The Court of Redemption

Chapter 9

"Here are the documents for your next appointment," Ms. Dunn handed Costano a small stack of files and then placed a cup of coffee on his desk. One she always made herself. "And here's your energy boost."

"Thank you Valencia," he returned the smile she gave him.

"Do you need anything else?"

He shook his head. Valencia checked her wrist watch and realized his appointment would be here at any moment. She turned and left his office, towards the front desk. Her black heels clinked against the tile floor, matching the black blouse she wore combined with a beige skirt. Any other week, her brown tight curls would've bounced at every and any movement she made had they not been straightened and tied into a low bun.

She wanted to try something different. For herself mainly, but she also wanted to see if anyone would notice. If someone would notice.

And he did.

During the first day with her new hairstyle, she had gotten compliments from all her coworkers. A few of the women had asked who had done it for her to which she recommended her hairstylist. Others, having similar hair type as Valencia's, asked about the process it took and what products were used. She explained as best as she remembered and what she knew.

"So what did he say?" Her friend and coworker, Tanisha winked. The two had met at work.  Tanisha, having been a recent graduate at the time, had applied and was accepted to work in Costano's firm. There were two other lawyers in his firm as well. Whenever the cases piled up—which they always did—Costano would carefully examine each case before deciding whether he'd keep it or pass it to one of his colleagues who would be better suited in handling the case. Valencia was each of their assistants, so getting to know Tanisha and the other lawyers didn't take long.

"He respectfully and professionally compliment me," Valencia sighed. "He won't see anything more to it."

"Men are clueless sometimes," Tanisha said. "That's why you have to be less subtle with some things." She straightened her suit and quickly pulled out a small mirror from her pocket to examine her afro. With her fingertips, she patted her dark foundation where there might have been any creases and to make sure it hadn't worn off. She then checked her wrist watch and smiled at Valencia. "Gotta go girl. I promised my boyfriend I'd meet him for lunch. I'll see you later."

The two exchanged their goodbyes before parting ways.

Every now and then she'd switch her hairstyle from her usual tight curls or change her style a bit. He'd always notice, always complimented her. It was his job to look at even the smallest things. It was how he maintained such good relationships with his coworkers and clients.

It was pointless, Valencia thought. Costano would never see her as anything more than coworkers. Well . . . Maybe at some point as a friend, but nothing more.

She couldn't remember when it was that she realized she wanted to be more than just coworkers with her boss. More than just friends. She never pushed her limits though. She respected Costano and her job to let her feelings get in the way and ruin things. Instead, she did small things like bringing him coffee she made using their coffee machine in the break room and staying extra hours to help him with whatever he needed—among other things.

Then again, those were part of her job but she didn't need to stay extra hours unless Costano needed her to. She didn't need to prepare his coffee herself and instead could've bought him at a nearby café.

Was it not obvious that she had put a bit more effort into the things she did. Valencia groaned. Of course he didn't notice her subtle hints over the years and if he did, he never said anything about it. Meaning he most likely didn't feel the same way.

"Valencia?" She quickly turned to the owner of the voice. Costano stood at one of the ends of her semilunar shaped desk. Had time really flown that fast? She gave a quick glance to the time shown on her desktop screen—an hour had already passed.

"Yep sorry," she let out a small laugh. "Was lost in my thoughts for a moment? How did the meeting go?"

Costano smiled, "it went well. I'll take the case." He extended the folder to her. "Make sure t—" He chuckled, "I trust you already know the process. You're probably tired of hearing me repeating it over and over."

Valencia took the folder and grinned widely, "I don't mind. It allows me to double check that I know the process."

"You've worked with me for almost eight years now," he arched an eyebrow. "I think it's safe to say you know how things go around here."

Her grin never faltered, "I'll make sure to get it done before I leave today."

Costano gave her a curt nod and asked, "have you eaten yet?"

She shook her head. "I was just about to look for what to order." She knew he hadn't. He always asked her to order something and have it delivered to his office or left during his lunch break to go eat.

He checked he time on his watch. "Mike should be here any minute. If you want, order something for the both of us and we could eat it at my office." He shrugged his shoulders. "Unless you have plans to go out."

That was another thing they sometimes did. At first she thought it was a sign that he was showing some kind of interest in her. That is until she realized the other lawyers would do the same thing when they were able to. Costano sometimes at with them as well in whichever office was the least crowded with paperwork, or they ate in the break room. Whenever one had won a case, the whole office would go out to eat.

But even still, had her skin not been as tan, Costano would've seen the pink flush on her cheeks. "Sounds good," she nodded. "Want anything in particular?"

"Anything is fine really."

Another nod, "see you in a bit." He smiled at her before making his way back to his office. When he was gone, she let out a sigh. He would never realize it.

____

Thank you for reading ❤️

Thoughts?

If you love sci-fi/romance, then I think you'll enjoy one of my new books—A Different Species. June was sent to a foreign planet after an explosion at Area 51 occurred that sent blast waves through America. Now in a foreign planet, she must find her way back to human society. What happens when she finds herself in the hands of an alien willing to save her from the dangers heading her way?