The King of Torts by John Grisham Read Free Book Online Page B

Yet there he sat slugging down Scotch and yapping away about a new stadium for $400 million and a franchise fee of $200 million and a payroll of at least $100 million.
    Their steaks arrived just when the salads were finished, thus sparing Clay another tortured moment of conversation with nothing to stuff in his mouth. Rebecca was ignoring him and he was certainly ignoring her. The fight would come very soon.
    There were stories about the Guv, a close personal friend who was putting his machine in place to run for the Senate and of course he wanted Bennett in the middle of things. A couple of his hottest deals were revealed. There was talk of a new airplane, but this had been going on for some time and Bennett just couldn’t find the one he wanted. The meal seemed to last for two hours, but only ninety minutes had passed when they declined dessert and started wrapping things up.
    Clay thanked Bennett and Barb for the food and promised again to move quickly on the job down in Richmond. “The chance of a lifetime,” Bennett said gravely. “Don’t screw it up.”
    When Clay was certain they were gone, he asked Rebecca to step into the bar for a minute. They waited for their drinks to arrive before either spoke. Whenthings were tense both had the tendency to wait for the other to fire first.
    “I didn’t know about the job in Richmond,” she began.
    “I find that hard to believe. Seems like the entire family was in on the deal. Your mother certainly knew about it.”
    “My father is just concerned about you, that’s all.”
    Your father is an idiot, he wanted to say. “No, he’s concerned about you . Can’t have you marrying a guy with no future, so he’ll just manage the future for us. Don’t you think it’s presumptuous to decide he doesn’t like my job so he’ll find me another one?”
    “Maybe he’s just trying to help. He loves the favors game.”
    “But why does he assume I need help?”
    “Maybe you do.”
    “I see. Finally the truth.”
    “You can’t work there forever, Clay. You’re good at what you do and you care about your clients, but maybe it’s time to move on. Five years at OPD is a long time. You’ve said so yourself.”
    “Maybe I don’t want to live in Richmond. Perhaps I’ve never thought about leaving D.C. What if I don’t want to work under one of your father’s cronies? Suppose the idea of being surrounded by a bunch of local politicians does not appeal to me? I’m a lawyer, Rebecca, not a paper pusher.”
    “Fine. Whatever.”
    “Is this job an ultimatum?”
    “In what way?”
    “In every way. What if I say no?”
    “I think you’ve already said no, which, by the way, is pretty typical. A snap decision.”
    “Snap decisions are easy when the choice is obvious. I’ll find my own jobs, and I certainly didn’t ask your father to call in a favor. But what happens if I say no?”
    “Oh, I’m sure the sun will come up.”
    “And your parents?”
    “I’m sure they’ll be disappointed.”
    “And you?”
    She shrugged and sipped her drink. Marriage had been discussed on several occasions but no agreement had been reached. There was no engagement, certainly no timetable. If one wanted out, there was sufficient wiggle room, though it would be a tight squeeze. But after four years of (1) dating no one else, and (2) continually reaffirming their love for each other, and (3) having sex at least five times a week, the relationship was headed toward permanent status.
    However, she was not willing to admit the truth that she wanted a break from her career, and a husband and a family and then maybe no career at all. They were still competing, still playing the game of who was more important. She could not admit that she wanted a husband to support her.
    “I don’t care, Clay,” she said. “It’s just a job offer, not a Cabinet appointment. Say no if you want to.”
    “Thank you.” And suddenly he felt like a jerk. What if Bennett had simply been trying to help? He