Riptide - By Lindsey Scheibe Page 0,33
family left a country they loved was safety and opportunity. That’s why I’m going pro bono. Those are the peeps I’m going to help. For-real help. I’ll earn my chops with a big firm, then break off and do my thing.
I open the door to the office. Teresa looks up. I smile. “Morning, Mamacita.” She does the Look. “What is it with you women and the Look?” I ask. “I swear I’m on my best behavior.” Her eyebrows rise higher. Didn’t know that was possible. I lay on a thick accent to mess with her. “Watch out, they might get stuck.” She starts to protest. I slide her tea from Lola’s over. “Chai tea. Para ti.”
She smiles. “Gracias.”
I nod. “De nada.”
Then I sit in my usual spot. Brianna will show up any minute. Hop will roll in last with his latest crazy bus story.
The door opens and Brianna blazes in with extensions, hundreds of tiny new braids, all over her head. She’s wearing another sexy office outfit. White slacks that show off curvy hips. A dark brown top that hugs full curves. Even her shoes are cute. I let loose a quiet whistle.
Instead of giving me the Look, she says, “You too.”
I pull my shirt away from my chest like I’m burning up. “Well, I am wearing clean clothes. And I did iron them this morning.”
She laughs and sits down next to me. “Ford, you’re a funny guy.”
“What’s the difference between fun and fungi?”
She leans in. “I don’t know. What?”
“One gets you ladies. The other gets you eaten.”
She pushes my arm. “That was bad.”
Grace’s little act last night still burns me. The royal flush was a royal pain. I flash Brianna a wicked grin and alternate flexing my pecs. “I’m a bad boy.”
She leans down and grabs the bag of tortas Ma made for the office. “What did we bring today?”
Hop walks in as I say, “Tortas.”
He says, “Dude. My fave. Can I have one? Breakfast was more of a wish than a reality this morning. I was running late.”
Brianna and I eye each other and shake our heads in disbelief. I say, “You? Late? Never.”
She dangles the sack in the air.
Hop reaches for it. Brianna drops it in my lap and blocks me with her body. Her legs feel good pressed against mine.
Hop says, “C’mon. Where’s the hope s’nst for Hop?” Then he says, “Fine. I’ll tell jokes until you relent.”
Brianna turns around and grabs the bag out of my lap, so fast that her boobs brush my biceps. And while she’s handing over a couple of tortas, I enjoy the warm feeling of Brianna on my arm.
Teresa takes a sip of tea before saying, “This is a law office. And some mornings the three of you are one clown short of a circus.”
We all pause midair. Teresa made a joke. A funny one.
Hop finishes his bite of torta. “You’ve been holding out on us.”
She deadpans, “Someone has to keep you hopping, Hop.”
We all crack up.
She shoos us down the hall. “Go to Jada. She might have something new for you this morning.”
We race down the hallway freaking out about the possibility of moving beyond stamping, sorting, and labeling.
Jada greets us with a grunt as she struggles to move a box twice her size.
Hop and I rush over to help her. I say, “Where would you like it?”
Jada steps away and rubs at her wrists. “In the corner …
I’m expecting to receive quite a load regarding the Thompson case today.”
“Dang. This is heavy.” I heft it over there. Then I turn around. “Next time feel free to wait for me or Hop to get here.”
She gives a terse grin. “How fast are you on the freeway? I have a doc that needs to be delivered within the hour.”
I think about Esmerelda breaking down and I shrug, embarrassed. “Um, my truck isn’t always reliable. I wouldn’t want to miss the deadline ’cause I’m on the side of the road.”
Hop says, “Who needs a license when the mass transportation options are so alluring?”
Brianna says, “We can take my car, if Ford will drive for me. I don’t do downtown traffic unless I’m desperate.”
Jada says, “Deal. Hop, you’re with me for the next hour. I’m going to show you how to transcribe affidavits.”
Ugh. I’m driving around in a car and Hop gets to learn the cool stuff.
Hop doesn’t say a word, which in itself is way louder than if he had said something. And the grin on his face is more than