Warm On a Cold Night ★ JENLISA

Chapter 8

Jennie's office phone chirps with Hyeri's tone.

"Yeah, Ri?"

"Manoban on the line. Information about the Cooper case."

"The Cooper case? She's not on that one..."

"I don't know what to tell you, Jennie. She called for that. Do you want the call or not?"

"Yeah, send it through."

Her phone rings a few seconds later.

"Manoban," she greets Lisa.

"Kim." Lisa's voice is her professional voice.

Jennie instantly realizes she's not going to like what Lisa has to say.

"When did you get the Cooper case?"

"This afternoon. Dickinson wants it settled."

"No, no way. We have a decent case."

"You haven't heard the settlement offer yet."

"I don't want one."

"That's not your call, Kim."

She rolls her eyes so hard they almost fall from her head.

"Lisa-"

"I'm just doing my job, Jennie. We have a conference scheduled for this afternoon. I was giving you a courtesy call."

She scoffs, "A courtesy call? Really?" She doesn't try to hide the annoyance in her voice. "Were you just going to show up instead of Wayne this afternoon as well?"

"Like I said, it's a courtesy call." Lisa bites.

Jennie feels a hint of that old animosity flare up. The pure frustration that would always consume her whenever she interacted with Lisa.

"Well, I suppose I should be thanking you. I'll see you later, then. I have to go."

She hears Lisa begin to say her goodbyes, but hangs up before anything more can be said.

"Fuck," she groans loudly into her office.

She jabs the button that gets Hyeri. "Yeah?"

"When is that conference scheduled for today?"

"In like half an hour."

"Are you serious?"

"Yep."

Her blood boils just under the skin. What a lovely surprise indeed.

Xx

Lisa looks like her buttoned up self again while they sit in chambers and discuss the offer. Her eyes don't change and her jaw stays clenched, legs crossed and back completely straight in the uncomfortable chair. She is all business.

Jennie supposes it's a fair offer, but she was confident in her ability to get her client little to no jail time. When she presents it to him, he jumps at the chance to take it. Does not want to risk trial or a harsher sentence. Does not want to hear her advice.

And that's all there is to it.

She spends the remainder of the afternoon going over it with him, the ins and outs, speaking to him and his wife about what comes next. The little boy behind them playing with his toy cars on the carpet has no idea of the gravity of the situation in the room and something about that eats at Jennie.

She knows he's doing this for his son, finds it the least dramatic path. Tries to hold on to that while he signs away the next seven to ten years of his child's life.