Chapter
Eleven
Mia walked into work Monday morning still reeling from one simple thing—Noah’s hug Saturday night. Yeah, he was gorgeous, and when he’d wrapped his strong arms around her, she couldn’t deny the attraction. But the kindness he had extended threatened to melt her. That alone let her know that the lack of sleep and continuing grief she felt was messing with her head.
Mia had never been in a serious relationship—and that was on purpose. She’d learned from her mother’s disastrous lifestyle, and she’d rather be alone than turn over control to a guy who wouldn’t have her best interest at heart. She’d seen it happen time and again with her mom. Would it be nice to have a husband one day? Yeah. But she knew her heart was tightly guarded to protect herself from getting hurt. And she wasn’t sure Noah would even want someone like her.
They’d had such different life experiences—hers based on rationality and his on belief. But her life had been changing, and she had opened herself in ways that she had never thought possible. If you had told her a year ago that she’d be going to church weekly with Sophie, she would have laughed in your face. But there was no denying God was changing her. She just didn’t know how much He could do. Could He fix the damage that her mother had done? There was a ton—instilled during her formative years. She didn’t know if anyone or anything was that powerful. In her mind, it was an open question, but one she was at least willing to ask. That was a step in the right direction, or at least she hoped it was.
When she was around Noah, he made her feel more alive. Like she had someone by her side who actually cared about her as a person. But over time, would that change too? Would he become just like any other guy she’d dated? No one she’d gone out with had actually seemed that invested and interested in her as a person.
“Get a grip,” she said out loud. It was time to prepare for her first meeting with opposing counsel in the LCI case.
She walked into the conference room where she knew her guest was already waiting. EPG was represented by Kate’s firm, Warren McGee. Thankfully Kate wasn’t the lawyer, because the last thing Mia needed right now was to go up against her friend. She was glad the attorney was someone she didn’t know. Well, she knew of her by reputation, but that was only because of what Kate had told her over the years.
Bonnie Olson stood when Mia entered the room. The Warren McGee partner was in her late forties. Her platinum blond hair was styled in a sleek cut that almost hit her shoulders, and she wore a perfectly tailored gray pantsuit with a light lavender blouse. A strand of southern lady pearls adorned her thin, pale neck. She was known as an ice queen who would go for the jugular, and Mia did her best to try to disarm her with an encouraging smile. But Bonnie’s cold façade didn’t break. She extended her clammy hand and gave Mia a monster shake.
“So you’re taking over the LCI case?” Bonnie’s cool blue eyes met her own.
They each took their seats at the conference room table. “I am. Thanks for meeting me today. I thought we could start hashing out some of the discovery issues.”
“You won’t be thanking me when we’re done with the meeting.” Bonnie smiled, revealing pearly white teeth.
Mia could play this two ways. She could engage in Bonnie’s games and tactics, or she could ignore them and just be all business. Frankly, she didn’t have the energy to spar with Bonnie, and she knew Bonnie was a pro. Better to just get down to business and get out of there. “Do you want to talk about the document production?”
Bonnie nodded and opened up her laptop. She clicked away for a minute in silence, then made eye contact. “Look, I’m not a heartless woman, unlike what you’ve probably heard about me.”
“All right.” Mia wasn’t sure what Bonnie’s point was going to be, but this was sure a big windup.
“I of course gave generous extensions on discovery deadlines after Chase’s untimely death, but I think we now have to get this case back on track. You’re a perfectly capable and accomplished attorney, and while I’m sympathetic, I have my client’s interests to think about now. And they are starting to get impatient. Highly impatient. It’s not their fault all of this occurred. They were injured by your client economically, and it’s high time we get a move on.”
Mia was tiring of Bonnie’s long-winded speech. “What exactly are you suggesting?”
“I want to tie down dates for completing your document production. My client can only wait so long.”
Mia bit the inside of her cheek. Her temper was starting to rise. “You realize that the person running this case was brutally murdered?”
“Of course.” Bonnie flipped her hair back. “But we’re still alive. Life goes on. Right?”
“Are you being serious right now?”
“I’ve been reasonable,” Bonnie shot back.
