Page 101 of Hidden & Held

“How about next Friday?”

I blink. “What?”

“The river, the winery, the fucking moon. Any of it.” He shifts, suddenly looking less like the confident attorney and more like a man waiting for his guilty verdict.

“So, next Friday? Will you let me take you on our first date in Cascadia?”

30

JACKSON

The white cardboard box is becoming an all-too-familiar sight here at Cascadia Legal. I didn’t decorate this office; most of it will stay here for the next soul. Better luck to them.

Opening my drawer, I grab the few belongings I want. A couple of notebooks, blue sticky pads Phoenix gave me from her pack of assorted colors because she didn’t think the blue ones flowed well with her process, and the assorted highlighter brand I have been using since undergrad.

At the bottom of the drawer, I reverently grab the golf pencil and receipt, feeling the smooth texture of the paper that I have looked at far more than anyone should. A knock on the door breaks me from my thoughts and Isabella walks in.

Her uniform—a black polyester polo and khaki-colored pants—does not match her personality. Fortunately, her large gold hoop earrings help personalize it.

“So.” She saunters in, surveying the barely-changed room. “You’re out of here, huh?”

“Yes, acquisition is off. Cascadia doesn’t need a Mergers & Acquisitions department either.”

She walks over to my meager belongings and picks up the golf pencil, turning it once between her fingers before setting it back in the box.

“Good. You made the right decision. Finally.”

I wish I could argue against that.

“You know, I wanted to key your car. But I thought it was a rental. Wouldn’t have been worth it for you to just trade it in for a different model.”

“It isn’t.”

“Damn it. Oh well, I’ll remember that for the next time you mess up with my girl.”

“There won’t be a next time,” I vow.

“There better not be.” She goes to head out. “If you play your cards right, maybe you can join Phoenix and come to our Noche de las Velitas celebration. We’ll light an extra candle for your common sense.”

She waves her feather duster haphazardly in the air, pretending to clean, and heads out. I shake my head at her antics, knowing she will always have a job here, for all she knows. She missed her calling and should have been a spy.

Box under my left arm, I turn around one last time. No more fancy offices or rising star awards. And no more path laid out for me like it always was.

Dread hits first. Not knowing what comes next. Then something else underneath it; the same feeling I had the first time I got behind the wheel with a brand-new license.

I turn off the light, pull my nameplate off the door, and set it in the box next to Phoenix’s, closing the lid.

I spot Daniel as I’m walking out of Cascadia Legal Partners. He clocks the box under my arm and stops. “Wait, you out of here, man?”

“Yeah. The acquisition’s dead. I don’t work here—or at Morrison Rose.”

“Damn.” Daniel’s eyes go wide. “You moving back to Portland?” A beat, then he rushes out, “Wait. You’re not bailing before the 3x3 tournament, right?”

I chuckle. “No, I’m staying in Cascadia. For good.”

His shoulders drop an inch. “Phew. You had me worried for a second. You in for open gym tonight?”

“No, can’t.” I feel the grin coming before I can stop it. “I have a date.”