Ryan’s eyes were somber. “She thought you were going to charge her rent?”
I nodded. “I told her all we want in return was for her to try to have hope. Sherri’s going to contact a battered women’s shelter to find out what kind of counseling Beth will need. And whatever it is, believe me, we’ll get it for her.” I dabbed the corners of my eyes. “When she accepted our offer to help, do you know what she said?”
He shook his head.
My throat tightened. “She asked if she’d be allowed to have a garden.”
He put his hand on my arm again. “I hope you told her yes.”
“Of course.” I smiled, then pulled my hand away.
“How are your parents doing?” he asked.
“The same.” I glanced down at my champagne, and sighed. “I left a message for my mom, but she never called my dad. It’s weird that she only phoned me the one time, but I get that she wants to be alone.”
His brows came together. “Why would she want that?”
Finishing off my bubbly, I set the flute on the table. “Peace. She can do what she wants, when she wants, and she doesn’t have to be responsible for my dad anymore.”
He sipped the last of his champagne, then set the glass next to mine. “Wouldn’t she get lonely?”
I stared at my hands, then lifted my lashes. “Lonely is better than heartbroken.”
He traced the back of my hand with his finger. “Maybe if she talked to him about what her concerns are, then they could resolve them, and she wouldn’t have to be either.”
Unwillingly, my throat tightened even more. If only it were that easy.
* * *
On Sunday, I’d served breakfast to the homeless, then spent the rest of the day getting Bob’s apartment ready for Founding Friendships’ first guest. Sarah and Ginger helped me with errands—picking up paint, and necessary cleaning supplies at the hardware store. Not the same as a girls’ night out, but definitely rewarding, and we’d made our own fun dabbing each other with paint any time one of us said the word “work.”
Not hard to guess who received the brunt of the paint brush pokes, but I was getting better. . . .
It had been an emotional day, watching my plan come to life, and it was made even better by sharing it with my friends. I smiled, remembering the laughs we’d cackled over take-out pizza, even though we were beyond exhausted by the end of the day. We’d made a terrific start, and on stand-by for cleaning the apartment this upcoming week were Sarah, Ryan, Scott, and even Kristen, who arrived home from her honeymoon late Sunday night.
All in all, it was a very productive weekend. The only way I would’ve been happier was if it weren’t Monday morning, and if I wasn’t at Corbett, Gray, & Shaw. Sigh.
I arrived to work an hour early, and checked my voicemails. Madison McKenzie’s voice rang out.
“Hi, Jill. It’s Madison. Hope the weekend gave you the time you needed to say yes to my offer. I apologize again for Ed. He had a friend who applied, but I told Ed that the firm isn’t about friendship, it’s about merit. Our personal lives have no place in the office, as that’s our time to focus and thrive. I know you’ll fit in well here. Look forward to hearing from you.”
I dropped into my chair, deflated. I loved practicing law. I had an exceptional work ethic. But the long hours I used to work, would directly conflict with the hours necessary for running Founding Friendships.
Immediately, I reached for a paperclip and dropped it into Lady Justice’s left scale. Clank! Flexible Work Hours. The scales were way off kilter now. I dropped my head on the desk, having no idea what to do.
Beep! Beep!
I waited for Ruth’s cheerful voice to ring out. Silence. “Yes?”
“Jill.” Stan Corbett’s voice came through in an irritated tone. “We need you in the conference room.”
“Be right there.” I ran a hand through my hair, wondering who “we” was.
“What’s that?” Stan asked, and then sounded like he was mumbling.
Had he not heard me? “I said—”
“Good idea.” Stan cleared his throat, and I figured out he must be talking to someone in the conference room. “Bring the entire set of Somerset files with you.”
The Somerset files? What was going on?
I followed the clipped orders, removed the files from the cabinet, and had to use both arms to carry them. I plodded down the empty hallway, jealous of everyone who arrived to work at a normal hour, while I was stuck here dealing with Stan’s babbling. A twenty-five percent raise wasn’t sounding like enough.
