Second Chances Read Online Free PDF Page B

elevators and rode up to the
twentieth floor. The bell chimed as it reached his office and opened to show
the double glass doors of his floor: the offices of Franklin and Greenwood, attorneys
at law. 
    It made him proud each time he saw his name emblazoned on those
glass doors greeting all visitors: Richard Greenwood . He’d really
built something for himself, climbed his way to the top. 
    “Hello, Richard,” Meghan said as he stepped through the door
into the office.  She was wearing a headset over her auburn hair and a cheerful
smile.
    “Good morning, Meghan,” he said. She was overworked with
three young children at home, but she was also the best damn receptionist he’d
ever met.  “Anything up for today?”
    “You’ve got a few meetings this morning and afternoon but I
pinged them to your calendar already. The only one you can’t miss is your two
o’clock. It’s with Angstrom.”
    “Got it.”
    “Did you already eat breakfast?”
    “A bagel,” he said. “But I could do with some coffee.”
    “Stacy is out at Starbucks. I’ll have her add your order to
the list. Just coffee?”
    “Yeah, the bitterest she can find, and then as much cream
and sugar as they can stuff into the cup.”
    “You got it.”
    “Is the intern here?”
    “Nichole is out with Stacy helping carry the food. Did you
need her for something?”
    “I told her to work on those filings this morning.  I have
to submit them by noon.”
    “She finished those last night.”
    “Really?”
    “Stayed late, but she got it all done.”
    “Wow, Richard said, scratching his chin.  “I’ll need to find
some more work for her then.”
    “Don’t keep her too busy. I’m sure she’s got a lot of stuff
to do with college courses.”
    “Oh, did they start back already?  I knew it was soon, but I
didn’t realize it was that time again.”
    “I think they start back today.  I told her she can leave
early if she has classes to go too, but she said she should be fine.”
    “I remember how terrible it was,” Richard mused.
    “Really? I loved college.”
    “You didn’t have to go to law school,” Richard said. “The
Socratic method was pretty much my least favorite part. They always seemed to
focus on me, and my teachers always knew when I hadn’t studied.”
    “They always picked on you when you didn’t do your homework,
huh?”
    “Yeah, and that was basically every day.”
    Meghan laughed. “I just went to parties and hung out with
friends.”
    “One of the popular kids?”
    “Of course! I was a wild child. I’m sure Nichole is, too.”
    “Most likely. This is just her undergraduate degree, though,
so I’m sure it’s really easy for her. Which semester is this for her?”
    “It’s her second one. I think, but I’m not completely sure.”
    “I’m sure she will ace this one like the last.”
    “She should. She’s brilliant.”
    “I know,” Richard said, rubbing his chin.  “She’s barely started
taking courses, but she could have her law degree already with how much she
reads.”
    “She’ll have your job soon,” Meghan said with a smile.
    Richard laughed.  “Yeah, I’m sure she will.  I’ll have to
make her a partner as soon as she graduates, if she sticks with us that long. 
Send her in when you see her.”
    “Will do, boss.”
    Richard headed into his office, setting his suitcase on the
couch and relaxing into his executive chair.  The office was impeccably clean,
the desk empty of clutter or paperwork.  He couldn’t stand when he had to sift
through stacks to find things.
    Ever since bringing Nichole in as intern, he hadn’t really
had a lot of paperwork getting in the way.
    He’d been skeptical, at first.   It was generally good
practice to hire interns, getting either free or cheap labor to handle
paperwork and copyedit, but he didn’t like them on principal—anyone under the
age of thirty was still a child, as far as he was concerned—so it was nice
finding someone who was reliable