“What’s going on?” her father asked.
They were in the family room and no one else was around yet. She was an hour earlier than she’d said she’d be here.
“Hold nothing back. I mean it. He can take it. I wasn’t sure myself, and he might pause and gather himself, but he’s tough.”
“Is this a working relationship or something more?” her mother asked. “You seem to be getting close to him.”
She didn’t know how much to tell her parents. Normally she kept her personal life private unless there was something to tell. For years there had been little more than a handful of dates and not even a lot of action in the sheets.
Damn, was she missing that.
After their parting kiss on Friday, she knew if she had asked him to stay he would have. But it wasn’t the right time. Not yet.
Would they get there? Yeah, they most definitely would.
“It’s not work. I’m not representing him and I don’t want to. I think that would cross too many lines.”
“Because there is more going on than you want to tell us?” her father asked.
It was that look that reminded her he was the father and she was the only little girl in the house.
She put her hands on her hips. “I tell you most everything. Do I think he’s handsome? Yes. You’ll see when you meet him. Do I think he’s smart and can be charming and funny? Absolutely. But I also know he’s here for a reason and he’ll do what he can to find his answers. I don’t believe he’s using me, never think that, but if you want to ask him, go ahead. He won’t take offense to it. But because I know people might think it, I’m smart enough to not get too deep either.”
Her mother cleared her throat. “You’re an adult who makes good decisions.”
“Most of the time,” her father said.
She couldn’t dispute that. “That’s right. For now, I’m helping him and helping the community at the same time. What comes of it, who knows? He’s on no timeline, but he only has his place rented for a month and he’s been here a week already.”
“Do you think he’ll stay longer?” her mother asked.
“That would be up to him. He could work anywhere.”
Though it didn’t seem as if he was doing any work on his book. He’d told her he had time yet and could start and get it done without worries, but until he could clear his head, it wasn’t worth beginning. He had to get through the documents with Rene first.
“I’m looking forward to meeting him,” her mother said. “I know how you are when you get your teeth into something, but personally, I’d like to get answers. Not just for Rory and his family, but this community.”
“A lot of people would like to see that,” she said. “But there are some that might not. He’s had a few people tell him to watch his back. Kane McGregor made it a point to stop and talk to me at dinner on Friday when I was with Rory.”
“On a date with him?” her father asked.
“Dad. Dinner. Do you want to know if he kissed me? Sure, he did when we got back. Happy now? That’s why I’m not representing him and don’t want to. Moving on, Kane knew damn well who Rory was and had heard. It’s getting around town fast.”
“Like most things do,” her mother said. “But no one has said anything to me.”
“Not yet. Give it time now. My point is, Kane wanted to make his presence known. Rory isn’t afraid to ruffle feathers and I told him to watch how he goes about things.”
“That isn’t good for you,” her father said. “He’s going to leave and go back to his life and you still have a practice here.”
“I know. I trust he won’t do anything to cause problems for me.”
“Just being in your presence is enough,” her mother said. “But you’ve never been one to back down from anything before and if you think someone is pushing for it, you’re more likely to tighten your grip.”
“That’s it right there,” she said. “I’ve talked to Ford and he’s looking into things. He really has questions about the way it was handled by the police back then. Nothing will leave this house, I trust that. I want Rory to know he can trust us.”
“Telling him he can doesn’t mean he’ll believe it,” her mother said.
“No, but I think he trusts me and that’s good enough. I’m going to get him now unless you’ve got questions.”
