“I understand,” Marj said. “Now run in there and show them what you’ve got.”
I gathered my courage and walked through the door of the small city building. I was used to the massive city buildings and courthouses in Denver. This was a tiny brick building that apparently housed the mayor, the city attorney, and their staffs, which didn’t appear to be very abundant.
A young lady sat behind a wall. I walked up to her. “Excuse me.”
“Yes, may I help you?”
I cleared my throat. “I’d like to see the city attorney, please, if he’s available?”
I let out a breath. I had done it again, inflecting my voice at the end of a statement and making it sound like a question, as if I were asking for a favor, as if I weren’t worthy of seeing the city attorney.
I had to stop doing that.
“Do you have an appointment?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“May I tell him what this is regarding?”
I drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “I’m an attorney. I’m looking for a job here in Snow Creek.”
“Oh, then you came about the ad.”
“The ad?”
“Yes, they’re looking for an assistant city attorney. I’m sure he’ll want to see you. We haven’t gotten many applicants. There aren’t too many attorneys who choose to live in Snow Creek.” She let out a quick laugh. “Let me tell him you’re here.”
My heart soared. They were actually looking for someone. Could my timing have been any better? Things like this never happened to me.
The receptionist turned back to me. “Larry is in the office and will see you. He’s very excited that you’re here.”
I looked around. Surely there couldn’t be that much work for a city attorney in Snow Creek. Why was he looking for an assistant? The money would probably not be much, but as long as I could get a small apartment and move off the ranch, it would be enough for me.
“Go ahead and have a seat.” The receptionist gestured to the sofa and a few chairs in a sitting area. “He’ll be down in a minute.”
A few seconds later, a balding blond man of medium height, wearing khakis and a button-down shirt, walked toward me, his hand outstretched. “I’m Larry Wade. Are you the attorney?”
I stood and nodded. “I’m Jade Roberts.” I took his hand. “It’s great to meet you. I really appreciate you seeing me.”
“Not at all. I’m thrilled you’re here, to be honest. My workload is getting heavy, but as Carol likely told you, we don’t get a lot of attorneys settling here in Snow Creek.” He led me back to a small conference room and gestured for me to have a seat. He sat down across from me. “So what brings you to Snow Creek, Ms. Roberts?”
“Please, Jade. Actually, friends. Marjorie Steel is my best friend.”
His eyebrows shot up. “The Steels?”
“Yes.” Was that a problem?
“Good people, the Steels.”
Okay, maybe not a problem. “Yes, they are.”
“So how long have you been practicing law?”
Warmth spread over my cheeks. “I haven’t, actually. I just got my bar results this morning.” I tugged the paper out of the small briefcase I was carrying and slid it across the table to Mr. Wade.
“Well, congratulations, then.” He smiled. “And welcome to the club.” He took a look at my resume, scanning it. “So you clerked for Davis and Stubbs. Good, very good. You have any experience doing city work?”
I shook my head. “I’m afraid I don’t, but I do know my way around a courtroom. I sat with Sherry Malone on several of her medical malpractice cases, did most of her legwork.”
“As you can imagine, we don’t have a lot of high-profile cases here in Snow Creek.” He chuckled. “Anything big gets sent up to the County DA in Grand Junction. But we do have a lot of traffic tickets, curfew violations, drunk driving, assault and batteries, a little domestic violence sometimes. Nothing too exciting, but we make do.”
“With all due respect, Mr. Wad—”
“Please, Larry.”
I cleared my throat. “Larry. I guess I’m not sure why you need an assistant.”
“I don’t have an investigator on staff,” Larry said. “At the city council meeting last month, I mentioned that I needed one, but the council suggested, and I agreed, that I hire an assistant city attorney instead, someone who could do investigation work but could also take over for me if necessary.”
“I see.” So I was to be a glorified law clerk. Great.
“Don’t get me wrong. This will be a great starting job for you. You’ll learn the inside out of municipal law and working for the city. And yes, you’ll have to do some investigating, but most attorneys do that anyway.”
I nodded, biting my lip. I wanted to ask how much the job paid, but I wasn’t sure how to broach the subject.
“If you’re interested, Jade, I’d love to have you start tomorrow.”
“I’m definitely interested. And starting tomorrow probably wouldn’t be any problem. But could I ask about benefits?”