Squire Wilson's Saga

Her brilliant smile faltered momentarily. "You're right, of course. To be honest, I had an internship all lined up with Baker, Norton and Vinson, but just last week they emailed me to say there'd been a mix-up and they didn't have a place for me."

I'll bet one of the partners met her and had second thoughts. I shook my head sympathetically. "I know a bit about that firm. I guess you could say they're a little, uh, monochromatic."

Her big smile came back again. "Well, their loss is your gain. Besides, I'd much rather get experience in the real world, not spend my summer fetching lattes and filing papers. I want to work with real people with everyday problems, the kind you probably deal with all the time."

I couldn't help admiring her spunk, but I knew I had no option. "I'm sorry, Ms. Armstrong, but I can't take you on either."

I saw a moment of anger flash in her eyes, so I hurried on. "No, no, it's not what you're thinking. Listen, I'd love to have someone with your credentials and your attitude helping me here. But look around you: it's pretty obvious that I'm barely keeping my head above water. There's no way I could pay you even an intern's salary. I'm sorry."

She looked at me carefully for a moment; then that big smile gleamed brighter than ever. "Then it's settled: I'll work for free. I'll just stretch my student loans to cover my living expenses for the summer." She winked at me. "Besides, I really like ramen noodles."

"Wait, wait, I can't do that. I'd be taking advantage of you. It wouldn't be fair."

She got a determined look on her face. "You can't take advantage of me if I know what you're offering in advance and agree to it. Besides," and now her eyes were pleading, "I really need the experience and the credentials. And Dr. Goldstein said you were a good guy, someone I could learn from."

I remembered Goldstein - I'd taken his Torts class - and he'd been tough on me. I was surprised he would even remember, much less recommend me.

I hope I'm not going to regret this. I stood up and stuck my hand out to her. "Alright, Ms. Armstrong, you're my new summer intern."

She gave a little squeal and jumped up to shake my hand. "Thank you, Squire. You won't regret it."

I cocked my head when she called me "Squire," then laughed as I figured it out. "You must have been misread my sign outside. My name's Wilson, Robert Wilson. 'Esquire' is just an old-fashioned term for 'lawyer.'"

"Oh, I know that," she laughed. "When I was growing up, my father was an attorney in our little town, and everybody called him 'Squire.' I guess it just stuck with me."

"Well, it's Robert, or Mr. Wilson if we have a client visiting. Now," I walked her out of my office, "you can set up over there, but I'm afraid I don't have a desk or chair for you."

She looked around, unfazed. "Not a problem. Is it okay if I use your network connection? I've got my laptop in the car."

When I nodded, she darted out the door and returned a moment later. Plopping herself in what passed for a reception chair, she began busily working the keyboard and mouse. As I watched in amusement, she quickly finished whatever she was doing, made a few notes on her cellphone, and then looked up at me. "Is it okay if I don't start for another hour?"

I grinned at her. "What am I going to do - dock your pay?"

She laughed and hurried out the door.

It was actually an hour-and-a-half before she got back. I heard the sound of a heavy engine outside and went to the door to find out what was going on. She was just hopping down from the cab of a big F-150. Seeing me staring, she waved and beckoned me over. "It's my brother's truck, Squire. He let me borrow it."

I started to correct her, but I was so curious that I decide that could wait. She led me around to the bed of the pick-up, and when she opened the tailgate, I saw a nice-looking office desk.

"Where did you get that?"

"Craig's List," she replied. Seeing my face, she hurried on. "Don't worry, it was free. Some company was going out of business and offered their furniture to anyone who'd haul it off. I also got a desk chair. Can you help me bring 'em in?"

The desk wasn't that big, but I was still impressed at how easily Maddy handled her end of the load. Definitely some kind of athlete, I decided.

While she went to return the pick-up to her brother, I walked back inside and stood there, bemused at what had just happened. "Definitely not the way I was expecting my morning to go," I said to the new office furniture.

Forty-five minutes later she breezed into the office. "I'm back, Squire. Now we can get started." And before I could remember to correct her about my name, Hurricane Maddy let loose the winds of change in my life.

