Resisting Redemption Read online

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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  Copyright © 2017 Amabel Daniels

  ISBN 978-0-9969271-4-7

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  Thank you.

  Dedication

  For Brooke. You’re now the middle, but you’ll always be the baby.

  Acknowledgments

  I owe many thanks to the people who helped make this book a reality. My critique partners and beta readers: Allyson, Emma, Dawn, Michelle, Catherine, Kelly, Kelly, Laura, and Becky. For explaining details of criminal law, I thank Greg Gilchrist. For their excellent editing, I thank Elise Hepner at www.inkabyssediting.com and C.J. Pinard at www.cjpinard.com. For this cover, I thank Kellie Dennis at www.bookcoverbydesign.co.uk/.

  I am grateful for the cheerleading and support from all my friends and family. It may not seem like I’m working when staring off into space, plotting and brainstorming, but that’s the true nature of a writer, and I thank my husband and daughters for allowing me to explore this dream.

  Chapter One

  “We no longer have a position for you.”

  You’ve got to be shitting me. Roxie Malone tilted her head to the side, slanting her right ear closer to the teeny woman standing in front of her in the lobby of the law firm, as though repositioning her head would alter the news.

  Not a lay-off. And it wasn’t a termination—again.

  “Excuse me? You’ve hired someone else?” Roxie asked Lisa, Lena, no, Lia, the skittish woman who had interviewed her the day before and offered her the job on the spot, almost desperately.

  “It seems you, uh…” Behind the receptionist’s desk, Lia wrung her hands together.

  “I did not wake up this early to not start the first day of my job. Spit it out. Please. What’s changed your mind since yesterday?”

  Background check, moron. Her shoulders sagged. They must have found out I killed…

  Just her damn luck. The salary of the assistant job was too good to be true. And for them to eagerly jump on offering her the position…

  Juanita, the older Hispanic office manager of Kaniz & Associates, who had also interviewed Roxie and set her up with reams of forms to complete, entered the lobby, nodding her head in a silent hello.

  “It seems…on your insurance forms, you have a dependent,” Lia said.

  “Yes. My daughter, Lucy. I’m sure I’ve filled in all the blanks on the forms.” The promise of health coverage for her eight-month-old was one reason Roxie appreciated her lucky break of securing the job.

  The other draw being the eighty-grand lump sum bonus guaranteed at the end of the year.

  “That’s just it,” Lia said, checking with a glance to Juanita at her side. Juanita almost smiled while she stowed her purse under the desk. Like she, too, was aware of the issue preventing Roxie from employment.

  “What is?” Roxie crossed her arms.

  “Grant isn’t a very family-friendly sort of individual.”

  “And?” Roxie failed to see what her to-be-boss’s opinion of her familial status had to do with her ability to assist him.

  “It’s probably best you not work for him. He’s a particular individual,” Juanita explained. “With his return from leave, coming right into this case with Tara…”

  Lia piped up. “It just wouldn’t work.”

  “Let me get this straight. You’re prohibiting me from employment, smack in the face, blunt discrimination, at a law firm, simply because I’ve given birth to a child? Because I’m a single mother?”

  “Grant has high expectations from his assistants. He is under a lot of pressure, and—”

  “And I can’t pander to him just because I’m a parent? I told you yesterday the twenty-four on-call stipulation was no problem. Have we fallen back into the fifties or something? This is…preposterous!”

  “I remember why we wanted you to take the position,” Juanita muttered, mostly to Lia. “Certainly bold enough to deal with him. We’ve already depleted our pool of junior associates and law students.” She straightened. “We might still be able to use you. Perhaps we can have you assist Stuart, the lead private investigation contractor we employ—”

  “Does that position have the eighty-grand bonus?” Roxie asked.

  “No.” Lia dared a slight smile. “Honestly, that bonus was more of a joke.”

  I knew I shouldn’t have applied. Joke? Roxie fought the urge to grind her molars down. They found it comedic to dangle that much money in front of job applicants? Not all of us wipe our asses with dollar bills. That bonus is the only reason I’m forcing myself to want this job so badly.

  Her last experience with legal representatives should have taught her a lesson. Goddamn lawyers. Of course, she’d gotten herself in the mess that previously landed her in court, and she’d stumbled her way out of the disastrous consequences, fair and square. Life was nothing if not tough. “There isn’t a bonus at all? It was a joke?”

  “Well, sure, if we could get someone to actually stick with Grant for that long, we’d pay up.” Juanita shook her head. “Hell, if we could get a single person to make it to the end of the first day with him, I’d vouch for a small upfront cash bonus.”

  “Want to put your money where your mouth is?” Roxie shoved the strap of her purse higher on her shoulder and challenged the woman to a handshake. “How much? I’m game.”

  “Miss Malone, all due respect, you’re not the best fit for assisting Grant.”

