Borrowing Trouble Read Free Page B

drunk? Of course I’m not pregnant.”
    “So, you’re still not having sex with him? Your will power is amazing. You should write self-help books.” She leaned in her chair, balancing on the back two legs.
    “I didn’t say that.”
    “Oh, so you’re breaking the law. Welcome to the dark side.” Erica leaned forward and lifted her mug of tea in tribute.
    “No! That’s not it either. Will you give me a second?”
    “Sure, sure.” Erica waved at me with both hands before resuming her sketch of the sidewalk outside the shop’s large plate glass window.
    “He spoke with his dad and got the waiver signed.”
    “Yay!” cheered Erica, pumping the air with her fists.
    Once more we earned glares from Mr. Clark Kent, joined this time by head swivels from a few other patrons who had been engrossed in their laptops.
    “Seriously, Erica. Take it down a notch. You’re disturbing the peace.”
    “I’m sorry, but I’m happy for you. So, this means that you guys can see each other and you don’t have to worry about losing Branco’s business. All is well. Now, I want details about the beach.”
    “I’ll get there,” I replied, smiling into my steaming latte before taking a small sip. “But it still isn’t really resolved. I had a meeting with my partners yesterday afternoon to talk about the Trip situation and the waiver. Let’s just say that was less than awesome.”
    “You had to talk with your partners about your sex life?”
    “Well, not in detail.”
    “That’s a shame. Josh has been in New York pretty much continually for the past three weeks and I wouldn’t mind hearing that someone else had a sex-filled beach trip.”
    “But I did have to fess up to the fact that Trip and I have been seeing each other for well over a month. That was kind of awkward. Actually, it was awful. It would have only been worse if my parents were in the room. I presented the facts to the group and was excused from the room while they discussed what to do. So, I’m being pulled from Branco’s work. Part of it’s Trip’s doing. He’s taken me off a few files. And the rest, is my partners’ doing. Well, that isn’t exactly true, because I’m still trying a sex harassment case for Branco right before Christmas, but my partners are trying to protect the business in the event that things with Trip fall apart. I’ll still get credit for Branco’s business, but I have to bring someone else in to help interface with Branco and I have to report on a weekly basis about the work.”
    “Okay, so it sounds like they’ve saddled you with a babysitter. I can’t say I blame them. What’s Branco’s business worth to your firm?”
    “Around three hundred thousand a year. Most years less, some years more.”
    “You’re serious?” She looked up from her sketch book and put down her charcoal pencil. “That is a lot of money. No wonder they want someone else making sure that you seeing Trip isn’t going to cost the firm the business. So, who is it? What old codger is supervising you? Oh, no! Please say it isn’t that Martha Lynn woman!” Erica’s voice turned saccharine: “Oh, Marisa, please make sure to act professionally in this meeting.” She batted her eyelashes, in a mimic of Martha Lynn’s overly flirty approach with clients.
    “No, it isn’t Martha Lynn. Thank God. You know she drives me nuts. It’s even weirder than that. They decided to hire John Millard.”
    “Wait. The dirty old man from Branco?”
    “One and the same.”
    “How did that happen?”
    “Well, it’s pretty common for in-house attorneys to semi-retire and join the firms they used to hire. He’ll use his connections with other companies’ general counsels to try to sway business our way. He’ll dabble in things. He’ll talk clients off ledges and into paying their bills. Basically, it’s a glorified client relations job.” 
    I swirled the dregs of my latte in my mug for a moment, thinking about the awkward blur my life had been in the