Page 74 of Exposed

“He’s hanging in. He did well with the police. I left him at the hospital with his dad. They have each other. We went back to the office and Bennie and Judy helped with his defense. Right now he’s just a person of interest, not really a suspect or even arrested, so we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen, or at least delay it.”

“I’m sure you will, you guys make a great team.”

“Right.” Mary realized that Anthony didn’t even know about the disciplinary charges against her or that she was leaving the firm. Orconsideringleaving the firm. She felt a guilty twinge inside, because they had agreed to make big decisions jointly, since she had a tendency to operate like the single girl she used to be. “I guess I should mention that, well, it did come up today that I might have to think about leaving the firm.”

Anthony chuckled softly. “That’s funny.”

“Anthony, I’m not kidding.”

“What are you talking about?”

Mary braced herself. “It’s kind of a long story.”

“I have time. Are you serious? Tell me what’s going on. How can you leave your own firm?” Anthony edged away, and Mary was beginning to discern his features in the dark, his eyes widening and his lips forming a disbelievingO.

“I don’t have to make a decision yet. We’re tabling the discussion for now.”

“Who’s we?”

“Bennie and me.”

“You already discussed this with Bennie? What about me and you?” Anthony asked, sounding hurt. “Don’t we get to discuss it?”

“Of course, it’s just that everything happened so fast today. You and I will definitely discuss it, when the time comes.”

“When will the time come? This is a huge decision.”

“After we get over the hump with Simon. I’m trying to keep him out of jail.” Mary kept her tone patient, but she felt too drained to discuss it now. All she wanted was some sleep, so she wouldn’t be a wreck.

“How did this even come up? Mary, if you’re serious, how will we support ourselves?”

“I would open my own firm.”

“You would do what?” Anthony propped himself up on his elbow, fully awake. “When did this happen? What are you even talking about? How can you go out on your own?”

Mary stifled her irritability, which was growing. It wasn’t necessarily directed at him because he had a right to ask everything he was asking, but just not now. “I think it can be done. If Simon’s civil cases go forward, that’s the only time it comes into play. But I do have a client base. I think they’ll go with me.”

“But it takes money. You have to rent an office. You have to pay overhead. You need start up costs.”

“I know that—”

“—and I don’t have a job right now.”

“I know that too but—”

“—and we don’t have the savings that we used to, not since we bought the house—”

“Anthony, I know all that,” Mary shot back, more harshly than she intended.

“We’ve been talking about having a baby. Really trying. How would that work? We keep putting it off?”

“No, I want a baby, too.”

“So how do you have a baby and start a new firm?”

“I don’t know.”

“You’re not superwoman.”