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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


A week after the Fourth of July Luke was sitting in a cafe with his client, a representative from a major pharmaceutical company. Occasionally, Luke worked cases not explicitly within his specialty, and this was one of them. In his time at the firm, he became known as a talented litigator. As a result, the higher-ups felt it necessary to ensure that Luke continued to hone that skill. Luke, however, hated working these cases, they often made him question why he chose to work for a large law firm in the first place. He often reminded himself that the pro bono cases he worked balanced out the less savory cases, but this was one of those times he just was not convinced. Luke attempted to settle the case out of court; he knew the plaintiffs had a reasonable case. His client, on the other hand, refused. They felt their case was winnable. 

They were waiting on a verdict. Closing arguments were complete just after ten am. Luke and his client decided to wait in a cafe just down the block from the courthouse while his team remained. Luke looked at the woman who sat in court as his client’s representative. She was busy on her smartphone; Luke assumed she was reading email. He took out his own phone and pretended to be working. He stared aimlessly as he thought about the potential outcomes of the case. If they won, it would be another notch  in his belt and a definite signal that his promotion was coming at the end of the year. If they lost, Luke would feel a little better about the situation. He was conflicted. 

Luke was startled when the phone in his hand vibrated. The jury had reached a verdict.

“Nia,” Luke said getting the attention of the woman who was sitting with him.

Nia looked up from what she was doing.

“The verdict is in.” Luke said. Nia rose as well. The two walked out into the summer sun and headed back to the courthouse. 

The trial was over and the jury found in favor of Luke’s client. As they walked out of the courtroom, he looked over to the families who brought the suit against his client. They were devastated. One man looked up and caught Luke’s eye. The hatred flowing from him made Luke shudder. He then looked to the Junior Associates who were also on the case. They were smiling and chatting as if the people across the room did not just have the rug pulled from under him. Luke shook his head as he walked out of the courtroom. He made his way down the hall, through the main doors and down the steps of the courthouse. He was almost home free. Luke planned on going back to the office to start working on paperwork for another client. Nia stopped him in his tracks.

“Luke!” Nia called, she was hopping down the steps. She stopped when she caught up with him. “You did good work in there.” She said smiling.

Luke nodded his head. “I was just doing my job. Is there something else you needed?” 

“I’ll say. You did one hell of a job. This could have been really bad for my company. My boss and a couple of your bosses as well, would like to take you out for lunch. I’ve already called ahead. Everyone will meet us at the restaurant. “ Nia said. 

Luke and Nia arrived at the restaurant before the rest of their group. Luke looked around as the hostess led them back to their tables. It was a restaurant he had yet to try. It was nice. There were a decent number of people around making up the lunch crowd. The diners were all executive types, Luke could tell from the way they were dressed and how their phones sat out on the table in case they needed to be reached. 

The pair were led to a private dining area. Luke was confused, surely there were only going to be a few others joining them. Not enough to warrant a secluded area. 

“Here you are. I’ll send the rest of your party back when they arrive.” The hostess said.

“Thank you.” Nia said. She placed her bag over the arm of her chair before sitting down. “This really is a great place.” 

“I haven’t had the opportunity to dine here.”

“You’re in for a treat. They have an inventory of forty-year-old Scotch that is beyond anything I’ve ever tasted.” Nia said.

Luke smirked, “I didn’t take you for a Scotch drinker.”

“I know how to play with the big boys.” Nia laughed.

“I don’t doubt that.” Luke said.

When a waiter came in, Nia ordered a bottle of the aforementioned Scotch for the table. The waiter looked to Luke who simply shook his head. After which, the server took his leave.

“That seems a little excessive.” Luke said.

“The Scotch?” Nia asked. “We’re celebrating. This was a really big win.”

The server returned with a tray, on which sat the bottle and tumblers. He place the tray in the middle of the table and then left. Nia took the bottle and one of the tumblers in hand and poured a glass. She offered it to Luke.

“You really should try this.” Nia said.

“No thank-you. I’m going back to the office after this.” Luke said.

“Suit yourself.” Nia took a swig of the amber liquid and smiled. 

Luke heard the familiar voices of a couple of the partners mixed with a few he did not recognize. A group of three gentlemen and two women joined Nia and Luke at the table.

“Luke, congratulations on the win today.” One of the women said. She sat down in an empty chair next to Luke. “You really did us proud.”

“I was just doing my job Marla.” Luke said to the woman, she was the only female Senior Partner with a controlling share at the firm.

“Don’t be modest.” Said one of the men Luke did not know but recognized from a previous meeting. “You saved our company money. Something we like to do on a regular basis.” He laughed. He then turned to Nia, “You ordered the Scotch?”

“Yes Jim, I ordered the scotch.” Nia said.

“Good girl.” Jim responded.

Luke looked at Nia who, he could tell, was resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the older gentleman’s comment.

“Have you tried this yet Luke?” Jim asked.

“No, I’m going into the office after lunch.” Luke said.