“You were hounding us about the litigation the day after Chase’s murder. The day after.”
“Once I realized the situation, I backed off. As was appropriate. Don’t twist the facts.”
“If what you did is backing off, then you really are a piece of work.”
Bonnie laughed. “I want to set the record straight. I’ve laid off for the past few weeks, but now it’s time to get down to business. There’s no need to get emotional about it. Let’s put some new dates on the calendar and proceed.”
“Get emotional?” All of Mia’s plans to be cool as a cucumber had evaporated, and she felt like she was about to erupt like an angry volcano.
“Getting emotional is so unbecoming in a female attorney. It makes you look weak.”
Mia felt her mouth drop open, and her nails dug into the flesh of her hands.
“Are you sure you’re going to be able to handle this?” Bonnie asked.
“You . . .” Mia stuttered. “You are everything I’ve heard about you and a million times worse. You will get your documents. And when I crush you in the courtroom and your client wants to fire you because you lost their case, then that will make me happy.”
“You’re friends with Kate James, right?”
“Yes, but I fail to see what she has to do with this.” Why was Bonnie dragging Kate into this?
“You could learn a lot from her. You’re still too green to tangle with attorneys like me. Go back to your managing partner and get his assistance on the case. Better to ask than to totally flop.”
“You’re trying to give me career advice now?”
Bonnie smiled. “You’re no threat to me.”
It took every bit of strength Mia had not to leap across the table and wring Bonnie’s skinny neck. But she had to be the bigger woman here. Bonnie was trying to get inside her head, and Mia was playing right into her game. It was time to toughen up.
“Bonnie, did you come here to grandstand, or are we actually going to talk about the discovery?”
“Sure. Let’s talk about the fact that there are still fifty discovery responses unanswered.” Bonnie crossed her arms.
“Speaking of that, when should I expect to receive the rest of your documents? I’ve only received a small number at this point. I’m sure you have more, right? I know you want to paint EPG as a small entrepreneurial start-up, but we both know that’s not true. You’ve got more tech power in that company than ninety-nine percent of the tech companies in the world.” That might’ve been overstepping just a bit, but Mia knew she had a point. EPG wasn’t a small fish. Compared to LCI, they were much smaller, but they had tremendous power in the tech space. The last thing she wanted was for a jury to believe that this was a David and Goliath type of case. That was the narrative she was going to have to fight. She planned on doing just that. That was why she needed to push Bonnie on documents.
“We’re well within the time we have to produce documents. You might not realize this, since you’re new on the file, but Chase didn’t serve discovery on us until two months after we served him. Therefore our deadlines are not even close to being over, given the extensions each side has granted each other. You will receive more documents, and you probably don’t even want the volume that I’m going to give you. You asked for it, so you’re going to get it.”
Mia needed to push more. “When will I get to depose your key witnesses?”
Bonnie stood and whisked up her laptop in one fluid motion. She walked to the door before finally turning around. “I’ll let you know. I think maybe it’s best for us to conduct these negotiations via email until you’ve pulled yourself together a bit more. You’re clearly not stable right now. I think the pressure and circumstances have clouded your ability to be rational about this case.”
Mia forced a laugh at Bonnie’s ridiculous assertion. The gauntlet was thrown, and she couldn’t allow herself to back down.
Noah had tapped in to every facial recognition program he had access to and still hadn’t found the identity of the man in the picture of Thompson and his militia group. The photo quality made the software less accurate. While computer work was Noah’s forte, sometimes the computers couldn’t give you all the answers you needed.
Ty had shown the picture to David, but unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to identify the mystery man. So here was Noah, with Cooper by his side, about to head into a biker bar south of the city that was a known hangout for some of the militia members. The owner was an old friend of Van Thompson’s, and the place was a safe haven for the group.
This wasn’t Noah’s scene, but he knew that to find the answers they were looking for, they’d have to ask questions of people who might know. When Noah had told Cooper his idea, his friend had insisted on joining him, and Noah was thankful for the backup. Cooper had done undercover work when he was with the APD, so the two of them had the skills to pull it off, but Noah knew that asking questions in crowds like this could be a recipe for disaster.
