Love's Verdict

by Carsen Taite

  She made sure to emphasize the words “whoever represents him” as she stared down Carly and Landon. Alarm bells went off in Carly’s head. Landon’s family feud was about to get them both, not to mention their firm, tossed from the case.

  “Mr. Zion,” Carly said. “Shelby is right. We will do whatever it takes to exonerate Trevor. He’s in good hands, but if a lawyer or anyone else makes you a promise about outcomes, then they are lying because there’s absolutely no way to predict what will happen.” She looked at Landon’s father. “It was nice to meet you, Mr. Holt, but we’re going to leave now. We have work to do and you have business to discuss. The two don’t necessarily mix.” She looked across the room. “Landon, let’s go.”

  Carly didn’t say another word as they left the suite and took the elevator down to the main concourse with Landon following a few feet behind. The earlier mood that had her imagining a fun day spent in the company of an attractive woman had passed, but she decided it was for the best. Landon was her opponent, not her friend, and she’d do well to remember that until she was promoted to partner.

  Chapter Eight

  On the way back to the office, Carly wished she’d stayed there instead of making this ill-advised trek to the Cowboys game. The day had started with such promise, but the spark between her and Landon had fizzled when the reality of their work stepped in. She couldn’t deny she was curious about Landon’s relationship with her father, but Landon, who had performed the role of rebel back in the Zion suite, now appeared cowed by the encounter and sat staring out the car window, sullen and withdrawn. After thirty minutes in traffic, Carly had had enough of the brewing silence between them and reached over and tapped Landon on the shoulder.

  “What?”

  “Are we going to talk about what happened back there, or are you going to stew all by yourself?”

  Landon kept her face down and hunched her shoulders. “I don’t have anything to say.”

  “Well, I have questions. How about we start there?” Carly glanced up at the Uber driver who didn’t appear to be remotely interested in what might be going on in his back seat. “So, you’re the spawn of one of the richest men in Dallas. What’s that like?”

  Landon’s head jerked up and she squinted at Carly like she was trying to figure out if she was for real before a slight grin slipped past the frown she’d been wearing. “Spawn, huh? You know, you’re pretty funny for someone who acts like they read legal memoranda for entertainment.”

  “Now look who’s being funny,” Carly replied with a grin of her own. “FYI, just because someone takes her job seriously doesn’t mean she can’t have a sense of humor.”

  “And look, she talks about herself in the third person—bonus dork points.”

  Carly studied Landon’s face. She was probably kidding, but the words still stung. Landon must’ve detected something was wrong because she immediately said, “I was only kidding.”

  “Sometimes kidding around is only funny to the person doing it.”

  “Touché.” Landon made a mock bow. “Please accept my apology. My nerves are a little raw, but I shouldn’t take it out on you.”

  “True. Now you can make it up to me by telling me what the hell happened back there.”

  “I will under one condition.”

  “Name it.”

  “Watch the game with me. We can still catch it on TV even if we don’t have the fancy digs.”

  Carly hesitated. It wasn’t like she had anything else planned, and she wouldn’t have been home for hours if they’d stayed at the stadium. Knowing her enemy would be a good idea, but she ignored the voice that argued spending the afternoon with Landon wasn’t exactly gearing up for battle, still she quickly agreed. “There better be nachos and not soggy ones.”

  “I know just the place.”

  Landon gave an address to the driver, and Carly started to ask where they were going, but Landon was punching numbers into her phone and held up a hand to hold her off. Resigned to waiting, Carly looked out the window, pretending not to eavesdrop on Landon’s conversation.

  “Hey, Ian, it’s Landon.” Brief pause. “I know, I know.” Longer pause with Landon inserting uh-huhs here and there. “Now that you’ve got that out of your system, do you mind if I join you for the rest of the game?”

