Falling For The Lawyer (20 page)

In that instant there was a short, sharp knock at the door and without hesitation Caroline Cartwright emerged from behind it.

“Oh, there you are,” she announced in her silky, slightly bored voice. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere, JP.” Her clear grey eyes surveyed the scene with cool distance. But Blind Freddy could have guessed Alex and JP were not discussing the latest dictation system or the delays in the office mailroom deliveries.

“I was right here all the time.”

“There’s a partners’ meeting on now,” she advised, looking Alex up and down with disdain as though noticing her for the first time.

Unable to bear the blood pounding in her ears as the tension rose between the three of them, Alex moved out from her position between JP and the window. Straightening herself she looked at him and asked in a strong, steady voice, “Would you like me to respond to Mark Jackson for you?”

He shook his head. “No, leave him to me. I’ll ring him when I get back.”

Alex nodded and walked towards the door, not bothering to make eye contact with Caroline.

“Oh, Alex,” Caroline purred suddenly as Alex moved around her to leave JP’s office.

She looked across at Caroline, startled at being addressed by her.

“Yes, Caroline,” she heard herself reply in a clear, collected voice, surprising herself with her own composure.

“I’ve got some mail to go out and Vera’s terribly busy. Be a pet and take it down to the mailroom for me, will you?”

Alex didn’t reply. She could only gape at Caroline who was holding her gaze with a fixed, unflinching expression.

Alex had no problem helping other lawyers in the office and did it regularly. But Caroline’s request was different. It was a demonstration of authority from management to an employee, for demonstration’s sake. And Alex had no doubt it was done in response to the intimate scene she’d just walked in on.

Alex stood fixed to her spot, overwhelmed by the notion that she was immersed in one of those watershed moments in life where dignity was up for grabs. Caroline continued to hold her gaze with unwavering serenity.

Steeling her spine Alex opened her mouth to refuse in a manner that was so offensively rude it would undoubtedly bring about the immediate end of her employment at Griffen Murphy. But before she could utter a syllable JP’s strident response had reached her ears, “Alex has more important things to do than run your errands, Caroline. Find someone else.”

Alex swung around to take JP in as he stood where she’d left him, his arms crossed, his head tilted to one side in irritation, his mouth set in stony determination. And in a daze of tumultuous emotions she walked out of his office.

It was turning out to be the longest week of her life. Alex thought it would never end. She tried to bury herself in work and keep her thoughts occupied but it was useless. JP filled her mind and her heart and there was simply no way of shaking him loose.

Shortly after the run-in with Caroline in his office he’d disappeared into a meeting with his partners and didn’t reappear for the rest of that day, or Friday either for that matter. Early the following Monday morning he left for Queensland to deal with Mark Jackson’s injunction application and didn’t return until Wednesday night.

As for Thursday and Friday, they may as well have been ships in the night. He was either in court or in protracted meetings with clients or his partners. If he did reappear the lawyers would swoop to pick his brains about their own matters. He’d then slice his time up into as many portions as he could as they either queued at his door or pressured Alex to squeeze them into his diary. Even Caroline was reduced to making an appointment to see him.

Alex thanked her lucky stars for the distraction of the work he was piling upon her every day from his remote locations. Every morning she’d find a string of messages or emails from his phone. As he didn’t have time for dictation he’d give her the bare bones of what he needed and then leave the drafting to her. By the next morning it had rematerialised as a pile on her desk, marked-up or signed off and accompanied by a long string of instructions for that day.

If and how he was getting any sleep Alex just couldn’t imagine. The workload suggested he was up most of the night trying to make up for the hours during the day when he was pulled in three different directions at once. Whenever she had a fleeting glimpse of him she could tell he was exhausted.

Alex wished there were something more she could do to help but he kept a professional distance from her. The promise she’d made to do the same was fresh in her mind too. How could she reverse that now when they’d effectively evicted each other from their lives just ten days ago? How did such a fragile, tentative beginning as they’d shared ever recover from that?

