The Hockey Star’s Remorse

Chapter 23

There was a long pause as | stared Linda down, watching as she returned to her seat and crossed her legs. Her words hardly registered until Timothy cleared his throat, dragging me back into the moment.

“I'm sorry?” | gawked at Linda, still recovering from the shock.

She smiled tightly. “Mr. Erickson assigned me to help with your case. He figured you would need the assistance.” She gestured to Timothy. “Especially since your client is rather popular.”

After looking at her some more, it started to dawn on me who this woman was. Linda Turner, a senior attorney with a reputation for being ruthless in the courtroom, was the person chosen to “assist” me. | had heard stories about Linda’s cutthroat approach and her ability to win cases at any cost.

The idea of her being involved in my case made my heart stutter.

“Are you all right, Evie?” Timothy placed a hand on my arm, and just the touch. alone sent a shock through my skin. | jerked away, feeling unreasonably sensitive.

“Um, yes,” | said faintly, turning around. “Excuse me for just one moment.”

| kept my movements slow and purposeful as | left the room, letting the door groan shut before bolting to Mr. Erickson’s office. After knocking a few times, he eventually answered with a low, “Come in.”

When | entered his office, | saw him hunched over a stack of paperwork on his desk. It took a moment for him to finish writing a sentence or two before glancing up to find me staring at him.

“Oh, Ms. Sinclair,” his strained expression grew slightly more inviting as he tucked his pen into the metal holder and slid his papers off to the side. “How may | assist you?”

With a deep breath in, | shuffled forward and plopped myself into the seat across. from him. After smoothing my skirt and adjusting my blouse, | gave him a quizzical look.

“Linda Turner was in the conference room with my client,” | said, keeping my tone even. “She mentioned that she would be ‘assisting’ me with Timothy's case.”

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It took a solid few seconds before recognition dawned on his face, and he jerked back with a hardy laugh that threw me off-kilter. “Ms. Turner is a fine woman indeed,” he said, eventually calming down. “Sorry for springing her on you like that.”

“May | ask why she’s on my case?” | prompted.

He laced his fingers on top of his desk, seeming sincere. “Well, | figured you would need some assistance, with you being a rookie an all. Ms. Turner was one of the first seniors to offer her guidance, and she seemed pretty excited about working with you.

| folded my arms, any shred of nervousness giving way to skepticism. I’m sure it wasn’t at all because Timothy Hayes was involved.

Mr. Erickson’s eyes twinkled. “Perhaps you'll learn a thing or two from her. She’s had much experience throughout the years.” “Right,” | said, standing up. “I’m sure she will offer me a lot of wisdom. Thank you.” “You're a rising star, Evie. | can feel it,” he said, though his attention had already drifted back to his paperwork.

| shut the door and turned around, feeling slightly more uneasy as | walked back to the conference room. When | returned, | saw that Lisa was already going over some things with Timothy.

“| know that you’ve grown comfortable with Evie, but I’m very skilled at what | do,” she said, then her attention fell on me. “Oh, Ms. Sinclair, you're back.”

| noted the shift in her appearance, how she’d let her hair loose, letting it fall down in waves over her shoulders. Her glasses were perched at the end of her nose, giving off less of a strict appearance overall.

“We didn’t get too far while you were gone, Timothy clarified, then waved at the documents in front of them, “Just reviewing some things.”

| sucked in a breath and forced a smile, taking the seat right beside him. It felt like I'd been reduced to a outsider in the room. “Right. Let’s fill Ms. Turner in on your case.”

| began to lay out the détails of the case, and | did my best to sound clear and 2/5

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dignified. Linda seemed fiercely attentive, asking a plethora of questions. It was like she was prepared for me to stumble at any moment.

Eventually, she turned her attention to Timothy, her stern expression turning sympathetic. “I hope she’s been keeping you updated on the process. A lot of clients come in and the relationship between them and their lawyer is, well, unfortunately distant.”

| raised an eyebrow, watching as her fingers came to rest on Timothy's lower arm. She’d been doing that quite a bit: the soft touches, the lingering looks, and those laughs that seemed a little too rehearsed. | couldn't tell if Timothy was buying it as he seemed hyper focused on the work in front of him.

