Parking Lot Meetings
Laurel's POV
Sitting in my office, I open the files Adam from Documentation just dropped off. Alexa asked me about fifteen minutes ago to pull up the firm's files for a Mia Harris.
"Laurel?" A voice calls from the speaker of my desk phone.
I press the talk button and reply:
"Yes?"
"Laurel, it's Stacie."
"Hey Stacie. What's up?"
"I was just checking in to see if you were ready to leave for lunch yet."
I click on my cellphone to see the time. 1:15pm.
"Yeah," I sigh, getting up from my seat. "I'm just going to drop some files off to Alexa then I'll meet you in the lobby."
"Okay. See you then." Stacie says, ending the call.
Picking up the files, I slip my laptop into my desk's top drawer and make my way to Alexa's office.
Arriving at the door, I can hear the faint mumbles of voices deep in conversation. I lift my hand and knock on the door. The mumbling stops and I hear Alexa's voice say:
"Come in."
I open the door and walk in to find Alexa and another woman sitting side by side in the chairs across from her desk.
"Good afternoon." I say to the woman next to Alexa.
She nods at me, smiling a little.
"How can I help you Laurel?" Alexa asks professionally.
"I have the files you asked for on Mrs. Mia Harris." I say lifting the folders up a little.
The lady grins and pushes her dark caramel blonde hair over her shoulder.
"Laurel, this is Mrs. Mia Harris." Alexa introduces, gesturing towards the woman next to her.
Mia stands up and reaches her hand out. I step forward and shake it, setting the files on the corner of Alexa's desk.
"Nice to meet you Laurel." Mia says, holding my hand a little longer than necessary.
"Likewise Mrs. Harris." I say, casually pulling my hand out of hers.
"Oh please, call me Mia. I'm nearly done with the Harris name anyway." she laughs.
"And you're happy about that?" I ask skeptically.
"I am." Mia smiles.
"Well congratulations." I reply.
"Thank you very much." Mia winks, sitting back down in her chair.
Shifting my attention to Alexa I say:
"Can I speak to you for a second, if you don't mind."
"Yes of course." Alexa rises up from her seat. "Excuse me for a moment." she says to Mia.
Mia nods and Alexa gets up and follows me to her office door.
"What is it?" Alexa asks quietly.
"I just wanted to see if you needed anything before I leave on my lunch break."
"No, you go ahead." Alexa encourages.
I turn to walk out the door.
"Wait." she whisper-shouts.
"Yeah?" I turn back around to look at her.
"I do want to ask you something though."
"Ok, go ahead."
" I just wanted to know if something was wrong, that's all."
"What do you mean?" I ask, playing dumb.
I've been acting extremely impersonal since the tour this morning. I wasn't sure if she had notice but now I know she had.
"I mean, if I said something this morning that offended you or something I deeply apologize. That April girl is just a really touchy subject."
"Did you just say that April girl ? Like she's a diseased nobody or something?" I implore.
"No, I didn't mean it like that Laurel. I just don't really like her. She's an attention seeking homewrecker from what I can tell." Alexa exclaims discreetly.
I can feel my anger boiling up to its breaking point and I try and push it down so I don't say something I'll later regret. I just can't help but get upset about how Alexa's talking about poor little April.
"You know what," I say, attempting to calm my temper. "You didn't offend me. I'm perfectly peachy. But as for April, I think she'd be very upset to hear you talk about her that way." I rant quietly, walking out of her office and up to the elevator.
Passing by the secretarial desk, I notice Ava's not there. Stepping into the elevator I breathe out deeply. Boy, this is some first day.
The elevator comes to a stop in the lobby and I step out only to be greeted by a small group of people. Standing next to Stacie by the firm's front door is Ava, Tyler, and 2 other assistants I recognize from the break room this morning.
"Hey!" Stacie exclaim as I walk up to her. "We were all waiting for you."
"I can see that." I smile politely at all the people I don't really know.
"Ready to go?"
"Yep. I'm starving." I sigh, touching my stomach.
"We all are." Tyler groans, letting his head fall back on his neck.
"Oh shut up Tyler. We're about to go in a second." Ava scolds him, elbowing him in the chest.
"Well can we go then before I die." Tyler complains dramatically.
I laugh quietly at how child-like Tyler gets when he's hungry.
