The Living Room Read Online Free Page A

the time it goes up the next day, but these clients would never call. No matter how many times a new client was advised not to track a twenty-year or even five-year investment day by day, it seemed almost human nature to peek. Of course, 50 percent of the time, it would have gone down the next day. As a result, there were always a few clients that forgot the rule and picked up the phone with concerns.
    Long-standing clients never made that call, at least not more than once in the beginning.
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    Glancing at the sign in front of the law office of Stines and Becker, he shook his head and questioned what he’d gotten himself into. He wondered if a courier or some method of current technology could have been used to handle the signing of such documents.
    Outside the office, the streets were scattered with garbage. A neighbor of the building was reorganizing his precious belongings in the shopping cart he had pushed throughout the day. He moved cautiously while gathering more treasures that had been left in garbage bins, by people more fortunate and certainly less concerned about the refund payable on bottles and cans.
    Inside the building sat a worn-out, balding man. Pieces of his last meal were still dangling from his unkempt facial hair. He was slightly shorter than Art in stature and had him covered by at least forty pounds. Once he noticed he was no longer alone, he stood and began to brush himself off.
    “You must be Mr. Clay,” he said as he extended his hand. He had been waiting hours for the late arrival, although he always had some pending court case to keep himself busy. Most of his time, though, was typically spent on case studies from his old school days.
    “That’s right, and you must be the notorious Mr. Stines.”
    This frightened Stines. He didn’t understand the comment, and Daniel instantly noticed.
    “I just mean notorious as in the guy who’s been calling me every day for weeks.”
    The explanation put Mr. Stines at ease. He always assumed he wasn’t the type to be well-known, or spoken of, in any circle of the profession. He was correct.
    “This is a pretty small office you guys have here, barely room for a Becker.”
    Mr. Stines agreed but avoided the topic, purposely failing to mention that Becker was actually his wife’s maiden name, which he had borrowed in order to make his company sound more professional.
    “Well, I won’t keep you, Mr. Clay. I just need you to sign these forms, and I’ll copy your picture identification. I will have the documents sworn and delivered through the courts this week. Oh and here are the pictures you requested. Looks like a nice old place.”
    Daniel still acted somewhat uninterested in the whole affair and put them in his pocket without viewing them. Mr. Stines again became a little nervous and avoided eye contact.
    “You know, Mr. Clay, as I said on the phone, this was a file that I—I mean, we took on pro bono. Sometimes, we do this kind of work in hopes it will lead to, you know, other work and stuff.”
    Daniel smiled. “Are you asking for referrals, Mr. Stines?”
    The attorney couldn’t lift his head. He was too busy struggling to read the small text he had scripted down on the corner of wasted paper. This was a chance to build his business, and the guys in the networking club had been coaching him for a week to get it right. Concern overwhelmed his mind. Did he read it right? Did it come across like they said it would?
    He knew Daniel was used to being wined and dined for referrals. Gifts from large corporate attorneys laced with kickbacks and priceless tickets to any sporting event in the big city were things he didn’t have, so the old-fashioned approach of simply asking would surely be considered an embarrassment.
    “Give me some of your cards, then. I’ll see if anyone in the office is in the need of a good attorney.”
    Mr. Stines was in shock, and his chin quivered just enough to shake the last of the crumbs from its hair. Shaky handed, he