Read Online Tides of Truth [03] Greater Love by Robert Whitlow - Free Book Online Page A

spoke. “I know we can’t compete with the initial salary and benefits, but here you’ll have an opportunity to develop your own business. If you don’t want to build your own practice, you should probably take the job at Braddock, Appleby, and Carpenter. They can give you plenty of work. Not everyone has the temperament to be independent.”
    “Tami is the most independent person I’ve met in my life,” Julie scoffed. “She’s so independent it borders on the bizarre.”
    “And I never have to guess what you’re thinking,” I responded.
    “That’s why we’re the perfect storm.” Julie patted me on the arm.
    “Is that a good thing?” Maggie asked.
    “It’s a bad comparison.” Julie scrunched up her nose. “I should have said perfect team. Anyway, Tami and I are the dynamic duo. That’s what other lawyers in town will be calling us after we beat them up in court.”
    “You shouldn’t brag until you’ve done something,” Maggie said. “Even then, it’s not a good idea. The facts of the case, not the skill of the lawyer, usually dictate the result.”
    Julie pointed at her chest. “That may be the politically correct thing to say, but the bar hasn’t met me.”
    Being around Julie gave me the answer I needed. I’d developed a tolerance for her abrasiveness during the summer when I had no option but to endure it. But now I had a choice. Working with her and Maggie would submit me to unrelenting verbal torture with no end in sight. This wasn’t God’s will. I checked my watch.
    “I’ve got to go,” I said. “I’m expecting a call.”
    “Zach?” Julie asked.
    I nodded.
    “Is he taking you for a ride on his motorcycle?”
    “No, it’s too cold for that.”
    As I moved toward the door, Julie launched into a recap of my summer motorcycle adventures.
    “Tami is the only woman in America who always wears a dress when she rides a motorcycle.”
    “I rode in a sidecar.”
    Julie put her finger to her lips. “Don’t say that. It ruins the story.”
    Maggie held the front door of the office open for me. “Thanks for stopping by.”
    “Tell Zach I said hi,” Julie chimed in. “Give that cute ponytail of his a tug from me.”
    Maggie stepped outside with me. “I’m glad you’re praying about your decision. I should do more of that myself.”
    As I drove out of the parking lot, I felt sorry for Maggie Smith. If she’d prayed about setting up a practice with Julie, she might not be sitting in a bare-bones office with a legal diva moving in down the hall.

5
    “L ET’S GO TO T YBEE I SLAND,” Z ACH SUGGESTED WHEN I CALLED.
    “Okay.”
    “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
    Zach and I had gone to the beach several times during the summer, but I’d never put my toe in the water. I owned a one-piece bathing suit; however, I never wore it when men were present. Our church organized swim trips during the summer. Girls and boys were kept strictly segregated.
    Zach’s car rumbled over the cobblestones as we left Mrs. Fairmont’s house. I glanced out the window as we came to a stop at an intersection. I felt a lot of relief that I’d made up my mind about the job. I wanted to tell Zach, but it didn’t feel right. Not yet.
    Crossing the bridge to Tybee Island, we had a nice view of a coastal waterway that meandered through the landward side of a large marsh. The tops of the marsh grass rippled slightly in the breeze. A few white egrets swooped low over the water. The tide was going out, exposing mussel beds at the edges of the watery channels. Expensive homes lined the edge of the marsh on both the island and the mainland.
    Zach parked in front of a rambling store that sold beach items. It had warmed up during the day, and I left my jacket in the car. Zach was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and jeans.
    “Let’s walk on the sand,” he said.
    We stepped onto the beach south of the pavilion that had been busy during the summer. It was largely deserted today. Zach kicked off his shoes and