Too Much to Think About

Rose did her best to clear her mind of the afternoon. She needed to be able to focus on her task at hand of taking notes otherwise she'd be yelled at. Small cases couldn't be handled in such sloppy manners even if taking notes was her only job. Someone would certainly tell her father if she messed up.

Even on the best of days, she didn't have much interest in cases such as the one before her. Small claims court cases were always about trivial matters. Rose wanted to be where the more interesting cases took place. Her father wouldn't allow it though. 'Too green.' he would always claim. Ridiculous. Rose grew up around the man and knew the kind of cases he took on.

"We're going to take a fifteen-minute recession. I except everyone back in this room though before the time is up." The moment the judge banged his gavel, Rose felt like she could breathe again.

She waited until everyone else left before waking out. Sadly, it didn't stop a certain someone from stopping her the moment she stepped out of the room. The one lawyer in the whole building she wanted to avoid. It must've been some kind of special skill for him to always find her despite working clear across the ginormous court building.

"Mark what a pleasant surprise to see you as always." Rose offered her best attempt at a smile. No matter how often she avoided the grimy, smarmy lawyer, he kept coming around. Too dense to ever take a hint from her.

"Hey there. I couldn't help but notice that you seemed a little bit distracted at the start. Something on your mind that maybe I could help with?" Rose ducked to avoid the arm that attempted to wrap across her shoulders.

"You know that you need to stop avoiding me like that at some point. If I didn't know better, I would actually think you don't like me all that much." He gave her a debonair smile.

"I imagine though that considering how close we are, you wouldn't keep something like that from me. I'm not wrong about that am I?"

"Not all. Kind offer but I'm perfectly fine right now. I am just a little tired with everything that has been happening. I was just going through everything in my head beforehand. You know like you always, it helps to better get into the space." Rose took a few steps back to put some distance between the two of them.

"I'm glad you find my advice helpful. Maybe we could think about getting a coffee at some point in time. I could share with you some more tips." Coffee with him? Sad to say coffee with the horrible mafia man would've been better than the grimy lawyer.

"Or we could even get dinner at some point in time. I'm sure your father wouldn't mind since we know each other."

"Sure. I don't know what my upcoming schedule looks like yet. Once I do though, I will reach out to you and we can pick a time to meet up." She gave him a polite hand wave before turning and quickly walking away. Some day she would end up having to report that man to her father.

"Be a sweetheart and remember to say hello from me to him tonight!" Rose winced. He would have shouted something like that, wouldn't he? No better way to declare 'I'm a kiss ass' than that. One of these days she would complain to her father and see about getting him moved.

The courthouse didn't have very many places to hide. The few they did though, Rose managed to discover rather quickly. The ideal place for a paralegal wanting to avoid an annoying lawyer. Now though, she could finally breathe for a little while. The little room would provide a few minutes of refuge before the time to head back ended.

Opening her bottle of coffee, she took a deep drink before sighing. Exactly what she needed after the last few days. Liquid energy to get her through until the night. She wouldn't likely be able to sleep much but at least she could turn off her professional persona when at home. Still a few more days to go before her mother would be back.

Feeling slightly refreshed, she could focus on what she really occupied her mind At the current moment, a week didn't feel like nearly enough time for her to make a decision. There were too many angles to consider it from. Not including how she would be agreeing to work with a man she considered to be an enemy.

Could she do it for the sake of the family? Would the man keep his word or could she even trust him in the first place? The information he provided did seem solid. A man like him though could easily fake such things to get what he wanted.

Rose frowned as she looked at the folder. This wasn't a decision she could easily make on her own. She would need the help of someone less invested in this case than herself. Someone she knew would look objectively at it from both sides yet wouldn't call her father.

Rose could only think of one person like that. Reliable enough to trust her deepest secrets to and wouldn't betray her easily. There weren't any more favors she could call then which meant she'd have to pay this time around. She would just have to hope the price wouldn't be too high. Her next paycheck wouldn't be coming for two weeks.

For the better good, Rose could handle it though. Scarifies were necessary after all to win some wars.