“Uh,” Blondie studied the apartment like he’d never noticed the decor. “Arch did, I think.”
“It’s awesome. I love it.” I gazed around at what could only be described as autumn comfort. His walls were cream with burnt orange accents. He had dark brown furniture, and it was all overstuffed and appeared comfortable. His entertainment center and other wood furniture lightened up the room a bit with a blond color. “What sort of wood is this?” I asked, indicating the coffee table and other pieces.
He gave me a blank stare. Arch saved any further awkward conversation by walking up. “She likes your decorating style, man,” said Blondie, before clapping Arch on the shoulder and walking over to a small group of people sitting at the dining table.
My smile was a little crooked. “I’m here,” I said with mock enthusiasm.
“I’m glad you came, Ellie. I’ve been dying to find out more about you, but you’re always in a hurry.”
My hands fluttered to my throat. “I’m so sorry. I can be a little shy, but I didn’t mean to be rude.” I cursed my bashful behavior. He held my gaze with his piercing hazel eyes.
“You weren’t rude. You’re cute.” I blushed red, startled by the compliment. He blurted it out there like it was no big deal. It was a big deal to me.
“Thanks. So, do you always throw random Wednesday night parties?” I smiled to show I didn’t mean it as a criticism.
“Not usually, no. Normally, we have to be in the office bright and early through the week and a lot of weekends, too. We’ve been working round the clock the past few years.” He puffed his chest a little, proud. “We’re celebrating a big accomplishment at work. We won a big case.”
“What do you do?” Todd told me Arch’s profession but I didn’t want him to know I’d gossiped about him.
“I’m a senior partner at Beaumont, Morales, and Lawson.” He motioned me over to a table filled with cocktail fixings. “Are you old enough to drink? I didn’t even think about that.”
My stomach clenched in confusion as I replayed the names he mentioned. I was sure I had the names wrong. I pulled out my phone to double check while I answered his question. “Uh, yeah, I just had my twenty-first birthday.” I pulled up my text from Charles. Sure enough, it was the same law firm. “Arch, this is crazy, but I think your firm took on my case today.”
His eyebrows lifted in surprise. “I’d forgotten you were in the middle of a suit. We read about you in the paper the other day. You’re fighting for your dad’s company, aren’t you?”
I ignored the pang in my gut at the mention of my father. “Yeah. It’s a mess.” I hoped they’d read the article about my volunteering, even though it painted me in a ludicrous light, and not the articles from the society pages aboutThe Publishing Princess. That’s what the press was calling me.Ridiculous.
“Our civil partners would be handling a case like that. We won’t have anything to do with it besides the intake.” He offered me a glass of white wine, which I accepted gratefully. I needed a little bit of fake courage. “How long ago did your father pass?” His voice was sympathetic.
“Only six months. It’s still raw. I’d rather not talk about it tonight.” I gave him a wavering smile. If I put on a brave face, it often made me braver inside. Or, it at least made it easier to tuck the immense pain into a corner.
He squeezed my arm. “You bet. So, since we’re the names on the building, one of us does the intake on every case our firm takes. I’m sure I’ll find an appointment with you on my calendar when I go back to work.” His wide grin made my breath catch in my throat.
“A week from today, but I don’t know who with.” I sipped the sweet wine and glanced around the room at the other guests. Besides the two friends I’d noticed at Arch’s apartment in the past, only a handful of men and women played cards at the dining room table.
“I’ll make sure it’s me so you’re comfortable.” He smiled down at me. “Our law firm covers a wide spectrum of litigation. We have six different lawyers currently practicing with us, each of whom excels in their own specializations.” He poured several liquids into a container and began to shake vigorously. “We heard about your case and wanted to approach you, but we’d never step on Charles Saniger’s toes. He’s respected in this town.”
Charles was more well-known than I’d realized. “Should I be here?” I would’ve hated to lose my second lawyer because of a technicality.
“Yeah it’s fine. We’re criminal lawyers. None of our civil partners are here. As long as we don’t have anything to do with your actual case, there’s no conflict of interest.” Arch wandered over to the couch and sat down.
Since I didn’t know anyone else in the room, I followed him. “Want to play a little Mario Kart?” he asked.
Here was my chance to embarrass myself. “Sure, but I have to warn you: I’m terrible at any and every video game I’ve ever tried.”
Arch let out a boyish laugh. “I’ll take it easy on you.” He handed me a black controller, and I tried to remember which buttons did what. The last time I played the game, Todd and I were teenagers.
Half an hour and ten races later, I’d maintained my spot in last place, and two other guys joined us. Wes was the massive blond I met at the door. The other, Gray, was a slender—yet also muscular—Latino man with hair longer than mine. It reached halfway down his back and was glossy like a hair product commercial. His voice had the smooth lilt of someone used to switching flawlessly between Spanish and English.
Every time the game was paused, I stopped myself from staring out of the corner of my eye at the three guys sitting around me. It was surreal to be playing a video game with three hot guys
They teased me like I was one of the group, which helped relax me considerably. I even started teasing them back.
“Ouch. I thought you were supposed to be good at this game,” I teased Gray when his character fell into a ravine.
“Laugh it up. I’ve already lapped you once.” His accent was Southern, the same as his two friends.
I spent a second too long watching him, and when I turned to the game, I was driving into a wall. Correcting myself, I focused on the race for the last lap and managed to end the game in second-to-last place, instead of last. “Hey! I didn’t come in last. It’s a small victory.” I pumped my fist into the air.