By the end of the first week she had completely reorganized my filing system. That was actually a good thing, because in truth I didn't have any system. With so few clients, I'd taken to laying files down on any empty space. When she realized what I'd been doing, Maddy didn't say anything, but the next day I found a new filing cabinet in my office, with all my clients alphabetized and neatly tucked away. "Free on Craig's List," she confirmed to my unasked question.

My schedule was next. She soon had the calendar on my computer synched up to my phone and to her computer. If we ever do get tons of clients, I thought wryly, Maddy will make sure we never miss an appointment. Then she tied the whole thing into my billing system.

Organization was not her only talent. She also proved a wizard at research, zooming through statutes, uncovering precedents, digging out minutiae that might help our clients' cases. I'd always prided myself on my ability, but she put me to shame.

Once she became comfortable with the way we were set up, Maddy focused her attention on our clients and their needs. She wanted to know everything about them, and I was happy to give her their files to read and point her toward the relevant statutes. After she'd digested their concerns, she'd come into my office with questions. She especially wanted to know why I handled their case the way I did. Now I started to feel like I was giving her something of value: an education in the way an attorney approaches a case. She quickly learned that practicing law in the real world isn't as simple or straightforward as they teach in school.

When we weren't dealing with a client, she would bring her law school texts in and we'd discuss cases. I was impressed by the sheer volume of case law she'd already absorbed, and I think she was impressed by the way I went about analyzing the issues. I enjoyed our sessions, and my days passed much more quickly.

I'd told Rene about Maddy early on, and she'd been amused at the idea. One day she came by my office and I introduced Maddy to her. Rene had a hard time hiding her amusement when she heard Maddy call me "Squire."

That night at home, Rene wouldn't stop teasing me about my "flunky." I told her about Maddy's grades and her LSAT scores, but Rene wasn't impressed. That irritated me. "She'd be an intern at your firm if Baker, Norton hadn't reneged on their offer," I pointed out.

"It's a good thing we did," she chortled. "I can just imagine the commotion she'd cause, bobbing down the hallways with that big mop of hair."

"Well, I think it looks good on her, and I can tell you that underneath that hair is one bright mind. As far as I'm concerned, Baker, Norton's loss is my good luck."

Rene rolled her eyes and changed the subject.

As the Houston summer unfolded with steadily rising temperatures and humidity, life at the Wilson household grew steadily colder. Where before Rene had been impatient with me and my efforts to start my own law practice, now she grew indifferent. When I tried to tell her about some new client or an amusing anecdote about Maddy, she clearly wasn't paying attention. When I would suggest we go out for drinks and dinner, she always had work to do. By the end of July, we saw each other only infrequently. Our sex life was just a memory.

The situation got so stressful that one day when Maddy asked me yet another question about procedure, I snapped at her. Her head jerked back as though I'd slapped her in the face, and she silently got up and left my office.

I sat there for a minute, letting my anger boil off. Then I went out and took a seat next to her desk. "Can I talk to you a minute, Maddy?" I asked, trying to get her attention.

She didn't look at me. "Of course you can, you're the boss."

"Maddy, I apologize. You did nothing wrong asking those questions; actually, I'm glad you're so eager to learn. The truth is, the problem is me." I sighed, and my shoulders slumped. "I might as well tell you. Rene and I are going through a rough patch, and I guess I took it out on you. I'm sorry."

She looked at me with concern. "What's going on, Squire?"

I wound up unburdening myself, telling her the whole story about Rene's disappointment with me and the way our relationship had cooled. "Maybe it's my fault. I've been so stubborn about making it as an attorney that I've ignored the obvious: I'm just not good enough to make this work."

"No!" she said sharply. "You had a goal and you set out to pursue it. I don't know how it will turn out, but I do know that you're a damned good attorney. I've learned so much from you already."

"I appreciate your loyalty, Maddy, but I'm pretty sure that Rene doesn't share that opinion."

She looked at me appraisingly. "Sounds like things aren't going very well in the romance department either."

I gave her a wry smile. "The only way I'm seeing any romance these days is by turning on the Hallmark Channel."

She reached over and squeezed my hand. "Things are going to get better, Squire. I'm just sure they will." Then she realized what she'd done and snatched her hand away.

I had to smile. "Thanks for the pep talk, Maddy. Now, I'd better get back to the Coulson suit."

