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Chapters (68)
  1. Partner Pursuit
  2. Copyright
  3. Dedication
  4. Contents
  5. Chapter One
  6. Chapter Two
  7. Chapter Three
  8. Chapter Four
  9. Chapter Five
  10. Chapter Six
  11. Chapter Seven
  12. Re: Whitaker retirement party
  13. Chapter Nine
  14. Chapter Ten
  15. Chapter Eleven
  16. Chapter Twelve
  17. Chapter Thirteen
  18. Chapter Fourteen
  19. Chapter Fifteen
  20. Chapter Sixteen
  21. Chapter Seventeen
  22. Chapter Eighteen
  23. Chapter Nineteen
  24. Chapter Twenty
  25. Friday, New York City
  26. Chapter Twenty-Two
  27. Chapter Twenty-Three
  28. Chapter Twenty-Four
  29. Chapter Twenty-Five
  30. Chapter Twenty-Six
  31. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  32. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  33. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  34. Chapter Thirty
  35. Chapter Thirty-One
  36. Chapter Thirty-Two
  37. Chapter Thirty-Three
  38. Chapter Thirty-Four
  39. Chapter Thirty-Five
  40. Chapter Thirty-Six
  41. Subject: Deposition of Plaintiff in James case
  42. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  43. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  44. Subject: Mentors Found
  45. Chapter Forty-One
  46. Chapter Forty-Two
  47. Chapter Forty-Three
  48. Chapter Forty-Four
  49. Jake: While you’re stuck at work, think about this: I thought you might want to do a yoga session while I’m surfing in Santa Teresa. Should I book?
  50. Chapter Forty-Six
  51. Chapter Forty-Seven
  52. Chapter Forty-Eight
  53. Chapter Forty-Nine
  54. Chapter Fifty
  55. Chapter Fifty-One
  56. Chapter Fifty-Two
  57. Chapter Fifty-Three
  58. Chapter Fifty-Four
  59. Chapter Fifty-Five
  60. Chapter Fifty-Six
  61. Chapter Fifty-Seven
  62. Chapter Fifty-Eight
  63. Chapter Fifty-Nine
  64. Chapter Sixty
  65. Chapter Sixty-One
  66. About the Author
  67. Acknowledgements
  68. On any top-ten list of best Sunday plans, today’s brunch with my former crush and his new girlfriend would rank number eleven … hundred. Times five. But I couldn’t say no. We’re still friends.

She bit her lip. She’d probably ruined it with Jake. He’d said “And I met you.” She’d caught her breath when he’d said that. Why did I leave so abruptly? She should’ve gone for the ice cream and then left for the office. She chastised herself for her almost Pavlovian response to report to work. It had been going so well too. This could have been her chance for a romance with Jake.

She needed to be able to balance both her job as a lawyer and a life outside her job. She shouldn’t check her phone all the time. If she was in the middle of a date, she shouldn’t pick up a work call. If she had not answered the phone, they couldn’t blame her. She could have been at a movie or asleep. Then again, she had needed all that time to make the changes to the brief. From a work perspective, it had been the right call. She sighed.

All right, she vowed, she was going to be better at creating boundaries between her life and work and balancing both. She wasn’t going to put work first automatically. Then again, maybe she should start this resolution after the partnership decision. But she sensed that Jake would be long gone by then.

No, she could do it. She had to be able to have a life and a career. Partners had families. They managed to do it all. Then again, how often did they see their families—definitely on weekends. Hunter sometimes went home for dinner and then worked after dinner from home. It was doable. She just had to be more flexible in her approach and mindful—taking time to consider how to do both—like going for the ice cream and then leaving for the office.

Now, she had to salvage her sudden departure on Saturday. Maybe she could re-start their flirtation with a different gift—with a play on “brief.”

Dear Jake,

Thank you for the fairytale coloring book. Here’s my effort at coloring in Sleeping Beauty. You can see why I became a lawyer and not an artist.

I really enjoyed dinner. I’m sorry I left early to work on a brief.

It was unfortunately not a “brief” assignment. I’d “brief” you on the assignment, but that would be boring. However, this pair of “briefs” might be a more “masculine” gift for you. I hope you like surfboard design. They’re made by a company called “Brief Insanity.” Which, unfortunately, is my life as a lawyer.

Best,

Audrey