  Carly perked up at Landon’s question. She’d envisioned a sports bar, but she couldn’t quite picture one that Landon would have to call first and engage in a long, mostly one-sided conversation to gain entry. Where was Landon taking her? She poked her on the shoulder, but Landon merely waved her off.

  “Okay, great. We’ll be there in about five minutes. Save us some beer.” She clicked off the phone. “That’s settled.”

  Carly stared. “What’s settled? Where are we going? Who was that?”

  “You ask a lot of questions.”

  “In my experience that’s how you find out information.”

  “Don’t you like surprises?”

  Carly considered the question for all of two seconds. “No.”

  “Then it must be hell for you to be a litigator.”

  “I’m—” Carly stopped the words before they left her mouth. Landon didn’t need to know that her experience with litigation was mostly behind the scenes or dealing with the fallout on appeal. Besides, she dealt with plenty of surprises even if she wasn’t out front in the cases the firm tried. She didn’t mind the unexpected when it came to cases, but surprises in her personal life were another thing entirely.

  The thought brought her up short. When had this day turned into something personal rather than a business outing? The minute you agreed to go with Landon anywhere. Carly wanted to regret her decision to go wherever the hell they were going, but the truth was she didn’t. On some level, she was enjoying the adventure, and it wasn’t like they were going far since Landon had told the person on the other end of the call they were five minutes away. If the adventure became too, uh, adventurous, she’d be able to escape with a simple click on the Uber app.

  The car stopped in front of a modest-looking stone house in the M Streets. She wasn’t fooled by the smallish size—properties in this area ran upward of half a mil for two to three bedrooms. While Landon tipped the driver, Carly got out and looked around. Not a lot of activity on the street, but it was clearly all residential. Whose house was this and why was this the place Landon had chosen to bring her?

  “You ready?”

  She started to ask for what, but decided instead to embrace this newfound sense of adventure. “Yes. Yes, I am.” But when the front door to the house swung open and the male version of Landon ran down the steps, she wasn’t at all sure what she’d gotten herself into.

  “Landon!” the man called out as he swept her up in a hug. “The prodigal daughter returns.”

  Landon shook her head. “Takes one to know one.”

  “Yes, it does. Besides, I know you’re only here for my famous spread.”

  “I made promises. I hope you’re ready to deliver.” Landon reached back for Carly’s hand. “Meet Carly. She’s another lawyer at the firm. We’re on an important mission to research football and nachos. Tell her we’ve come to the right place for both.”

  The man looked at their joined hands, and Carly let go of Landon like she was a hot potato to avoid giving him the wrong idea. Still unsure who this guy was or why Landon had chosen to bring her here, she navigated the situation cautiously. She stuck out her newly released hand. “Nice to meet you…”

  “Ian,” he offered easily, grasping her hand in his and cocking his head. “I’m Landon’s brother. Older.”

  “By like a minute,” Landon protested.

  A light bulb went off and Carly said, “You’re twins.”

  “She’s a smart one,” Ian said to Landon. “I knew one day you’d bring a smart one home.”

  Carly started to protest Ian’s assumption about her role in Landon’s life, but Landon beat her to the punch.

  “Don’t be a jackass. Ian. We’re doin
g research for a case, and the research involves football, which Carly knows little about. Care to invite us in and share your wisdom?”

  Ian bowed with a flourish and ushered them into his house. As they walked through the entry, he and Landon locked arms and chattered like long lost souls while Carly walked a few steps behind. Normally, she wouldn’t mind being left alone, but Landon’s quick denial that there was anything more than a professional relationship between them left a lingering sting. And you were so quick to drop her hand when Ian was looking. Carly caught the irony, but she couldn’t seem to shake the dueling feelings. The real question was what was she going to do about it?

  * * *

  Landon watched Carly sitting off to the side of the small crowd of guys in her brother’s den. She was staring raptly at the television, but Landon wasn’t convinced she was actually interested in what was happening on the football field. Coming here might have been a mistake, for many reasons. First clue was when Ian started in on her the second she walked in the door and hadn’t let up yet.

