And I don’t.
This is strategic.
Nothing more.
Keep telling yourself that.
Fuck!
“The chance to do at least one thing right,” I say evenly. “Your reputation is solid. The locals will trust you, which means they’ll trust the clinic. And I need someone who actually knows how to review these contracts without getting played by developers.”
It’s the truth.
Or close enough.
The kind of answer that makes it clear this is business, not some attempt to rekindle whatever the hell we had five years ago.
What I don’t say is that working beside her will help stabilize the foundation’s credibility while I hunt down Xavier. That her reputation for integrity is exactly what I need to counter the narrative that’s building against me. That having her here feels like the only thing that has made sense in months.
She’s quiet for a long moment.
Reading.
Processing.
Finally she looks up. “I have commitments in the city. Clients. Cases.”
“Handle them remotely,” I counter. “You can work from Eleuthera. I’ll pay you a hundred K for the six weeks. That’s on top of whatever you bill your existing clients.”
Her eyebrows lift slightly. Not shock. Just recalibration.
At least she’s pragmatic about money. That makes this easier.
“That’s a lot of money for six weeks of community legal work,” she says carefully.
“It’s fair compensation for what I’m asking you to do.” I hold her gaze. “And you know it.”
She sets the contract down and folds her arms. “If I agree to this, we need ground rules.”
“Name them.”
She leans forward. “Strictly professional. No repeat of last night. We work together. We keep it clean. And when the six weeks are over we go our separate ways.”
Perfect. Exactly what I need to hear.
This makes it simple. Clean. No complications.
“Agreed,” I say. “Last night was a mistake. We both know it. Let’s not compound it by pretending otherwise.”
Her eyes narrow slightly. Like she expected more of a fight.
“Just like that?” she presses.
“Just like that.” I keep my voice steady. “You’re here to do a job. I’m here to run the clinic and clean up the foundation’s mess. That’s it. No history. No personal entanglements. We’re colleagues for six weeks, then we’re done.”
This is the right call.
The smart call.