That was the way we left things. I made it a point not to bring my home life to the office again, and Maddy was careful not to touch on anything of a personal nature. Both of us knew what the other was doing.

Things went on that way until early August. I was working at my desk late one morning when I heard the front door chime ring. Maddy, who had taken on the role of receptionist in addition to everything else, went to see who was there. A minute later she was at my office door with an odd look on her face. "Squire, you have a visitor. She says it's a personal matter."

As I stood up to greet my visitor, Rene's old college roommate walked in my door.

"Mary Margaret! I haven't seen you in ages. How are you? Are you still in Dallas?"

"Still working in Dallas, but I'm down here for the day. My meeting finished up earlier than I expected, and I thought I'd take a chance and see if you could do lunch."

I pretended to look at my schedule. "Sure, that would be great. Do you want me to try to get Rene to join us?"

"Actually, I caught up with her the last time I was down here. I thought this time I'd try to do the same with you."

"Oh, okay. Well, in that case, let's do it."

I led her out into the reception area. "I'd like you to meet Madison Armstrong, who's interning with me this summer. Maddy, I'd like you to meet Mary Margaret Olson, an old friend of Rene's and mine. We're going to go get some lunch. Can you hold down the fort while I'm gone?"

"Of course, Squire," she said, and extended her hand to Mary Margaret. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Olson." Then she returned to her desk.

As Mary Margaret and I walked out the door, something seemed odd to me. Maddy didn't smile, I realized.

At that moment Mary Margaret grabbed my arm and chuckled. "What's with the 'Squire,' Robert?"

I rolled my eyes. "That's just Maddy. It's a long story."

Mary Margaret took me to a charming little bistro a bit further away than I'd expected, but the food made the drive worth it. Over lunch and a couple of glasses of wine, we caught up with each other's lives and reminisced about old college chums. The conversation was pleasant, but I couldn't help feeling a little uncomfortable. We'd been friends, but Mary Margaret was much closer to Rene than me.

My discomfort level rose when the waiter had removed our plates and Mary Margaret looked carefully into my eyes. "So how are you and Rene doing these days?"

"Um, fine, everything is fine. Why do you ask?"

She gave a dismissive little wave. "Oh, nothing really. It's just that Rene mentioned that getting your firm established was all-consuming. And I gather her own work load has soared as well. I was just concerned about you guys."

What has Rene told her about us?

"It's been a little stressful at times, but we'll get through it."

She gave a little smile. "You know, when you and Rene first started dating, I was very impressed with you. I thought at the time that she'd done very well for herself, and I still think that's the case. I hope she never forgets that."

I sat there silently, unsure how to respond. It felt like something else was going on, but I couldn't grasp quite what it was.

We drove back to my office, making pleasant chit-chat. But before I could get out of the car, she reached over and squeezed my hand. "I really care a lot about you, Robert. Please stay in touch. And if you'd ever like to talk, you know how to reach me." With that she leaned over and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

I waved goodbye and walked into the office, to be confronted by Maddy. "Well, how was your lunch?" she asked blandly.

"It was fine. It was nice to have a chance to catch up with each other and talk about college."

"For two hours?"

I quickly glanced at my watch and was startled. "I guess the time got away from me."

Maddy looked at me oddly. "Watch out for that one. She's got hungry eyes."

"Don't be silly, Maddy. She's Rene's best friend; she's not interested in me."

"I'm just sayin', Squire."

With that she went back to her desk, and I did the same. But it took me a while to focus on my work. What an odd conversation. Was she really coming on to me? And if so, why now? How strange. . .

I finally decided to tell Rene about our lunch so she wouldn't think I was hiding anything from her. But she got held up at a meeting at work that night, and by the time she got home I had already given up and gone to bed. In my irritation, I forgot about telling her about my lunch guest.

If I'd been irritated before, the following week I became downright pessimistic about the prospects for my marriage. I'd hoped that we might do something together, but Rene wound up working both Saturday and Sunday. On Monday she called me during the morning to give me even more discouraging news. "We've just started negotiations over a major acquisition for a client. I can't tell you who's involved, but I guarantee you'll read about it in the Wall Street Journal when it's done. Anyway, the negotiations are being held at the Alessandra Hotel, and since we'll probably be working around the clock to meet the deadline, the firm has booked a block of rooms for us. The bottom line is I probably won't get home much this week."

