Chapter 5 Carrie 005

I stepped into the large conference room and started preparing for the meeting. As I placed notepads and pens in front of each seat and set the table with coffee cups along with little plates for the butter cookies, my mind drifted back to last weekend. Krissy had been harassing me nonstop for refusing to go with her to a club for the third weekend in a row.

“You are becoming like a Mormon,” she had said mockingly. “You need to relax and get your mind off those stupid books once in a while.”

I knew she was right, but every time I’d tried taking a break from studying I felt guilty. I was the first in my family to ever finish college, so the pressure was in the back of my mind all the time. In reality, I doubted anyone would notice if I got an A- instead of an A+ on a test, but my personality was the type that insisted on giving a hundred and ten percent, nothing less.

I finished setting up for the meeting just as Mimi entered the room. Usually, she was the calmest person I knew, but today she was all over the place.

“How do I look?” Mimi asked and looked straight at me.

Surprised by her unusual question, I was dumbfounded for a second. “You look great,” I finally replied, thankful that it was the truth.

Mimi actually looked better than usual. Her outfit was sexier than her standard skirt or pants suit, and she was wearing more makeup. “Thanks. I can’t believe I’m actually a little nervous about this meeting. Oh well, I’m sure it will be fine.”

There was a knock on the door, and Mimi’s secretary, Elise, entered the room. “Howard Weiss is here,” she announced.

I was busy shuffling through the file, so I didn’t look up when Mr. Weiss entered and said in a deep voice, “Good to see you again, Ms. Styles. This is my friend and consultant, Gavin Manning.”

The mention of the name Gavin made me stop everything I was doing. It was as if an electric shock had just gone through my body, and when I looked up I was staring directly into the same deep blue eyes that I hadn’t been able to get out of my mind. He didn’t seem as surprised to see me as I was seeing him, but he remained quiet. I assumed that he didn’t want anyone to know that we had already met before. Explaining how we’d met would be a bit embarrassing, and I appreciated the discretion.

“Good to meet you, Mr. Manning,” Mimi said. “This is Carrie Summers, my paralegal. Please sit down and let’s get started.”

My mind was running like wildfire. I couldn’t believe that Gavin Manning was here. And to make matters even more bizarre, Howard Weiss was the same guy who had been in a deep conversation with Gavin at the bar.

Was it a coincidence? It had to be, right?

I quickly gathered myself, and as the meeting went along, I did everything I could to avoid eye contact with Gavin, focusing on jotting down notes from what was discussed. Instead of giving in to my desire to look at him, I turned my attention to his boss and, hopefully our future client, Howard Weiss.

He was an impressive figure. Tall and in great shape for a man in his forties. Up close, he was even more handsome than I remembered from the bar. He reminded me of a strong, old-fashioned leading man straight out of a classic movie. It was obvious that Mimi was affected by him. She acted very different from her usual demeanor. Could it be that she was nervous about representing such a powerful client, or was there a more passionate reason? I was betting on the latter and permitted myself a small smile. Good for her.

After almost an hour, the meeting was coming to an end, and as soon as Howard Weiss and Gavin had left the conference room, I quickly gathered the notes. Before leaving, I turned to Mimi to ask her the one question that had been pressing on my mind ever since Gavin had entered the room.

“Ms. Styles, sorry for asking, but how did this meeting come about? Did you know Howard Weiss from anywhere?”

“Funny you should ask,” she said. “I have no idea how he found me, but I’m glad he did. Seriously, this could be the biggest case of my life.”

“It’s pretty amazing. When did he set it up?” I hoped I sounded more casual to her than I did to myself.

Mimi shuffled the pages in her calendar. “Hm…it was booked Monday. His secretary called and arranged it. Why?”

“It’s just…I’ve seen both of them before. Last Friday at Huggins Bar and Grill, at the happy hour. I even talked to Gavin for a brief moment, but I never mentioned where I worked. I hope it’s not—”

“Oh. I’m sure that’s a coincidence, Carrie,” she interrupted. She gave me a sharp look. “Tell me this isn’t going to affect your ability to help me with this. Because I don’t want to jeopardize my chances of getting this case.” Her mouth spread into a thin-lipped smile.

“No, of course not,” I said firmly. “Nothing happened between us, and I’m committed one hundred percent to you and this case. Always, Ms. Styles.”

“Wonderful.” The smile widened and warmed. “I’m glad you’re here to help. One day, you’ll become an excellent attorney, Carrie.”

“Thank you, ma’am. I’m just grateful to be here.”

I left the room with my papers in hand and walked towards my desk, ready to start putting the notes together into a presentable format. To my surprise, I saw someone waiting for me.

“How did you know this was my desk?” I asked as my eyes met Gavin’s and a shiver ran through me.

“The lovely lady over there told me,” he said, pointing towards Leslie, who was following the conversation from her cubicle.

She raised her eyebrows at me, her eyes darting to Gavin and back again.

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” I murmured. I glared at her and she grinned. I turned my attention to Gavin. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m helping out my friend Howard, obv—”

“No, I mean, why are you standing here in front of my desk waiting for me?”

Gavin smiled. “I came here to collect.”

“Collect what?” I was puzzled for a moment, then I remembered. “Oh, I get it. You want your favor.”