Page 8 of The Meeting
“These are for new clients. Some sort of land dispute with their neighbors. And we had a call from a guy wondering if you could help represent him for a traffic injury.” Eileen set the stack in his in-basket, which held even more stacks of papers.
“I’ll take a look at them. Thank you, Eileen.”
He waited for her to walk out before he scrubbed his face with his hands.
“Perfect,” he muttered.
Not that he didn’twantthe work. Having a constant flow of clients kept him employed. But sometimes, he just wished it would stop long enough for him to catch up. Only being able to run back to his apartment to quickly grab lunch before turning around and leaving again was tiring. He didn’t even have the time to go home, but he had to since he had forgotten a case file. It was just as well though since it allowed him to grab lunch, something that seemed to be a luxury these days.
He vaguely remembered running into a beautiful woman outside the building. It was someone he hadn’t seen before, but even if she lived around there, he wouldn’t know. He didn’t hang out much at the apartment, and if he did, he was working inside. He had yet to make use of the amenities like the gym or pool.
As if on cue, his stomach growled. It was already nearing dinner time, but he was far from finished working.
It was going to be another long night.
Chase glancedaround as he stepped out onto the empty sidewalk. He locked the office door behind him before walking down the street. The street lamps cast enough of a glow for him to find his way to his car a block down. Despite it only being 8 p.m., the city was asleep. Growing up in a rural Montana town, it wasn’t anything new to him. But this area was larger. He expected it to be different, but it was almost exactly like his hometown—with just a lot less farmland.
Modesto, California, was where he currently called home. Looking for a fresh start had him moving there after a nasty divorce. He originally figured he would have trouble finding enough work to keep him busy, but that proved wrong. While he specialized in corporate law, he attempted to take on any client who needed representation. Reading up into all laws regarding whatever case he was working on was becoming a chore, but he wanted the work. Eventually, he would have to turn people away and stick with one or two specialties, but for now, it was having the desired effect of keeping his doors open and getting his name out there.
He got out of his car after pulling into the parking lot of his apartment complex, carrying a caseload that he planned to look over later that evening. As soon as he stepped into his apartment, a rush of air escaped him.
Finally, he could breathe. He was home.
And it was home—the only thing he needed at the end of a long day. He knew he should try to find a house at some point, but the apartment would do for now. It had been convenient when he first moved to the city, since he wasn’t sure how well it would work out. He didn’t choose to live in Modesto for any specific reason. It was a random pick, and if it hadn’t worked out, he didn’t want to have to worry about selling a home. Packing up and moving was a lot easier when you were only renting a place.
Before he could kick the front door shut behind him, his neighbor appeared.
“Hey! Chase!”
He dropped the box on his counter and turned to look back at her. “Hey Abi. How are you?”
Her smile went from ear-to-ear. “I’m doing great! How are you?”
He tapped the box on the counter. “You know, just busy as hell.”
“Well, I don’t want to keep you. I just wanted to let you know I referred my friend Kailynn over to you. Nasty split with her boyfriend with whom she also shares a business.”
“Ah. I’ll keep an eye out for her. Thanks for the referral.”
“Of course. Have a good night!”
He waved before closing the door after her. Despite only living in this city for a month, he had gotten to know Abi quickly. She was a friendly face who offered to help him move when she saw him struggling with boxes alone. Her boyfriend Logan had jumped in to help as well. They seemed like great people to get to know, and the few times he had spoken to them, they were nothing but friendly. The entire city appeared to be that way.
He pulled an instant dinner out of his freezer and popped it into the microwave before stripping his clothes off to change. It was going to be a long night.
* * *
The next morningwas an early one for Chase. He had spent the rest of the evening going through the cases he brought home, and when he finally couldn’t focus any longer, he called it a night. His alarm woke him up before the sun, and he arrived at the office to attempt to clear as many files off his desk before Eileen piled on more.
Chase pulled the next file off the stack and sighed. He was slowly getting through everything, which he was thankful for. Every time Eileen walked toward his office, he dreaded her handing him more work. He knew he should turn down clients until he caught up, but giving up work seemed to be a bad idea. He never knew when a lull would hit, so he may as well continue while he had the chance. Any extra money to keep the business afloat if there was a lull was welcome. Not to mention, he shouldn’t give up on the opportunity to serve as many people as possible when he was still establishing himself in the community.
He had been pulling almost twelve-hour days continually for the last month. Eventually, he would need to take breaks. He had nothing at home that was more pressing to deal with, so he didn’t necessarily feel like he was missing out on anything. He really had no idea what he would even do with any spare time he had. But he had yet to have the chance to discover what he would do given the spare time.
Flipping the folder open, he scanned the document. A woman, Kailynn Winters, was currently going through a battle of sorts with her business partner. It dawned on him that this was Abi’s friend. He read through the information he was given and then picked up his phone.
Dialing her number, he waited.
“Hello?”