At half past five on the Friday, having seen JP for a grand total of five minutes that day, Alex tidied up her desk and swinging her handbag onto her shoulder wandered over to Sophie.

“Hello you,” Sophie greeted her brightly. “Coming to Friday night drinks?”

“No thanks, I’m not in the mood. I thought I’d go to the gym instead. But if you feel like it, would you like to meet up later and see a movie?”

In truth, Alex was dreading the thought of trying to fill up yet another weekend with her own company as she battled the endless distraction of JP: where he was, what he was doing, who he was with.

“Sure, but there’s one condition. I want you to buck up. You’ve had the personality of a wet blanket lately and I’m sick of it. No excuses.”

Alex laughed at Sophie’s grim summation of her personality. “Has it been that bad?”

Sophie stuck out her bottom lip and shot up her eyebrows in mockery of Alex’s demeanour.

“You know how they say dogs resemble their owners? Well you’re beginning to resemble your boss when he’s having one of his ‘I want it done yesterday’ fits.”

Alex laughed again. “I get the picture.”

“Good, then belt up. I know you’ve had the fortnight from hell with all the Simon drama topped off with the most demanding yet invisible boss in the world but it could be worse,” Sophie finished before raising her hand to cover her mouth and hiss at her in a whisper, “You could be working for Caroline Cartwright!”

Alex changed into her gym gear in the ladies and was about to step into the lift when Michael Porter appeared in front of her from out of the stairwell.

“Alex Farrer!” he announced as a smile lit up his face. “Just the person I’m looking for. I hear you’re about to start as a paralegal.”

“It hasn’t been finalised yet. I’ve been pretty flat out with Jonathan’s PA work anyway.”

“I know, but I was hoping you might be able to give me a hand with something if I can clear it with the boss next week. It’s a whopping file—five parts. It needs a full brief and observations and I’m completely swamped. It would be great to have some help with it.”

“I’m sure that would be okay,” she thought out loud. “I could probably stay back next week and work on it. Or I could get in early—that way it won’t interfere with my other work.”

“That would be great.”

“In fact,” Alex began again brightly, “I’ve got a clear weekend. Why don’t you give me the first two or three parts from the file now and I’ll take them home.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to wreck your weekend.”

“No, you won’t,” she reassured him, relieved she would have something to keep her busy for two whole days. “I was planning on spending some time at home anyway. I can read the file and then get Jonathan’s okay on Monday.”

But Michael was watching her with an odd expression.

“What is it?”

“You do know, don’t you Alex?”

“Know what?

“Jonathan McKenzie’s gone.”

“Gone where?” Alex heard herself croak weakly.

“Back to London. He left the office this morning to go home and pack up his place. His flight leaves tonight.”

“When is he coming back?” Alex asked but sensed Michael’s answer would be the worst possible answer she could have.

“He’s not. Caroline’s taking over litigation. Didn’t he tell you? You’re his PA! I can’t believe he didn’t tell you! My God, are you okay? You’re as pale as!”

“I’m fine,” she assured him but nothing could have been further from the truth. The office around her was spinning and she felt sick to her stomach.

Everything she’d believed about JP was splintering around her. He’d left her without a word, just as he said he would. She was so irrelevant at every level of his life he hadn’t even found it necessary to let her know he was going.

“Okay.” Michael was still looking doubtfully at Alex. “If you’re sure you’re all right then I’ll go upstairs and get the file now. I’m due at a client’s drinks at half past six so am heading out myself. I’ll be back in five minutes.”

With that Michael vanished into the stairwell again to return to his office whilst Alex stood stock-still, saying goodbye in a dazed fashion to various colleagues as they strolled past and got into lifts.

At first the shock of Michael’s news overwhelmed her but within a few short minutes it had begun to subside and anger became a voracious animal tearing her apart. Even putting aside the closeness that had crept up between them, how could he dump his PA like that, leaving her with no boss and an uncertain future?

