Leo snorts.
“But what are the chances that he’d end up being Matt and Madison’s lawyer? And why the hell was he on that music video set in Hartford?”
“Entertainment lawyers sometimes show up to shoots if they think there’s any risk to their client’s safety,” he explains. “Or if they’ve been involved in a lawsuit before.”
I rest my chin on my hand, staring off into space as I process this new information. From the little that I’d observed of the artist Davey, being involved in a previous lawsuit seems likely.
Either way, it’s still a strange coincidence. How many lawyers are there in New York City? Thousands, easily. And one of them happens to be the guy that I keep running into.
The server returns to our table and sets down the check.
“I got this one. It’s the least I can do since you’re not charging me for your time today,” I say, fumbling for my wallet in my purse, my mind still reeling from the unexpected turn of events. “Oh… shit.”
Leo laughs, his eyes crinkling at the edges. “What now? Did you forget your wallet in Brookhaven?”
“Uh, I think I left my wallet back at the courthouse.”
He throws his head back and laughs as he pulls out his credit card to cover the meal.
“I’m never going to expect you to pay for lunch. I’m not supporting an eighteen-year-old sister while paying off debt I didn’t accrue and an expensive mortgage. Plus, I make a shit ton of money,” he says with a teasing wink.
I stand up and kiss his cheek. “Will you marry me so that I can quit my job and live off you? Think about how much fun we’d have together.”
“I think Chris would hate that idea.”
I laugh. “How are things going with you two?”
He smiles almost shyly, and it takes me back to my best friend of decades when we were growing up. “Really well. He’s eager to meet the person who dumped a naked man on my couch and stole his boxers.”
“I didn’t steal them! They clung to me like a tiny barnacle desperate to come home with me!”Probably from all the semen.
He chuckles. “Let’s plan a dinner sometime soon with just us three. Or should I say, us four?” he wiggles his brows suggestively.
“Ah, now this is the moment where I rescind my marriage proposal. That’ll never happen because I’m never seeing Cain again. A guy who spends all his time working in a stuffy office and wearing suits, is not someone I intend on spending any more time with. Plus, did you hear him call me boring and insufferable?” I scoff.
Leo laughs. “I did and that really tells me he knows nothing about you.”
“Exactly. Cain Prescott and I are completely opposites.”
He shrugs. “You know what they say.”
I shake my head, holding up a palm to stop him. “You know me, Leo. I don’t have the time.”
What I really mean is I don’t want to be that vulnerable with someone. Because vulnerability means honesty, and honesty means discussing the past and hard truths that have shaped meinto the woman that I am today. And dating means taking time for myself, building a life that doesn’t include my parents. A family of my own. And that feels unfair. It doesn’t feel earned.
“Alright. But I hope one day you’ll see that it’s safe to share with someone other than me,” he says nodding carefully. “Get home safely.”
I exit the café and hail a taxi for the drive back to the courthouse. Fifteen minutes later I’m back and checking with the security desk to see if anyone’s turned it in.
“Sorry, ma’am. There’s nothing here,” the guard says.
“Ugh. Where the hell is it?”
The guard shrugs like my whole life isn’t in that little grey wallet. “You can check in the courtroom, but there’s a case currently in session.”
My wallet has my train card, my ID, and all my cash, so I have no way to get back to Brookhaven unless I find it.
Just as my panic starts to kick in, a deep, familiar voice sounds from behind me. It’s steady, commanding, impossible to mistake. Gone is the stern voice I heard him use in the courtroom and in its place is the teasing, seductive tone he’d used with me during our two nights together.
