The Advocate (The Advocate Series) Read Online Free Page B

accomplish in life.
    As she did every morning when she first woke up, she read through her list, checked a few things off, and reviewed what she had accomplished and what she still had yet to do.
    The list had grown over the years. The items had become more realistic and defined. Every single entry, except one, developed into some form of manageable dream. Some of the “kid’s fantasy” ideas, like become a famous movie star had been adjusted to fit Sabre’s life. She didn’t actually aspire to be a star, but she did want a part in a movie, so that remained as her focus. Only one entry did she ever actually cross out and that was Marry Victor Spanoli , the little boy who had lived next door. Sabre chuckled to herself every time she read that part of the list. She remembered the day Victor had moved into the neighborhood. Two days after her sixth birthday, they’d met. His name had been her first entry in the notebook. Sabre wondered whatever had happened to Victor – if he still played his sax and what he looked like today.
    She continued to read through the list of things she hadn’t yet accomplished: play a part in a movie; learn to oil paint; take a dance class; visit every state in the U.S. The list went on. She’d been busy the past few years getting an education and establishing a stable home. Soon she could start doing the fun stuff, not that she hadn’t done a lot in college and law school. She managed to travel quite a bit, but it only made the list grow because she discovered new things she wanted to do or see.
    Sabre looked at the notebook. She had tried so hard over the years to protect it, but time had taken its toll. Once a deep red, now almost without color, the cover was partially off the wire spiral. Several pages had been taped back in because they’d been torn completely out. Only half of the back cover remained intact.
    The notebook served as a checklist of her life – what she had accomplished and what she had yet to do. It acted as a guide for her and helped get her back on track when she strayed. Most of all, the notebook provided her a lifeline to Ron. She thought of him every time she saw it. Sabre wondered if he knew just how much it meant to her and how it helped her achieve her dreams. When she wrote something in the notebook, it represented a commitment to her brother, and with the exception of her goal to marry Victor Spanoli, she was determined to meet her commitments. Tears swelled up in her eyes and she murmured, “I sure do miss you.”
    Sabre rose from her bed, slipped into an old pair of gray sweats and a t-shirt that read: “I wonder what wine goes best with guilt.” She headed out on her Saturday routine of visiting minor clients in their relative’s or foster home placements, group homes, or mental hospitals.
    By seven in the evening, she had finished her visits. She drove to her office to check her messages and to write a de facto parent status motion that needed to be filed by Monday. Her office, located in an old Victorian style home downtown, had its parking lot in the back alley. Sabre parked as close as she could, approximately twenty feet from the back door. The only illumination came from an adjacent office building and the sixty-watt bulb above her office’s back doorstep, making it difficult for Sabre to see. Fog had started to set in, blocking any light from the moon.
    She opened the office door. A familiar odor caught her attention – faint, but recognizable. Her brother’s favorite cologne, Kantor. It had been years since she had experienced the smell of his cologne, unsure if they even still made it. She’d check with the other attorneys on Monday to see who in the building wore the cologne. She started to dismiss it when she noticed that her brother’s photo, on the credenza behind her desk, was facing the wall. She knew she hadn’t moved the photo.
    Putting it out of her mind, she sat down and began to work. The silence in the office provided the