“Fucking Sean,” Ryan mutters, dropping hishead against the door.
Ryan doesn’t speak, or move, or rip his eyesaway from the ceiling, so I just stand there with my arms wrappedaround him and wait until he’s ready to let the anger go. By thelooks of it, I could be here till sunrise.
“Do your feet hurt?” Ryan finally looks downat me.
“Maybe, why?” I scuff my boot timidly.
“Because you keep shifting back and forth,and when you do that, it usually means your shoes are killing you,”his voice is even and calm.
“Am I that obvious?”
“With things like that, yes.”
“But other things not so much?” I askcuriously.
“No.”
“Like what?”
“Your emotions.”
My emotions?When did this becomeabout me?
“What are you questioning? I just told youhow I feel.”
“You didn’t give me a straight answer.”
“A straight answer to what?”
“To marrying me.”
“I don’t recall you ever asking me to marryyou,” I answer slyly.
“Alana-” Ryan drawls, but I refuse to giveanything more away.
I stare out overManhattan from my uncle’s office, wondering what it will be like tolook at the bright lights of Vegas instead of New York.
I’ve interned at Remington, Lincoln, Andersonand Steele for the last two and half years. During every semesterbreak and summer vacation. To call it an enlightening experiencewould be a dramatic understatement. My on the job training at oneof the most prestigious law firms in New York City has put me lightyears ahead of my classmates. Two years ago I was looking for anedge, today I have one.
“There’s one of my favorite girls,” my unclesays behind me, spurring me to turn around.
“Afternoon Uncle John,” I say sweetly as hesits down and shuffles the papers on his desk. “Can I help you findsomething?”
“No,” he says casually as he picks up a pieceof paper and smiles. “What’s on your agenda today?”
“Legal research. I’m assisting some of theassociates on the Ericson case.”
“The wrongful termination suit?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Good,” my uncle says pleased. “Alana?”He swivels purposefully in his chair.
“Yes?” I lean on the edge of his desk facingthe window.
“Have you started applying for first yearpositions yet?”
“Um, yes, I sent out a few applications lastweek.”