The Cost of Happiness: A Contemporary Romance Read Online Free PDF Page A

the sword made the balance possible. Lady Justice was nothing without it.
    “Ready for the Litigation meeting?”
    Dan turned at the cheery voice. Vicky Womack posed in the doorway, her artfully tousled auburn hair framing a sunny smile and calculating eyes. She wanted something from him, but Dan couldn’t tell if it was personal, professional, or both. Whichever. He didn’t trust her.
    He put down the last toy. “Of course. I’ve been warned to look surprised when Wally introduces me as the newest junior partner.”
    She laughed, stepping backward to allow him to join her in the hallway. “As though you’ve just wandered in from the street.”
    Dan chuckled. “Lost and lonely, looking for a litigation department that might take me in.”
    They walked up the internal staircase to the fortieth floor and into the big conference room at the west end.
    Wally Leith rushed forward to greet them. “Dan, great, you made it.”
    Dan followed Wally around the room, shaking hands and trying to match names and faces to the firm directory he’d studied over the weekend. Everyone seemed to be about fifteen years older and thirty pounds heavier than in their photos.
    Finally Wally called the meeting to order and everyone settled around the table. When his turn came, Dan spoke.
    “I’m pleased to join your firm. When Georgia left to become chief counsel for the junior senator from New Jersey, you needed someone to take over her complex litigation practice. As you can guess, this is perfect for me. At Justice, I only had one client, the US people—well, I guess I had three hundred million clients, depending on how you look at it. As I couldn’t bring them with me—”
    Everyone chuckled.
    “—I need a job where the clients are already waiting. So my thanks to Georgia Moran for following the lure of Washington, and to the partnership here for making me an offer I couldn’t refuse. There, see? I’m still making organized crime jokes—a thinly veiled reference to Blackjack McIntyre’s success sending T-Rex Reggiano to the federal pen. After that stunt, I had to know I wouldn’t be getting his job anytime soon.”
    As the laughter died, Dan sat back. First hurdle done.
    The discussion flowed to someone else’s war stories and Dan could relax.
    As Dan left the conference room, he checked his pad.
    “What do you need?” Vicky asked, falling into step with him. She’d tried to get him to sit with her, but he’d ignored her smiles and sat by one of the senior partners Dan met while being interviewed for the job.
    “I’m looking for the Delaware Room,” Dan said. Despite his studying over the weekend, he hadn’t thought to memorize the conference room names.
    Vicky patted his shoulder. “Not to worry. I’m on your team. We’ll go together.” Her hand stayed on his shoulder.
    Dan sighed. This one was going to be a problem. Like that summer intern—what was her name?—who’d stayed late so often that Dan had her reassigned to someone else’s case. He veered to his right just enough for Vicky’s hand to fall away.
    “Oh, look,” he said, spotting the men’s room. “Just tell me which room it is. I’ll be down in a minute.”
    Vicky pursed her lips like she’d sucked on a lemon, then relaxed her expression. “Sure thing. It’s the first room on the left after Reception. See you there.”
    When he found the room, it was already nearly full. Good God, did Complex Lit really need this many lawyers?
    “Hi, everyone. I’m Dan Howard. I’ve been hired to take over from Georgia.”
    There was a murmur of greetings.
    Dan took the seat at the head of the long table and did a quick head count. Eight lawyers? Insanity. But then the economics of a large law firm were paradoxical. And not all these bright young things worked full-time on Georgia’s—well, his—cases.
    “I’ve met a couple of you,” Dan said, studiously ignoring Vicky’s hundred-watt smile. “Still, let’s go around the room, shall we? Tell me