Near Miss

“I know it won’t be easy for you, but know that it will make life easier for you in a big law firm. And handle Bill Eggers, in particular, with kid gloves. He’s your managing partner, and your career rests in his hands, not yours.”

“I’ll remember that.”

“Forget it at your peril. You’re going to have to acquire some editorial skills when wagging your tongue. A slip can come back to haunt you, when you least expect it.”

“I understand.”

“I hope to God you do, or you’ll find yourself hanging out a shingle at an office in the cheapest neighborhood in the city. Remember, there are two words that can damn any young lawyer to hell in a handbasket. The words are ‘private practice.’ At cocktail parties, especially ones where there are a lot of lawyers present, hearing those words will cause eyes to glaze over.”

“You sound as if you want me to be afraid,” Carly said.

“Just a little fear can go a long way to make life in the law easier. And don’t talk to Herb Fisher the way you talk to me. He’s in a position to cut you off at the knees, if you annoy him or insult his intelligence. Remember, he’s almost as smart as you are, and he has a lot more political savvy — in office politics — so shut up, listen, and learn.”

“Oh, all right.”

“And no matter what you do, don’t let him get you into bed. He won’t tell anyone, but everybody in the office will know immediately.”

“If I don’t tell anybody, and he doesn’t tell anybody, how will they know?”

“They can smell it on the breeze,” Stone said. “Trust me.” He paused. “You haven’t slept with him already, have you?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“But you were thinking about it, weren’t you?”

“Oh, stop it.”

“Here’s how to handle this: pretend that everybody in the office thinks the two of you have slept together, so spend all your time convincing them you have not.”

“That makes a weird kind of sense.”

“Would you like to have dinner with Dino and me this evening? Bill Eggers will be joining us, too. It would be good for you to get some face time with him.”

“Sure.”

“You know P. J. Clarke’s?”

“Of course.”

“Meet us at the bar at six-thirty. Oh, and Dino’s a fount of information on everything cop, so listen to him!”

“Got it.”

They both hung up.

Chapter 17

Carly, characteristically, got to Clarke’s first. She was perched on a barstool, showing a lot of leg, sipping a martini, when Stone walked in with Matilda.

The two women sized each other up as introductions were made.

“How long have you been here?” Stone asked Carly.

“Five, ten minutes.”

“How many offers have you had?”

“About that many.”

“I hope you turned down all of them.”

“Well, not all of them. There were one or two acceptable applicants.”

“Be careful.”

“That’s all you ever say to me.”

“It’s all the words I can get in edgewise when you’re talking, which is all of the time.”

“Stone,” Matilda said. “I’m sure Carly can handle herself. I doubt this is the first time she’s been approached.”

“Oh, no,” Carly said. “Not even close. Would you like an exact number?”

Matilda chuckled as if Carly were joking.

“She’s not joking,” Stone said, then turned to Carly. “Perhaps you should save that information for another time.”

“If you think that’s best.”

“I do.”

Dino joined them.

“Hi, Dino,” Carly said.

“Hey, Carly. Congrats on your graduation, your new job, and whatever you got on the bar exam.”

“I can see that Stone is keeping you up to date.”

“It’s his job,” Dino said, “on those rare occasions when he knows more than I do about something — in this case, you.”

“Where are you living?” Stone asked her.

“On a leather sofa in Murray Hill,” she replied.

“I can do better than that. I’ve got an empty flat next door to my house, where my staff lives. There’s even room for your BMW convertible.”

“Oh, I negotiated for twenty-four-hour parking with Woodman & Weld,” she said.

“Smart move.”

“So, when can I make the smart move to your place?”

“Anytime you like.”

“My suitcase is in the cloakroom, as I was about to jump couches this evening,” she said. “How about after dinner?”

“That will be convenient.”

“Then my life will be complete.”

“You’re even more generous than I thought,” Matilda said to Stone. Though she smiled, there was no hiding her discomfort with the turn the conversation had taken.

“Only to those who’ve earned my generosity.”

“Like me?” She wrapped her arm through his, staking her claim.

“That goes without saying.”

“Please, do say it.”

“Like you.”

Bill Eggers walked in, and they used his arrival as an excuse to sit down at their table.

“What’s new, Bill?” Stone asked.

Eggers looked uncomfortable. “This can’t get out,” Eggers said. “I mean, it’ll be published next week, but it can’t get out until then.”

Stone thought Eggers looked about to bust. “You’ll have to trust us,” Stone said. “Otherwise, you’ll explode.”

Eggers flicked a glance at Matilda.

“Don’t worry, Bill. I vouch for her character. Not a whisper will escape her lips.”

Matilda mimed zipping her mouth closed.

Satisfied, Eggers turned to face Carly. “It’s about you.”

“Oh,” she said. “You’ve found out already?”

“Found out about what?” Eggers asked.

“You, first.”