few rules, Mr. Heller. Isn’t that right, Brett?” With her head turned sharply to the left, Heller couldn’t see Janice’s left eyelid quickly wink at her colleague.
“That’s correct,” Brett replied.
His eyes maintained contact with Janice’s for a second longer than would have been normal.
Even if we have to bend a few rules
, Brett thought. She’d been speaking to
him
, not Jacob Heller, and she wasn’t alluding to landmarks.
The meeting was over. They shook hands with Heller, left his office, and stepped into an elevator. Brett stared straight ahead and began to speak after the doors had closed. “We need to—”
“Saks is across the street,” Janice noted. “Why don’t we go there now so you can give me the Davis, Konen and Wright look.”
“You’ve been flirting with me,” Brett said bluntly. “Your behavior bordered on the unprofessional, although I don’t think Heller noticed.”
“It’s because you’re turning into a landmark,” Janice responded without apology. “You’re going to grow old before your time. Your entire life is mapped out, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve already bought burial insurance. You want to preserve the status quo as much as you want to preserve those old buildings on Heller’s list.”
“Is that such a bad thing?”
“Don’t you ever want to cut loose once in a while? I’ve noticed you, Brett. Your eye likes to check out young women. There’s a little wanderlust inside you that you keep carefully hidden. Personally, I don’t think that’s healthy.”
Brett shook his head. “If I possessed this wanderlust you speak of, I’d be spending an enjoyable day exploring the countryside in Bucks County, cutting down a Christmas tree with Dana right now. Instead, I took this meeting today and am following up on my promise to Richard to purchase a professional wardrobe for you. This is definitely not my idea of adventure.”
Janice nodded her head and smiled. “My point exactly. You could be with your wife right now, preserving McGarry family traditions. But you’ve opted to buy me new clothes—me, the firm’s rebel. We could have scheduled the meeting with Heller anytime during the coming week.”
Brett said nothing. The truth was that he enjoyed being around Janice. There was something about her carefree manner that intrigued him whenever the two were together. Years earlier, he showed his independence and defied both sets of parents by insisting he and Dana marry before he graduated from law school and he had a job. Over the years, he’d settled into routines and rituals, but even as he adhered to them to further his career, a part of him liked the idea of breaking the rules—and Janice was definitely a rule breaker.
He knew that Janice sensed his vulnerability, which was a bit unsettling to a man who prided himself on the ability to play things close to the vest. So why
wasn’t
he taking the day off to spend time with his wife? Why not have a little fun and get some fresh air with the woman he loved?
He already knew the answer. He wanted to be right here with Janice Conlon at 30 Rock. As much as he wanted to make partner and live up to everyone’s expectations, he didn’t want to become a fossil. The ever-observant Janice had been correct. He was afraid that he was already being marked for preservation. Brett McGarry: husband, partner, landmark.
“Let’s get to Saks,” he said flatly.
• • •
A salesperson on the main floor directed Brett and Janice to the Anne Klein department, which carried conservative suits and skirts suitable for a female attorney. As the saleswoman took Janice under her wing, Brett sat in a customer courtesy chair, pondering her words in the elevator at 30 Rock. At Cheshire Cheese the previous evening, he’d spoken of the future and the possibility of buying a home in the country. Today he should have been cutting down a tree in Pennsylvania, but he’d chosen to spend time with the firm’s sexy
“That’s correct,” Brett replied.
His eyes maintained contact with Janice’s for a second longer than would have been normal.
Even if we have to bend a few rules
, Brett thought. She’d been speaking to
him
, not Jacob Heller, and she wasn’t alluding to landmarks.
The meeting was over. They shook hands with Heller, left his office, and stepped into an elevator. Brett stared straight ahead and began to speak after the doors had closed. “We need to—”
“Saks is across the street,” Janice noted. “Why don’t we go there now so you can give me the Davis, Konen and Wright look.”
“You’ve been flirting with me,” Brett said bluntly. “Your behavior bordered on the unprofessional, although I don’t think Heller noticed.”
“It’s because you’re turning into a landmark,” Janice responded without apology. “You’re going to grow old before your time. Your entire life is mapped out, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve already bought burial insurance. You want to preserve the status quo as much as you want to preserve those old buildings on Heller’s list.”
“Is that such a bad thing?”
“Don’t you ever want to cut loose once in a while? I’ve noticed you, Brett. Your eye likes to check out young women. There’s a little wanderlust inside you that you keep carefully hidden. Personally, I don’t think that’s healthy.”
Brett shook his head. “If I possessed this wanderlust you speak of, I’d be spending an enjoyable day exploring the countryside in Bucks County, cutting down a Christmas tree with Dana right now. Instead, I took this meeting today and am following up on my promise to Richard to purchase a professional wardrobe for you. This is definitely not my idea of adventure.”
Janice nodded her head and smiled. “My point exactly. You could be with your wife right now, preserving McGarry family traditions. But you’ve opted to buy me new clothes—me, the firm’s rebel. We could have scheduled the meeting with Heller anytime during the coming week.”
Brett said nothing. The truth was that he enjoyed being around Janice. There was something about her carefree manner that intrigued him whenever the two were together. Years earlier, he showed his independence and defied both sets of parents by insisting he and Dana marry before he graduated from law school and he had a job. Over the years, he’d settled into routines and rituals, but even as he adhered to them to further his career, a part of him liked the idea of breaking the rules—and Janice was definitely a rule breaker.
He knew that Janice sensed his vulnerability, which was a bit unsettling to a man who prided himself on the ability to play things close to the vest. So why
wasn’t
he taking the day off to spend time with his wife? Why not have a little fun and get some fresh air with the woman he loved?
He already knew the answer. He wanted to be right here with Janice Conlon at 30 Rock. As much as he wanted to make partner and live up to everyone’s expectations, he didn’t want to become a fossil. The ever-observant Janice had been correct. He was afraid that he was already being marked for preservation. Brett McGarry: husband, partner, landmark.
“Let’s get to Saks,” he said flatly.
• • •
A salesperson on the main floor directed Brett and Janice to the Anne Klein department, which carried conservative suits and skirts suitable for a female attorney. As the saleswoman took Janice under her wing, Brett sat in a customer courtesy chair, pondering her words in the elevator at 30 Rock. At Cheshire Cheese the previous evening, he’d spoken of the future and the possibility of buying a home in the country. Today he should have been cutting down a tree in Pennsylvania, but he’d chosen to spend time with the firm’s sexy
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