Page 118 of Maverick

"My office," he says, gripping my shoulder firmly.

Colton follows us as Ransom steers me into his office, closing the door behind us. "What's going on?"

I run a hand through my hair, pacing the length of the room. "I got a call," I start, my voice tight. "Single mom, unfairly fired, no money for rent or food. And I... I turned her away."

My fist clenches at my side as I continue, "I've been taking on so many cases, pro bono work, trying to help everyone I can. But I can't keep doing this. I know I can't."

I stop pacing, leaning heavily against Ransom's desk. "If I keep going like this, I'll lose Cadence. She deserves so much more than a guy who's never there for her, and when I am home, I'm drowning in work."

"And this feels fucking awful. I want to help people. That's why I became a lawyer in the first place. But I feel like I'm stretched so thin I can't help anyone properly anymore." I slump into one of Ransom's chairs, my head in my hands. "I don't know what the fuck to do," I mutter, my voice muffled.

Ransom leans against his desk, his arms crossed. "You can't save everybody, Mav. You're one man, not a superhero."

I look up at him, frustration burning in my chest. "So what, I just ignore people who need help? That's not who I am, Ran. That's not who we are."

Colton clears his throat, his expression unusually serious. "But he's right, you can't help everyone, Mav. Is it worth losing all the good things in your life for everyone else? How big a sacrifice will be enough?"

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. I lean back in the chair, my mind racing. "I... I don't know," I admit quietly.

"Look," Colton continues, his voice gentler now. "We all want to help people. It's what we do. But you can't set yourself on fire to keep other people warm."

"That's profound. Did you get that off a cereal box?"

He flips me off. "A greeting card."

God I love him. A tightness eases in my chest, as I let myself laugh.

Ransom nods in agreement. "Wherever you got it, it's true. You've got a good thing going with Cadence. Don't throw that away because you're trying to save the world single-handedly."

I run a hand through my hair, feeling the weight of their words. "But how do I choose? How do I decide who gets help and who doesn't?"

"Why do you have to?" Ransom asks, looking all wise and mysterious all of a sudden. "What if we set up a foundation? Something to handle these cases that fall through the cracks?"

"I thought about that. I even talked it over with Cadence, but I don't know if I could keep myself separated enough. If it's our foundation, I'm going to be all over it, I just know it." Instead of twenty cases to follow outside of this office, there could be hundreds. It's a fucking disaster waiting to happen.

"You're probably right," Ransom mutters. "So why can't you support an existing not-for-profit, something with existingmanagement and infrastructure, and let them fight the good fight."

"I've thought of that too," I mutter, tapping the toe of my shoe against the coffee table leg.

"And?" Colton prompts, eyebrow raised.

"And I don't know."

"What is there to think about?" Ransom asks, relaxing back in his chair like he's got all the time in the world for this conversation. Fuck the business. Fuck any meetings he might be late for. He'll sit here with me as long as I need. It's his patience that finally lets me gather my swirling thoughts..

"It doesn't feel… hands-on enough."

"Because you need to be the guy to save everyone," Colton says matter of factly.

I scowl at him, and he just shrugs. "It's true. And it's not that unique. Kids who lose their parent the way you did? It's natural to become a justice seeker, or someone who needs to be the hero. It's classic."

"Don't psychology me asshole."

"I can't help it. You're making it too easy. It's why you're having a hard time with the idea of turning over the work to an outside non-profit. Giving money to a charity isn't close enough for you. It doesn't give you the sense of being a hero that working directly with people in need does."

"You make me sound fucking pathetic."

"Not pathetic. You sound human," Ransom says firmly. "We all have needs, brother. All of us. So, instead of beating yourself up about it, why don't you just accept it and figure out what you need to do to meet that need? Because denying it? That's the path to fucking madness."