Read Tides of Truth [03] Greater Love for Free Online Page A

what have you learned?”
    “That I need to know more about your mother. A woman is influenced the most by her mother; a man patterns his behavior after his father.”
    “You’ve been around my mother; what did you think about her?”
    “She has a lot of good qualities.”
    “Name one.”
    Zach tapped the steering wheel with his fingers. “Okay. Remember how much I praised your mother as a teacher?”
    “Yes.”
    “She’s passed that gift along to you. Whether advising a client or arguing a case to a jury, a lawyer is a teacher and has to explain new or unfamiliar concepts to people in a way they can understand.”
    “That sounds exciting.”
    “It depends on the concepts. If the practice of law ends up boring you, it’s the wrong profession.”
    “I could always go back to the chicken plant. I can eviscerate a chicken moving down the line and clean it out as fast as anyone.”
    “I’m sure you’re among the best with a sharp knife.” Zach nodded. “But I see you carving up hostile witnesses, not dead birds. Don’t worry. It took me over a year to settle on admiralty law. You’ll find your niche in law practice.”
    “That’s what one of my professors told me. He said to be patient in picking a specialty because I might end up doing it for the rest of my career.”
    “And it’s just as important to work with people you like, coworkers who will challenge and encourage you.”
    “Who might that be?” I asked.
    Zach pointed at his chest. “You’re in the car with one. And my loyalty to the firm requires that I work hard to attract the best legal talent available. Believe me, when the talent is as attractive as you are, it’s not an unpleasant assignment.”
    I wasn’t used to playful flirting. But I liked it.
    “What else stood out in your mind about my mother?” I asked.
    “She has a strong commitment to her religious convictions and believes genuine Christian faith affects every day conduct. That’s a good thing, if the convictions are right.”
    “Are her convictions right?”
    “Mostly.”
    I stared out the window at the rural countryside that was becoming flatter as we neared the coast.
    “There are differences between Mama and me,” I said.
    Zach glanced in my direction. “Tell me more.”
    “Mama’s focus is on building and protecting the family. When I have a family of my own, I may be the same. But that’s not where I am right now. This past summer in Savannah changed me. Representing Moses Jones, meeting Sister Dabney, working for Mr. Carpenter, and living with Mrs. Fairmont stretched me in ways I didn’t know I could be stretched. And getting to know you was—” I stopped.
    “The best thing that’s happened to you in years,” Zach said with a grin.
    “A very good thing,” I responded. “A lot better than being trapped every day in the library with Julie Feldman.”
    “Which is a snapshot of your future if you go to work for Maggie Smith and Julie.”
    “Julie and I wouldn’t share an office.”
    “Do you think that’s going to keep her quiet?”
    “No.”
    Zach held his right hand out in front of him as if reading a billboard. “Put the three of you together and you have the plot for a TV show—conservative Christian attorney and liberal Jewish lawyer create all-girl law firm with a hard-nosed former DA and square off in a three-way ideological cage fight.”
    “You’re determined to convince me that I should work for Braddock, Appleby, and Carpenter, aren’t you?”
    Zach nodded. “Yep. You’re not the only one who’s been praying about your job.”
    B UILT IN 1 86 0, M RS. F AIRMONT’S HOUSE WAS A TWO-STORY, SQUARE, brick structure with tall narrow windows on the first level and broad front steps. On the side of the house was an attached screened porch. Two large live oaks were planted between the house and the sidewalk. An iron railing extended from the steps down the street on either side then turned toward the rear of the house. The original owner