She mutters, “Will you be back tonight?”
Yes, I want to say, but I can’t make any promises, not knowing what I’m walking into at the office. Logan is already there, and we have a major issue that needs to be addressed. I suspect I’ll be sleeping on the couch in my office. Not ideal, but I do what needs to be done.
“I want to come back tonight, but I really don’t know. I’ll text you later if I can make it back. Does that work for you?”
Disappointment riddles her face, and she says, “Okay.”
“We’ll make plans for this week. I want to hold you every night, so don’t get comfortable with me not sleeping next to you.”
Her lips turn up, and that small gesture hits me in the chest. She’s hooked, too. One last kiss. I don’t want to let her go, but duty calls. “I’ll see you.”
“Just keep me posted. I’ll probably head over to my girlfriend's or they’ll come here, but either way, I’ll let Joel know.”
“Have fun with your girlfriends,” I say, giving her one last squeeze, before I walk away from the woman that consumes me—my every thought. The woman with fiery red hair, a perfect match for her personality, fills my heart to the brim.
I open the garage and rush to my car. Starting it up, I back out of her garage. It feels normal to have stayed here—with her, do I dare say she feels like home.
The buzzing through my body is still there when I pull into the parking garage. Walking to the office, I’m in the zone.
I don’t even make it all the way into the office, and Logan is yelling for me to get my ass in the conference room. Taking long strides, I walk into the conference room. “What is the problem?”
“Remember the case we had a couple of years ago with that woman who was almost killed by her boyfriend? He was definitely guilty, but we didn’t figure it out until the end, when the prosecutor found the evidence that he was lying. Thankfully, we lost that one. Anyway, he was released on parole. He was supposed to do twenty years, and they let him out on parole in two. Someone’s lining pockets. Anyway, he contacted us.”
“We have no further client relationship, and we lost, so why is he calling?”
“Get this—his buddy was arrested last night. He’s saying his buddy is innocent and wants to know if we will represent him when he sees the judge.”
I grab a seat at the table and say, “First, I’m not taking on a client that’s a buddy of this guy. That’s a hard fucking no for me.”
“Well, I asked him for his buddy’s name and some details. You need to hear this.”
“I came all the way down here, so tell me—what?”
He pushes his chair out and leans his elbows on his legs. “There’s a restraining order against him…from Kendall.”
“You’ve got to be shitting me! I had him arrested. There’s no way in hell we’re defending that asshole. He can rot in his jail cell.”
“Brother, you need to back up and fill me in. How do you know him?”
I can’t sit any longer. I hop out of my chair and run my fingers through my beard. Pacing. I decide Logan needs to be brought up to speed, and I give him the details of the last forty-eight hours.
“What are the odds of his buddy calling us? That’s shit luck if you ask me.”
“We are not taking this,” I say, shaking my head
He takes his hand and runs it down his face. “I agree.”
“The minute I saw Kendall’s name in the file, I called you. So…Kendall?”
There’s more work to do, and we don’t have time to spend gushing about the woman who has consumed my every thought.
“Logan, let’s focus on our case for tomorrow.”
“You’re seriously not going to give me anything, absolutely nothing, while we are here for hours combing through files?”
“There’s not much to tell,” I shrug like it’s no big deal, like she isn’t the sun that I’m revolving around.
He laughs and points at me. “I call bullshit. Come on, you can’t lie to me; I see right through it. You even tried to cover up your smile when you walked in here. Newsflash, asshole, you’re not hiding it well enough. You’re happy.”