  “Are you home for good? Have you talked to Mom and Dad?”

  “Do you have any beer in this place?” Landon asked by way of putting him off.

  He led the way outside to the patio and pointed to a cooler full of iced-down bottles. “There’s whiskey in the cabinet over there if you want something stronger.”

  She did, but it wasn’t a good idea. She grabbed a local brew and popped the top using the bottle opener under the deck railing. “Are you ever going to give up living in a frat house?”

  “You say that, but you know you secretly wish you had a place like this.” He tilted his bottle back toward the house. “My buddy Eric is a Realtor. You want to talk to him about finding a place now that you’re back?”

  “Who said I’m back?”

  Ian cocked his head. “Well, it sure seems like you’re back. I mean you’re standing here in my house, and you brought a ‘coworker.’”

  She punched him in the arm. “Just don’t with the finger quotes. Carly is a lawyer at the firm. She and I are assigned to work on a case, and the case is here in Dallas. That’s it. There’s nothing more going on. Got it?”

  He raised both hands. “Got it. I’m just glad you’re home. I miss you.”

  Landon heard the sincere emotion in his voice, but she needed to set the record straight. “I miss you too, but this isn’t home. Austin is home. I’m here on a case. That’s all.” Not true. If she won the partnership slot, Jane would expect her to move back to Dallas, but Landon refrained from amending her answer. Ian would start in on her to find a permanent place before she could get the words out of her mouth, and she didn’t need to add house hunting to her list of work right now.

  “Sure. Whatever,” he said. “Wait a minute. You’re both working on a case and it involves football?” His eyes got really big. “You’re representing Trevor Kincade, aren’t you?”

  She grabbed his arm and shushed him. “Yes, but I don’t want to get stuck answering a bunch of questions about a pending case by your buddies. Okay?”

  “Okay, but that goes for my buddies, not for me, right? I mean what’s the point of having an attorney in the family if I don’t get the inside scoop?”

  Landon took a pull from her beer and handed him the bottle. “I’m out of here.”

  “No, you aren’t.” He shoved the bottle back at her. “Drink your beer and have a good time.” He drew a line across his lips. “I won’t say a word, and you and your lawyer friend can watch the game on the biggest big screen you’ve ever seen.”

  “Not hardly. We were actually at the game. Pretty sure Jerry Jones has you topped when it comes to televisions.”

  “Wait a minute. You were at the game and left to come here to watch it on TV? What gives?”

  Landon wished she’d kept her mouth shut, but it was too late now. “Let’s just say Dad showed up.”

  “Oh, got it.” Ian looked like he wanted to say more, but he just said, “I’m sorry.”

  “No need for you to be sorry. Just took me by surprise. But here’s a tip. If you have any interests in Zion Athletics, get out now.” She shouldn’t have said that, but her father’s condescension had her worked up. Before Ian could respond, she started walking back toward the house. “Are you coming or not?”

  When they reentered the living room, Landon was surprised to see Carly deep in conversation with a tall blond guy sporting a Trevor Kincaid jersey. The guy was standing really close to Carly and gesticulating wildly. It almost looked like he was pretending to call a play, and when he pulled his right arm back in an imaginary pass, Carly started laughing. The sound was magical, and Landon was momentarily irritated that someone else had elicited the departure from Carly’s usual reticent manner. If she didn’t know better, she’d think Carly was actually flirting with this guy.

  But she didn’t know better. She didn’t know much about Carly at all. Maybe the signals she’d been getting were way off, and Carly was totally into guys. Maybe she was bi. Determined to rectify her lack of knowledge, Landon strode right up next to them. “Getting your lesson elsewhere, I see.”

  Carly turned quickly, and Landon took a step back. Carly’s eyes were shining and her smile was bright. She was having a good time and Landon felt stupid for interrupting.

  “This is Luke. He was attempting to explain some of the finer points of the game.”