“Evie’s been keeping me in the loop about a lot of things, actually,” Timothy answered, smiling as he looked in my direction. He shifted away from Linda’s touch, and her lips curled downward. “We're pretty much learning all of this together.”

“Oh, yes, that sounds nice,” she said swiftly, though her voice carried a significant tone. She started gathering the documents that were lying in front of them and dragged them toward herself. | opened my mouth, prepared to question her, but she beat me toit.

“But Timothy needs someone who's a little more practiced. A personable lawyer is lovely, but an experienced one is what gives a firm its good reputation,” she said, meeting my gaze.

“| see,” | said, pointing to the files in her hands. “But where are you taking my files?”

She raised her eyebrows, then looked down to the papers in her hands, like it shocked her that they were there. “Well, | think that it will be best if | take the case information with me so that | can work on it from her own office.”

“But Ms. Turner,” | began to protest, “I’ve been working on this case for weeks. | should keep the files here and continue my research.”

Linda interjected smoothly, her voice dripping with condescension. “Evie, dear, you're just a trainee. I’m here to help, and | have the experience to handle this. I'll bring the files back to you once I’ve made some progress.”

The way she dismissed me as “just a trainee” made my blood boil. | had worked.

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tirelessly to earn my place at this firm, and | wasn’t about to be brushed aside so easily.

“Ms. Turner?” Timothy interjected suddenly, drawing her attention. She gave him a pleasant grin. “Yes, Mr. Hayes?”

“With all due respect, | did act Evie personally to help me with my case,” he began. “If she has no problem with you helping out, then by all means, but I’m going by her word above all else.”

| blinked in surprise, put off by his forthrightness. Linda seemed just as stunned at his request and it took her a moment to recover before clearing her throat and smoothing down her blazer. She shifted her gaze to me and narrowed her eyes.

“Do you have a problem with me offering my assistance, Ms. Sinclair?” she asked, and | could hear the challenge behind her words.

Torn between wanting Timothy’s case to myself and not wanting to look like the stubborn trainee, | decided to go along with it for now.

Eventually, | nodded in agreement with Linda. “Linda’s right, Mr. Hayes. We'll let her take the files and work on them. This is a

significant case, and we need all the expertise we can get.”

He searched my face for a moment, like he expected me to backtrack and take charge, but it would feel like career suicide if | went against one of my superiors in that fashion. | felt a surge of anger and helplessness. | had no choice but to relent, but | couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to Linda’s intentions than just “assisting” me.

“Very well,” he said finally, then nodded at Linda. “We’re counting on you.” With that, Linda went back to gathering the case files.

Once the meeting concluded, we made our way out of the conference room and into the empty hallway. The evening had arrived, and | was starting to feel the weight of exhaustion dragging me down. Linda, however, seemed far perkier than

before.

She stood beside Timothy, her hand once again touching his bicep. “I will let your know if | discover anything,” she told him, batting her eyelashes.

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| couldn't help but narrow my eyes. She wouldn’t find anything that | hadn’t already, even with her expertise. And she was being so touchy with Timothy, like he was an old friend-if not more-instead of a client.

It wasn’t my place to feel uncomfortable for him but watching Linda’s advances. only served to fuel my irritation. It brought on that familiar tug on my heart.

Timothy tugged himself away from her, and her hand fell awkwardly at her side. He assumed his position beside me and faced her from a safe distance.

“I'll be sure to stay on alert,” he said with a smile. “Take care, and good night.” “Goodnight, Timothy,” she said, and her eyes paused to rest on me. “Evie.”

After Linda left with the case files, Timothy suddenly turned to me, his expression tense. “I wish | was more familiar with her before she jumped on our case. You trust her to handle things, right?”

| sighed. “Well, she’s a seasoned attorney, and Mr. Erickson believes she can help with the case. Don’t worry though, because I'm still your main lawyer.”

His expression softened, and he gave me a small nod. “As long as you say so. | trust your judgement.” Amid trying to reassure him, however, my instincts were telling me that something was amiss. 5/5