“You ready to go in?” Cooper asked.
“Roger that.”
They had both dressed to try to fit in. Noah wore a black leather jacket and jeans. But he couldn’t change his ultimate look—his Latino heritage from his dad’s side of the family. He also lacked the requisite tattoos, but the jacket covered his arms anyway.
“I’ll take the lead initially,” Cooper said. They’d both agreed that Cooper might be more successful than Noah in getting answers.
When they walked through the door, the smell of smoke hit Noah right off. “I hate these places,” he mumbled.
“I know. I don’t miss this part of my old job,” Cooper said.
There was a solid crowd for a Monday night, and they made their way through a group of guys playing pool and up to the bar area.
“Let’s start with the bartender,” Cooper said.
The two men sat down on some empty stools and waited for the bartender to approach.
Noah sat quietly as Cooper struck up a conversation. They both knew they couldn’t just whip out the picture first thing and jump into it. They had to work up to it—or at least that was the plan.
About half an hour later, Cooper pulled out the picture and slid it across the bar. They’d cropped the photo to only include the man in question.
The bartender frowned deeply. “Are you two cops?”
“Absolutely not,” Noah said.
“Then why are you here asking questions?” The bartender crossed his large, meaty arms across his body. “I think it might be time for you to get a move on.”
A stocky bald man with full body tattoos walked over. “Is there a problem here?”
“No problem,” Cooper said. He stood up and turned to face the bald guy, and Noah did the same.
“I don’t think you belong here,” the bald man said, directing his comment at Noah.
Noah shook it off. They had bigger problems than this man’s biases.
“They’re asking questions about this picture,” the bartender said.
The bald man picked up the photo, and a smile spread across his face. “You two have to be Feds,” he said loudly. Too loudly. His words got the attention of other patrons.
“We’re not Feds,” Cooper said. “We’re actually PIs, and this guy owes our client some serious money.”
Noah held his breath, hoping this cover story would hold. “We’re trying to track him down to make sure he’s all squared away with our client.”
The bald man laughed. “You punks don’t realize what you’ve gotten into. Whatever your client is paying you, it isn’t nearly enough. You’re messing with the wrong man. I suggest you walk out of here right now and pretend like you never had this job. Call your client and tell them that if they want to live, they should just let it go.”
A tall lanky guy joined the conversation. Noah was acutely aware that he and Cooper were starting to get boxed in. The lanky man picked up the picture. “Who’s looking for Liam?”
A first name!
“I think these two gentlemen were just leaving,” the bartender said. “Isn’t that right?”
“We’d like to maybe play a round of pool, since we’re here,” Cooper said, trying to stall to get more information.
The bald man took a step closer. “That’s not going to happen.”
“Then where could we find this Liam?” Noah asked. “Our client is going to want their debt paid.”
“You work for the cartel?” the lanky man asked Noah, making assumptions based on the way Noah looked.
“We’re PIs,” Cooper responded.
“And we need to know where this Liam is,” Noah insisted.
The lanky man spoke again. “This isn’t the cartel’s turf, and Morrow won’t appreciate you trying to bother him here. Tell your bosses that.”
“I’ll ask again—where can we find Liam Morrow?” Noah was glad to have the name, but he quickly realized he’d pushed it too far.
The bald man slammed his fist into Noah’s stomach, but Noah was able to block the next attempt.
Another man grabbed him from behind and held him while he took some hits. Cooper was also trying to fend off a couple of attackers. While they were outnumbered, they weren’t outmatched. These men were scrappy, but they weren’t well trained. After taking a few punches, Noah was able to land a few jabs himself to gain some breathing room.
“Run!” Cooper told him.
They both broke free and turned over chairs as they ran toward the exit to try to keep anyone from following. They were quicker and sober, which helped, and when the fresh air filled Noah’s lungs, he had a moment of relief.
That quickly ended when someone tackled him hard from behind. But Cooper was able to pull the man off of Noah and throw him aside.
“Go, go, go!” Cooper yelled.
Noah ran to the passenger side and flung open the door. They jumped into the car, and Cooper floored it.
