Tides of Truth [03] Greater Love (18 page)

“That’s nice, but it’s just a formality, not the signing of the Declaration of Independence.”

“I couldn’t make it to Philadelphia for that, so I’ll let this be my substitute,” she said with a twinkle in her blue eyes. “Don’t argue with me, or I’ll call Christine and tell her you’re being mean to me.”

“You wouldn’t do that.”

“I’m trying to turn over a new leaf in life, but if you press me I could revert to my old, manipulative ways.”

I laughed. It was worth a pretend argument to enjoy a few moments with Mrs. Fairmont so clearly in touch with her full faculties.

“Yes, ma’am. Don’t revert. That would be scary. Just promise that if you don’t feel well, you won’t insist on going. I don’t want to be worrying about you when I should be focusing on raising my right hand and not my left hand to take the oath.”

Mrs. Fairmont scratched Flip’s head. “There’s a dress in the back of my closet that would be the perfect thing to wear. I hope I can still fit into it.”

Keeping weight on Mrs. Fairmont, not watching calories, was the challenge at this stage of her life.

T
HURSDAY MORNING
I
HEARD THE QUICK PATTER OF
F
LIP’S FEET
on the wooden stairs, followed by the much slower click of Mrs. Fairmont’s shoes coming slowly behind him. I went into the foyer. The elderly lady saw me and gave a quick wave before clutching the railing to take another step.

“I can’t believe I used to wear these shoes all the time,” she said. “I feel like I’m walking on stilts.”

Low heels were strapped around her ankles. She was wearing a light blue dress that shimmered. A diamond and sapphire necklace was draped around her neck. More diamonds glittered on her fingers.

“Then don’t wear them,” I said. “Your white shoes with the silver buckles would go with that outfit.”

“Child, those shoes are so scuffed up I wouldn’t wear them to the grocery store. I called Sam Braddock yesterday, and he told me the swearing-in ceremony was almost a formal affair.”

“You talked to Mr. Braddock?”

“He’s my lawyer, at least until tomorrow, and I’ll switch to you.”

“My first piece of legal advice is that you stick with Mr. Braddock.”

Mrs. Fairmont reached the bottom of the stairs and let out a sigh of relief.

“You look beautiful,” I said. “What do you think about my outfit?”

I’d selected a yellow dress that was the second-fanciest item in my humble wardrobe. Mrs. Fairmont pressed her lips together in a tight smile for a moment before answering.

“A beautiful girl like you makes the outfit, not the other way around. And you’re lovely on the inside, which is very rare.”

I stepped forward and gave her a big hug. The night before, she’d not been feeling well, and I’d wondered if she’d be able to attend the ceremony. But a night’s rest and a few prayers made a difference. She seemed very alert.

“Not too hard,” she said, patting me on the back. “It took me over an hour to build this facade, and it needs to last until we come home.”

Mrs. Fairmont talked the whole way to the courthouse. She knew the history of many of the houses we passed and remembered people and events from decades ago. I’d heard some of her stories several times, but instead of reminding her, I used my previous knowledge to ask questions I knew she enjoyed answering. When I parked the car, Mrs. Fairmont lowered the sun visor and checked herself in the mirror on the other side.

“There’s no statute of limitations on a woman’s concern about the appearance of her hair,” I said.

Mrs. Fairmont carefully smoothed a stray strand in place. “You never know who might be here. There might be a man I find interesting.”

I laughed, and we got out of the car. Thankfully, we didn’t have to walk very far in the morning heat. Mrs. Fairmont took small steps. I matched her pace. One of the younger lawyers from Braddock, Appleby, and Carpenter passed us on the sidewalk without acknowledging my presence. I knew I might receive a cool reception from members of the firm.

We rode the elevator to the upstairs courtroom where the swearing-in ceremony would be held. A few people I didn’t know were gathering. Julie, Vince, and Zach hadn’t arrived. I led Mrs. Fairmont to a seat on the front row so her view wouldn’t be blocked.

“Do you want to introduce me as your great-grandmother?” Mrs. Fairmont whispered.

“You’re not that old, and it wouldn’t be true.”

“You’re right. No one could look at your long legs and believe we’re from the same family tree.”

“I’m honored to have you here. It’s sweet that you wanted to come.”

“Margaret?” An older woman across the room waved in our direction. “Is that you?”

