by Jo Leigh
“I understand why they’d want a woman at the defense table for a rape charge, but it’s a moot point, anyway. The prosecutor’s office would have a field day with me at the table. For God’s sake, I’m a contract attorney. Even if I did agree to join the team, I’m not equipped for the job. There are excellent women criminal lawyers in the firm, so asking me is ridiculous. I’m not getting on board with this, Grant.”
“I hear you. I do. I told Crawford you would strenuously object, but he wasn’t particularly interested in your moral objections to the case.”
“That’s too bad. I won’t do this.”
Grant pushed his uneaten sushi aside before he got up so he could sit in the second visitor’s chair. He caught her gaze and held it. “I’m having to do a lot of thinking about this myself. But the reality is, Burbidge is going to get what he wants, even if it means finding another firm. And if he walks over this, you and I will be out on our asses. No question.”
“I can live with that.”
“Really? Just think. It would mean giving up everything you’ve been working for since you started here. You’re a step away from junior partner. You know this would do it. Having Burbidge request you personally is huge. The partners would owe you big-time. It could mean the difference between a good career and sky’s the limit.”
“And it wouldn’t do you any harm, either.”
He didn’t even blink. “True. It’s a lot to consider. You won’t walk away with sterling references either. You’ll be considered a problem, not a team player.”
“It sounds as if you’ve already made a decision.”
“I’ve got a lot of years and sweat invested in this firm. Not to mention the chunk I fork out for child support and alimony every month. I know it sucks, but part of this job means representing causes that aren’t our own.”
“I’m not judging you,” she said, although she was disappointed. But she did understand. Her own predicament was less clear-cut. “So I’m not only supposed to help the bastard get off scot-free, when I’m not even qualified to be anything more than window dressing, but be blackmailed into doing it?”
“The partners have to protect the firm’s reputation. They can’t let Burbidge jump ship. If he goes, that will send a signal to other clients. Major clients.”
She felt sick. The scent of the sushi was making her stomach churn. It would be a crushing blow to lose this job, to get a bad name so early in the career she’d worked hard for, but how could she do anything else?
“Listen,” he said. “I know your reunion is coming up this weekend.”
“I’m not going.”
“I think you should. Get out of here. Take a long weekend. Think it through. You know I’ll stand behind you on this, whatever you decide.”
“Will you?”
“I won’t throw you under the bus. But this is too important not to consider all the angles. Take my advice. A break would do you good. Think about your options. I’ll get the firm to pay for the weekend.”
“No, you won’t. I don’t want their money, not for this.” She stood up. “Keep me in the loop, Grant. Seriously. I’ll need to know if anything changes.”
“Of course.”
She turned to go.
“Don’t forget your food.”
“I seem to have lost my appetite,” she said and didn’t look back.
Chapter Two
“SEASIDE ON THE BLUFF, eh?” Joseph, the white-haired cab driver, asked. They’d just left the airport, and Jessica was still in the midst of a silent battle between ethics, duty and career. “It used to be a small hotel, nothing like the fancy resort it is now. Back then Temptation Bay was just a small village of fishermen that had sprung up in the 1800s. They caught and sold fish from one generation to the next, that’s it. Until two brothers—Angus and I forget the other one’s name—they hated fishing and got tired of seeing so many tourists bypass the village to go to other seaside towns like the Cape, so they built the hotel sometime in the 1920s.”
She sighed. It was clear the taxi driver had a spiel he always gave, probably had one for each of the key destinations along the Rhode Island coast. It was clever, though, a way to entertain the tourists for extra tips. Of course she could recite the entire story of her town and then some. In fact, she knew the second brother’s name was John. But frankly, she preferred to let the driver gab for the next ten miles, so she didn’t have to talk.
“Some folks thought the brothers were crazy, but I think they were smart.” Joseph touched a finger to his head. “Temptation Bay has everything Cape Cod has and more. Like the sunken pirate treasure off the shores south of the village. Some people don’t believe there were any pirate ships that sailed up this far but no one knows for sure. Anyway, the brothers built their little hotel on the bluff and suddenly tourists started coming to Temptation Bay.”
Well, Joseph had gotten most of that right. At least that was the story she’d heard from Ronny and the fishing families. As for the treasure, that had been causing arguments since she was a little kid. Everyone seemed to have a great-uncle or cousin who had found booty washed up on shore.
“Eventually, some big-shot investor bought the hotel and turned it into a five-star resort and the village expanded with lots of fancy shops and seafood restaurants. A few are rated five-star, too. Some people come here just to eat. How about that?”
“Huh.” Jessica made the appropriate noise, not surprised he’d left out the part that all wasn’t smooth sailing in Temptation Bay. The village had also transformed into a thriving art colony, with pricey cafés and upscale shops. Not everyone wanted to share their slice of paradise with outsiders, and the beautiful beach town quickly became divided into the old and new. And while a few more hotels and B&Bs had sprung up, thankfully, the shoreline remained mostly pristine.
The cab stopped in front of the towering resort where a uniformed attendant was quick to open Jessica’s door. “Good afternoon,” he said with a friendly smile. “Welcome to Seaside on the Bluff.”