The way things have been going lately, I probably wouldn't even have noticed, I thought bitterly, but I didn't say that to her.

I worked late that night, then went out and treated myself to dinner at a nice restaurant. I was hoping against hope that Rene might be there when I got home at 11:00, but she wasn't, nor had she come in by the time I got up the next morning. I might as well take off my wedding ring, I thought angrily as I drove to the office. I'm single in every way except name. Nevertheless, I tried not to let my anger affect the way I acted toward Maddy.

Late that afternoon I heard the front door chime, and a minute later Maddy appeared at my office door. "You've got a new client to see you, Squire," she announced with wide eyes. What's gotten into her?

When I stood up to greet my visitor, I understood. Maddy brought in one of the most attractive women I'd ever seen in real life. She had a model's cheekbones accented by long blonde hair that was pulled back behind one ear and flowing over the other side of her face. The blouse and jacket she wore did nothing to hide her well-developed bust, and her pencil skirt was cut short enough to reveal long, shapely legs.

She could be a supermodel, I thought, and, judging by the look on Maddy's face, she too was blown away.

As I stood there tongue-tied, the woman stepped forward confidently and shook my hand. "Mr. Wilson, I'm Amber Thompson. I apologize for barging in on you like this, but I'm really pressed for time. In a nutshell, I intend to divorce my husband and I want to retain you as my legal counsel."

With that she reached into the patent leather handbag she was carrying and extracted a check. "Here's $2000 for my retainer. If that's not sufficient, just let me know and I'll be glad to revise it."

"Um, no, no, that's perfectly satisfactory, Mrs. Thompson. Why don't you have a seat so we can discuss the details of your situation?" I managed to say, gesturing toward a chair.

She smiled and shook her head. "Again, I must apologize, but I don't have time to do that this afternoon. All I wanted today was to be sure to retain your services. If your schedule permits, I'd like to get together with you at this same time tomorrow to go over my case with you."

I pretended to check my calendar, but I knew that whenever this goddess wanted to meet, I would do whatever it took to accommodate her. "Tomorrow afternoon will be perfectly fine," I reassured her.

"That's wonderful," she breathed. "I'm looking forward to working with you." Then she turned and walked out of my office, but not before I noted that her figure was every bit as attractive from the rear as from the front.

After Amber had gone, Maddy came in to stare at me. "So I guess she had to hurry back to Victoria's Secret to finish her photo-shoot, hunh?"

I didn't want to say anything to offend Maddy. "I don't know about that, but she was definitely a step up from most of our clients," I replied.

Maddy gave a little laugh and went back to her desk, but not before pausing to give me a long stare.

I didn't want to admit it to Maddy, but Amber had really gotten to me. I'd met attractive women before, but none of them compared to Amber.

That night I went home and had some leftovers for dinner, then settled down in front of the TV. I was channel-surfing when I hit one of those soft-core movies that often run on some of the cable channels. The blonde who was rapidly shedding her clothing made me think of Amber, and I felt myself hardening in response. Damn, it's been way too long, I thought resentfully. After watching only a few minutes I switched off the TV and went to my computer. In no time I'd opened a free porn site, and a few minutes later I found a clip featuring a blonde who looked a little like Amber having sex. As horny as I was, it was a real struggle to hold off my orgasm till the blonde on screen came with a shriek. Somewhat embarrassed, I cleaned myself up and then went to bed.

The next morning I got up and took a shower, then spent extra time grooming myself and selecting my best suit and tie. I suddenly realized I was humming as I drove into work, and I shook my head in disgust. You're acting like a teenager going out on a date. You're a married man and Amber is client. Keep it together, Wilson. But the memory of Amber standing in my doorway wouldn't go away, and my libido kept whispering that my wife was conveniently out of the way. Trouble, trouble., my conscience warned.

The day was busy enough to hold my attention, but as the time neared for our appointment, I found myself frequently checking the clock on my phone. When 3:30 finally rolled around and Amber didn't show, disappointment washed over me. Fifteen minutes later I got up to have a look outside, but there was still no Amber. When I came back, Maddy smirked at me but said nothing.