“He asked me to call him that.” I say this nicely because although I want her to back off, we’re besties and shouldn’t let a man come between us. Besides, I need her help.
My voice lowers to just a whisper as I lean over the bars and pull her forearm to drag her ear closer. “I remember calling you.”
Her eyes flicker toward the door before answering. “I got the insurance company to hold off, but we need proof.”
I point at the flowers in the windowsill, “What about those?”
“What about them?” She looks confused.
“Peter sent them.”
“You sure?”
“Either that, or someone is trying to make it look like he did. How many people order a dozen red roses, a yellow one in the center?”
“I tell you what. As soon as you get out of here, let’s check out where you hung up those mics. Maybe there’s clues.”
I sigh. “It may take some time. Like you said, I’m about to be arrested.”
“Well, I’d love to stay and chat but I still got a ton of work to do. Call me if you need anything, anything at all. Bye now.” Dahlyla squeezes my hand, saunters across the room, and purposely slides her chest across my lawyer’s.
Her mouth purses in a kiss-me kind of way, eyes catching his. The thought of her and him going at it makes my stomach wrench. It’s none of my business if they do but still, I kind of thought he had a thing for me.
I am so bad when it comes to reading men, I really am. Like the whole male species, he’s just interested in a quick fuck. He walks into my room, lowers the metal bar, and sits on the edge of my bed.
“You should watch out for her.”
“Why?” My tone sounds miffed but I don’t care.
The space between his brows scrunch and his mouth turns down. “She has a reputation. What were you and her whispering about?”
Before I can answer, my brother knocks on the doorframe. “Hey sis, can I come in?”
“Please. Would you excuse us, Mr. Quinn?” I glare at the man who flirted with my best friend.
“It’s Andy, Drew, or Quinn. Drop the mister, okay?” A flicker of hurt passes over his face before the mask sets back in place.
I’m not trying to be mean, I just need to keep some distance. Whenever he’s around, a tiny jack-hammer keeps cracking the layers of thick cement I’ve built around my heart. I’m never going to fall in love again, not even fall in-like. I can’t afford to be so stupid.
Mr. Quinn gives a genuine smile to Sam as he shakes his hand. “I’m going for coffee. Want any?”
“No man, I’m good.” The two men nod in some kind of male bonding which pisses me off even more.
Damn, I’m dying for caffeine and yet hate to ask Mr. Flirt for another favor so shut my mouth and watch him go.
After he leaves, Sam says. “He seems like a pretty nice guy.”
“How can you say that?” He knows how I feel about lawyers but it figures. The male species sticks together, some kind of Darwin thing.
My brother shakes his head. “He’s great. I talked to him for a while yesterday while you were asleep. You should be nicer to him.”
When Peter’s plane went down, a ton of lawyers tried to worm their way into my good graces and into my pants. When they found out I was penniless, they all left town real fast. A few offered to go after his estate but they said there was an iron clad pre-nup in place which, by the way, I never signed, never even saw.
“So, what’s his angle?”
“I don’t think he needs publicity if that’s what you mean. The guy’s a whizz with investments. Did you know he turned him and his brother into wealthy men? Why have such a bug up your ass if he wants to take you on for free? It’s probably a good tax write-off.”
“Everybody wants something, Sam.”
