Leslie had promised herself that she would never live in those mammoth cities, Strobel was her only chance at a serious career in international law with a quality of life she could tolerate.
She glanced again at her watch. It was now fifteen minutes until midnight. Six in the morning would come quickly. She reached into her backpack and popped a couple of sleeping pills. They would kick in about the time she got back to her little studio apartment. In the meantime, she would use fifteen minutes wisely. She picked up a brief and began reading through it for the third time.
* * *
The next morning, Sarah Reed walked into the law offices of Carson & Associates, not at all confident she was doing the right thing. She had a nagging conviction that Christians should avoid lawyers in general and lawsuits in particular. Still, the insulting letter she now carried in her purse had overridden her feelings, and the Reverend Jacob Bailey, her pastor in Chesapeake, suggested she come here. She knew of no other attorney she might be able to trust.
But as she got off the elevator at the fifth floor of the Tidewater Community Bank building on the outskirts of a Virginia Beach shopping mall, she started to have second thoughts. She had never been in a law office before. She would rather be going to the dentist.
She followed the signs for Carson & Associates to the end of the hallway. She hesitated in front of the oak door with the name of the firm emblazoned in gold letters. Then she took a deep breath, said a quick prayer, and entered the waiting area.
The receptionist did nothing to put her at ease.
“Yeah,” the squat woman said. She didn’t bother to pause her typing. The nameplate on the desk identified her as Bella Harper. Smoke wafted upward from the ashtray next to her, where a half-gone cigarette smoldered.
“I’m here to see Mr. Carson,” Sarah said timidly.
“Do you have an appointment?” Bella asked.
Sarah immediately felt stupid. She knew she should have called and scheduled in advance. But that would have locked her in. She needed the freedom to bolt if she got cold feet. Like right now.
“No. Reverend Jacob Bailey referred me. I was hoping I could get just a minute of Mr. Carson’s time. I’ll come back later.”
“Honey,” Bella said, finally deigning to look up, “we don’t take drop-ins. I can get you an appointment, but it’ll probably be about three weeks before Mr. Carson can see you. He’s in court this morning on a trial that will last a week. Then he’s got back-to-back appointments for two weeks after that.”
Three weeks!
Legal matters were something Charles would have handled. The thought of it made Sarah’s eyes fill with tears, which made her feel even more self-conscious. It didn’t help that Bella was eyeing her up and down. Sarah had become so emotional since Charles died, and waves of grief would wash over her at the most inopportune times.
“I’ll just make an appointment some other time if I can’t get this resolved on my own,” she said to Bella, swallowing hard and forcing a plastic smile.
“Suit yourself.” Bella resumed her typing.
Sarah stared at Bella for a moment, dumbfounded. No wonder lawyers have such a bad reputation.
This was obviously God’s way of telling her to drop the matter. She shouldn’t have come in the first place.
As she turned to leave, a slender, well-dressed man burst through the thick oak door and nearly ran over her.
* * *
“Sorry,” Brad said, stopping just short of a collision. He gave the woman a quizzical look. “Do I know you?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t think so.”
“I’m Brad Carson,” he said, sticking out his hand. She looks so familiar.
“Sarah Reed,” she said softly.
Even her name sounds familiar. Brad noticed a trail of smoke from the ashtray where Bella had just stabbed out her cigarette.
“What happened?” Bella called out. “I thought you were in trial.”
“We settled.”
Then it
She glanced again at her watch. It was now fifteen minutes until midnight. Six in the morning would come quickly. She reached into her backpack and popped a couple of sleeping pills. They would kick in about the time she got back to her little studio apartment. In the meantime, she would use fifteen minutes wisely. She picked up a brief and began reading through it for the third time.
* * *
The next morning, Sarah Reed walked into the law offices of Carson & Associates, not at all confident she was doing the right thing. She had a nagging conviction that Christians should avoid lawyers in general and lawsuits in particular. Still, the insulting letter she now carried in her purse had overridden her feelings, and the Reverend Jacob Bailey, her pastor in Chesapeake, suggested she come here. She knew of no other attorney she might be able to trust.
But as she got off the elevator at the fifth floor of the Tidewater Community Bank building on the outskirts of a Virginia Beach shopping mall, she started to have second thoughts. She had never been in a law office before. She would rather be going to the dentist.
She followed the signs for Carson & Associates to the end of the hallway. She hesitated in front of the oak door with the name of the firm emblazoned in gold letters. Then she took a deep breath, said a quick prayer, and entered the waiting area.
The receptionist did nothing to put her at ease.
“Yeah,” the squat woman said. She didn’t bother to pause her typing. The nameplate on the desk identified her as Bella Harper. Smoke wafted upward from the ashtray next to her, where a half-gone cigarette smoldered.
“I’m here to see Mr. Carson,” Sarah said timidly.
“Do you have an appointment?” Bella asked.
Sarah immediately felt stupid. She knew she should have called and scheduled in advance. But that would have locked her in. She needed the freedom to bolt if she got cold feet. Like right now.
“No. Reverend Jacob Bailey referred me. I was hoping I could get just a minute of Mr. Carson’s time. I’ll come back later.”
“Honey,” Bella said, finally deigning to look up, “we don’t take drop-ins. I can get you an appointment, but it’ll probably be about three weeks before Mr. Carson can see you. He’s in court this morning on a trial that will last a week. Then he’s got back-to-back appointments for two weeks after that.”
Three weeks!
Legal matters were something Charles would have handled. The thought of it made Sarah’s eyes fill with tears, which made her feel even more self-conscious. It didn’t help that Bella was eyeing her up and down. Sarah had become so emotional since Charles died, and waves of grief would wash over her at the most inopportune times.
“I’ll just make an appointment some other time if I can’t get this resolved on my own,” she said to Bella, swallowing hard and forcing a plastic smile.
“Suit yourself.” Bella resumed her typing.
Sarah stared at Bella for a moment, dumbfounded. No wonder lawyers have such a bad reputation.
This was obviously God’s way of telling her to drop the matter. She shouldn’t have come in the first place.
As she turned to leave, a slender, well-dressed man burst through the thick oak door and nearly ran over her.
* * *
“Sorry,” Brad said, stopping just short of a collision. He gave the woman a quizzical look. “Do I know you?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t think so.”
“I’m Brad Carson,” he said, sticking out his hand. She looks so familiar.
“Sarah Reed,” she said softly.
Even her name sounds familiar. Brad noticed a trail of smoke from the ashtray where Bella had just stabbed out her cigarette.
“What happened?” Bella called out. “I thought you were in trial.”
“We settled.”
Then it
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