No Controlling Legal Authority Ch. 28: Courtroom Christmas Part 2
Courtship Caleb Style, or Anne Pleads Her Case
Caleb allowed her to lead him from his office into the courtroom adjoining his office. The door closed behind them, and she paused while her eyes adjusted to the light. He reached for the light-switch, but she stopped him saying, "Don't, please, we'll be able to see well enough in a minute," so he stood quietly in the muted light, listening to her breathing, and wondered if she could feel the weight of the room's history on her shoulders as he always did.
"Oh, my," she whispered in awe when the details of the vast space revealed themselves. Light from the Christmas decorations and lamps on the street below shown through an array of stained glass windows along the room's outer wall and, though dim, gave sufficient illumination for her to make out the intricate architectural embellishments.
"How high is that?" she gasped in amazement as she gazed up toward the barrel vaulted ceiling.
"Thirty nine and a half feet in the middle where the United States seal is; a little less at the ends."
"What's that?" she asked, pointing to another medallion on the ceiling nearly directly overhead.
"Tennessee State seal," he said matter of factly. "And, that one at the far end is the county seal."
"Those windows are unbelievable; are they�" she asked in wonder as she glided away soundlessly on the thick carpet, drawn toward the beauty of the stained glass mosaics.
"Tiffany," he interjected finishing her sentence, while her face turned into the rays of colored light that were radiating through the multi-hued panes. "Six original panels by Louis Comfort Tiffany himself."
"My God," she gasped. "They're exquisite."
"I always thought they were the most beautiful things I had ever seen," he replied.
"You 'thought?'" she asked, turning toward him inquisitively. "What changed your mind?"
"Seeing you standing there with the light in your hair," he answered so softly his voice almost didn't carry to where she was standing. "The comparison takes away their luster."
"Oh, Caleb," she gasped, and he thought he glimpsed the glitter of tears in her eyes as she looked toward him. "That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me."
"Even better than that thing Maurice said about you?" he asked defensively. He was still stinging from having been bested.
"Much better," she said smiling warmly. "I think you mean it; all that pretentious bastard wanted was for me to let him come by Kate's after he closed up last night, and he wasn't even a little subtle about what he wanted."
"I knew it; I was right," he exclaimed with relief.
"Yes, you were," she said, smirking cunningly.
"You gave me a pretty hard time, though, for being right about the 'pretentious bastard,' didn't you?" he complained, and he sounded like a little boy pouting about an unjust scolding.
"Sure, but your not calling me for a week gave me a pretty hard time, too," she said righteously.
"I see," he said, and he gravely pondered her explanation for a moment before teasing her by asking, "Do you always stomp on someone when they let you down?"
"Always," she assured him, grinning at the reminder of her earlier remonstration.
"I'll remember that."
"I know you will."
"You're pretty sure of yourself," he observed without rancor.
"Most of the time," she nodded.
"You know what you want and go after it, don't you?" he said, thinking aloud with a measure of envy.
She was turned, partly, toward him and was outlined against the fragmented glass panels, so he could see the jutting profile of her breasts as he spoke, and she detected a slight catch in his voice.
"Usually," she said smiling at him with lips that lingered seductively on the rim of her glass while his eyes drank from her D cups.
"I wish I had your self-confidence," he muttered.
"You don't?" she questioned doubtfully despite her keen perception of his weaknesses. After all, she reminded herself as she watched him struggling to reveal himself, he hadn't once attempted to kiss her, even after all the wine and the romantic, candle-lit dinners they had shared. "I would think being a judge was a confidence building job if ever there was one."
"I don't mean in here," he replied, indicating the courtroom with a sweeping gesture that reminded her of her Billy. "This is the easiest part; all I have to do in here is learn a few rules and follow them."
"Which explains the books all over your office and your disappearance for the last week."
"Yeah, right."
"But outside this room, there aren't any rules that are so easy to learn and follow, are there?"
"I haven't found any," he sighed wistfully.
"So, you see something you want, but you're not sure that you can get it because there aren't any rules to follow that guarantee the result you want, and that lack of certainty paralyzes you?"