But at that moment her mobile phone rang.

“Yes!” Alex barked down the line in a rage, certain it would be JP and determined to tell him exactly what she thought of him.

“Alex, it’s me,” Sophie began tentatively in response to Alex’s explosion.

“Sorry Soph, I thought you were someone else.”

“Then I feel sorry for them, whoever they are. Perhaps I shouldn’t keep you too long if you’re expecting a call but I need to tell you something about Jonathan McKenzie.”

“If you’re going to tell me he’s gone then I already know.”

“Ah, I see.” Sophie murmured with an understanding voice. “Are you okay?”

“Not really. I’m furious. How did you know he’d gone?”

“Oh, um, Justin Murphy just told me. Apparently the decision was only made today. I gather the London office is in trouble without a managing partner there. Some huge piece of litigation is about to come through the door so he’s getting on an eight o’clock Qantas flight tonight. Oh, by the way, do you mind if I take a rain check on the movies tonight? I’m a bit done in.”

“That’s fine Soph, of course. Thanks for letting me know about Jonathan too.”

Alex rang off and beside her the lift doors opened. Strangely though, there was nobody inside and no one had called it to her floor. Alex gazed into its empty space, overcome with the notion that the inanimate object next to her was calling her to action.

Without a second’s further thought Alex entered the lift and pressed the ground floor button. Michael Porter and his file would have to wait.

Playing Russian roulette with life was not for the faint hearted. Alex was discovering that very quickly. But as she sat in the backseat of the cab on her way to the airport she revelled in the fact that at least now she was the one tossing the gambling chips into the game of life—it was nothing short of exhilarating.

But her odds in the game she was in couldn’t be good. Even putting aside the unpredictable reception she might receive from JP, whether she would find him out at the airport was less than certain. International departures were chaotic at the best of times and he could have checked in by now and be waiting in some flight lounge she couldn’t get into.

Her other problem was time. From memory, check-in for international flights was ninety minutes before departure. If he was going at eight then he’d have to check-in by six-thirty. It had just gone six o’clock so she would be running very close to missing him completely.

To make matters worse it seemed every red light was plotting against her. She squirmed and wriggled impatiently, willing each one to return to green immediately. Over and over again she silently cursed the poor driver for his adherence to the road rules and his careful driving. Yet eventually he swung up into the departures drop off zone and handing him notes to more than cover the fare she jumped out of the cab without waiting for change and ran into the terminal.

Searching the airport crowds like a strobe light she did some quick circuits around the long, snake-like queues of people winding backwards and forwards in front of the check-in desks, their luggage piled high in front of them. But there was no JP.

Scanning the screens listing departures she found a Qantas flight bound for London that was due to leave at eight. That had to be the one he was going on and yet she’d circled the whole Qantas check-in area several times and there was still no sign of him.

With a galloping pulse and a nervous gait to her walk she paced anxiously through the crowd, searching hopelessly for that mop of dark blonde hair, the chiseled jawline and cheekbones, the penetrating blue eyes. Yet with every passing minute hope was dying inside her. He simply wasn’t there, and no amount of roaming through the crowd would change that.

As anger dissolved into despair she finally sunk down onto a chair and dropped her head into her hands. JP had clearly gone through immigration and would not be coming out. Very soon he’d be on a plane heading back to the UK leaving more questions than answers plaguing their short relationship. And with searing pain ripping her apart she wondered whether she’d ever see him again.

“Do you mind if we sit down?”

Alex sat up and removed her hands from her face to see a young mother with two small children standing in front of her.

“No, no, of course. Please do,” Alex replied quickly as she shifted herself up to one end of the bench. The woman gave her an appreciative smile and Alex returned it before gazing out across the crowd again. And that was when she saw him.

JP McKenzie was strolling around the check-in area, not more than ten metres away from her. He was without luggage and his hands were resting casually in his pockets as though he might be looking for someone. Alex climbed slowly to her feet but then she couldn’t move any further. She didn’t have to.