Her Chance at Love

by Nicki Night

  “You need to get here now.” Cadence’s voice filled the line with an urgency that made Blake’s smile fall and his pulse quicken.

  “What’s going on?” Blake stood, no longer able to sit still.

  “Just get here ASAP,” Cadence snapped and ended the call.

  Blake flew past Hunter’s open office door. By the time he reached the elevator bank, Hunter was on his heels.

  “What’s the matter? Where’s the fire?”

  “Cadence called. She said to get to her office right away. She must have found something, but it sure doesn’t sound good.”

  “I’m coming with you. “

  As much as Blake would have loved his brother’s support, he needed to face Cadence alone—especially after the night they’d had. “Don’t worry. I have it. I’ll call you as soon as I know what’s up.”

  Hunter hesitated, looking as though he wasn’t willing to take no for an answer. After another moment, he dropped his shoulder and said, “Okay, but I’ll be waiting for your call.”

  “When I know something, you’ll know something.” The elevator doors opened and Blake stepped on. Once they shut, he took a deep breath and held it for a moment, hoping to slow his heart rate.

  Nothing seemed to happen fast enough for Blake. He stood for several minutes trying to hail a cab. When he finally got one, the driver crept along as though he was driving Miss Daisy instead of New York City’s infamous taxi. The lobby of Cadence’s building was flooded with professionals and delivery personnel carrying or going out for lunch. The elevator filled up twice before he could get in. However, once he arrived on Cadence’s floor, he was immediately whisked into the conference room where Cadence, Adam, Seth, Amy and the intern all moved about the large table, frantically sifting through papers and chatting on cell phones.

  Blake’s heart felt as if it had sunk deeper into his chest. For several moments, no one had even noticed that he was there. Blake cleared his throat. “Counselor Payne?” he addressed Cadence.

  “Mr. Barrington,” Adam responded. “Please have a seat.” Adam redirected his focus. “Amy, please bring that laptop over here and set it in front of Mr. Barrington.”

  “Yes, sir.” Amy scurried to the opposite end of the table to retrieve the laptop.

  “Can someone explain to me what’s going on?” Blake asked. Cadence shot him a look he couldn’t decipher. Was she mad, disappointed? He couldn’t tell.

  This time, Adam cleared his throat. “We’ve noticed a few inconsistencies when we compared payments that went out from Banks’s accounts to yours. They don’t show up in your company records, but on Banks’s side we can see that these checks have been cleared.”

  Blake’s eyes widened and he lifted slightly from the chair. “What? Are you imply—”

  “We are not implying anything, Blake.” Adam’s tone was warmer as he pat Blake’s back. “We just need to make sure that we uncover any and every possible item that the attorney general could try to use against us.”

  “I gave you everything.” Blake was getting upset. Cadence hadn’t said one word to him since he entered the room. She in all of her beautiful splendor, arms crossed, eyeing him suspiciously. Adam was doing all the talking, which was unusual since he hardly ever made their meetings.

  “I know you did, Blake, but we have to be completely thorough. The AG hasn’t come against you yet. I believe it’s because they haven’t found anything sufficient enough to come after you with, but we need to be ready in case they try. Now, I need to understand what’s happening with the missing checks that were made out to you before anyone else comes knocking on our door asking the same question.”

  “I told you, I’m innocent.” Blake felt as if he was losing his cool. “I didn’t hide anything.” Blake spoke to Adam but looked at Cadence. She turned away and Blake thought his heart stopped beating for a quick second. He couldn’t handle the idea that she thought of him as anything but an honorable man. His integrity was at stake with her and that bothered him more than having his reputation publicly destroyed. He wasn’t falling for the public. He was falling for Cadence.

  “I don’t doubt that you’re innocent,” Adam said with firm confidence. That gave Blake some comfort. Cadence’s chilly demeanor still bothered him. “You use online banking, I assume.”

  Blake furrowed his brows. “Yes, but...why? I don’t follow.”

  “We need to take a look at your personal financials.”

  Blake closed his eyes and took a moment to collect himself. He understood Adam’s request. Blake had asked clients for more personal information than this. Blake looked up at Adam standing over his shoulder. Adam returned a reassuring nod.

