Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 108531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
“I do like to push the boundaries,” Herve said.
The judge’s eyes rolled.
“Technically, she’s doing nothing wrong, but she understands that she is harming the business behind her,” Jayna continued. “She knew she lived behind a gas station and that she did not own the trees that acted as a barrier between her and the legal business. She knew that her fence was as high as the codes of the parish allow. Yet instead of trying to work with the city, she chose this method of protest. Judge, all we’re asking is for a stop to the relentless nudity that is costing my client money. I hope you can see this is what is best for all of Papillon.” She stepped back, resting her case.
And half the audience cheered while the judge tried to get them to calm down.
Jimmy leaned over. “You did real good. I think we could win. But I’m also worried about how Geraldine is going to feel if we win. Do you think she’ll be sad?”
“I think she’ll be clothed,” Jayna replied.
“Your Honor,” Quaid began, “my opponent spoke about community. She talked about how my client understood what she was getting into, and now she has to abide by the unwritten rules of our society. She asked you what kind of community Papillon should be. This is an important question and one I think we should all ask ourselves. It’s an important question, one almost as important as each of us truly questioning what we want out of life.”
Where was he going with this? She sat behind the big desk and watched as he turned her way.
“What do you want out of life? Each one of you should ask this. What would make a successful life? So that at the end of it, you wouldn’t look back with regret. Is it a life free of risk? One that stays in the middle and never experiences the highs or lows? A solitary life where work is the most important thing of all? What is work? Is it merely what we get paid for? What society values? I believe that work—our life’s work—should be a blessing not merely to our bank accounts but to our families. To our communities. I believe that building a life with the people we love is the most important work of all.”
Tears sprang to her eyes because he wasn’t talking about the case. He wasn’t trying to pull apart her argument.
He was making his case to her. He was fighting for her, trying to persuade her.
It was totally unprofessional and she would never, never let him forget it, but it was also the most romantic thing he could have done, and her heart swelled with love.
He was asking her to choose him, to choose a home and family. He was asking her to be brave.
His mother was offering her the good work her heart desired, the work that would truly satisfy the lonely child she’d been. She didn’t have to be lonely. She could choose again.
“So I ask you, what do you want?” Quaid’s gaze had turned warm.
“I want to go fishing,” the judge replied.
“He’s not asking you, Andy,” Mrs. Havery said, her voice rising.
“PawPaw, I think he’s asking the defense counsel what she wants.” Britney seemed to be following the scene playing out in front of her.
“Well, I think she wants to win,” the judge replied.
“It’s a metaphor,” Paul shouted.
It wasn’t. It was actually very direct. She wasn’t sure Paul understood what a metaphor was, but that was all right. She knew exactly what Quaid was doing.
He was making her face the real questions she needed to ask. She’d spent all of her time and effort making sure a bunch of people who didn’t matter would be impressed with her success. That was what making it had meant to her younger self, but she saw the world through a different lens now.
There would be no job in Dallas. There would be work here in Papillon. Hard work. Good work. Work that would make her family proud of her.
Work she would never regret.
She stood and didn’t care that she could feel tears running down her cheeks. “What do I want, Quaid? I want to spend time with my sister. I want to watch my nieces grow up and be there for them. I want to try to have a relationship with my mom because I think we have a lot to teach each other. I want to fight with your mom over that library because it is going to be this town’s crowning jewel. I want to represent Brian the raccoon when he is inevitably apprehended. But most of all, I want to be your biggest fan. I want you to know that even if no one else ever reads a single page, that you have a crazy fangirl who will sleep with you for one more chapter. I want you, Quaid.”