"Yes we can you big baby." Stacie shoves him. "Laurel do you mind if two of us ride in your care. We usually try and only take 2 cars.
"I don't mind. Let's go." I say, pulling my keys out from my purse.
We all walk out the revolving door together into the summer heat and Ava and Tyler follow me to my car. I unlock the doors and Ava climbs into the passenger seat, forcing Tyler to sit in the back.
"Do you know where we're going?" I ask Ava as I turn on the car.
"Yeah, we're just going to Izzo's down the street." she tells me.
"Okay. I think I know where that is." I say putting the car in reverse.
We're pulling out of M&K's parking lot when Ava reaches to turn on my radio.
"You don't mind do you?"
"Of course not." I smile. "Knock yourself out."
Ava switches on the radio and turns it to some station blasting Beyonce's new song "Sorry". My fingers are drumming to the beat of the song as I pull up behind a couple of cars stopped at a red light.
"So is this the usual lunch crowd?" I ask attempting to make conversation.
"Mostly, yeah." Ava sighs, letting her window down a little. "This girl April from our floor use to join us but she stopped about a few months ago. I don't know if you've met her yet."
"Yeah, I've met April. That shy little redhead, right?" I say, flicking on my turning signal.
"That's the one." Tyler comments. "April didn't use to be some shy little redhead though. One day she just shut down. She stopped going to lunch with us. She stopped going out on the weekends. She stopped smiling...she just stopped everything."
"I wonder what happened to her." I mumble.
"We all tried to talk to her but she kept saying she was fine. She just seemed so fragile it just became easier to leave her be." Ava shrugs.
"Really." I murmur as I drive into Izzo's parking lot.
I park in the empty spot next to Stacie's car and turn off the engine. We all get out the cars and walk into a packed Izzo's. We get in line together and Stacie dares me to try one of Izzo's town favorite extra large burritos. Much to my surprise, they weren't emphasizing when they put extra large in bold letters on the menu.
We had one of the waiters push 2 tables together to fit all 6 of us so everyone could watch me try and eat the whole burrito in one sitting. Sadly, I was only able to make it through half of it beffore I thought I was going to blow. The two other assistants, who's names I learned were Alison and Isabel, went on to tell me the story where Tyler forced down one and a half of the extra large burritos then hurled up half of it. Leaving him layed out on the couch for the rest of the work day in the firm's security office. We all laughed so hard and for so long we lost track of time and had to rush back to the office to get back to work.
Ava, Alison, Isabel and I rode up to the 7th floor together before we dispersed. I stop by the break room to put my half eaten burrito in the refrigerator before heading to my office to drop off my purse. After freshening up, I pull my laptop out and make my way to Alexa's office.
Before going in, I check my emotions, separating personal from professional. Walking into the office, I see Alexa back behind her desk rummaging threw the papers on it looking for her glasses I assume. Spotting them on the floor, I squat down and pick them up, setting them in front of her as I take a seat in one of her plush gray velvet chairs. She smiles at me dryly, putting the glasses her face and pushing them up into her hair.
"How was your lunch break?" she asks.
"Great." I smile. "How was yours?"
"I didn't have one." Alexa sighs, sitting back in her chair.
"Why not?"
"Well I usually send my assistant out to get my lunch but she had other plans."
"I'm sorry." I shake my head. "About storming out and about what I said. I mean I meant it but I know some things are better left unsaid."
"You're right about that. That whole conversatiion before you left was
extremely unprofessional on both of our parts."
"I know. It won't happen again." I tell her.
"Good. I hope not." Alexa says briefly. "But I also know you don't know everything about April like I do."
Thinking back to how Tyler talked about her in the car April seemed like she was a very sweet fun girl. But from the one Alexa's using she's making her sound like an undercover heathen. Without saying a word, I just nod in false understanding.
"Oh! And while I've got you here I wanted to tell you that I have court dealing with Mrs. Harris's case at 10am at the course house down town. Then an appointment with another client at 3pm. So if you could be present for court and back here for the appointment that would be great." Alexa says, flipping through a yellow legal pad.
I get up from the chair to leave when she says:
"And before I forget the client coming tomorrow for 3 is stored under the last name Williams. Could you have Documentation print out those files before 2 please?"
"Will do Alexa." I say, forcing a fake smile.
"One last thing." Alexa declares. "The daily meeting in the multi-purpose room starts at 4 so we can be done in time for closing at 5. But I ask that everyone's there 10 to 15 minutes early."