“That was a close call,” Cooper said.
It was, but it was well worth it. “We got the name. Mission accomplished.”
On Tuesday afternoon, Ty took a deep breath before walking into the Fulton County courtroom. Just as he had predicted, Anna had immediately started pointing fingers in his direction over the missing evidence.
It was no surprise that she’d filed this motion with the court. The problem for Anna was that she was on the wrong side of this thing, which was what he planned to explain to the judge. He felt Anna was letting her feelings get the best of her and wasn’t thinking through this rationally. Once the judge heard the facts, Ty thought he’d be fine, and they could move on. But first he’d have to get through what would probably be an unpleasant hearing.
This would be their first appearance before their newly assigned judge—Judge Franklin Davenport. Ty knew all of the active judges in Fulton County, and Judge Davenport was no exception. The judge’s record skewed pretty heavily toward the prosecution, but Ty thought that under these circumstances, he should be okay, at least for today. Judge Davenport’s record, however, was one of the reasons he didn’t want this case to go to trial. But unless he found some great exculpatory evidence, he didn’t see Anna backing down. She was like a dog with a bone and viewed this case as a résumé builder in addition to doing what she believed was the right thing.
He noticed that Anna was already sitting at her counsel’s table. The curly-haired prosecutor might look innocent enough, but he knew her as the type to go to the max in prosecuting her cases. The rumor mill had it that she had her eye on a bigger job one day, and this senior ADA position was just a step on the ladder.
He could only hope he’d be able to come up with another suspect before the trial. The more time he spent with David, the more convinced he was of David’s innocence. But he still didn’t have a plausible alternative to put forward. He wasn’t going to give up, though. He still had time to figure this out.
He walked over to Anna. “Good afternoon.”
She looked up at him. “I hope you realize that this motion isn’t personal, but I have no other choice.”
He couldn’t help but laugh. “How can it not be personal? You personally accused me of stealing evidence from the storage room of an Atlanta police precinct.”
Anna shrugged. “The way I see it, that’s the most likely scenario. I certainly didn’t take it.”
Unbelievable. “Guess we’ll leave that up to the judge.”
She pushed her shoulders back. “Yes, we will. Judge Davenport will no doubt take my view on this.”
“You don’t lack confidence, do you?”
A slight smile spread over her rosy lips. “I’m just doing my job. You’re a worthy adversary, but I’m on the right side this time.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” He turned and walked to his table to get organized as he waited for the judge to arrive.
He didn’t have to wait long, as the judge entered the courtroom a couple of minutes later, and Ty rose from his seat. Davenport was a large fellow, bald and in his late fifties. He’d been on the bench a good twenty years.
“Please take a seat. Ms. Esposito, so nice to see you again in my courtroom.”
“Thank you, Your Honor.”
That wasn’t a good sign. They were already buddy-buddy.
“This is the state’s motion, is it not?” the judge asked.
Anna shot up out of her chair. “Yes, Your Honor.”
Judge Davenport nodded. “Then let’s get started.”
Anna adjusted her navy suit jacket. “Let me preface my argument by saying that I realize this is a rather unique motion to be filed at this time, but if Your Honor will allow me to explain, I think it will make sense.”
“Go ahead,” the judge responded.
Anna glanced over at Ty before continuing. “Last week I received word from Atlanta police that one of the evidence bags that contained hair follicles and possibly other materials had gone missing from the evidence room at the station. While under most circumstances this would be a problem for the prosecution, as I laid out in my motion, I believe the defense tampered with the evidence.”
“Let’s pause right there for a moment. I did read your motion, Ms. Esposito, and I must say it was very eloquently written.”
Uh-oh. Let the love fest begin. Ty tried to keep his facial expression neutral.
“Thank you, Your Honor.” Anna’s cheeks reddened.
“However, as strong as the writing is, it’s a bit thin on facts to support your allegation,” the judge said. “I’m wondering if you have more evidence than what you included in your written motion.”
“Your Honor, as you know with these matters, getting hard physical evidence to prove tampering is difficult. Even in cases with more evidence than presented here, there isn’t a smoking gun like in so many other scenarios we deal with.”