“Oh come on Luke, don’t be daft. You’ve got the rest of the day off.” Henry said. He was the other Senior Partner from the firm joining them. Henry grabbed two tumblers from the tray and poured a glass for himself and offered the other to Luke. “Come on Luke. You won a huge case and deserve to live a little.”

Luke reluctantly took the glass from his boss. He stared at the amber liquid in the glass for a moment before bringing the tumbler to his lips. The first sip was a glorious old familiar feeling. He felt the cold liquid burn as it went down his throat. Luke had always liked the way the contradiction felt. He quickly finished his serving.

“What did I tell you it’s good right?” Nia said pouring Luke another glass.

 


In Cassie’s quest to find tasks to fill up her empty days since her return, she decided she would visit every whole-in-the-wall restaurant she stumbled upon while going about her everyday life. The week after the Fourth of July she found quite a few new eateries to try. When she informed Luke of her plans, he offered to accompany her to some of the venues. He was always up for trying new food. For that reason, Cassie  was attempting to reach Luke. 

It was late in the afternoon and Cassie wanted to catch him before he made plans to work late or made other arrangements for dinner. She tried his cell phone and got no answer. She then called his office phone. His secretary informed Cassie that Luke had been out since he left for court earlier in the day. She also let Cassie know that he should be back in the office soon. So Cassie waited another hour before trying again. With the same results, Cassie decided she would give Carmen a call.

“Hey Cassie.” Carmen said.

“Hi. I’m looking for Luke. His secretary said he was in court earlier but that he should be back soon; that was an hour ago. I tried his cell, but he didn’t answer. Have you heard from him?” Cassie asked slightly concerned. 

“No I haven’t. I know he won the case though. I heard some of the Senior Partners talking about it on their way out. They also mentioned going to a restaurant to celebrate. It was some really nice expensive place that wasn’t too far from the courthouse, but they’re back now.” 

“Do you remember the name of the place?” Cassie asked. She could not explain why, but she had a bad feeling about the situation.

“No, sorry.” Carmen said.

“That’s okay. I’m going to see if I can find the restaurant you’re talking about.” Cassie said.

“You’ll text me if you find him right?” Carmen said. She had picked up on Cassie’s worry and was beginning to get concerned too. It was not like Luke to disappear and not answer his cell phone.

“Of course. I’ll talk to you later.” Cassie said hanging up the phone.

Sitting in her apartment, Cassie tried to think of where Luke could be. She figured the best thing to do first was find the restaurant he was supposed to have lunch at and work her way back from there. Cassie picked up her purse and headed out the door. When she got outside of her apartment building, she walked down the block and took the subway to the courthouse.

Cassie stood on the sidewalk looking around and surveying the buildings. Nothing stood out to her. She rarely spent any time in this part of the city. Cassie spotted a man with an expensive looking suit walk out of what looked like a restaurant. On a whim, Cassie decided she would start there. 

When she walked in, Cassie noticed that the dining room was fairly empty. The lunch crowd was gone as it was reaching two thirty in the afternoon.  She scanned the area and spotted the bar. Sitting on a stool was a man who, Cassie determined, could possibly be Luke. Determined, she walked across the dining room to the bar and tapped the man on the shoulder. 

He did not know how long he had been sitting there. The Senior Partners and his client had left long ago. After they finished the bottle of Scotch, Luke switched to something more affordable. Vodka had always been his drink of choice. He now sat at the bar alone. But he did not notice the fact he was the only one there. Luke spun around when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. That was a bad idea as he nearly fell off of the stool and the world started spinning. 

“Luke?” 

He knew that voice. Luke waited a minute to regain his balance and looked up. “Cassie? What are you doing here?” He asked.

Cassie was taken aback. Luke was drunk in the middle of the day. That was not good, considering he was six years sober. She hoped the surprise did not show on her face as she took hold of his arm and helped steady him on his seat.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Cassie said. She noticed the half empty glass in front of Luke. Without thinking, Cassie pulled the glass toward her. 

“Celebrating. Isn’t that obvious?” Luke said. He did not notice his glass had been moved so when he reached for it, his hand hit the empty spot on the bar. “Where’d my…” Luke looked around confused. He then spotted the glass in Cassie’s hand. He tried to reach for it, but she pulled it further away.

“No sir. You are done.” Cassie said. She waved the brown-haired female bartender over.

“Can I help you with something?” The woman asked.

“Yeah. You can take this away.” Cassie said handing the unfinished glass to her. “And you can close out his tab.” 

The bartender came back with Luke’s card and the bill for him to sign. Luke looked down at the piece of paper and then at Cassie.

“You closed out my tab?” Luke said incredulously.

“Yeah. Sign that. I’m taking you home.” Cassie instructed.

Luke scribbled his name on the paper and pocketed his credit card. He stood from the stool and instantly reached for the bar counter to steady himself.

Cassie grabbed his arm in an effort to support him.

“I’m capable of standing on my own.” Luke slurred.

Cassie shook her head. “No, not right now you’re not. Come on.” Cassie guided Luke out of the restaurant and onto the sidewalk where she hailed a cab. 












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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.