“Thank you.” She paid Joseph with an extra ten for the tale, and grabbed her small carry-on and leather garment bag before climbing out.
The young man looked alarmed when the cab pulled away from the curb. “Don’t you have more luggage?”
Shaking her head, she inhaled the familiar scent of the ocean, felt the salty breeze stir her hair. “Just these.”
Another employee hurried over with a large cart and she let him take both bags from her. She could’ve easily carried them herself, but she didn’t like denying them the tip. On the other hand, maybe she wasn’t doing them any favors.
Tourist season was in full swing. Three cabs had lined up at the curb and most of the other carts were loaded down with luggage. She’d been lucky to get a room at the last minute. It was a pricey suite she wouldn’t necessarily have booked, but she had to admit, the idea of getting a massage and soaking in a jetted tub sounded like heaven.
“I’m Hector,” the husky young man told her and started pushing the cart toward the glass doors. “Are you here for the reunion?”
“Yes, I am.” She glanced around at the busy port cache and dug into her purse. “Look, my bags are light, and I see you’re busy. I’ll probably end up bumping into people and—”
Ignoring the five-dollar bill she tried to give him, Hector shook his head. “For you, I have all the time in the world,” he said, his grin growing wider as he gestured for her to lead the way through the open glass doors.
She didn’t know what he meant by that, but she preceded him into the stunning, open lobby with a killer view of the ocean. It had been updated since she’d last seen it, although the same beautiful hardwood floors were polished to a shine, and the stark white reception desk with the old-fashioned wooden pigeonhole room slots was still there. The furniture was more elegant—suede chairs and couches, all variant colors of the sand and
rock of the landscape, were placed in perfect groupings with convenient, antique tables and plenty of room to maneuver. Stunning bouquets led the eyes from one gorgeous view to the next.
Most of the chairs were occupied with people sipping cocktails and chatting away. She assumed a number of them were here for the reunion, though she hadn’t recognized anyone yet.
Luckily, only two guests were waiting at the front desk. Jessica’s gaze returned to the blue sky and even bluer water, and she had the sudden urge to kick off her flats, make a dash to the shoreline and dig her toes into the warm sand. Soak up enough sunshine to get her through a Chicago winter. More than once Ronny had told her the ocean flowed through her veins. And that she’d be back sooner than she’d thought...that she’d always come back.
By the time she turned to Hector he’d passed the cart to another bell attendant and was holding her things in his large, tanned hands.
“So I’m guessing you’re from Temptation Bay,” he said. “Went to school here.” It was a statement, not a question. “Your family, did they live at Waverly Hills?”
Jessica laughed, unsure if she should be insulted. But in truth her bloodline extended to both sides of the track. Her dad’s clan were townies, less charitably known as the fish people. Ronny came from a long line of fishermen who’d settled on the coast generations ago. The hill people were newbies, relatively speaking, and consisted primarily of wealthy tourists who’d bought prime land atop the bluffs and built second homes.
Ultimately, some of the families made Temptation Bay their permanent residence. Jessica’s grandparents might’ve followed suit, if their only daughter hadn’t announced that she wanted to marry Ronny, a local surfer, who, despite his two championship titles and his big heart, they could never see as anything but a beach bum.
Much as Jessica adored her dad, she knew her grandparents hadn’t been completely wrong. The next week they’d sold their gorgeous vacation home sitting high on the bluff and returned to Connecticut. Of course that hadn’t stopped their headstrong daughter.
At eighteen, Victoria Danes had returned to Temptation Bay two weeks later, on her own for the first time, armed with determination and confidence born from a healthy sense of entitlement. The next day she and Ronny were married on the beach, the water lapping at their bare feet. By most accounts Jessica was born eight months later, give or take. The marriage had barely lasted two years after that.
Noticing Hector’s odd look, she pulled herself back to the present. It took a moment to remember his question. “Any chance you know a local surfer named Ronny? He has a shack on the beach near the old docks.”
“Sure, I know him,” he said, grinning. “Everybody knows Ronny.”
“He’s my dad.”
Hector’s dark eyes nearly bugged out of his head. “No kidding.”
“No kidding.” She moved closer to the front desk when she realized a couple had slipped in ahead of her because she hadn’t been paying attention. “What about you? Your family lives here?”
He nodded, still looking puzzled. “How long have you been away?”
“Hmm...” It wasn’t a simple answer. Home every summer while she was in college. Three years of law school hadn’t given her much leisure time. Then while waiting to take the bar, she’d spent a month abroad with her mom and husband number four. “Not counting visits, about ten years.” Jessica wondered if he could hear the defensiveness that had crept into her voice. Probably not. Although Hector had somehow managed to identify her as a local in a matter of minutes, whereas Grant knew so little about her that he’d had the gall to ask her to help free a rapist.
Generally she wasn’t quick to judge someone. But after being subjected to Sanford Burbidge, she wouldn’t put anything past him. The guy was a sociopath. She pitied his defense team. Which would not include her and she sure as hell didn’t need a weekend away to think about it. Although, the idea of starting over with a tainted reputation sticking to her like a shadow made her want to cry.