Judge Davenport nodded. “Mr. Spencer, I haven’t let you speak yet. Let me hear your initial reaction.”
Ty stood. He had to play his cards carefully. If he pushed too hard, he might lose any momentum that could go his way. He had to make a strong argument without going over the top and losing the judge. “Your Honor, I think Ms. Esposito is missing the most fundamental point here. The evidence was in police custody. Therefore, if there was any tampering or mishandling of any kind, I don’t see how that could be put on the defense—or me personally, as Ms. Esposito states in her papers.”
The judge nodded. “I tend to be sympathetic to your point, Mr. Spencer. Which is why I’m expecting that Ms. Esposito has something more than what we’ve heard so far, because she’s a seasoned prosecutor and wouldn’t have filed this motion based solely on her own conjecture.” He gave Anna a look that was half-expectation, half-warning.
Ty had to admit that Davenport was being much more favorable to him than he could’ve hoped.
“Ms. Esposito?” the judge prompted.
“I do have something, Your Honor. Surveillance tapes at the station showing that Mr. Spencer was at the police station before the evidence went missing.”
Ty couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Your Honor, I’m a defense attorney. I’m at the police station all the time.”
“That’s exactly my point!” Anna exclaimed. “Mr. Spencer had both the opportunity and the strong motive to tamper with the evidence. Can I explain exactly how he did it? No. But he has many contacts on the police force, and he could’ve made it happen. That evidence was absolutely crucial to my case. There is zero reason why anyone associated with the prosecution would take it. It would be directly against the state’s interest to remove that evidence. Only someone who wanted to help the defense would’ve done it.”
Ty shrugged. “Your Honor, I’m an officer of this court. And I submit to you right now that I did not tamper with evidence.”
“Did you direct anyone to do so?” Anna asked.
“Your Honor, am I being examined by Ms. Esposito right now? Do I need to be sworn in?” He was doing his best to keep his temper and sarcasm in check, but it was proving to be difficult.
“Okay, counselors, let’s reel this back in.” Judge Davenport leaned forward in his seat. “Ms. Esposito, unless you can present some additional evidence, I have no choice but to deny your motion for sanctions against the defense.”
“But, Your Honor, this is critical to the state’s case.”
“I understand that, but you have no real evidence tying Mr. Spencer to any of this. If you find something more, I’d be happy to entertain it at a later date. But for now, this matter is over.”
Ty watched as Anna’s shoulders slumped. He was surprised she had been so cavalier with such a serious topic.
After the judge exited the courtroom, Anna approached Ty while he was packing up. “You may think you can get away with this, but this isn’t over.”
He placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to make a point. “Anna, I promise I had nothing to do with that evidence going missing.”
“Maybe it wasn’t you personally, or at least I can’t prove it yet. But you or someone on your team did have something to do with it. Of that I’m certain.”
“You’ve really gone off the deep end on this one.”
“Why should I believe a word you say?”
“Are you that distrustful of defense attorneys? Do you think we’re all just a bunch of liars?”
Her eyebrows raised. “You said it, not me.”
He shook his head. “You’re unbelievable. You sit on your high horse and claim to care about justice, but all you want is another win in your victory column. I’ve got you figured out now, Anna Esposito. It’s not about justice for you. It’s just about you.”
She gasped. “You have some nerve.”
“I think I hit the nail on the head.”
“Once a jury hears everything, they will convict your client. Even if I don’t have that physical evidence. I don’t even need it. All the circumstantial evidence will more than suffice.”
“Not after they’ve heard my defense. There are other possible suspects here.”
“Like who?”
He was bluffing, but he’d gone too far to back down now. “You’ll find out soon enough.” He paused. “And the next time you accuse me of breaking the law in front of a sitting judge, you better have something to back it up.”
He’d had enough of Anna’s tactics for one day. It only made him more motivated to prove his client was innocent.
Mia sat on her living room couch with Sophie by her side. It was at times like these that she was thankful to have her best friend near. Mia was a wreck and felt like she was almost at her breaking point. After the altercation with Bonnie, she was beginning to question not only her people skills, but her abilities as a lawyer.