  Like you know me at all.

  “I’ll prove you wrong.” She’d be damned if she looked for another job, or suffered through another interview panel. After an abrupt end to nearly a decade of studying veterinary medicine, her choices were slim. Either grab this assistant job with unusually better than market pay—with the bonus—or eke out a living as a part-time minimum-wage dog groomer.

  Food stamps weren’t below her. Operating on a poverty-level budget wouldn’t kill her. But the debts… All the legal fees, the immediate repayment of mountains of school loans, the remaining bills for the funerals. No, Roxie needed this money, no matter how much she loathed the prospect of being some stuffy old lawyer’s brainless gopher.

  Lia and Juanita shared a look.

  “She did show up early,” Juanita said, eyeing Roxie. “You know how he is abo
ut punctuality.”

  Courtesy of Lucy’s crack-of-dawn teething cries.

  “And she is awfully confident,” Lia added.

  Juanita shrugged. “No harm in giving you a chance. Not like we have a runner-up to consider.”

  “Just, well, just don’t tell him,” Lia said.

  “Don’t tell him that I have a baby?” Roxie scoffed.

  “Right.”

  “I didn’t exactly intend to broadcast the news to a stranger.”

  “I’m just saying…it might bias his opinion of you.”

  “He can’t fire me because I’m a mom.”

  “But he might get picky if you’re not available,” Lia warned.

  “Oh, trust me. I’ll be beyond available. I’m taking this job because I need that money. If I can handle a fussy infant, I can handle a fussy man.”

  Becoming some rich ass attorney’s assistant wasn’t going to be enough to solve her problems, but it was a start. A paycheck, for one.

  “Follow me then,” Lia said. “I’ll show you how the typical day starts. First stop, caffeine.”

  Rushing after Lia as they exited the skyscraper that housed Kaniz & Associates law firm, Roxie hoped she wouldn’t miss any of the rambling details the woman spouted as she walked. Assuming she’d be in an office all day, Roxie hadn’t thought to dress for the chilly March breeze. She rubbed her arms together as Lia led the way.

  “He prefers a Dirty Chai. Only a Dirty Chai. No sugar. Definitely no coffee in the morning. If he’s having a rough day, which has been every day since he’s returned, he’ll take an iced black coffee in the afternoon,” Lia went on, reading from her phone as she strode down the sidewalk.

  For a short woman, she sure was fast. Roxie doubled her steps. City life operated at a different pace than the country. “Dirty Chai? What the heck is that?”

  Lia glanced up and gave a small smile as Roxie caught up. “Sorry, I’m a fast walker. Dirty Chai tea. It’s a must in the morning. You need to have it as soon as he comes in. Hand it to him even before you can say ‘good morning’.”

  “Does he even exchange polite salutations such as ‘good morning’?”

  “Well, in case he ever does. That’s why I’m rushing now. He hasn’t had a standard assistant in the week since he’s returned from his leave, and I’ve been making do in the meantime. I’m only temping as an assistant office manager, but I’ve learned that he requires that Dirty Chai ASAP.”

  Roxie nodded. “Dirty Chai, pronto. Got it.”

  “Only from Starbucks. Now the black iced coffee in the afternoon, that’s only if he asks for it.”

  “Does he ask, or does he demand?” Roxie beat Lia to the coffee shop’s door and held it open for her.

  “I suppose he might ask,” Lia said. “I’ve never paid attention. Guess it doesn’t matter.”

  Roxie rolled her eyes.

  Waiting in line at Starbucks, they were surrounded by equally overly-busy, grim-faced morning commuters. Too people-y for Roxie’s liking. “Must be nice.”

  “What?”

  “Being a picky, old man exempts him from manners.”

  “Grant may be particular, but he’s not…he’s not elderly,” Lia said as they waited for the drink.

  “Assumed he might be. Younger people seem to be, you know, more flexible.” Hadn’t spent enough time on Earth to have their heads shoved that far up their asses.

  “Grant is about your age, actually.” Lia sighed. “Maybe he’ll go easier on you since you’re more of a peer. Not some law school kid he feels he has to babysit before firing them and making them cry. I’m just hoping to have someone to support him through this insane case, to get him on a better track.”

  Roxie doubted she was the person to mentor others to meet their goals when she could hardly manage her own. “Well, I don’t scare easily.”

  Lia frowned. “Why are you doing this? You have no experience with the law, according to the preliminary background check.”

  Then again, maybe they don’t know I was more or less charged with murder…

  “I told you. I need the money.”

  “Ah. Right.” Lia avoided making eye contact.

  “Oh geez. It’s not that uncomfortable of a topic. I bet the majority of people in this sardine tin have needed money at some time in their lives. Debt’s not rare.” Maybe mine is. But I made my bed and I’ll sleep in it.

  “It’s none of my business. I just want to make sure you’re not, well, just that you’ll stick to this job. He’s been through a rough patch.”

