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Within her first few steps into the building, Emmett was aware she stood out from the crowd of people that worked there. She was the only one that hadn't dressed in business attire, instead sporting her usual work boots, tight black jeans, and slightly stained white shirt, covered up by a thick denim jacket. Her cheeks were pink from the cool air, but a beanie kept her head warm until she was far enough away from the cold to shove it into her back pocket. A finger poked at the directory, tapping the floor she was directed to before calling on the elevator.
On the short ride up, she tightened her grip on the large paper bag she held under one arm, toe tapping to the lazy beat of elevator music. She was unannounced for any sort of visit, and for it, she grabbed her phone, shooting of a quick text that questioned the lawyer's whereabouts in the last possible second.
The doors opened slowly, and the mechanic stepped into the law firm. She didn't quite know what to expect, but in part she thought Teddy's office wouldn't be so hidden from immediate view. A few paces in, she still couldn't see any clear sign of it, and instead made her way up to the first desk she saw.
"Hey," Emmett greeted with a grin. "I'm looking for Teddy."
Having found a comfortable and familiar routine to her days as Teddy's assistant, Olivia took everything surrounding Teddy in stride. They weren't fully in sync but they both knew enough about each other to not hit too much nerve all at once.
The fact that Teddy's office was wall to wall glass did not make it any easier on the little crush Olivia had suddenly found herself having on her boss and every once in awhile, Olivia would actually drift off just staring at the commanding presence that was the brunette. She was lucky enough not to get caught because her desk wasn't directly in Teddy's view.
But it still didn't help that every time spent with Teddy only increased her attraction towards the other woman.
It was during one of those days where she was too busy thinking about Teddy that someone came to her desk and asked for the object of her thoughts. Olivia looked up and smiled at the woman, taking in her casual look. "Hi! She's not in her office right now. May I know who's asking?"
When Emmett's gaze finally turned away from the pristine office she found herself standing in, it landed on dark hair and a friendly looking face. Her grin softened into something a little more appropriate, but she couldn't help the way her eyebrows rose at the news that Teddy wasn't in her office. What? Was she doing something other than working? Impossible. The mechanic assumed it had to be something work related that pulled her out of her office, but what bad timing.
"I knew I shoulda called ahead..." Emmett set the paper bag on the edge of the desk, the sound of something heavy clunking as it hit the hard surface. With a hand free, she pressed it to her jaw, attention shifting away to around the space once more before she realized she hadn't answered the woman's question.
"I guess you could call me-" Emmett gave a thoughtful pause, eyebrows furrowing as she thought of the term. Client? That sounded so professional. Humor found it's way into her features as her grin returned. "- a friend."
Olivia's dark eyes followed as the bag was set on her desk. It snapped back to the person holding it as she mentioned calling ahead. Olivia hadn't really broached the subject of Teddy's friends so she wasn't all that acquainted with Teddy's circle enough to know who to let in or not.
The answer to her question caused her smile to drop a fraction. It wasn't actually the answer but the way the woman answered it. Like there was a meaning behind it that felt so clear to Olivia. Immediately she felt stupid when she realised that this woman might be Teddy's significant other.
"Ah." She forced a knowing smile on her face as she tacked on an obviously fake laugh at the end. "Well, Miss James will be in...oh, wait there she is." Olivia was both relieved and a little upset when Teddy walked in from her conference looking like she just stepped out of a catalogue.
"Miss James, your friend is here." Olivia smiled before she gestured to the other woman then busied herself with actual work.
Emmett had completely failed to actually offer her name, and as a hint of a frown threatened the woman she spoke to, she realized that must have been why. Her lips parted to make a correction - to at least inform her of who she was and fix any error that might have come up in the strange social setting of a law firm. Before the first vowel could come out, the woman had announced Teddy's presence, continuing to refer her like a student would a teacher.
"Miss James." The name came out too easy, the mechanic's eyebrows soaring upwards as her grin grew. "Is that how I should start referring to you?"
Her attention briefly came back to the brunette. One hand curled around the paper bag, the other extending a hand, which was surprisingly clean compared to usual. "Emmett. It was good meeting you."
