“Hey, Nana. I’m here in Kansas City. Happy?”
“Hell no, I’m not happy. Your mom and your aunt are at it worse than ever.”
“You seriously thought making me a groomsman would improve the situation?”
“Your aunt and uncle are having dinner with Neil and his fiancée tonight. You’re going with them.”
“Nana. No. I have something else I need to do.” He had hoped to convince Blair to talk after the deposition, maybe even grab coffee.
“The only thing you need to do is help settle this family war. Suck it up, boy. Your aunt’s gonna text you the address. Dinner’s at six.”
Great. Just what he needed. Dinner with his mouthy aunt, his whipped uncle, his dick cousin, and said cousin’s fiancée, who was probably as dull as dirt given her choice of mate. Yippee. He couldn’t wait.
He arrived at Blair’s office forty-five minutes early and asked for early access to a room so he could have somewhere private to prepare. He had no delusions that the next deposition would go so well. Blair was deposing one of Brian Norfolk’s indiscretions, and he expected her to bring her A-game and then some.
The receptionist must have heard about his disastrous attempt to secure a lunch date with Blair. She batted her eyelashes and told him she was free for dinner.
“Sorry,” he said with a grin. “I have plans.”
“Maybe tomorrow?” She sounded hopeful.
“What I really need right now is that room . . .” His words trailed off, and she got the hint.
She stood and opened the door to the back with her keycard. “There’s a small room where you can work. I’ll show you.” Then she led him down a hall and pushed open a door, revealing a table surrounded by four chairs. A phone sat on the table next to the wall. “I’ll let Melissa know you’re here, and someone will come get you when it’s time.”
“Do you know if Ms. Keating has arrived yet?”
She shook her head. “She hasn’t, but I can bring her back here when she arrives if you’d like.”
“Thanks.”
He went over his notes until Ms. Keating arrived about twenty minutes later. Between her short, tight dress, her exposed cleavage, and her heavy makeup, she looked like a toss-up between a hooker or a stripper, and neither was a good option for them.
“Did Mr. Lopez not discuss the importance of dressing conservatively?”
She looked herself up and down, batting her eyelashes. “This is conservative.”
Good God. What did her version of seductive look like? He tried prepping her for possible questions Blair might ask, but it soon became apparent that Brian Norfolk’s interest had been in her looks and not in her intelligence.
There was a knock on the door, and Melissa poked her head in. “We’re ready for you in the conference room.”
The bloodbath he watched unfold in front of him for the next two hours didn’t come as a surprise, but it didn’t exactly help his ego either. Blair was relentless, and though Tiffany Keating tried to evade Blair’s questions, the younger woman was soon spilling her guts, despite Garrett’s constant counsel to the contrary.
When Blair finally announced she was done, Garrett figured if there was ever a time she might talk to him, it was now, when he was thoroughly beaten. Perhaps she’d take pity. But she got up from the table and left the room. He would have given anything to follow after her, but he had to deal with Tiffany Keating first.
“Did I do good?” she asked, batting her eyes.
“You answered truthfully,” he hedged. “That’s the important part.”
A grin spread across her face. “Say, do you want to get a drink?”
Garrett forced a friendly smile. “Thanks, but I have plans.”
She stood and leaned into him. “How long are you in town?”
“I’m really not sure, but I’m going to be busy the entire time I’m here.”
“Well, if you change your mind . . .” She lifted her eyebrows, her voice heavy with innuendo.
He escorted her out to the reception area and saw her off, glad to part ways with her, mostly because she reminded him of one of the flakes he’d dated after he threw Blair away. He didn’t deserve a second chance with that powerful, beautiful Amazon of a woman he’d seen in action in the conference room just now, but damned if he wasn’t going to try anyway. Tomorrow.
He had another battle to prepare for tonight.
Chapter Five
Blair sat in her office, staring at her blank computer screen. How had her life turned so effectively to shit in less than twenty-four hours? What had Sisco thought of her performance during the deposition? She’d been slower to react than usual. Had he noticed? He’d walked out halfway through. Did that mean she’d done well in his eyes, or had he already decided to vote against her?
“Blair?” Melissa stood in the doorway, worry in her eyes. “I’ve made some calls in regard to your earlier request. Do you have time for a report?”
One of the things Blair loved about Melissa was the way she always knew when to press a matter and when to leave it. Melissa had no doubt been desperate to ask her questions all afternoon, but she’d waited until she had her own information to share. Of course, Blair couldn’t tell her the truth without breaking Ben’s confidence.
Blair shook her head and forced a smile. “Yeah.”
Her assistant shut the door and stood in front of her desk, lowering her voice. “I talked to a few sources at some of the bigger firms, and no one’s looking to bring on associate attorneys. In fact, Morrow and Smith is downsizing.”