Page 177 - In Five Years

and I think when they eventually do go public, everyone will make a lot more
money.”
Aldridge takes his hands back. His face is unreadable. I keep mine steady.
“I’m surprised.”

I feel my stomach tighten into familiar knots. I’ve spoken out of turn.
“And impressed,” he says. “I didn’t think you were a gut lawyer.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.
Aldridge sits back. “I hired you because I could tell no one would ever get a
mistake by you. Your work is meticulous. You read every single line of every
single paragraph and you know the law backward and forward.”

“Thank you.”
“But even that, as we know, is not enough. All the preparedness in the world

cannot stop the unexpected from happening. Truly great lawyers know every
inch of their deal, but often they make decisions based on something else—the
presence of an unknown force that, if listened to, will betray exactly the way the

tide is turning. That’s what you did with Jordi and Anya, and you were right.”
“I was?”
Aldridge nods. “They’re hiring us to replace in-house counsel, and they’d like

you to head up the team.”
My eyes widen. I know what this means. This is the case, the client. This is
the thing I need before I make junior partner.

“One thing at a time,” Aldridge says, reading me. “But congratulations.”
He stands, so do I. He shakes my hand. “And yes,” he says. “If this goes well,
yes.”

I check the clock: 2:35 p.m. I want to call Bella, but she had a session this
morning and I know she’ll be asleep.
I try David.

“Hey,” he says. “What’s wrong?”
I realize I’ve never called him during the day before. If I have something to
tell him, I always email, or I just wait.

“Nothing’s wrong.”
“Oh—” he starts, but I cut him off.
“Aldridge just gave me my junior partner case.”

“You’re kidding!” David says. “That’s great.”