Mrs. Fairmont squinted slightly, then smiled. “It’s Harriet Wilson. I haven’t seen her in ages.”

Mrs. Wilson, who was about ten years younger than Mrs. Fairmont, came over. After Mrs. Fairmont introduced me to her, the two women sat down and began chatting. The back door of the courtroom opened, and the lawyers from Braddock, Appleby, and Carpenter entered in royal procession, with Mr. Braddock and Vince in front. Zach saw me and smiled.

Maggie and Julie came in behind the group from the firm. I immediately spotted Julie’s mother, a fifty-year-old version of her daughter. Julie’s father was a short, balding man in a dark suit. Maggie and Julie saw me and joined us. I was glad Mrs. Fairmont wanted to come. It made me feel less alone and like a hillbilly outsider. The diamonds on her fingers were at least as large as the ones shown off by Julie’s mother.

Judge Cannon, the senior superior court judge, strode into the room as the clerk of court called out, “All rise!”

Six people, three women and three men, were going to be sworn in. In addition to Julie, Vince, and me, there was a young man who would be joining the public defender’s office, a woman who would be taking over Maggie’s place at the district attorney’s office, and a young man joining another small law firm. Mr. Braddock came to the front with Vince and introduced him.

“Your Honor, it is my privilege to introduce Vince Colbert, who will be working with me in the transactional and estate-planning area of the firm. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Vanderbilt University and a magna cum laude graduate of Yale Law School, where he served on the staff of the
Yale Law Journal
.”

Everyone clapped. Vince’s academic and legal pedigree was impressive. Seeing him standing beside Mr. Braddock, I had no doubt Vince’s future would be one of unqualified success. Maggie stood and motioned to me. I joined her at the front of the room.

“Your Honor, it is my privilege to introduce Tami Taylor, who will be working in our firm. She graduated from Berry College and the University of Georgia School of Law.”

The applause was more muted except for Julie, who let out a whoop that caused the judge to glance in her direction. I returned to my seat beside Mrs. Fairmont, who patted me on the hand. Julie, who was on the other side of me, leaned over and whispered, “I should have brought an air horn.”

“I’m supposed to be the redneck.”

Julie’s mother beamed when her daughter was introduced. Seeing her joy made me miss Daddy and Mama, but they wouldn’t have felt comfortable in the room. Next up was the young woman who was going to work in the district attorney’s office. She was related to Harriet Wilson.

“That’s Harriet’s great-niece by the second daughter her sister had with her first husband.”

“Good,” I answered, not commenting on the information, but rather Mrs. Fairmont’s ability to remember and communicate it.

After everyone was introduced, the judge instructed all the admittees to rise for the administration of the oath. Standing next to her, I was especially aware of how much taller I was than Julie. After we finished the oath, Judge Cannon said a few words of congratulation to us and our families. As he finished his remarks, he motioned to the court administrator standing near the jury box.

“Except for Mr. Baldwin, who will be joining the public defender’s office, and Ms. Crittenden, who will be prosecuting Mr. Baldwin’s clients, give your name and contact information to Ms. Coutts so you can be placed on the appointed list. Pro bono work should be part of every lawyer’s caseload. For the first three years of your practice in this circuit, it won’t be an option. Court is adjourned.”

“What kind of appointed cases?” I asked Julie as we waited our turn to see the court administrator.

“I guess criminal cases like the ones we did last summer.”

Julie had easily taken care of her case. The Moses Jones case assigned to me had been a huge responsibility. We reached the court administrator, and I repeated my question.

“Whatever the judges want to give you,” she replied. “It could be anything, criminal, juvenile, even general civil.”

“I guess that’s what it means to be an officer of the court,” Julie said. “We’re the privates; the judges are the generals.”

“That’s correct,” Judge Cannon said.

We turned around and found the senior judge’s dark eyes boring holes through us.

“Ms. Feldman and Ms. Taylor, correct?” the judge asked.

“Yes, sir,” I answered.

“Yes, Your Honor.” Julie nodded. “I didn’t mean any disrespect.”

“Of course not,” the judge answered without smiling. “I’ll be on the watch for something special that will challenge you and make you feel less like a private.”

“I’m ready to serve,” Julie said.

“I’ll make sure of that,” the judge replied. “I look forward to seeing both of you in my courtroom.”

