Me and My Big Mouth by Becky Black

Author:Becky Black [Black, Becky]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-03-23T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 3

Max didn’t talk to Owen about it on Monday. He kept himself busy, and since Owen was out a lot of the day in court, it wasn’t too hard to avoid him. By Tuesday afternoon, the strategy was working so well, they’d barely exchanged two words.

Tuesday afternoon. After the end of today, he’d have done five full days working here. A whole working week. Next step, a fortnight. After that, the nearly unchartered territory of a month. But could he stay working here with Owen going around being simultaneously gorgeous and unapproachable?

“Sagan,” Mr Bell said, coming out of his office, “we want coffee for two in the conference room, immediately.”

“Yes, sir.” Max jumped to it, heading for the little kitchen and putting the kettle on. In most of Max’s other jobs, making the coffee had involved a kettle, a mug, a teaspoon of instant coffee, and a splash of semi-skimmed.

Not here.

As the kettle boiled, he scooped freshly ground coffee into a French press. He arranged the best cups, saucers, and spoons on a tray. He put out some fancy biscuits—which he’d been told plainly by Mrs Barstow were for solicitors and clients only, not the likes of him. He added a jug of fresh cream and the bowl of sugar—making sure none of the sugar was clumped together thanks to inconsiderate people putting wet spoons in it. Clumped sugar was unacceptable to the senior partners, and packets of sugar looked “common,” according to Mrs Barstow.

The kettle clicked off, and he filled the French press. The amazing aroma of fresh coffee rose up. He placed the lid on carefully, picked up the tray, and headed for the conference room. The door was slightly ajar when he approached. He heard the voices of Mr Bell and Mr Pringle in there. He stopped by the door, trying to arrange things so he could hang onto the tray and knock, heard them speaking.

“Hart says we should take both of them on,” Mr Pringle said. “That there’s enough work for two.”

“Loves spending the firm’s money, doesn’t he?” Mr Bell replied. “Do we have to take either of them?”

“We do need one new solicitor.”

They were talking about Noah and Penny, Max realised. Both would be finished with their two years as trainees soon and would be fully qualified solicitors. He held his breath and listened for a moment longer, knowing he shouldn’t. They’d clam up as soon as he came in the room. But if he got at least a hint of good news he could pass on to Noah…

“We can take someone from outside,” Mr Bell said. “I know some good men who are about to qualify. I mean, what has it come to when we’ve got a poof telling us to take on both a skirt and a darky? My father would turn in his grave.”

Max gasped and froze.

“Political bloody correctness,” Pringle agreed.

For a moment, Max was locked in place, common sense warring with rage. Fury boiled and bubbled inside him, desperate to burst out.

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