Nemesis(8)

“I better get going.”

He nods and says, “Enjoy your day off tomorrow,” holding the car door open as I slide in, closing it behind me. As I drive away, I wonder what his friends are like. Who are the people he chooses to surround himself with? I bet they’re all lawyers, or men with other important jobs. I can’t imagine myself standing around and making small talk with a group of them but, then again, I probably shouldn’t judge people I haven’t even met.

I push Cohen out of my mind and drive home, walking inside to Sadie’s off-key singing as she dances around the kitchen, stopping to stir the pasta sauce.

“Smells good,” I tell her, putting my handbag on the table before jumping up to sit on the countertop.

“You’re finally here!” she says, turning around and beaming at me. “I hope you’re ready to have the best pasta of your life.”

She makes the same pasta once a week, but I grin and nod.

Everyone needs a Sadie in their life.

*****

“Thank f*ck you’re back” is the first thing Cohen says to me when I return to work after my day off. He sets papers on my desk and glances up, eyes wide. “Emily f*cked up my schedule yesterday. She double-booked clients, got my court time wrong, and now I don’t know what the f*ck is going on.”

“Relax,” I say, grabbing the papers. I write down everywhere he needs to be today, and at what time, and hand them back to him. “Surely she didn’t f*ck up that bad?”

“One of my clients had to wait for an hour,” he complains, stretching his neck from side to side. “Meanwhile, how was your spa day?”

“Extremely relaxing.” I smile up at him. “It felt even better knowing that everyone else was working, made me appreciate it even more.”

“Well, I’m glad you had fun,” he grumbles, but then hesitantly smiles back at me. “Please don’t leave us again though.”

“Big baby,” I tease. “I’m sure Emily did fine. You should have gotten your schedule from me the day before.” The phones rings, so I say, “Excuse me.”

He waves as I pick it up, and I watch him disappear into his office.

A few hours later, a man appears in front of my desk. “Can I help you?” I ask. He’s handsome—looks to be in his thirties, with dark hair and eyes.

“I have a meeting with Cohen Lake,” he says, shifting on his feet.

I look down at the schedule and nod. “Yes, please have a seat, sir. He will be with you shortly.”

At least I hoped he would, because he was still in his office with his last client. After ten minutes, I call his office phone.

“Yes?” he answers after a few rings.

“Mr. Lake, your client John Place is here waiting for you,” I tell him.

“Be right out,” he says, hanging up.

His office door opens, and his other client walks out. She’s pretty, but I don’t think anything of it until I see Cohen himself, his hair and clothes looking a little dishevelled.

He wouldn’t, would he?

Cohen avoids my eyes as he tells Mr. Place to come into his office, while I’m left standing there with a million different questions running through my mind. Did Cohen f*ck one of his clients? In his office? Surely, he wouldn’t. I’m pretty sure that’s illegal, or something. Maybe they just kissed? Or maybe nothing happened at all.

Why do I even care? That’s his business, not mine. I’m just here to handle reception, after all.

I stare at his closed door.

Maybe this is what Debra was referring to. Maybe Cohen sleeps with all of his hot clients. Ooh, maybe he accepts payment in the form of sexual favours. Okay, that’s a stretch, but come on. He never denied being a ladies’ man, although that was putting it nicely. Half an hour later, when Mr. Place walks out, Cohen follows him, shakes his hand, then turns to me as his client steps into the elevator.

I watch him.

He stares back at me.

“What?” he asks, crossing his arms over his broad chest, almost daring me to say something.

“Nothing,” I say, pursing my lips to stop myself from saying anything further.

“No honesty this time?”

“I honestly think it’s none of my business,” I say, looking at my phone to avoid his gaze.

“Jacinta—”

Jason decides to walk in at that moment, hurrying over to my desk. “Jacinta, can you cancel my three o’clock please? Reschedule it for tomorrow, if you can.”

“No problem,” I say, getting right to it. Cohen heads back into his office, but not before sparing me a lingering glance, one I pretend I don’t notice. The rest of the day passes slowly, and I slip out before I have a chance of running into him again. I don’t know what to say to him, mainly because I don’t like what I’m feeling. If Cohen had something to do with that woman…

How can I still be friends with him when it clearly annoys me that he’d do something like that?But we are just friends, so I have no reason to get angry.

I need to close myself off to anything to do with Cohen Lake.

*****

I don’t know how I let Sadie talk me into a double date, but here I am. Awkward as ever, I’m spending my Saturday night sitting in a restaurant next to a guy named Rob, while Sadie snuggles up to his friend Ian. Sadie met Ian online, on some dating app, and Rob is his best friend. Apparently, this means that Rob and I are stuck with each other while Sadie and Ian flirt all night. I love my best friend, but this is definitely the first and last time I agree to something like this.