“I’m okay,” she whimpered. “It’s over, Cal. It’s over.”
“Tell me,” he said.
“Dismissed with prejudice. The judge made a fantastic speech... I wonder if it’s possible to get a copy. He said the doctors were heroic.”
“We’ll get a copy,” he said. “I know how to get a copy.”
“There were friends there,” she said, still crying and gasping a little. “I thought they mostly hated me. They were all listed as witnesses, deposed, subpoenaed. I didn’t tell them but they came.”
“Honey, where are you?”
“Oh. I’m in the bathroom. Why?”
He laughed. “There’s an echo.”
“I’m falling apart. They’re having a celebration at a pub down the street and I’m in the bathroom, falling apart.”
“You’re just unloading the tension of a long ordeal. You’re not going to fall apart. You need me to drive up there and sleep with you tonight?”
“No, I’m okay. I’m going to visit my mother and Walter on the way home tomorrow. But then...” She stopped and sniffed. “Then I’m coming home and I have nothing to do but you. Do you get that, California? I have no more court case, no job, no stress, no nothing. Nothing but you. I have to get something started or finished or figured out with you.”
“Do you, now?” he asked, laughter in his voice.
“No pressure,” she said. “We just have to figure out where we’re going because I just don’t want anything else. I want you in my life. While you’re missing me tonight, figure out what I have to do to get that, will you?”
“Sure, Maggie,” he said. And his voice was, if possible, smoldering.
“I think I’m falling in love with you, damn it. You’re probably a worse risk than the artist or the ER doctor. I didn’t do this on purpose. I had no intention. Please don’t make me wait, Calhoun. You’re a smart lawyer, come up with a statement of intent and a plan because I don’t want to be strung along or crushed.”
“Go have a glass of wine, Maggie,” he said. “Everything is going to be fine. Don’t drink and drive!”
“All right, then. But you better think about it!” She cried a little more. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“You’ll be okay after a little cry and a few deep breaths,” he said.
“Oh my God, I told you I love you on the phone in a courthouse bathroom! Crying! You probably don’t believe me but I don’t cry that much, just over huge ordeals, which in my life...”
“Are you going to try to take it back now?” he asked.
“This is why no one ever casts someone like me in a chick flick, because I don’t even know how to stage words of love! Do you think I’m socially handicapped?”
“Maybe a little bit,” he said.
“Oh, stop it! Well, it’s probably true. You miss a lot of social training when you want premed...”
“And when you refuse debutante balls. I hear there’s tons of social training for debutantes.”
She laughed and slowly rose. “This must be so hard for you,” she said. “Here you have experience with princesses and find yourself with a debutante reject.”
“Only one princess,” he reminded her. “And fooling around with me cost her the crown, so maybe you should be careful. Have you called Sully?”
“I’m going to do that right now, as soon as we hang up. I’ll see you tomorrow, Calvin. Be prepared. I’m coming back with emotions blazing.”
“Tell me,” he said.
“Dismissed with prejudice. The judge made a fantastic speech... I wonder if it’s possible to get a copy. He said the doctors were heroic.”
“We’ll get a copy,” he said. “I know how to get a copy.”
“There were friends there,” she said, still crying and gasping a little. “I thought they mostly hated me. They were all listed as witnesses, deposed, subpoenaed. I didn’t tell them but they came.”
“Honey, where are you?”
“Oh. I’m in the bathroom. Why?”
He laughed. “There’s an echo.”
“I’m falling apart. They’re having a celebration at a pub down the street and I’m in the bathroom, falling apart.”
“You’re just unloading the tension of a long ordeal. You’re not going to fall apart. You need me to drive up there and sleep with you tonight?”
“No, I’m okay. I’m going to visit my mother and Walter on the way home tomorrow. But then...” She stopped and sniffed. “Then I’m coming home and I have nothing to do but you. Do you get that, California? I have no more court case, no job, no stress, no nothing. Nothing but you. I have to get something started or finished or figured out with you.”
“Do you, now?” he asked, laughter in his voice.
“No pressure,” she said. “We just have to figure out where we’re going because I just don’t want anything else. I want you in my life. While you’re missing me tonight, figure out what I have to do to get that, will you?”
“Sure, Maggie,” he said. And his voice was, if possible, smoldering.
“I think I’m falling in love with you, damn it. You’re probably a worse risk than the artist or the ER doctor. I didn’t do this on purpose. I had no intention. Please don’t make me wait, Calhoun. You’re a smart lawyer, come up with a statement of intent and a plan because I don’t want to be strung along or crushed.”
“Go have a glass of wine, Maggie,” he said. “Everything is going to be fine. Don’t drink and drive!”
“All right, then. But you better think about it!” She cried a little more. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“You’ll be okay after a little cry and a few deep breaths,” he said.
“Oh my God, I told you I love you on the phone in a courthouse bathroom! Crying! You probably don’t believe me but I don’t cry that much, just over huge ordeals, which in my life...”
“Are you going to try to take it back now?” he asked.
“This is why no one ever casts someone like me in a chick flick, because I don’t even know how to stage words of love! Do you think I’m socially handicapped?”
“Maybe a little bit,” he said.
“Oh, stop it! Well, it’s probably true. You miss a lot of social training when you want premed...”
“And when you refuse debutante balls. I hear there’s tons of social training for debutantes.”
She laughed and slowly rose. “This must be so hard for you,” she said. “Here you have experience with princesses and find yourself with a debutante reject.”
“Only one princess,” he reminded her. “And fooling around with me cost her the crown, so maybe you should be careful. Have you called Sully?”
“I’m going to do that right now, as soon as we hang up. I’ll see you tomorrow, Calvin. Be prepared. I’m coming back with emotions blazing.”