Leaving the office at any point in the day was never something Teddy liked to do. It disrupted her entire regime, perfect as it often was, and so she was hardly thrilled about the so-called emergency that dragged her from the comfort of her desk and out the door. She was still on the phone as she stood patiently in the elevator, Givenchy sunglasses still perched on her nose to match this season's handbag settled in the crook of her elbow. The second the door opened, the irrefutable click of the heels that cost more than your rent echoed in the usually quiet halls. It took moments for her to recognise the individual who stuck out like a saw thumb. She flicked those glasses up, bright eyes taking in a questionable scene.
"I'll call you back." She announced on her approach, hanging up the phone and sliding it into her bag. She opened her mouth to immediately - if not potentially playfully - indicate to Olivia their little rule about her preferred name, but she didn't get a chance. And when she lost her eyes before she could even catch them.
Something of a knowing smile. "Absolutely not, if you want to ever achieve your dream of getting my actual phone number." She quipped, but she pressed a hand to her shoulder blade like she could comfort the wound such information gave.
Teddy didn't get in the way of the introduction Emmett wanted to make. "Ah, yes, Olivia knows who you are." She said eventually, easing a hand off her shoulder and pressing it instead to the desk of her current, capable assistant so she could lean in towards her.
"Emmett is from the vandalised garage case." She pointed out, as if it was important to her to aid Olivia with such information; "And the one I bailed out of jail last week for assault." Teddy drew the best picture with an ill matching, bright smile as she reeled back up to look at her supposed friend again; "We can't forget that, can we?"
The introduction and offered hand was met with a hesitant but firm grip of her own and a crooked smile. She wasn't going to be "that woman". She refused to. She had no claim over Teddy so she really shouldn't even be feeling so defensive. "Olivia. I'm Miss...Teddy's assistant." Her eyes flicked over to Teddy with a sheepish grin before moving back down to her computer.
As much as she tried to concentrate on her work, Olivia couldn't help but watch the interaction between her boss and her friend. The way Teddy placed her hand on the other woman's back, the way that tease - though not making sense if they actually were intimate - came so easily to both of them, and then the lean over to her instead of towards her supposed significant other...it was all so damn confusing.
The recollection Teddy offered brought light to Olivia's confusion, however dim it was. She still wasn't entirely certain Emmett was just a "case". Olivia was still recovering from Teddy's lean-in.
The woman seemed shy, but she had a firm enough shake. Emmett offered the same before drawing her attention back the the lawyer who had already gotten her out of so much trouble, and wasn't afraid to point it out. The hand on her back straightened her spine, even if it wasn't Teddy's intention to do so. It was a good comeback, and it brought a laugh out of the mechanic. Her hand dropped to her side, gaze following the form that leaned down on the woman's desk. Olivia. She'd remember that.
There was silence from the assistant, and Emmett was quick to fill it with her own thoughts. "You say assault like he didn't have it coming." The man had destroyed her garage, the least she could do was give him a good knock in the jaw for it. With almost a week since she had called up the lawyer from the police station, Emmett quickly decided not to regret the decision. She had been bailed out by the best lawyer in town, after all.
Lifting the paper bag up for Teddy to see, Emmett gave it a little shake. The sound of aluminum cans rattled together. "I figured you'd want a lunch break," she pointed out, already stepping away from the desk despite not knowing where she was headed. "And you know the only reason you have my personal number is 'cause it's also my work one." Though she doubted if she had two separate cell phones that Teddy wouldn't have the number stored in her phone.
When the intention behind her visit became clear, Teddy was honestly glad it wasn't more work to add to her case. But the prospect of stopping long enough to interact with someone while she had lunch? That was a difficult thought. She glanced at the bag she gestured to, eyebrows quirking up at the sound it made as she did so. The small smile on her face grew to something of a knowing expression instead.
"So I'm not the only one doing house calls." She conceded, easing back from Olivia completely. Teddy had no intention of leaving the office again today, but it seemed like Emmett had planned for that already.