I approached the conference room, hands filled with Somerset files, and was mollified to see the door wide open. I entered the room and dropped the monstrous files on the table. Stan and Ryan sat across the table from me. No Jim. No Roger. Couldn’t be that bad if all of the partners weren’t here.
I dropped into the nearest chair. “What’s going on?”
“Frank Wilson called me regarding the Somerset case,” Stan said gravely. “Told me he’s been trying to reach you, but you won’t return his calls.”
“That’s crazy.” I frowned. “Ryan and I were just at his office on Thursday.”
“I mentioned that.” Ryan gave me a look I didn’t understand. “I also reminded Stan that I merely went to the meeting to observe, since I didn’t think we should take you off the case.”
“Didn’t? As in, past tense?” My pulse quickened, and I stared at Ryan in shock. “Have you changed your mind?”
Ryan paused a moment to stare at me. His hazel eyes pierced mine. “Yes.”
My stomach jumped up to my throat. No. This wasn’t possible. Ryan would never betray me like this. Unless he thought he was doing me a favor, so I wouldn’t have to deal with Frank. . . No again. I’d told him I wanted to stay on the case, and he’d respect that because he respected me. But his words were saying the opposite, which made no sense. . . .
Still in shock, my eyes darted to Stan, who wore a look of pure disgust. Apparently, without Ryan backing me up, he was going to believe Frank Wilson—aka the obnoxious liar—one-hundred percent.
“Your nonchalance regarding settlement is unacceptable.” Stan sent daggers with his eyes. “We gave you a raise, trusted you with this seven-figure case. Don’t you understand the magnitude of that?”
“Of course I do.” My eyes thinned. “As with all my cases, I handled it professionally, and thoroughly. Defense attorney refused to budge on settlement. Ryan was there. Ask him.”
Stan bobbled his head to the left, then right, as if considering my words. Finally, he shifted in the chair, and faced Ryan. “Well?”
I turned to Ryan, wondering if he was angry with me for refusing to date him. Hello? I didn’t want to risk my feelings only to have him disappointment me. Like now. Only, he wouldn’t betray me like this. He just wouldn’t.
Although, I mean, he was. . . .
Ryan seemed to consider Stan’s question for what felt like a lifetime, before he nodded. “Jill’s correct.”
My stomach dropped to the floor, and I felt like a freaking yo-yo. Now I was right?
“At Thursday’s meeting, Frank was very firm that his limit was seven-fifty.” Ryan gave me a look. “In fact, he started at five-hundred thousand, and Jill negotiated quite impressively to bring Frank up as far as she did.”
I gaped at Ryan, unable to believe he’d spoken so casually using the first name of the guy he’d previously wanted to lay out for commenting on my looks. “Since, we agree, I’m negotiating appropriately—strike that—impressively, then why would you even consider pulling the case from me?”
Ryan shook his head. “According to what Frank told Stan this morning, this negotiation should’ve taken place years ago.”
“You’re the number two person in this department, Jill.” Stan gawked at me like a child who’d misbehaved. “Your behavior is appalling.”
“Appalling?” My fists balled tightly. I’d had enough. “Look, Stan, I’ve had this case for two years,
and I know it inside and out. In addition to court hearings and mediation, I’ve talked to Frank on the phone at least fifty times.”
Stan leaned forward in his chair, and looked at me like he didn’t believe a word I’d said. “Frank Wilson’s a well-respected man in San Francisco, known for his honesty and integrity.”
Yeah, and your friend. Way to have a neutral opinion. Not.
Stan gave me an incredulous look. “What evidence do you have that would make me take your word over his?”
Tingles shot up my spine, down my arms, and zipped through my fingertips as I recalled the tedious phone calls that Ryan had forced me to document in the file. How had he known I’d need those? I leveled Stan with a stare, holding my head high. “I have memos.”
The silence was audible.
Stan Corbett’s forehead wrinkled. “Memos? What are you talking about?”