  “That’s great. I’m glad.” Landon shifted in place. “Uh, I’m going to grab some food. Have fun.” Determined to save face, she walked away but Carly followed and maneuvered her to the side.

  “Where are you going?”

  Landon jerked her chin at Luke. “You seem to be in good hands.”

  “Key word hands. Luke’s not exactly shy, and this little lesson has run its course.” Carly dropped her voice even lower. “Save me. I’m begging you.”

  Landon leaned in close. “Follow my lead.” Without waiting for a response, she laced her fingers through Carly’s. In a louder and somewhat suggestive voice, she said, “Sorry, babe, I know I promised you nachos. You ready for me to deliver?” She tugged Carly toward the kitchen, trying not to focus on how good it felt to hold her hand.

  Ian’s kitchen was bigger than she remembered, and she enjoyed watching Carly take it all in. “In direct contrast to the man cave you just saw,” Landon said, “Ian keeps an immaculate, fastidious kitchen. He’s a chef. When I promised you nachos, I meant business.” Ian appeared in the doorway. “Speak of the devil.”

  “Watch your mouth, sis. I can tell when you’re hungry. What’s the matter? Didn’t find anything out there that you liked?”

  Landon pointed back toward the den. “It was a little hard to get to the food through the cloud of testosterone. Besides, I told Carly I was taking her to the world’s best nachos. Please do not disappoint her.”

  “Nachos, huh? Sorry about that. I was trying out some new dishes for the restaurant and nachos aren’t on the menu, but I bet I could whip some up.”

  “Seriously,” Carly said, “don’t do that on my account. You have a ton of food already.”

  “Nonsense. There can never be enough food.” Ian was already pulling chips out of the pantry, followed by a block of white cheese and what looked like pulled pork out of the fridge. “I will put you to work, though. Landon, grab the cheese grater and get busy. Carly, you can chop this cilantro. You’re not a cilantro hater, are you?”

  “I love it.”

  Ian pointed a knife at Landon. “I knew I liked her. Do you want me to turn on the game in here?”

  Landon looked at Carly, who shrugged. “I think I’ve got the gist of it,” Carly said. “Fight for the ball, run it down the field, cross the goal line. Repeat.”

  “That’s about it.” Landon drew the block of cheese along the grater. “That’s not what I wanted you to get out of today, though.”

  “I know.”

  “You do?”

  “Sure. You wanted me to get the feel of being in that ginormous st
adium with thousands of people cheering on their team. To experience the feeling that you’re cheering for something more than a contest, but for a sense of community and loyalty to where you live.”

  “Wow.” Landon was genuinely surprised at Carly’s summary of the game. “When did you have time to get all of that?”

  “While you were arguing with your father.” Carly deftly chopped the cilantro and showed it to Ian for inspection. “Do you not get along with your father either?”

  “Nice job,” Ian said, pointing a knife at the cilantro. “As for Dad, he wasn’t too keen on the whole chef thing and he’s constantly telling me how I could sell my concept to a bigger company and then do something else, but I’m better at ignoring him, so overall, we get along okay.”

  “What’s the difference? I mean, Landon’s a successful lawyer. Doesn’t that rate his approval?”

  “Uh, excuse me, but I’m right here,” Landon said. She watched Carly and Ian turn to look at her like they were surprised she was listening to their private conversation. “First of all, my relationship with Dad is private, and second, I know exactly why he doesn’t approve.”

  “Care to share with your friend?” Ian asked. “I mean, if you’re going to have a fight with Dad and then bring her to your brother’s house and force her to make her own food, it seems like you should at least share.”

  He had a point. He usually did. Between them Ian had always had the level head, putting practicality before emotion. He’d accepted the strings that came with the family money to start his own business, figuring he could break free later, and he had, mostly. But she’d chosen to walk away from any monetary connection to the Holt fortune to make her own choices.

  “I’m guessing your dad didn’t want you to become a lawyer.”