are you just going to let it go like that?"
"Not completely." Kelly pulled in a deep breath. "I think I might start trying out for positions as a paralegal. At least I'll be using my law qualifications somewhere... if I get hired?"
"How much does that pay?" Sin asked. When Kelly gave her an approximate paycheck of a starting paralegal, she gasped. "What the hell? I'd make more than that working once a week as a fake girlfriend."
Kelly laughed. "Not all of us have million-dollar faces."
"You shouldn't have to be a paralegal." Teddy offered, "If you won't let me help you open a firm, then at least let me hit up some of my contacts and see if I can get you a position in a good firm."
"No, don't do that, please," Kelly protested. "You've already-"
Before she could finish speaking her phone rang.
"Sorry," she apologized to her friends before she extracted the gadget from her pocket. She pressed it to her ear. "Hello."
"Hello." A cheery feminine voice greeted. "Is this Kelly Garner?"
"This is she."
"Hi, I'm Marie Scott calling from Chambers & Quinn."
Immediately, Kelly's heart started a nervous tapping. "How can I help you, Marie?"
"You had an interview with our firm yesterday, didn't you?"
"I did."
"Congratulations," said Marie. "You got the job."
What? Kelly could've sworn that her blood stopped moving right then. Had the woman just said 'congratulations'? Impossible. How could Kelly have gotten the job when she hadn't even completed the interview? Kelly swept her gaze around the café to make sure there weren't any hidden cameras around because it sure felt like she was being pranked. However, the more Marie spoke, the clearer it was that this wasn't a prank. This was a legitimate call. When Marie finally ended the phone-call after telling her to be at the firm on Monday, Kelly was still reeling in shock.
Bloody hell! Kelly stared at the now dead phone in her hand in wide-eyed disbelief.
"What?" Sin said. "Who was that?"
"You look like you just spoke to a ghost," Teddy said.
"Guys." Kelly turned to her friends. "I think I just got hired."
"What? You're kidding." Sin's whoops of congratulations were enough to attract the attention of everyone in the café. Standing, she dragged a still shocked Kelly in for a boisterous hug. Slowly Kelly's shock turned into excitement. She'd really gotten a job. She smiled.
* * * * *
BY SUNDAY KELLY'S excitement about her new job had worn off, mostly because she suspected that she hadn't gotten it on her merit.
"So what if Angelina put in a good word for you?" Sin said as she rifled through Kelly's closet. "That's how most people get their jobs these days."
"I don't want to be most people," Kelly said. She was lying on their shared bed watching Sin pick a dress for her to wear on her first day of work.
"What about this one?" Sin held up a short, purple, body-con dress.
"I'm going to an office not a nightclub." Kelly shook her head. "That's too sexy."
Sin made a face. "So people who work real jobs are not allowed to be sexy?"
"Not unless they want to be propositioned by clients."
"No wonder I never worked a day job." Sin scoffed before picking out a red dress that was even shorter than the previous one. "What about this one?"
"Are you kidding me?" Laughing, Kelly got off the bed. "I think I'll just pick out my dress myself."
Sin settled on the bed to watch Kelly. She said, "You know for a broke girl you're very picky."
"I'm picky? Me?" Kelly rifled through her wardrobe for something more work-appropriate. "How?"
"You want a job but you want it on your own terms," her friend explained. "You didn't want Teddy to give you cash to start your own firm. Now you don't want the job that maybe Angelina got you. If that's not picky, I don't know what is."
Kelly hadn't quite thought of it that way. "It's not that I'm picky. I just don't want to be a burden to other people."
"It's not like you're out there begging for them to help you." Sin said. "They offered all on their own. Plus they're giving you a handout. You're going to work at the firm, not sleep."
"Yeah, but-"
"Yeah but nothing." Her friend cut her off. "Your pride isn't going to pay your student loans or have you forgotten about those?"
"No, I haven't forgotten." Kelly groaned. "So you think I should take the job?"
Sin rolled her eyes. "Well duh! Of course you have to take the job."
And that's how Kelly ended up in front of the building that hosted Chambers & Quinn on Monday morning.
She dragged in a deep breath, straightened her shoulders before making her way to the elevators. There were several people waiting for the elevator. Kelly couldn't help studying them and wondering if they were her coworkers. When the elevators doors opened, everyone filed in. Kelly ended up right at the front.
The doors were closing when someone shouted, "Hold."
Kelly instinctively tapped on the open button to keep the doors from closing. However, a moment later, she regretted that action.
"Thank you," Spencer said right before his eyes met hers.
For a moment he seemed frozen by shock.
"Are you getting in?" Someone in the back called out. "Some of us have places to be."
It was enough to unfreeze Spencer and with a murmured apology he got into the elevator. Kelly immediately shuffled as far away from him as she could in the cramped elevator and averted her eyes so she wouldn't have to see him. Still, she remained ridiculously aware of his presence in the elevator. What made it even worse was the fact that he kept sneaking glances at her.
Stop looking at me, she wanted to scream. Her hand balled into a fist at the side of her body. Just try to greet me and see if you'll still have a mouth, she mentally warned.
Fortunately for him, he didn't say a word to her. What the hell was he doing here anyway? Meeting him here last week was coincidental, but this... this was just incredibly bad luck. Hopefully, he was going to a floor above or below hers and she would never have to see him again. The elevator doors opened on the second floor and several people got off. Unfortunately, Spencer wasn't one of those.
Kelly moved further back into the elevator to create more distance between them. Spencer turned slightly to glance her way but he didn't say anything. The doors opened at the third floor, some people got out. Spencer stayed.
Lord, I know I'm a sinner. Kelly closed her eyes. But this is not the day to punish me. Please, please tell me we're not going to the same floor. Please let him go to a floor above the fourth floor.
The doors opened out to the fourth floor and.... Yup, Spencer got off.
Swearing to give God a piece of her mind when she had time, Kelly trudged out of the elevator a good distance behind Spencer. What was he doing here anyway? As far as she knew he was still an Assistant District Attorney. Was he here to confer with a defense attorney? If that was what he was here for, then she hoped he did it fast and left so she wouldn't have to see his face again.
"Good morning, Mr. Chambers," the receptionist, a petite brunette with a bright smile, immediately stood when she spotted Spencer.
"Morning, Marie." Spencer stopped at her desk. "Do you have today's paper?"
"I put it in your office," Marie said. "Would you like me to bring you a cup of coffee?"
"Please." Spencer nodded before he wandered away.
Kelly, on the other hand, remained rooted to the spot. Had she just heard the receptionist refer to Spencer's office? Spencer had an office here? Why? And then that's when it clicked.
Chambers & Quinn.
Spencer Chambers.
Crap!
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