shifted away.
“Take a wild guess,” Beth said dryly. “You gave Bram my office number, didn’t you?”
“Why not?” Mindy defended herself. “You need the business, and your number will be published in a couple of days. You’re acting like I gave him the secret code to the red phone at the White House.”
“All right, all right,” Beth muttered. She picked up a volume of the Connecticut Penal Code and put it down again. The carpenter was coming to install bookshelves in what had formerly been a downstairs bedroom, and until he did there was no way to alleviate much of the chaos.
“Have you seen Bram since the day after Marion’s reception?” Mindy asked quietly.
“No.”
Mindy bit the edge of her thumb. “You really should represent him, you know,” she advised. “It’s not as though you’re turning away clients at the door.”
“You noticed,” Beth smiled humorlessly.
“Things will pick up,” Mindy said. “Your father was well known; your name will mean something.”
“My father is dead, and his friends were raised in a generation that took a Victorian view of women. I don’t think any of them are going to beat down my door.”
“All the more reason to do the work for Bram,” Mindy said slyly. “If you make a success of it, everyone will be impressed.”
“If I botch it, everyone will pat me on the head and tell me to leave the important issues to the men.”
“You’re not going to botch it.”
“How do you know? I saw the background material on Bram’s company, and some of the deals they make with the growers and the processors are pretty complex.”
“So read up on it. You can read, can’t you? It sounds to me like you’re trying to talk yourself out of it, and you can’t afford to do that. Are you afraid of seeing Bram?”
“Of course not,” Beth replied, turning her head.
“Hmm,” Mindy said. “Since the age of seven you could never look at me directly when you were telling a lie.”
“Okay, so the thought of working with him makes me uncomfortable. Is that so hard to understand?”
Mindy stood abruptly. “I can understand it, but my advice to you is to swallow your misgivings and get out the legal pads. Bram is handing you a golden opportunity on a silver platter and you’d better grab it.”
“I guess you’re right,” Beth conceded wearily.
“Well, I’m off to pick up Thing One and Thing Two from my mother’s,” Mindy said, shouldering her purse. She was referring to her little girls, so called after a children’s book that featured characters of the same name. “If anything arrives, like the arc lamp, the desk blotter, or a phalanx of new clients, give me a call.”
Beth nodded. “Thanks a lot, Mindy, you’ve been a big help. I didn’t know what to order from those office supply places. You worked wonders.”
“I’ve outfitted a new office every time Hal’s changed jobs,” Mindy said dryly. “I could make a career out of it.”
The phone rang again, and Mindy waved goodbye as Beth answered it.
“It’s probably the attorney general,” Mindy whispered, and made a face. Beth grinned at her disappearing back.
But it was only the business machine company, asking when the electric typewriter could be delivered. As Beth glanced at the yellow bill of sale, totaling up the amount due, she resolved to take Bram on as a client and charge him a whopping retainer.
At least then she would be able to pay for the typewriter.
* * *
Two days later Beth pushed through the glass double doors of the Semple Building in downtown Hartford, glancing up at the business roster framed on the wall in the entrance hall. Curtis Broadleaf was on the third floor, sharing it with another firm. Old Joshua Curtis must have been doing all right before Bram’s return, Beth reflected wryly; his company was occupying some of Hartford’s prime real estate. She playfully adjusted the amount she would request upward, and then giggled, shaking her head. She knew she
“Take a wild guess,” Beth said dryly. “You gave Bram my office number, didn’t you?”
“Why not?” Mindy defended herself. “You need the business, and your number will be published in a couple of days. You’re acting like I gave him the secret code to the red phone at the White House.”
“All right, all right,” Beth muttered. She picked up a volume of the Connecticut Penal Code and put it down again. The carpenter was coming to install bookshelves in what had formerly been a downstairs bedroom, and until he did there was no way to alleviate much of the chaos.
“Have you seen Bram since the day after Marion’s reception?” Mindy asked quietly.
“No.”
Mindy bit the edge of her thumb. “You really should represent him, you know,” she advised. “It’s not as though you’re turning away clients at the door.”
“You noticed,” Beth smiled humorlessly.
“Things will pick up,” Mindy said. “Your father was well known; your name will mean something.”
“My father is dead, and his friends were raised in a generation that took a Victorian view of women. I don’t think any of them are going to beat down my door.”
“All the more reason to do the work for Bram,” Mindy said slyly. “If you make a success of it, everyone will be impressed.”
“If I botch it, everyone will pat me on the head and tell me to leave the important issues to the men.”
“You’re not going to botch it.”
“How do you know? I saw the background material on Bram’s company, and some of the deals they make with the growers and the processors are pretty complex.”
“So read up on it. You can read, can’t you? It sounds to me like you’re trying to talk yourself out of it, and you can’t afford to do that. Are you afraid of seeing Bram?”
“Of course not,” Beth replied, turning her head.
“Hmm,” Mindy said. “Since the age of seven you could never look at me directly when you were telling a lie.”
“Okay, so the thought of working with him makes me uncomfortable. Is that so hard to understand?”
Mindy stood abruptly. “I can understand it, but my advice to you is to swallow your misgivings and get out the legal pads. Bram is handing you a golden opportunity on a silver platter and you’d better grab it.”
“I guess you’re right,” Beth conceded wearily.
“Well, I’m off to pick up Thing One and Thing Two from my mother’s,” Mindy said, shouldering her purse. She was referring to her little girls, so called after a children’s book that featured characters of the same name. “If anything arrives, like the arc lamp, the desk blotter, or a phalanx of new clients, give me a call.”
Beth nodded. “Thanks a lot, Mindy, you’ve been a big help. I didn’t know what to order from those office supply places. You worked wonders.”
“I’ve outfitted a new office every time Hal’s changed jobs,” Mindy said dryly. “I could make a career out of it.”
The phone rang again, and Mindy waved goodbye as Beth answered it.
“It’s probably the attorney general,” Mindy whispered, and made a face. Beth grinned at her disappearing back.
But it was only the business machine company, asking when the electric typewriter could be delivered. As Beth glanced at the yellow bill of sale, totaling up the amount due, she resolved to take Bram on as a client and charge him a whopping retainer.
At least then she would be able to pay for the typewriter.
* * *
Two days later Beth pushed through the glass double doors of the Semple Building in downtown Hartford, glancing up at the business roster framed on the wall in the entrance hall. Curtis Broadleaf was on the third floor, sharing it with another firm. Old Joshua Curtis must have been doing all right before Bram’s return, Beth reflected wryly; his company was occupying some of Hartford’s prime real estate. She playfully adjusted the amount she would request upward, and then giggled, shaking her head. She knew she
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