Chasing Forever (The Forever Series #1)(11)
Lucas threw a twenty down on the table and stood up. “I have to work early. Same time next week?” Lucas knew Drew meant well, but he couldn’t deal with his ‘I told you so’ speech. From the second he first saw Regan with her dainty features, blazing green eyes, and dark auburn hair wrapped up in a package of incorruptibility, he didn’t want to help Olivia. In fact, he had adamantly refused to have anything to do with it. He only approached Regan later on an impulsive whim because he couldn’t stop himself. He couldn’t explain why he did what he did to anyone because it didn’t even make sense in his own head.
Drew nodded. “Yep. Good luck this week.”
Chapter Five
At seven-thirty the next morning, Regan walked into her small interior office at Martin and Black, a camel leather tote bag in one hand and her third cup of coffee in the other. Thanks to Lucas Evanston, she hadn’t slept more than four hours last night. Seeing him again had triggered so many memories that she had a hard time stopping the endless loop in her head. She couldn’t understand why a person she knew for three short months could still make her so angry.
Thanks to a lack of sleep and him, she was more nervous for work than she had been yesterday. Now that she knew Lucas would be her mentor for the summer, the sole person who determined whether she received a favorable reference, her body couldn’t stop vibrating with anxiety. Six years ago? she couldn’t wait to see his face, talk to him, and touch him. Now…not so much.
Sliding into the chair behind what would be her desk for the next three months, unless she killed or otherwise caused bodily harmed to Lucas * Evanston, she reminded herself that she’d earned this summer associate position. She belonged here. She was ranked number one in her class, she was president of the law review, she had published a few articles, and she worked damn hard to get here. So she took a deep breath, pushed her hair out of her face and logged onto to her computer.
A friendly looking middle-aged woman with beautifully maintained brunette hair walked into her office. “Good morning, Regan. I’m Annabelle Jones, Mr. Evanston’s assistant.” She held out her hand in greeting and Regan stood up from behind her desk and shook it. “Sorry we didn’t get a chance to chat yesterday. I had a family emergency and I left early.”
“No problem,” Regan said, smiling. “I spent most of the day familiarizing myself with Mr. Evanston’s cases.”
“Great. Mr. Evanston would like you to meet him in his office in twenty minutes. I think he sent you an email to that effect, but you just arrived so I wanted to make sure you didn’t miss the meeting.” Annabelle turned to leave, then stopped. “He’s an early riser, so he’s normally in the office by six-thirty.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Just a helpful tip.”
“I remember,” Regan mumbled.
“What?” Annabelle responded, tilting her head to the side, confused.
“Nothing. I think he told me that yesterday. He just didn’t mention how early.” Despite all the memories that had resurfaced after seeing Lucas yesterday, she hadn’t remembered Lucas’s early morning habits until that moment. Unlike most kids in college, Lucas woke up insanely early to train. He ran at least five miles and then lifted weights. Back then she both admired and hated his discipline. Judging from the way his suit fit, he still refused to skip his early morning workouts.
Fifteen minutes later, she made the walk down the hallway to Lucas’s slightly larger office with a view. When she reached his office, his door was partially closed, but she could hear him talking on the speakerphone. Uncomfortable knocking, she decided to wait until he finished the call. She didn’t want to give him grounds to criticize her. Knowing him, he was probably looking for a reason to get rid of her. She refused to give him one. She planned to be the best damn summer associate to walk through the doors of Martin and Black.
“Yes, Richard,” Lucas said, running his hands through his hair.
“I need you to cover the Jennings deposition today. I have a last minute settlement conference for the Vickers case. I think they’re finally ready to settle,” came Richard’s gravelly voice through the speakerphone. Regan had met Richard briefly during her second interview. He ran the corporate department, so she knew Lucas wouldn’t refuse. It looked as though she would be staring at file summaries again today.
“What time?” Lucas answered, his voice brisk.
“Nine at Baker and Wright.”
Lucas leaned toward his computer checking his appointments. “Okay. Do you have an outline prepared?”
“It’s on the server. If you can’t find it, ask Annabelle. Thanks.”
When the phone call ended, Regan raised her hand to knock on the door.
“You didn’t have to wait outside until I finished the call,” Lucas commented without turning around. “When I make a call that requires privacy, I close the door. When it’s open, you can enter.” He lowered his voice. “I hate it when people hover outside my door. It’s distracting.”
Regan visualized tossing her coffee in his direction, then exhaled loudly and repeatedly chanted in her head, I can do this. I can make it through the summer without maiming Lucas * Evanston.
He swiveled his chair to face her, and Regan realized she still hadn’t moved or responded to his comment. Her hand hung in the air poised to knock. She dropped it to her side and balled it into a fist. “Sure. Whatever you want.”