“Thanks for coming over, Soph.”
“Of course. You know I’m always here for you. No matter what. I feel like since I got married that you’ve backed away.” Sophie’s blue eyes looked at her with concern.
Mia broke eye contact, feeling a bit guilty. “Yeah, that’s probably true. But just because I wanted to give you time with Cooper. I don’t want to be selfish. I know I’m the odd woman out, and you’re so happy right now. I don’t want to bring you down with all of my problems.”
“Mia, we’re best friends. It doesn’t matter what I’m going through or what you’re going through. We are with each other through the good and the bad. You’ve let me cry on your shoulder. You’re always so tough. Please let me help you get through this rough time in your life. I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”
Mia’s heart warmed at Sophie’s kind words. Sophie was known as the softy in the group, always in touch with her emotions. Unlike Mia, who had built a wall around her heart, refusing to let others see in. “Your friendship means the world to me.”
Sophie turned squarely toward her. “So tell me what’s going on.”
“As much as I wanted Kate to come over too, I’m actually glad she couldn’t make it.”
“Why is that?”
“Because this has to do with Bonnie Olson.”
“Oh!” Sophie rolled her eyes. “You’re referring to Kate’s partner at Warren McGee, right?”
“Yeah. It turns out she’s the lead attorney representing EPG in the case that I took over for Chase. He was working on it before his death, and Harper assigned it to me. I think he did that for a variety of reasons. He wanted to make sure I had something to do, given my grief, but he also knew how close Chase and I were, and he wanted me to be able to honor his memory in some way.”
“So you had an encounter with Bonnie?”
“Encounter is an interesting way to describe it. Because it was a hot mess.”
Sophie patted Mia’s knee. “You know you can tell me about it.”
Mia took in a deep breath, preparing to tell the story. “I suggested that we have a meeting to catch up on the discovery schedule and because we’re going to be dealing with each other a lot as the case goes forward. I assumed Bonnie would be highly professional, even if she was a pain, but boy, was I wrong.” Mia took a breath, trying to decide how much to tell Sophie. It was kind of embarrassing, but she figured it was best to just let it all out instead of keeping it bottled up inside. “Bonnie basically accused me of being unfit to try the case and said I was overly emotional. She just sat there in the conference room, hurling accusations at me like she was on some high horse and I was her underling.”
Sophie’s blue eyes widened. “You’ve got to be kidding. That woman is unbelievable. I know she’s given Kate fits over the years, but I guess she acts even worse to her opposing counsel.”
“Yeah, it’s one thing to be a tough lawyer and grind at opposing counsel. There’s even something to be said for mind games and tactics. But she was downright mean and rude and exhibited a totally callous attitude toward Chase’s death and a hostile attitude toward me. I’ve never even met her before or done anything against her. I just don’t know where it came from. It seemed very odd how she came at me.”
“You know, Bonnie was probably just trying to get inside your head. She knows you’re very vulnerable right now because your close friend was killed. I don’t know that I would take it personally. I think she’s just trying to get a leg up in the litigation, and we’ve all heard that she’s a no-holds-barred type of litigator.”
Mia considered Sophie’s words for a minute and thought there was probably some truth to them. But something else was bothering her. “There’s another thing.”
“What is it?”
“There’s an associate at the firm named Nancy. She came to me and claimed that she and Chase had a secret relationship.”
“Are you serious?” Sophie’s voice squeaked.
“Yeah. I really don’t believe it. I don’t think Chase would’ve hidden it from me. I also don’t think he would’ve dated an associate at his own firm, since he was a partner. That would be a real no-no. And Chase was full of integrity. More than most lawyers I know.” Mia paused before revealing the most hurtful part of the conversation. “Nancy also said that I had an awful reputation at the firm. That no one respected me, and that I had no one on my side.” As the words came out of her mouth, she felt even worse.
“Mia, that’s absolutely ridiculous. You not only have a good reputation at your firm, but you have a strong reputation in the legal community. Everyone at AWA knows how hard you work on the committees. And you always do it with a positive attitude instead of complaining like so many others. I think Nancy might have it out for you. What if she was in love with Chase and saw you as an impediment?”