I kept my gaze directed on Stan’s, though I wanted to fall at Ryan’s feet and ask his forgiveness for all the trouble I’d given him for making me write those notes. “I drafted memorandums of my phone conversations with defense attorney. You’ll find them throughout the file.” I cleared my throat, watching Stan vigorously flip through the legal-sized manila folders. “I could dig up phone records, too, if you’d like.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Ryan’s smooth voice felt like velvet on my ears. “Jill, I believe we owe you an apology.”
I turned to Ryan, and gazed into those sexy hazel eyes. He winked at me. My lips curved upward. Of course he wouldn’t ever betray me.
Chapter Thirteen
I paced my office like a boxer going into the ring. Mentally, I’d just told Stan to eat crow, and that had been putting it nicely. But how had I acted any better after the way I’d treated Ryan over the past weeks? Lady Justice stood on my desk, and I swear she was laughing at me in that serves-you-right kind of way.
Dropping to my knees, I clasped my hands behind my neck, and buried my head between my elbows. How could I have doubted Ryan’s loyalty when he’d been watching my back from the beginning? Stupid, stupid, me.
I’d blown it with him. Yeah, I knew Ryan had broken hearts. Aidan would probably say I’d broken a few myself. But if Ryan was a bad boy, he was my bad boy. My heart had succumbed to him somewhere along the way, and it had just taken awhile for my head to realize the truth. That he and I belonged together. And that he would never let me down.
First, I picked up the phone, and called Madison back. I thanked her for her generous offer, but graciously turned the position down. Although I liked her and respected her work, I would never be content working for, and eventually partnering with, someone like Ed Haugan. I needed business partners I could trust, not who would stab me in the back—I’d had enough of that to last me a lifetime.
Next, I emailed my resignation to Corbett, Gray, & Shaw. I didn’t want there to be any tension between Ryan and me. It had taken me twenty-nine years to find love, and I was determined to make it last a lifetime—just like Ryan had said. I gave the partners two weeks notice, and I had plenty in savings to last until I found a new position. One that balanced my life in a healthy way, not in a way that tipped the scales in a too worn out and too tired for anything or anyone special in my life.
I stared at the eight-inch statue on my desk, studying the beautiful, robed Lady who was blindfolded. She held a sword in one hand and two scales in the other. I saw myself when I looked at her. A sword in one hand, showing my strength and power doesn’t come from other people. It came from believing in myself, and trusting my instincts. Not listening to hearsay, but forming my own opinions.
The scales showed my life. I pulled out my desk drawer, removed some paperclips, and onto the right scale dropped, One, Turned Down Madison. Clank. Two, Resigned from Corbett, Gray, & Shaw. Clank. Three, Started Founding Friendships. Clank. I watched the scales teeter until they stopped—so close to balanced, but not quite. . . .
I needed to reclaim my man. And I would. Because when I set my mind to something, I achieved it. Right now, I was driven to date and nothing would stand in my way.
I opened the door, marching past a couple early arrivers, and vacant cubicles. My heels stomped into the carpet as I made a right after the last desk, heading toward Charlie’s former office.
The room was lit, the door open, and I heard movement inside. Ryan’s back was to me when I entered. He was bent over a bookshelf behind his desk, lifting various volumes as if reading their bindings. I pushed the door shut behind me.
His gaze flipped toward me, and he straightened. “Well, this is a first.”
Frowning, I gestured toward the conference room. “You had that planned from the beginning.”
He crossed his arms. “You get upset by the strangest things.”
My eyes widened. “You acted like you didn’t know anything about those memos, and you completely lied in there.”
“I didn’t lie.” Holding his elbow, he rubbed his chin. “Although I said we should take you off the Somerset file, and that wasn’t true. You would’ve gone ballistic on me if I tried to that.”
He knew me so well.
My eyes narrowed. “Why did you do it?”