Luckily, that didn’t make her any less glad to be here. She hadn’t realized just how much she needed this trip home.
“So, you must surf, right?”
“I used to.” She’d been pretty damn good, too. “But like I said, it’s been a long time.”
“I bet once you get back on that board you’ll rock.”
Jessica laughed. “I doubt I’ll be putting it to the test,” she said, estimating Hector to be in his midtwenties, about ten years younger than herself. So it wasn’t a surprise that she didn’t recognize him. It still made her a little sad, though. It wasn’t so long ago that she’d known just about everyone who lived on the other side of town.
She stared past him at two women across the lobby waving frantically at her. The glare was awful with the bright sunlight flooding in. Perhaps she wasn’t the intended...
Ginny?
“Oh, my God, it’s Ginny Landry,” Jessica murmured, waving back.
Harlow was with her...a little slimmer, quite a bit blonder. At least she was pretty sure it was Harlow, another member of their high school gang—the Fearless Four as they’d called themselves. But Ginny was the only classmate Jessica had seen since they’d graduated because Ginny still lived in Temptation Bay. Ironic since of all of them, Ginny had been on the fast track to become a concert pianist just like her late mother. But life often didn’t turn out as expected. Jessica could attest to that.
It was her turn at the front desk. She stepped up and motioned for Ginny and Harlow to wait, just as a woman dressed in a black uniform brought them drinks.
Check-in went smoothly, and when Hector told her he’d leave her bags in the suite so she could meet her friends, Jessica was grateful he hadn’t ditched her when she’d given him the chance.
She tipped him well, and was about to veer toward the bar, but curiosity stopped her. “How did you know I’m from here?”
“Easy,” Hector said, grinning. “You’ve got that laid-back beach vibe.”
Jessica laughed. “Boy, would my coworkers disagree.”
Of course the reunion was a big clue. He’d probably used the line on all of the attendees to boost his tips.
She sighed at her own cynicism. Laid-back. Right.
Ginny and Harlow were waving again, as if she hadn’t seen them. The lobby and bar were really jam-packed. Not a single empty table or seat, except for the one Ginny had a chokehold on.
Jessica wove her way through the crowd, smiling and nodding, recognizing a few faces but unable to come up with names.
“I should’ve known I’d find you guys near the booze,” she said as she reached them, momentarily losing her breath when Ginny abandoned the chair and pulled her into a huge hug.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Ginny said. “I couldn’t believe it when I got your email yesterday.”
“Ditto for me. Now, quit hogging her.” Harlow was the athlete. Always in motion and winning awards. She’d almost made it to the Olympics before her life had been hijacked by injury. Clearly, she hadn’t let it stop her from staying in great shape.
Jessica grunted. “Okay, you have to let me breathe,” she said when they locked her in from both sides. “Seriously.”
Laughing, Ginny backed off first. “We better grab our seats. Where’s Ronny? Did he just drop you off and leave?”
“He had a charter today. Some guys hired him to take them past Block Island to fish for marlin.” Jessica smoothed her white linen slacks before sitting. “I didn’t want him to lose the business. He had an accident that put him out of commission for a couple weeks, so I took a cab.”
“What happened?” Ginny asked, sinking onto her chair.
“It was a loose board on the old dock. I’ve asked him a hundred times to get the harbormaster to make some repairs.”
“I thought he might have cracked up the Jeep again.”
“He had
a car accident? When?”
“Maybe four months ago? I ran into him at the drugstore. He was filling a prescription, but I don’t think he was hurt too badly.”
“So why didn’t he tell me?”
Ginny gave her a sympathetic smile.
“Don’t look at me,” Harlow said. “I just arrived from LA this morning. Oh, hey, there’s our waitress. Cricket, what do you want?”
Jessica stared at her friend, then burst out laughing.
The other two exchanged puzzled looks. “What?”
“No one’s called me Cricket in a really, really long time.”
Harlow frowned. “What are we supposed to call you?”
Jessica thought back to when she’d gotten the nickname, well before she’d started kindergarten. Maria and Stella had sold their husbands’ catches every morning, come rain or shine. They were always first to set up at the fish market and had bonded over both being married to men named Jimmy. Since Jessica had just seen Pinocchio, she’d thought they were talking about Jiminy Cricket, and she’d gotten all excited, hopping around in her tie-dyed sundress, barefoot as always, and that was it. Cricket had followed her onto the beach and into her classrooms. Even her mother, who was mortified at first, had come around when she realized how much it suited her. Although once Jessica had gone to college, she had let go of bare feet, high school mischief and her nickname.
“I have to admit,” Ginny said. “The first time I read one of your emails I thought who the hell is Jessica?”
Harlow nearly spit out the sip she’d just taken. “Jessica? Yeah, I kind of remember a teacher calling you that once.” She shook her head. “Sorry. Not me. I can’t call you that. Too weird.”
Jessica grinned, feeling truly at ease for the first time in forever. She’d needed this break. She needed them.