  Blake turned to the laptop and began to pull up his banking information. Since it was an unrecognized computer that he was using, first he had to get an authorization code emailed to him. Blake retrieved the numbers from his email and after a few clicks of the keyboard, information from two different accounts appeared on the screen.

  “We’ll need to print your statements from the last five years,” Adam added.

  “Five years!” Blake lifted from his seat.

  “I’m afraid so, but don’t worry. We will ensure that your account credentials will remain confidential. This is something we take very seriously here at our firm.”

  Shaking his head, Blake sat back down and began pulling up statements to be printed. More than an hour had passed before Blake reached the end of the statements. The paper in the printer had to be replenished several times. Every member of his legal team seemed to be engrossed in a specific task. Adam had left the room, returning periodically to check in. Seth had at least made an attempt to make reassuring small talk with Blake a few times as he asked for clarification on some documents Blake previously provided. Amy and the intern made a run for coffee, juice and tea. Cadence continued to keep her distance.

  Upon Amy’s return, she sent the intern to fetch the printout of Blake’s bank statements. Then she and Seth eagle-eyed Blake’s accounts for any debits or credits that would appear suspicious. They came to Blake with anything they found questionable.

  Fortunately for Blake, he was able to identify every credit or debit that linked him to the congressman, which included ticket purchases for fund-raising dinners during Banks’s campaign. Banks had also paid Blake on several occasions to speak at fund-raising events for Billy’s Promise, making those checks out to Blake directly.

  Adam returned to the conference room and the team provided a full report of their findings. When the muscles in Adam’s face softened, showing his relief, Blake felt as if he could breathe again. The room seemed lighter. He appeared to be reassured that the trek through Blake’s personal financials didn’t reveal anything they couldn’t explain.

  “One more thing, Blake,” Adam said, commanding everyone’s attention. “You do know that we have to turn over these finding to the attorney general if they ask?”

  “I realize that. No problem.”

  “Thanks for tending to this so promptly. Our next step is to get a response out to the public. They’ve been waiting to hear from our side.” Adam looked at his watch. “How about we call it a day and get something drafted for the media first thing in the morning?”

  “That sounds like a plan,” Seth said, straightening the papers in front of him.

  “Let’s put all of this in my office until tomorrow,” Cadence said. “We all need a good night’s sleep so we can be camera ready. Once we let folks know that we will be releasing a statement, the media will come running in abundance,” she added. That was the first statement that Cadence had made to Blake since he’d arrived, although it was only remotely directed his way.

  Blake’s gaze locked in on her as he reached for his briefcase. He waited for her to look his way. When their eyes met, he refused to turn away, knowing the intensity of his gaze se
emed to make her uncomfortable. He didn’t care. He needed her to acknowledge him. A beat later, she turned away. After such a magical night, he never imagined that the next time he saw her it would be under such duress.

  Blake hung back as each of them filed out of the conference room. His eyes were still on Cadence.

  “Counselor Payne?” he beckoned as she was about to pass, touching her arm. Amy and the intern walked around her.

  Cadence paused but didn’t turn in his direction.

  “Can we speak in private?”

  Cadence blinked a few times. “Sure,” she said, mustering up a feigned cheer in her tone. “Amy, I’ll meet you guys in my office.” When the others were out of earshot, Cadence continued, “What can I do for you, Blake?” Her body had relaxed slightly. Her tone wasn’t as cold.

  “I’m innocent.”

  “I know that, Blake.”

  “So what happened here today?”

  “I was just doing my job. That’s what you pay me for.” Cadence avoided Blake’s pleading eyes.

  “Last night—”

  “Was a mistake.” Cadence interjected, completing the sentence for him. “We should have never let it happen. I’m sorry, Blake.” She walked off, leaving Blake behind to mull over her statement.

  Unfamiliar with the notion of being at a loss for words, Blake stood blinking at her response. His lungs felt as if someone had pumped them with too much air.

  Chapter 30

  For the past week and a half, Cadence kept her distance from Blake, channeling most of their required communication through Amy. She also had Amy tell him that it wasn’t necessary to come to the office while they waited to hear from the attorney general.

