Page 40 of Try Me

“Ten slides to go.”

John took the chair next to me and flipped through the outline. “You’re probably used to something a little more…upscale, coming from your dad’s office?”

I laughed. “Hardly. No, this is fine. I was an errand boy there, too.” Though I couldn’t deny the internship had been a little disappointing so far. I’d been hoping to at least see the inside of a courtroom, even if all I did was observe.

“The ubiquitous ‘they’ think the drudge work helps sort the hard workers from the opportunists who just want to pad their resume.”

“My dad’s firm operates the same way.”

“And yet you chose to do the same thing here this summer.” He steepled his fingers jokingly. “Interesting.”

“Leading the witness, huh?”

John flashed an appreciative smile. “Maybe youhavefound your gig.”

I’d already had this conversation with Chet, although the tone had been different. John’s questioning felt more curious than an accusatory means to an end. But either way, I didn’t necessarily want to rehash it. So I turned the tables.

“City council, huh? So is that how you met my dad?”

John nodded. “I started going to the council meetings last year, hoping to get them to approve a park in the Longwood district. I went to the public high school there.”

“Shepherd?”

“Yeah. Anyway, it’d gotten all run-down over the years. Made me sad. I spent a lot of time there as a kid. Both my parents worked constantly.”

“Latchkey kid?”

“Basically. The park didn’t get approved, but I kept going to the meetings. Your dad was the one who suggested I run for the council. He found out I’d done my undergrad at the U.” He glanced out the window with an expression that approached sheepish. Or maybe it was the discomfort of someone not used to talking about themselves a lot. “Your dad has always been kind of inspiring to me.” He darted a look at me and quickly tacked on, “From a distance, at least. We’re hardly more than acquaintances. But I know his career trajectory. How hard he worked to get where he is. How strange it must have been to watch a former business partner go down. Nice redirection, by the way.”

A feeling of disquiet rumbled through me. Of course he knew about that.

“What’s that look for?” He cocked his head at me, and I tried to smooth out whatever kind of face I’d made.

“Nothing, it’s just—” I hesitated over what to say, how much to tell him about my dad. That the pedestal he’d placed him upon was misguided? I wasn’t even sure if it was. “I don’t think he knows that Chet’s an intern here, too, much less that he’s my partner. And…”

Understanding dawned on John’s features. “Ahh, I gotcha. I won’t say anything.”

“It probably wouldn’t be a big deal. I think he’d just worry that Chet would try to…retaliate against me or something. That’s kind of how my dad thinks. Always strategizing.”

John fell silent for a beat, then leaned back in the chair and dusted something from the thigh of his trousers. “I think that even if Chet did that, it probably wouldn’t matter.”

I was instantly on guard. “What does that mean?”

“Oh.” John laughed in a manner I judged as a little forced and pushed out of the chair. “Nothing nefarious. Only, I think it’s very obvious you’re doing a great job and fit in well here.”

I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to read between the lines and find a subtle implication about Chet there, and nothing about John’s face gave anything away. But the unsettled feeling remained.

“Anyway, I’ll let you get back to it.” He shifted his weight like he was about to leave, then stopped at the last second. “But speaking of all work and no play, some of us are going to Bar Twenty Two before the party Saturday.” The firm was holding a midsummer event at Elixir. Barrett had told me it was basically a pep rally to keep morale up during the summer months. “Erin and David are coming. Those two you’ve definitely met. A few others. Mila, who just started in admin a few weeks ago. Corey. All cool. You should come with me.”

“Does it count as a team-building exercise?”

“It does. It’s part of your credit hours,” he teased.

I laughed. “Could we make itallof my credit hours?”

“I suspect the bar tab would be hell.”

“I’m a lightweight.”