Read Online Law of Attraction by Allison Leotta - Free Book Online
Authors: Allison Leotta
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that be dangerous?”
“The only danger is me boring my clients to death. Telling them about classes they can take. Anger management, job training, that sort of thing. A lot of these kids just need a little push in the right direction. No one’s ever cared enough to give them that before.”
Kids! He made them sound like orphans, not felons.
“Do a lot of your clients turn their lives around?” Anna asked sarcastically.
“Actually, you’d be surprised.” He saw her raise her eyebrows. “You don’t see the happy endings, Anna. You only get the cases when something goes wrong. When a guy goes straight, he doesn’t have files at the U.S. Attorney’s Office anymore. You guys just don’t hear about him again.”
Anna felt a bit chastened. She hadn’t thought of that before.
“Even if a client doesn’t reform right away, it’s important for me to be there for him,” Nick continued. “These kids see the whole world stacked against them. It means a lot to know someone’s in their corner.”
“It must be so satisfying, helping poor kids like that!” The redhead looked like she wouldn’t mind satisfying Nick, too.
“Yeah. It’s not always pretty. But I love my job.”
The women kept asking questions about his work, and Nick answered with eloquence and passion. Anna was skeptical of Nick’simage of himself as a knight in shining armor, heroic defender of liberty. There were terrible, brutal men who didn’t deserve liberty, who would only use their liberty to inflict pain on other people. But at least she was getting a glimmer of understanding about how Nick could do his job.
“So, how do you two know each other?” the redhead asked.
“Anna kicks my butt all around Superior Court.” Nick smiled at Anna. “She’s been schooling us defense attorneys since she got there. Get her autograph now; someday it’ll be valuable.”
The women murmured their approval. Anna smiled into her wineglass. She was still annoyed, but she wasn’t immune to the power of a public compliment.
The group continued to chat, comparing their jobs, arguing politics, and dishing on local scandals. The redhead tried to flirt with Nick, but he was focused on Anna. Whenever a waiter with sushi passed, Nick flagged him down, making sure she had as much as she wanted. Her anger softened. The Curtis family history wasn’t his fault. Neither was Laprea’s decision to lie on the stand. Nick had just been doing his job. Anna accepted another glass of wine, feeling her cheeks grow warm as the alcohol took effect. She started to relax and enjoy herself. Their banter was clever and lighthearted, a break from the bleak facts she dealt with every day.
When a waiter offered Anna a third glass of wine, Nick turned to tease her.
“The secret to a good happy hour is equal parts alcohol and caffeine. You could use a cup of coffee. Maybe three cups. Come on.”
Anna laughed. She could feel the women gazing at her back as she followed Nick to a table set up with a silver coffee urn and a pyramid of gold-rimmed porcelain mugs. Nick poured the coffee and they stood next to each other, cradling their mugs and surveying their opulent surroundings.
Anna turned toward him. “I’m sorry I jumped at you, Nick. I guess I’m still a little sensitive about that case.”
“I’m sorry I gave a lecture on corrupt police states. Luckily, there will be no quiz.”
“Forgive and forget?”
“It’s a deal.” Nick grinned. “Listen, you could use some real food. Are you willing to leave with a naïve, anarchist defense attorney—whodoesn’t have a case against you anymore?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
• • •
He took her to Bistrot du Coin, a charming French café in their neighborhood. They both ordered steak and fries and shared a nice bottle of red wine.
“I’m going to need a whole pot of coffee to maintain your alcohol-to-caffeine ratio,” Anna said with a hiccup.
“I just said that to get you out of that
“The only danger is me boring my clients to death. Telling them about classes they can take. Anger management, job training, that sort of thing. A lot of these kids just need a little push in the right direction. No one’s ever cared enough to give them that before.”
Kids! He made them sound like orphans, not felons.
“Do a lot of your clients turn their lives around?” Anna asked sarcastically.
“Actually, you’d be surprised.” He saw her raise her eyebrows. “You don’t see the happy endings, Anna. You only get the cases when something goes wrong. When a guy goes straight, he doesn’t have files at the U.S. Attorney’s Office anymore. You guys just don’t hear about him again.”
Anna felt a bit chastened. She hadn’t thought of that before.
“Even if a client doesn’t reform right away, it’s important for me to be there for him,” Nick continued. “These kids see the whole world stacked against them. It means a lot to know someone’s in their corner.”
“It must be so satisfying, helping poor kids like that!” The redhead looked like she wouldn’t mind satisfying Nick, too.
“Yeah. It’s not always pretty. But I love my job.”
The women kept asking questions about his work, and Nick answered with eloquence and passion. Anna was skeptical of Nick’simage of himself as a knight in shining armor, heroic defender of liberty. There were terrible, brutal men who didn’t deserve liberty, who would only use their liberty to inflict pain on other people. But at least she was getting a glimmer of understanding about how Nick could do his job.
“So, how do you two know each other?” the redhead asked.
“Anna kicks my butt all around Superior Court.” Nick smiled at Anna. “She’s been schooling us defense attorneys since she got there. Get her autograph now; someday it’ll be valuable.”
The women murmured their approval. Anna smiled into her wineglass. She was still annoyed, but she wasn’t immune to the power of a public compliment.
The group continued to chat, comparing their jobs, arguing politics, and dishing on local scandals. The redhead tried to flirt with Nick, but he was focused on Anna. Whenever a waiter with sushi passed, Nick flagged him down, making sure she had as much as she wanted. Her anger softened. The Curtis family history wasn’t his fault. Neither was Laprea’s decision to lie on the stand. Nick had just been doing his job. Anna accepted another glass of wine, feeling her cheeks grow warm as the alcohol took effect. She started to relax and enjoy herself. Their banter was clever and lighthearted, a break from the bleak facts she dealt with every day.
When a waiter offered Anna a third glass of wine, Nick turned to tease her.
“The secret to a good happy hour is equal parts alcohol and caffeine. You could use a cup of coffee. Maybe three cups. Come on.”
Anna laughed. She could feel the women gazing at her back as she followed Nick to a table set up with a silver coffee urn and a pyramid of gold-rimmed porcelain mugs. Nick poured the coffee and they stood next to each other, cradling their mugs and surveying their opulent surroundings.
Anna turned toward him. “I’m sorry I jumped at you, Nick. I guess I’m still a little sensitive about that case.”
“I’m sorry I gave a lecture on corrupt police states. Luckily, there will be no quiz.”
“Forgive and forget?”
“It’s a deal.” Nick grinned. “Listen, you could use some real food. Are you willing to leave with a naïve, anarchist defense attorney—whodoesn’t have a case against you anymore?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
• • •
He took her to Bistrot du Coin, a charming French café in their neighborhood. They both ordered steak and fries and shared a nice bottle of red wine.
“I’m going to need a whole pot of coffee to maintain your alcohol-to-caffeine ratio,” Anna said with a hiccup.
“I just said that to get you out of that
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