Jennifer left the office at five o"clock and went home to change. She spent two hours bathing and dressing for Adam, and when she was finished she studied herself critically in the mirror. Then she defiantly combed out her carefully coiffured hair and tied it back with a green ribbon. That"s better That"s better, she thought. I"m a lawyer going to have dinner with another lawyer. I"m a lawyer going to have dinner with another lawyer. But when she closed the door she left behind a faint fragrance of rose and jasmine. But when she closed the door she left behind a faint fragrance of rose and jasmine.
Lutece was nothing like what Jennifer had expected. A French tricolor flew above the entrance of the small town house. Inside, a narrow hall led to a small bar and beyond was a sunroom, bright and gay, with porch wicker and plaid tablecloths. Jennifer was met at the door by the owner, Andre Soltner.
"May I help you?"
"I"m meeting Mr. Adam Warner. I think I"m a little early."
He waved Jennifer toward the small bar. "Would you care for a drink while you are waiting, Miss Parker?"
"That would be nice," Jennifer said. "Thank you."
"I"ll send a waiter over."
Jennifer took a seat and amused herself watching the bejeweled and mink-draped women arriving with their escorts. Jennifer had read and heard about Lutece. It was reputed to be Jacqueline Kennedy"s favorite restaurant and to have excellent food.
A distinguished-looking gray-haired man walked up to Jennifer and said, "Mind if I join you for a moment?"
Jennifer stiffened. "I"m waiting for someone," she began. "He should be here-"
He smiled and sat down. "This isn"t a pickup, Miss Parker." Jennifer looked at him in surprise, unable to place him. "I"m Lee Browning, of Holland and Browning." It was one of the most prestigious law firms in New York. "I just wanted to congratulate you on the way you handled the Wilson trial."
"Thank you, Mr. Browning."
"You took a big chance. It was a no-win case." He studied her a moment. "The rule is, when you"re on the wrong side of a no-win case, make sure it"s one where there"s no publicity involved. The trick is to spotlight the winners and kick the losers under the rug. You fooled a lot of us. Have you ordered a drink yet?"
"No-"
"May I-?" He beckoned to a waiter. "Victor, bring us a bottle of champagne, would you? Dom Perignon."
"Right away, Mr. Browning."
Jennifer smiled. "Are you trying to impress me?"
He laughed aloud. "I"m trying to hire you. I imagine you"ve been getting a lot of offers."
"A few."
"Our firm deals mostly in corporate work, Miss Parker, but some of our more affluent clients frequently get carried away and have need of a criminal defense attorney. I think we could make you a very attractive proposal. Would you care to stop by my office and discuss it?"
"Thank you, Mr. Browning. I"m really flattered, but I just moved into my own offices. I"m hoping it will work out."
He gave her a long look. "It will work out." He raised his eyes as someone approached and got to his feet and held out his hand. "Adam, how are you?"
Jennifer looked up and Adam Warner was standing there shaking hands with Lee Browning. Jennifer"s heart began to beat faster and she could feel her face flush. Idiot schoolgirl! Idiot schoolgirl!
Adam Warner looked at Jennifer and Browning and said, "You two know each other?"
"We were just beginning to get acquainted," Lee Browning said easily. "You arrived a little too soon."
"Or just in time." He took Jennifer"s arm. "Better luck next time, Lee."
The captain came up to Adam. "Would you like your table now, Mr. Warner, or would you like to have a drink at the bar first?"
"We"ll take a table, Henri."
When they had been seated, Jennifer looked around the room and recognized half a dozen celebrities.
"This place is like a Who"s Who Who"s Who," she said.
Adam looked at her. "It is now."
Jennifer felt herself blush again. Stop it, you fool. Stop it, you fool. She wondered how many other girls Adam Warner had brought here while his wife was sitting at home, waiting for him. She wondered if any of them ever learned that he was married, or whether he always managed to keep that a secret from them. Well, she had an advantage. She wondered how many other girls Adam Warner had brought here while his wife was sitting at home, waiting for him. She wondered if any of them ever learned that he was married, or whether he always managed to keep that a secret from them. Well, she had an advantage. You"re going to be in for a surprise, Mr. Warner You"re going to be in for a surprise, Mr. Warner, Jennifer thought.
They ordered drinks and dinner and busied themselves making small talk. Jennifer let Adam do most of the talking. He was witty and charming, but she was armored against his charm. It was not easy. She found herself smiling at his anecdotes, laughing at his stories.
It won"t do him any good, Jennifer told herself. She was not looking for a fling. The specter of her mother haunted her. There was a deep pa.s.sion within Jennifer that she was afraid to explore, afraid to release.
They were having dessert and Adam still had not said one word that could be misconstrued. Jennifer had been building up her defenses for nothing, fending off an attack that had never materialized, and she felt like a fool. She wondered what Adam would have said if he had known what she had been thinking all evening. Jennifer smiled at her own vanity.
"I never got a chance to thank you for the clients you sent me," Jennifer said. "I did telephone you a few times, but-"
"I know." Adam hesitated, then added awkwardly, "I didn"t want to return your phone calls." Jennifer looked at him in surprise. "I was afraid to," he said simply.
And there it was. He had taken her by surprise, caught her off guard, but his meaning was unmistakable. Jennifer knew what was coming next. And she did not want him to say it. She did not want him to be like all the others, the married men who pretended they were single. She despised them and she did not want to despise this man.
