On Thursday Steve took Sienna to his favorite rib shack in Los Angeles. He offered to drive, but she wanted to meet him there. Still keeping a professional distance. Well, Steve thought, nothing like Willie’s ribs to break that down. We’ll see just how long she lasts.
Willie A’s Kansas City Barbeque was the proverbial hole-in-the-wall on Sepulveda. Its meat melted off the bone, drawing a clientele from all over the city. The proprietor always piled on the extras for Steve, because he once got Willie’s son off on a robbery charge. Willie Anderson’s kid was in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people. But he was no gangbanger, and Steve actually convinced a jury of that fact. It may have been his greatest performance as a criminal defense lawyer, and Willie A did not forget.
So he, all three hundred pounds of him, would come out in his sauce-stained whites to say hi whenever Steve dropped by for a meal. Today was no different. Steve introduced Willie to Sienna.
“She’s a pretty one,” Willie said, smiling.
“She’s a law student,” Steve said. “Working for me.”
“Oh, that’s too bad,” Willie said to Sienna. “With what he tips, I can’t imagine what he pays his help.”
“If he pays,” Sienna said.
Willie let out one of his characteristic laughs. Steve always thought it sounded like a goose in a cement mixer. Sienna did a classic double take before laughing herself.
The magic was working. “Here’s what we want,” Steve said. “And make it special.”
“Do I ever do any less?” Willie said.
“No — ”
“Did Roberto Clemente ever give half a swing at the plate?”
“No, Willie.”
“Magic going to the hoop?”
“No, Willie.”
“L. T. going to the end zone?”
Sienna said, “He could make a great closing argument.”
“Don’t encourage him,” Steve said. “Now listen, bring on a whole slab of baby backs, whole loaf of bread, beans and slaw, a root beer for me. And for the lady?”
“Diet Coke,” Sienna said.
Willie nodded and wiped his hands on a cloth. “I’ll get Annie to bring it around. You folks have a nice lunch on me.”
“Willie — ”
“No, I insist. You brought me a nice new customer. Relax and enjoy the magic.”
“It’s a secret combination of pepper, molasses, and attitude,” Steve said.
“Attitude is everything,” Willie said. “Even for lawyers.”
“Especially for lawyers,” Steve said.
Willie bowed and rumbled back toward the kitchen.
“What a cool guy,” Sienna said.
“Willie’s good people. But enough about him. I want to know all about you.”
“Not much to know,” she said.
“Come on, you know all about me.”
“Right.”
“What a charming employer I am. Generous.”
“Humble.”
“Hey, I read a whole book on being humble. I know more about the subject than anybody.”
She laughed.
“So,” he said, “you got a boyfriend?”
Before Sienna could say a word, Annie was plopping drinks on the table. “Root beer for you, Steve,” she said. “The lady has the Diet Coke.”
“How you doing, Annie?”
“Better’n most, not as good as some.” Annie was about sixty, half Willie’s size, with platinum blond hair piled high. “This your girl?”
“I’m about to find out,” Steve said.
“Can I stay and listen?”
“Go get us some bread, Annie.”
“Yes, boss.” Off she went.
“Now, back to business,” Steve said.
“We were discussing business?” Sienna said.
“Sure. The boyfriend part.”
“Isn’t that rather personal?”
“Of course.”
“Then why’d you ask?”
“Because,” Steve said, “attitude is everything.”
“Attitude is less than nothing.”
“So. Boyfriend?”
“Mr. Conroy — ”
“Steve.”
“Mr. Conroy. We need to get some things straight.”
“Uh-oh.”
“Business is business. I don’t want this to get personal.”
“What’s the harm?”
“Have you ever considered that under the law this could very easily turn into harassment?”
“You really don’t think that.”
She looked him in the eye without a flinch. “The afternoon is young.”
“Come on, Sienna.”
“Mr. Conroy — ”
“Steve!”
She placed both hands on the table. “No. Listen, please. I am a law student and you’ve hired me to do some work and that’s it.”
“Why so sure?”
“I’d rather not — ”
“Please. Tell me. I can take it. If I unhired you and then asked you out, why not?”
She sighed. “I just think — we have a basic difference in how we look at things.”
“Why, because you believe in God?”
“Kind of important, don’t you think?”
“People get together all the time that don’t see eye to eye on that.”
“And it doesn’t work out.”
“Sometimes it does.”
She shook her head and looked away. Steve thought, Back off. Let it go.
He said, “Look, there’s the idea of God. If it helps people — ”
“I’m not comfortable talking about this right now.”
“Okay, right. I’ve got a great idea.” He waited until she met his eyes again. “Let’s make world news and agree to disagree.”
“With one proviso,” she said. “We don’t go out.”
Steve threw up his hands. “I surrender.”
“Okay.”
“But if you ever change your mind, I’m just a phone call away.”
She rebuked him with her eyes.
“Business then,” Steve said quickly. “Johnny LaSalle, it turns out, really is my brother.”
Sienna froze with her drink in the air. “You’re kidding.”
“Knew things only my brother would know. It’s a whole long story. But here’s the deal. He has turned his life around. I have the chance to help him now. It’s like a . . .”
“A God thing?”
It sounded sensible, the way she said it. Possible even. “Whatever it is, I want to get back some of the life we lost together. Will you help me do that?”
“Of course,” Sienna said. “Legal and aboveboard.”
Their food arrived and Steve forgot about the law and concentrated on the ribs. And how he could not stop thinking about Sienna Ciccone as a woman he was very much attracted to.