But before she left completely, she was glancing back to Olivia. "Come find me the second you hear more about this, please." She said, hand pressing briefly to the file she was currently working on. Just because she'd have a second person in her office didn't mean she was willing to stop working completely.
"Come on, then." She directed, walking past her and further into the office space. Further in was an office primarily enclosed in glass. She drew the door open and let Emmett walk in first. Were it not for the extensive amount of files and the usual legal books, it looked as if someone had just moved into the office.
The office she was lead to was probably nicer than her entire home. Her eyes shifted towards each of the glass walls, eyebrows cocking upwards as she stepped inside. She wasn't sure how she would work in such a space, but it was the modern thing to be so open concept - to have everyone seeing what you're doing. "Well this takes out the any opportunity to bring someone back to your office." Not that the lawyer gave herself any time away from her work. Even what was supposed to be a leisurely lunch break planned by the mechanic came at a cost, as it was made very clear by the file she clutched to.
Immediately plopping herself down in a seat, Emmett reached into the paper bag, pulling out a six pack of beer and placing it on the desk, shortly followed by two cylindrical items wrapped in white paper. "Best subs in town," she explained before she could be asked.
Once Emmett had stepped in, Teddy closed the door, sparing a fast glance to the direction of the woman Emmett had just managed to meet. "It's never crossed my mind." She replied quickly. Once the door was closed, her attention landed on the woman sitting in one of the dual guest chairs. A few short steps and Teddy was sinking into her own seat on the opposing side of her desk. She pressed the file down before her, making no move to open it just yet.
As she watched what was unpacked before her, she couldn't help but look surprised. "Whatever gave you the impression that I'd drink beer in my office?" She asked with a laugh, "Let alone from a can."
Still, she reached for one regardless, almost begrudgingly as she kept her eyes on the mechanic. "At least you don't have to ask for directions next time you plan an impromptu visit." Teddy offered then. She hardly expected this to be a one time offer, after all.
A grin found itself on Emmett's face from the response given about her beverage of choice. Better, was the way Teddy reached for it anyway; the smugness the mechanic wore was impossible to hide. She had no shame in her behavior. "It's your lunch break. You can do whatever you want." And apparently what Emmett had determined whatever she wanted was to spend time drinking beer with the blonde.
At the mention of directions, Emmett's head turned to peer out the glass wall towards the one she had just met. Her gaze lingered on for a while before she turned back and grabbed a beer of her own, cracking it open and pressing the cool metal to her lips. "She might like a girl stopping off at her desk more often." Emmett shrugged, reaching into the paper bag to haul out the last of the items; a bag of plain potato chips. A classy meal for Stagfort's classiest lawyer.
Freedom came in the form of such an unlikely friend. Teddy's eyes briefly looked to the paperwork she'd brought with her; even if she had wanted to do it, she couldn't imagine getting a proper thought in her head with this kind of company.
Teddy didn't need to look to figure out where her eyes were suddenly drifting. Narrow eyes glanced away instead, breaking the seal on the can in her hands.
"I'm almost certain she wouldn't." Teddy pointed out then, taking the bait she should have left alone. She covered any available afterthought with metal against her lips and a bitter taste in her mouth.
There was something refreshing about cheap beer in a can. Sure, she could have brought something that people regarded with a higher standard, but the mechanic held no regrets. Teddy was still drinking it.
Eyebrows immediately shot upwards, a sharp laugh bursting from her as she leaned back in her chair. She needed another sip before she could argue, because this was too good.
"Are you kidding me?" She lifted a leg, resting her ankle on her knee. "Just look at her." It was obvious, wasn't it?
Almost was a safe word to use when discussing something Teddy didn't have the facts for. She listened to the way the mechanic laughed about it, and humour touched her own lips, but she never allowed a sound to pass through. Cheap beer was right; at least she didn't cringe at the taste.
"Look at what?" She asked Emmett, eyes traveling along the table to the options provided. Given how new she was to town, she couldn't vouch for the best of anything. But she could indulge her all the same. "Is this where I get Emmett's guide to defining sexuality based on appearance alone?"