Adam said quietly, "Jennifer, I want you to know I"m married." She sat there staring at him, her mouth open.
"I"m sorry. I should have told you sooner." He smiled wryly. "Well, there really was no sooner, was there?"
Jennifer was filled with a strange confusion. "Why-why did you ask me to dinner, Adam?"
"Because I had to see you again."
Everything began to seem unreal to Jennifer. It was as though she were being pulled under by some giant tidal wave. She sat there listening to Adam saying all the things he felt, and she knew that every word was true. She knew because she felt the same way. She wanted him to stop before he said too much. She wanted him to go on and say more.
"I hope I"m not offending you," Adam said.
There was a sudden shyness about him that shook Jennifer.
"Adam, I-I-"
He looked at her and even though they had not touched, it was as if she were in his arms.
Jennifer said shakily, "Tell me about your wife."
"Mary Beth and I have been married fifteen years. We have no children."
"I see."
"She-we decided not to have any. We were both very young when we got married. I had known her a long time. Our families were neighbors at a summer place we had in Maine. When she was eighteen, her parents were killed in a plane crash. Mary Beth was almost insane with grief. She was all alone. I-we got married."
He married her out of pity and he"s too much of a gentleman to say so, Jennifer thought.
"She"s a wonderful woman. We"ve always had a very good relationship."
He was telling Jennifer more than she wanted to know, more than she could handle. Every instinct in her warned her to get away, to flee. In the past she had easily been able to cope with the married men who had tried to become involved with her, but Jennifer knew instinctively that this was different. If she ever let herself fall in love with this man, there would be no way out. She would have to be insane ever to begin anything with him.
Jennifer spoke carefully. "Adam, I like you very much. I don"t get involved with married men."
He smiled, and his eyes behind the gla.s.ses held honesty and warmth. "I"m not looking for a backstreet affair. I enjoy being with you. I"m very proud of you. I"d like us to see each other once in a while."
Jennifer started to say, What good would that do? What good would that do? but the words came out, "That would be good." but the words came out, "That would be good."
So we"ll have lunch once a month, Jennifer thought. Jennifer thought. It can"t hurt anything. It can"t hurt anything.
11.
One of Jennifer"s first visitors to her new office was Father Ryan. He wandered around the three small rooms and said, "Very nice, indeed. We"re getting up in the world, Jennifer."
Jennifer laughed. "This isn"t exactly getting up in the world, Father. I have a long way to go."
He eyed her keenly. "You"ll make it. By the way, I went to visit Abraham Wilson last week."
"How is he getting along?"
"Fine. They have him working in the prison machine shop. He asked me to give you his regards."
"I"ll have to visit him myself one day soon."
Father Ryan sat in his chair, staring at her, until Jennifer said, "Is there something I can do for you, Father?"
He brightened. "Ah, well, I know you must be busy, but now that you"ve brought it up, a friend of mine has a bit of a problem. She was in an accident. I think you"re just the one to help her."
Automatically Jennifer replied, "Have her come in and see me, Father."
"I think you"ll have to go to her. She"s a quadruple amputee."
Connie Garrett lived in a small, neat apartment on Houston Street. The door was opened for Jennifer by an elderly white-haired woman wearing an ap.r.o.n.
"I"m Martha Steele, Connie"s aunt. I live with Connie. Please come in. She"s expecting you."
Jennifer walked into a meagerly furnished living room. Connie Garrett was propped up with pillows in a large armchair. Jennifer was shocked by her youth. For some reason, she had expected an older woman. Connie Garrett was about twenty-four, Jennifer"s age. There was a wonderful radiance in her face, and Jennifer found it obscene that there was only a torso with no arms or legs attached to it. She repressed a shudder.
Connie Garrett gave her a warm smile and said, "Please sit down, Jennifer. May I call you Jennifer? Father Ryan has told me so much about you. And, of course, I"ve seen you on television. I"m so glad you could come."
Jennifer started to reply, "My pleasure," and realized how inane it would have sounded. She sat down in a soft comfortable chair opposite the young woman.
"Father Ryan said you were in an accident a few years ago. Do you want to tell me what happened?"
"It was my fault, I"m afraid. I was crossing an intersection and I stepped off the sidewalk and slipped and fell in front of a truck."
"How long ago was this?"
"Three years ago last December. I was on my way to Bloomingdale"s to do some Christmas shopping."
"What happened after the truck hit you?"
"I don"t remember anything. I woke up in the hospital. They told me that an ambulance brought me there. There was an injury to my spine. Then they found bone damage and it kept spreading until-" She stopped and tried to shrug. It was a pitiful gesture. "They tried to fit me with artificial limbs, but they don"t work on me."
"Did you bring suit?"
She looked at Jennifer, puzzled. "Father Ryan didn"t tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"My lawyer sued the utility company whose truck hit me, and we lost the case. We appealed and lost the appeal."
Jennifer said, "He should have mentioned that. If the appellate court turned you down, I"m afraid there"s nothing that can be done."
Connie Garrett nodded. "I didn"t really believe there was. I just thought-well, Father Ryan said you could work miracles."
"That"s his his territory. I"m only a lawyer." territory. I"m only a lawyer."
She was angry with Father Ryan for having given Connie Garrett false hope. Grimly, Jennifer decided she would have a talk with him.
The older woman was hovering in the background. "Can I offer you something, Miss Parker? Some tea and cake, perhaps?"