“Yeah. It happened about a year ago, right?”
He crossed his arms. “Yeah. They like it there. It isn’t bad. Mom says the Garden District is nice, and she takes walks there, so she’s happy, which means Dad is peachy.”
“Where are you from, Griff? The South?” Judge asked, and it took me a moment to understand. Growing up talking to my cousin had made his Southern accent sound normal to me. Even after a year of not speaking to each other, the moment I heard his voice it was as though we’d never parted.
Griff stared at him for a long time, and I held my breath, waiting for him to lay the sarcasm on thick. To my surprise, he didn’t. “I was born and raised in New Orleans.”
I chuckled. “I keep forgetting you have an accent.”
“Yeah, but you and your mama visited often.” He said it matter-of-factly, and he wasn’t wrong. Every break we got Mom packed us up to go visit Louisiana, and I’d loved the vacations to the South and spending time with Griff. As a kid he was my best friend in every way. He was the first person I came out to, and he’d shrugged it off and told me that it didn’t change who I was.
“Anyway, we need to stay in contact.” He slapped me on the shoulder again. “You might be seeing me around more often. I’ll probably be in New Gothenburg for a little while with a couple of friends.”
“I’d like that.” I smiled and curled my arm around Judge’s waist. “I missed you, and I want Judge to get to know my family.”
Griff winked and touched the brim of his cap. “I don’t have to like him, though, right?” His gaze switched to Judge before I could respond. “You hurt my cousin, I’ll hurt you, am I clear? I ain’t lying about my skills. Treat him right.”
“I can definitely do that.” Judge kissed me, and I leaned up into his mouth, enjoying the way his lips moved against mine.
Griff grunted. “All right, keep in touch. We’ll talk later.” He gave me another hug, nudging Judge out of the way to do it, and I squeezed him back. With a nod to Judge, Griff left through the front door. I missed his face. Ever since he joined the navy it’d been hard to catch up with him, even after he got out and went into private contracting.
“Okay, so I just met one of your family members by accident.” Judge shot me a grin. “I don’t think he likes me very much.”
I poked him in the side, and he wriggled away from me, laughing. “That’s Griff, and you need to earn his kindness. Trust me, he’s a good guy.”
“Hey, you met my family, it’s only fair I meet yours, even if he wants to tear my balls off.”
I shook my head and wrapped my arms around his neck, tugging him closer. “I’m surprised you met Griff first. He’s always moving around and it’s hard to tie him down long enough for a conversation.”
“And your aunt and uncle live in Louisiana?”
“Yeah, St. Loren. It’s near New Orleans. I haven’t been there,” I said.
The door to the right of the reception desk opened again, and River raised his dark eyebrows at us. He looked good today in a black suit with his short hair combed to the side. “When you’re done being toothachingly sweet, will you join me?”
I had the decency to blush and clear my throat, but I didn’t let go of Judge’s hand as I pulled him forward. We followed River down a long hallway with soothing gray walls. Judge nudged my shoulder with his, and I smiled at him. We passed three doors, and each one had an unfamiliar name engraved on a silver plaque anchored to the front. I smiled as we continued walking and I noticed offices that belonged to Madden Polunin and Caleb Weston, River’s friends.
River’s office was at the end of the corridor. Once we got inside, we took the seats in front of his desk. Even though the building was different, the inside of his office was exactly as I remembered it at the old firm, right down to the dead potted palm in the corner and Escher prints on the walls. I was tempted to ask why he’d chosen to bring the plant with him, but I didn’t. River hated change. His wide wooden desk gleamed, the same as always. The only real difference I spotted was the wooden Roman blinds over the windows. When River closed the door and walked around to his chair, he cocked his head.
“And you are?” he asked.
Worried about River’s legendary sharp tongue, I winced. “This is Judge Daughtler, my boyfriend.”
At the mention of Judge’s last name, River’s eyebrows inched higher as he dropped onto his chair. “Daughtler? Right, the son of Benny and Roger. I’ve briefly met you a few times.”
“Yeah, we’ve passed each other at parties.” Judge pressed his mouth together.
“Interesting.” River rested his elbows on the desk and his chin on his hands. His gold-rimmed glasses slid down his nose as he studied us. “I admire your parents’ work.” He sounded as if he couldn’t give a shit less, but it was nice of him to make an attempt at being polite. With a smirk, he turned his attention to me. “You’re not here to talk about your relationship, are you? At least, not your current one.”
“Well....” I sighed. “Kind of?”
River stared at me. “Go on.”
“I quit today. The law school... found something interesting on a security recording.” I glanced at Judge and cringed. “There is no delicate way of putting this.”
“So, tell me it straight,” River said. “Trust me, I’ve heard it all. You know I’m the type of guy to step in front of a speeding train.” His lips quirked.
“I ate Flynn out in the school library, unaware they’d check the security cameras, but they did, and they caught us.” Judge leaned back in his chair, unapologetic.