  “If you’re hiring me, I’d say my financial status is your business. If you’ve offered me work this quickly, I must have met the bare minimum muster. I just, uh…left vet school. I’ve got a lot of loans. I lost my job and needed a new one.”

  “True…”

  “Tell me more about Mr. Dirty Chai. What should I expect?”

  Lia took out her phone. “Right. Grant. I’m going to forward you his calendar and contacts. Most of the associates share their agendas in the inner-office program.” She pulled out a binder of paper from her bag. “This is a manual Juanita put together last year.”

  Roxie accepted the bound stack of papers. “An employee manual?”

  “Um, that’s in the back, I think. Mostly it’s notes on him.”

  He. Him. Mr. Dirty Chai. Grant. “You have a book on how to handle one man?”

  “Like I said, he may be picky.”

  Roxie shook her head and skimmed the table of contents. “I’ve underestimated that word.”

  “You can go over it in detail later. It’s mostly his preferences. Grant has always worked like a lone wolf. For a celebrity case like this, a superstar sports figure accused of shooting a famous musician”—she snorted—“Grant should have the usual crew of twenty staffers and aides. But he does his best, or he used to, on his own with minimal help. You’re merely here to make sure he doesn’t have to worry about anything other than the case. You’ll be handling a lot of his day-to-day needs and running errands, so this book will be a trusty guide.”

  “I’m his gopher. Get coffee and run around. Got it.”

  “Not coffee. Only if he asks for it. Dirty Chai,” Lia reminded her and handed her the ordered drink.

  “Right. He likes the dirty.” Roxie shoved the manual in her purse and took the cup.

  Lia led the way back to the sidewalk. “It seems like a lot, but I’ve found that most assistants refer to the manual as a backup directory. Grant hates to be bothered with mundane questions and he is usually tied up on the phone or speaking to clients, so it’s nice to have a reference.”

  “Don’t ask questions. Refer to manual. Got it.”

  “He really is particular about questions.”

  “Never ask questions. Got it. Wait, am I allowed to ask you or Juanita questions?”

  “Sure. I want to see him succeed, and if I help you to succeed, then that’s helping him.”

  “Okay.”

  “Now the schedule is a bit tricky. Like we explained yesterday, you’re basically on when he’s on. That’s the reason Juanita changed the pay from hourly to salary. Grant can work odd and long hours. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll need to be at his side every minute, but he’ll need access to you via phone at all times.”

  “Even at two in the morning?” Roxie asked.

  “It doesn’t happen often. Grant prefers to text or email, so he shouldn’t be interfering with your personal life.”

  “If he’s on all day and night, and I’m on when he’s on, how do I have a personal life?”

  Lia hesitated. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen an assistant last longer than a day to know how that might work.”

  Roxie harbored the beginning of regret for what she blindly signed up for. At times, it was difficult to be a working single mother to an eight-month-old daughter. And to additionally babysit a lawyer 24/7? At least at Jimmy’s ranch she’d been lucky enough to live at her place of employment, keeping Lucy and the job in
absolute proximity.

  What have I gotten into? She wrapped her jacket closer to her torso. Didn’t matter, anyway, her best option was to take the job and tough it out to provide for Lucy.

  Lia continued. “He requires a lot of tracking, as well. Papers from the courthouse. Files. Fetching forms from clients. I expect you’ll be running around quite a bit.”

  “So I won’t be a slave tethered to his side?”

  “He’ll request that you accompany him on some occasions, but he really is a loner. That’s part of the problem. He’s trying hard, working hard, but he can’t handle it himself after all that happened.”

  “What has happened…?” This ambiguous rough patch, Roxie assumed.

  “He’s been in a nasty mood since his divorce. He was rumored to be the next in line for partner, until the divorce. His performance kind of sank, and he finally gave in and took a short personal leave of absence. Only returned this past week. Here we are.” Lia consulted her watch. “We’re still early. That’s good. He typically works out in the gym on the first floor before reporting to work. It’s best if we beat him to the office.” She waved to the doorman at the entrance of the steel-toned building.

  “This way.” Lia led her to the elevators. She pushed the button for the twentieth floor. “Now, the divorce. It was about three months ago. They were very private about it. Grant doesn’t speak about it. She doesn’t either.”

  “The ex-wife?” Roxie asked.

  Lia tipped her head toward the new occupant on the elevator. As soon as they were alone again, she continued. “Yes, their divorce is not a topic to bring up.”

  “Why would anyone at his workplace bring up his family matters? And why would I need to know if the ex-wife discusses it?”

  “Tara works here as well.”

  Roxie’s jaw dropped. “He works with his ex-wife?” How much more complicated was this man going to be?

  “She’s a senior associate. They both are,” Lia explained. “But, like I said, they don’t discuss it.”