That thought had crossed Mia’s mind. “I considered that. But you should’ve seen the reaction when I told the team I would be taking over the case and that there would not be a partner on the file.”
“Don’t you think that’s just because they’re used to having an ultimate partner authority figure and they don’t want to answer to someone on their level? You are a senior associate as opposed to a junior or midlevel, but still.”
“Yeah, it’s possible. But I just feel like I’m getting beaten while I’m down, if you know what I mean. And you have to remember that all this came on top of me getting jumped in the park. I’m wondering if I can handle everything.”
Sophie squeezed her hands. “Mia, you’re the rock of our group. You’re always strong, independent, and fearless. But you don’t always have to be that way. You’re human. You’ve been through a traumatic month. Not just Chase’s murder, but like you said, the attack in Piedmont Park and all the upheaval on your cases. It’s bound to take a toll. You’re not Superwoman, even though I know you try to be. And it’s really okay for you to ask your friends for help. Never think that I’m going to be too busy for you just because I got married. We were friends long before my husband came along. You’ve let me cry on your shoulder a million times.”
Mia was overcome with emotion. For the first time in a while, she felt a little peace at being able to talk so openly about her feelings. “How do you think I should handle the team?”
“Give them some time to adjust to you. As long as you’re working hard and being fair and reasonable to them, they will learn to respect you. You understand what it’s like being an associate in Big Law. It’s a really hard lifestyle. Yeah, you get the huge salary and perks, but it’s demanding, and it’s 24-7. You just act the way I know you do as a lawyer, and once they get to know you better, they’ll appreciate all you bring to the table. You’ll be a great leader, and I’m sure your team will notice your commitment level.” Sophie paused. “I know the last thing on your mind right now is making partner. I get that. I also live in a different world as a prosecutor, so it’s easy for me to play career counselor here. But please don’t overlook the fact that this is a huge career opportunity for you. If you run with this case, manage it well, and pull off a victory, you will be a superstar at Finley & Hughes.”
Mia gave her a wavering smile. “I appreciate the vote of confidence, but right now I’m just trying not to drown.”
“Let me help. You don’t have to bear this burden alone.” Sophie bit her bottom lip and looked directly at her. “The Lord will listen to your prayers, Mia. He’s right there by your side and can do more for you than I can. But know that I’m praying for you each day. You’re in a dark valley right now, but you will get through this. And you will be stronger in the end.”
Mia gained strength from Sophie’s words. “Thanks. And I know I can be a pain by always questioning and asking more and more, the deeper I get on this new path I’m taking. There are no simple answers for me. One answer just leads to more seeking and asking.”
Sophie nodded. “By asking those questions, you’ve shown that you care and that you want to live life in a new way. We’ve known each other since law school, and I can tell that the woman sitting beside me right now is not the same woman I met back then. Back then you were a true skeptic. That’s not who I’m talking to anymore. This tragedy may have thrown you for a loop, but sometimes that’s just how life works. It doesn’t have to define who you are. You’re strong, Mia, and the Lord is right there with you, holding you up when you think you can’t take another step.”
The conviction in Sophie’s voice allowed Mia to open up even further. “I still feel restless. You and Kate seem so much more content than me. Maybe it’s because you have someone in your life you love, but I think it’s deeper than that.”
“Faith isn’t a magic pill. It’s important to understand that. Not to expect the pain to just stop because you’ve let God into your life.” Sophie paused. “But it does allow you to cope with the pain in a different way. There is a peace that God provides that you can’t get from anywhere else—even in the darkest of days.” Sophie’s eyes glistened with tears.
Her friend’s words rang true to Mia. “And I do believe that. If this tragedy had happened a few years ago, I honestly don’t know if I would’ve made it through. Thanks, as always, for talking to me and being so open and honest. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” It was funny, because she’d always assumed Kate and Sophie had gotten it wrong. But seeing how the two of them faced adversity with such strength and grace, and now going through it all herself, she understood that she was the one who had been wrong the entire time.