"I'll be there." I sigh, trying not to sound as frustrated as I feel.
"Great." Alexa smirks before pulling her glasses down on her face.
She looks down at something on her desk so I assume she's finally finished.
She's really is a pill sometimes. I think to myself as I step out of her office. Signing, I walk to my office so I can make that call to Documentation before this meeting at 3:45.
*~*
"Are there any other questions, issues, or cases that need to be addressed before I dismiss?" Alexa asks, standing in front of the presentation board with a clicker in her hand.
I look around the long wooden table at all the other lawyers and their assistants. Nobody makes an effort to speak.
"Okay then. This meeting is dismissed. See everyone bright and early tomorrow morning."Alexa says, tapping the table quickly.
Everyone starts pushing their rolling chairs away from the table and walking out. April is the second person out the door and I gaze after her curiously. Finally snapping out of my trance, I look at Alexa who's logging herself out of the firm's presentation computer.
She finally shuts the computer down and turns I my way. We just stare at each other for a second before she picks up her purse off the ground and starts for the door.
"Alexa."
She stops and shifts her body to look at me and she raises her eyebrow in question.
"Are we just going to keep making this awkward? We do have to work with one each other 5 days out of the week."
I watch her shoulder rise and fall in a deep sigh.
"Well I certainly hope we don't." she says, fighting a smile.
Inside, my body release some form of relief as I see her slowly letting her guard down. Getting up from my chair, I get my things and meet her at the door.
"I don't know if anyone has ever told you, but you're a real pill when you don't get your way." I say as we walk down the hallway together.
"That sounds like a nice way of just calling me a bitch." Alexa laughs.
"Now, I didn't say that." I say, smiling.
"I know, I did. But truth of the matter is, bitches get things done." Alexa shrugs when we make it to the elevator.
"I know you're not really a bitch Alexa. You just want people to think you are." I say nudging her gently with my elbow.
"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not." Alexa smirks as we ride down the elevator into the practically empty lobby.
We walk out the revolving doors and go our separate ways to our cars. My hand is on my door handle when I hear someone call my name. I swing around and my eyes land on the woman who was in Alexa's office earlier.
"Mrs. Harris?" I call, squinting my eyes to take in the far away figure.
She comes closer and I'm able to make out her face.
"Hi." She smiles at me.
"Hey." I reply awkwardly, setting my laptop carrier on top of my car. "The firm is closing but we'll be open again tomorrow morning."
"Oh, I'm not here on business."
"Mrs. Harris-"
"Mia." She corrects me.
"Mia," I say nervously "If you're not here on business how can I help you?"
"I came back to see you." Mia smiles flirtatiously.
"To see me?" I blink in shock. "Why?"
"You really caught my attention in Alexa's office earlier."
"Did I now?"
"You did." Mia nods "And I was wondering if you would consider going out with me?"
"Mrs. Harris--Mia" I correct myself. "How do you know I like women in that way?"
"I was just hoping." Mia smiles, shrugging a little.
"And aren't you married?"
"Currently getting a divorce." she tells me.
"Right. But you're getting your divorce through the firm I work at. I don't think that would be very professional."
"Laurel, I'm just asking for you to go out for a drink maybe, dinner, or a movie or something. I'm not asking you to marry me. Trust me, I've been down that road." Mia laughs.
"I still don't know." I whisper doubtfully.
"Well, I'll tell you what. How about I give you my number and you just give me a call whenever."
I open my mouth to tell her I don't think that would be a good idea.
"I won't take no for an answer." she insists.
"Ok." I sigh, giving up.
Mia takes a piece of paper out of her back pocket, scribbles her number on it in red ink and hands it to me. I take it reluctantly.
"I'll see you around." Mia winks, then walks off.
Standing next to my car, I replay the hole conversation in my head and I begin to feel a headache starting to develop. Groaning loudly I get in my car and speed off as quickly as legally possible away from Morrison & Kingston Law Firm.
********************
I know it may have seemed like forever since I update because it's felt like forever to me! I just had trouble starting this chapter but here it is. Tell me what you think. About what Alexa said about April...About Laurel's relationship with Alexa...And what's going on with this Mia character?! Talk to me!
Remember to VOTE & COMMENT!
Yours truly,
~MusixProdigy