Julian's eyes met mine. “Review the paperwork first. Think about it.”
“I'll send you everything this afternoon,” Cheryl chirped, already packing her folder.
I nodded, distracted, but as we were leaving, I caught Julian leaning toward her, his voice low. “Call me this afternoon.”
Call him? Why? That gave me pause, but I pushed it aside. I wasn’t going to overthink it.
Outside,the late sun was sinking, painting the sky a soft orange. Julian glanced at me, then at his watch. “You eaten?”
I shook my head, a little too fast. “Not yet.”
“Come on,” he said, already moving toward the street. “There’s a good sandwichshop around the corner.”
“Okay.”
The sandwich shop smelled like fresh bread and garlic, the kind of place you stop at when you don’t feel like cooking but want food that feels healthy enough. I ordered turkey on wheat with extra pickles. He went with roast beef, ordering in that clipped, decisive tone that made the cashier nod quick like she didn’t want to get it wrong. He led me to a booth near the window.
I unwrapped my sandwich and glanced at him across the table. “Thank you for connecting me with that realtor. She’s good. I actually feel like I might land somewhere soon. Although, I think you scared the poor woman on the price.”
His mouth curved the tiniest bit. “Everything’s negotiable. She needed reminding. You were about to talk yourself out of a good spot.”
“Because it's too much.” I leaned back. “I don't need?—”
“Yes, you do. Why pretend you don't?”
This man.I fought not to roll my eyes.“I think I know what I need better than you do, Julian.”
“Locks. Lighting. Bathtub. You wouldn't want those things with three bedrooms?”
“I would want them. That doesn't mean Ineedthem.”
“If you want them, then you need them.”
“A want is not a need.”
“It is sometimes. When youneedto not settle,” he stared at me.
I stared back at him, ready to argue, but there was no point. I had been a lawyer for ten years. I knew a losing argument when I saw one. I picked up my sandwich and took a bite.
He wiped his hands, eyes still steady on me. “What about work? What kind of law are you looking to practice here?”
I put my sandwich down. “Back in Jersey I did a lot of nonprofit work, civil rights mostly, ACLU-type stuff, pro bono defense, legal aid. That’s where my heart is. I’m hoping to find something similar here.”
“Lennox Falls area has a few options.” Then he leaned back, rattling off surrounding towns like he’d already mapped possible commutes for me. “Towns like Ashford Heights are a reasonable commute if you need to widen your search. Bigger firms are in Pine Bluffs and Holloway, if you want something even more corporate.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Do you moonlight as a career counselor too?”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “Just efficient with information.”
“You always talk like that? Bullet points and solutions?”
“That’s how I think.”
I laughed. “Figures. CEO mode.”
He just shrugged.
I sipped my drink, studying him. “So what about you? What do you do for fun?”