The judge left. Julie and I watched until he was a safe distance away.

“I didn’t like the sound of that,” Julie said. “What’s he going to do when he gets us in his courtroom? Hold us in contempt for not wearing a color-coordinated outfit? We’ve not been sworn in five minutes, and we’re on the outs with the presiding superior court judge.”

“He was talking to you, not me.”

“Don’t be so preachy,” Julie replied. “You’re the one who went judge-shopping last summer to get what you wanted for your client. Don’t kid yourself. He’s not forgotten about it.”

I glanced across the courtroom and saw Mrs. Fairmont was talking to Sam Braddock. She motioned me to come over. The senior partner of the firm had a smile on his face.

“Congratulations, Ms. Taylor,” he said, extending his hand. “I’m confident you’ll be a fine attorney, and I want to thank you for being such a tremendous help to Margaret.”

“And Flip,” Mrs. Fairmont added.

Mr. Braddock cleared his throat. “Right, did she mention our discussion about Flip’s future a few months ago?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Are you agreeable?”

“Yes.”

Mr. Braddock leaned forward. “It’s generally better for matters like that to be handled in an informal way. Margaret told me you’d be open to the idea, but I wanted to make sure myself.”

“I love Flip,” I said, deliberately using strong words of affection to reassure Mrs. Fairmont.

“See, I told you,” she said with satisfaction to Mr. Braddock. “That settles it. I don’t want Christine to bully either one of you.”

“Together, we can hold our own,” Mr. Braddock replied with a gentle smile to me.

Mr. Braddock moved away, leaving me relieved at the cordial conversation with the senior partner of the firm. Mrs. Fairmont yawned.

“It’s time to take you home,” I said.

“No, you should stay for the party.”

“There’s not going to be a party.”

“Sam said there was going to be one.”

“That’s for his firm.”

Mrs. Fairmont rubbed her temples. “Maybe you’re right about leaving. My head is starting to hurt.”

“You need to be relaxing in your den chair.”

We made our way to the center aisle where Zach and Vince met us. We congratulated each other. Zach leaned over and gave me a quick hug. Then, to my surprise, Vince did the same.

“Mrs. Fairmont is tired and not feeling well,” I said quickly. “I need to take her home.”

“We’ll talk later,” Zach said.

I ushered Mrs. Fairmont down the aisle. At the rear door, we encountered Mr. Carpenter, who was returning to the courtroom. He bowed his head slightly to Mrs. Fairmont.

“Good to see you, Margaret,” he said.

She gave him a puzzled look.

“And you, too, Mr. Carpenter,” I spoke for her. “Vince is going to be a great asset to the firm.”

“I’m glad you approve,” he replied in a condescending tone.

I didn’t slow down to try to explain my comment but gently guided Mrs. Fairmont out of the courtroom. Within forty-five minutes she had changed into comfortable clothes and was napping in her chair with Flip content at her feet.

I
BEGAN TO FEEL MORE AND MORE CONFIDENT AT THE OFFICE
with each passing day. Problems that seemed overwhelmingly obscure and complex at first reading became solvable when broken down into smaller parts.

One afternoon, Shannon buzzed me in my office. Since Sister Dabney’s visit to the office, the secretary receptionist had treated me with casual indifference.

“Zach Mays on line two,” she said.

“Busy?” he asked when I answered.

“Yes. And you?”

“Not too bad. Hey, I want to go for a motorcycle ride this evening after supper. It would be a thousand times better if you’d come with me. I promise to get you home before dark.”

“Isn’t it supposed to rain?”

“No, I checked the weather before I called and it’s moving north of here. Say yes, and I’ll buy you an ice cream. It won’t be as good as the homemade stuff we ate with your family, but I know a local place where it’s edible.”

I loved ice cream. “Will I have to eat it riding in the sidecar?”

“No, but it might go well with a sunset.”

An ice cream and a sunset might thaw out the chill my job choice had caused in our relationship.

“An ice cream and sunset sounds wonderful.”

When I hung up the phone, Julie stuck her head in my open door.

“Did I hear you say ice cream and sunset?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“With Zach?”

I nodded. Julie grinned.

“Sharing a cone with a man while the sun sinks below the waves is about as romantic as it gets. Get orange sherbet. It’ll go perfectly with the sunset.”