It had been a little over three months since Jes' passing and Gwen had begun to get back into the flow of things at Cochran Matthews and Associates. Her attempt at giving Brandon a second chance with her love had begun to make CJ's words materialize. Gwen remembered, "Men are like tapes, when you rewind them and press play you hear the same song." Brandon's actions over the past few weeks, the late nights, the lying, unexplained and unfamiliar scents of perfume all made Gwen remember why she and Brandon didn't work the first time. Gwen decided to stand strong.
She removed the receiver from its rest and
called Natalie and instructed her that for the next twenty minutes she
was not to be disturbed. She composed herself and thought diligently of
the words she wanted to speak. She wondered if delivering the news that
she was no longer willing to give their love a second try would be best
given over the phone or in person.
It was at times like these that Gwen
would call Jes. She would give Jes the information on the situation and
Jes would do her best to give the right advice. Though Jes would offer
her opinion, Gwen always did the opposite. Without the luxury of Jes'
wisdom, Gwen decided to be a woman about it and get it over with as
soon as possible.
She called Brandon and asked him to meet her for a
2:00 pm lunch date at Red Lobster off of La Cieniga. Gwen's approach
on the phone was a nonchalant one so Brandon agreed to the lunch date
and took it just as such. Gwen ended the call and began to look over the
briefs for Mitchell's case. With all the time off, she needed to once again
familiarize herself with the case.
Gwen nibbled the pastry and sipped
the coffee that Natalie customarily prepared for her each morning as she
highlighted important points in the legal briefs. She noticed that
Mitchell's blood alcohol level was well above the normal limit at the time
of his arrest and she knew that this would be a major problem in her
preparations for his defense.
She also noticed in the details of the
incident that Mitchell was the instigator of the altercation. She
wondered if it would be best to prepare a defense or settle out of court
with all the information going against her client. Gwen thought for a
moment about the best course of action to take before continuing. She
reflected on past cases and hoped she would be able to find any
similarities that she could use for this case. After spending several
minutes in thought, she decided to consult Mr. Cochran and get his
opinion concerning the case.
"Hey champ," Mr. Cochran said as Gwen knocked on the door of his
opened office, "what can I do for you?"
"Give me your advice as always."
"Well you know I'm always here to support you. What can I help you
with?" Mr. Cochran asked as he closed a brief that he was looking over.
"This Nike employee case that you handed over to me."
"What about it. Is it too much for you to handle?"
"No, not at all," Gwen said as she sat in the leather chair in front of
Mr. Cochran's desk. "I just want to talk the decision that I have made
over with you before I talk with the Nike representative."
"Well talk to me," Mr. Cochran said as he sat back into his own
leather chair.