“Frank Wilson demanded we take you off the case, and I had a bad feeling about him from the start. Stan believed him, and I knew Stan wasn’t going take a new attorney’s opinion over his friend’s word.” He edged around to the front of his desk, and leaned back against it. “You did the work. All I had you do is document your file.”
I stepped closer to him. “You set me up.”
Ryan shook his head. “Frank set you up. I just didn’t let you fall.”
Overwhelmed with emotion, I inhaled deeply, preparing myself for what I needed to say. “I’m sorry for what I said in my office Friday. When we first met, your friend had made that comment about your short attention span with women, then I heard some rumors . . . but you never gave me a reason to doubt you, and I shouldn’t have. All I can plea is temporary insanity.”
His brows drew together. “You think that’s enough to get you off without a sentence?”
“Wait, I have more evidence to present to the jury.” I paced in front of him. “It is true that my lapse in judgment had painful consequences, but I believe the defendant should receive a favorable outcome, and I’d like to submit testimony for your consideration.”
The corners of his mouth twitched. “Proceed, counselor.”
I stopped pacing, turned, and faced him square on. “One, less than an hour ago I found myself in dire circumstances where you could’ve destroyed me. I swear that I never once, not even for a second, doubted your loyalty. Two, I emailed my resignation to the partners twenty minutes ago, proving that you are way more valuable to me as a lifelong partner, than a business partner position could ever be.”
Emotion flickered across his face. . . .
Not knowing what his look meant, I licked my lips, determined to finish what I needed to get out. “And lastly, I know I have difficulty relying on anyone to take care of me. But since I am completely in love with you, I’m hoping you’ll be patient while I work through all of that. If it helps at all, I’m a fast learner.”
He ran a hand through his hair, then chuckled. “Before I give you my verdict, I believe it’s only fair to let you know that I’m currently jobless.”
I froze. “You’re what?”
“I told Stan I quit.” He shook his head, smiling. “I didn’t want anything standing between us, and I thought the position should be available to you if you want it. I was preparing to type up my résumé when you came in.”
“You quit for me?” I moved forward, so I was only inches away. “That’s awfully chivalrous of you.”
He gazed into my eyes. “I’d do anything to protect those I love.”
My eyes narrowed, and I thrust my hands on my hips. “Anything?”
“That’s right.” He slipped his arms around my waist, pulled me to him, and gazed into my eyes. “Are you going to scowl
at me on our wedding day? Because that’s not going to look good in photos.”
Tingles ran down my spine, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, weaving my hand into the back of his hair. “From the shocked look on your face when Bud asked you about proposing, I never thought I’d hear the word marriage brought up by you.”
He paused, as if remembering the conversation at the dance club, then he tightened his arms around me. “You’re right that I was shocked, but not for the reason you thought. When he mentioned a ring on your finger, I immediately pictured myself down on one knee, and that’s not something I’d ever considered before you. But picturing you in a white dress, for me, feels right.”
My stomach fluttered, and I bit my lip. “Does that mean you’re dropping all charges against me?”
In response, he brushed his mouth across mine. “You were never on the hook for anything, my love. I was always here for you. From that very first kiss, and even when you burned my mouth with hot wasabi.”
Touching my forehead to his, waves of tingles flowed through me, all the way down to my toes. “And here I thought I’d have to put more in the next time.”
I laughed from pure happiness, then kissed him, embracing a connection I’d never known before—consuming, enveloping, amazing. And when he deepened the kiss, we moved in a rhythm that was our own, and I melted even more.
* * *
Lunchtime arrived and my head was still in a happy cloud. I met Ethan and Charlie at a Chinese restaurant in Old Sacramento called Wok N’ Roll. We’d eaten here once before when Ethan told me his wife considered holding their wedding here. Personally, I’d rather just elope.
We were seated at a table in the back, and I ran my fingers through my hair before I sat down. “So, Ethan, how was Italy?” I asked.
His dark features brightened. “Incredible. We’re already planning our return trip.”
Lucky 7 Bad Boys Contemporary Romance Boxed Set Page 87