  Sleeping with him had been risky. Once again, her sensibilities had taken leave. Cadence remembered the look on his face that day in the conference room when she told him that it was a mistake. He seemed to be genuinely offended. With the case coming to a close, she wondered if she’d ever see him again. They could remain friends, but would he be willing?

  “Ugh!” Cadence groaned, and stepped into the office with her shoulders slumped. Blake had managed to leave an imprint on her heart. He challenged her, made her laugh from deep down inside and compelled her body to do things she never thought she’d do. With him, she was spontaneous—adventurous, even, and she loved that. To top it off, he was good-looking, caring and smart.

  “Are you okay?” Amy asked with her face scrunched as Cadence walked by.

  “Huh. Oh. I’m fine,” Cadence said. Amy followed her into the office. “I just need a minute,” she said.

  “No problem. I’ll run get us some coffee.” Amy headed back through the door. “The usual?” she turned back and asked just before making her exit.

  “Yes. Oh, wait. Get me half of that one with the extra energy boost and half hazelnut, please.” Amy disappeared and Cadence melted into her office chair, propped her elbows on her desk, held her palms to her forehead and sighed. She couldn’t let this get in the way of work, but she couldn’t get over the fact that she would no longer have a reason to see Blake after this and wondered if they should go their separate ways.

  Cadence retrieved her cell phone from her purse and dialed his number. The call went to voice mail so she hung up. At this point, leaving him a voice mail or text wouldn’t suffice. She needed to speak with him in person.

  Amy knocked and pushed the door open. Cadence put her phone down and looked up. “What’s up?”

  “Just letting you know that I’m not going down to get coffee anymore. There’s breakfast set up in the conference room for the entire office. They want us all in there at ten o’clock sharp.”

  Cadence looked at her watch. She had forty-five minutes to go. “Okay. I can wait.”

  The second Amy closed the door, Cadence’s mind went right back to Blake and his case. Adam had invested more time in working the case in the past few weeks. Working around the clock, they’d presented the attorney general with their argument to avoid an indictment against Blake. Awaiting their decision was grueling. Finally, they announced that Blake and two others were no longer considered persons of interest.

  Banks, his campaign manager and accountant were the real culprits and had been charged with several counts of fraud for misappropriating funds for both the organization and his last political campaign. The accountant blew the case open when he cut a deal that exposed all of Banks’s criminal activities as well as a few other high-profile clients who had him cooking their books. This development sparked new media frenzy once the attorney general started handing out indictments like candy on Halloween. And it had all started with a disgruntled employee who had been fired by Banks’s office a few weeks before.

  Banks was forced to resign from his position as a congressman, as well as executive director of the organization. On top of that, he had to pay more than $1.5 million in restitution.

  Blake was asked to replace Banks as the executive director of Billy’s Promise but declined the offer. Most recently, he was reinstated as a board member of the NYAA.

  Cadence looked at the time on her cell phone. Thirty minutes had passed. It was time to head upstairs for that meeting Amy mentioned. When she arrived, Adam, Seth, Kerry, Amy and other coworkers were sipping on cups of coffee and munching on pastries. Blake walked in and she stiffened for a moment before easing her lips into a coy smile.

  Adam welcomed him with a firm shake. “Congratulations once again.”

  “I have you all to thank for this. I appreciate the time and energy you put in to helping me save my reputation.” Blake paused slightly as his eyes landed on Cadence. “You believed in me.” She averted her eyes. “And I want to thank you for giving me your all. I finally have my life back. I’ve imagined what it would be like to be famous and this wasn’t it.” His last response generated chuckles around the room.

  Adam nodded with a proud smile. “You were an ideal client.”

  “Thanks.” Blake pulled an envelope containing the final payment from his briefcase. “And this is for you.” Adam took the check and nodded once again before handing it over to his secretary.

  “Everyone, please have a cup of coffee and something to eat. We have a few announcements to share. Mr. Barrington, you are welcome to join us. No need to rush off. You may be interested in hearing one of our announcements.”

  “I’ll just grab a cup of coffee, if you don’t mind.”

  “Sure,” Adam replied.

  As people crowded the credenzas, picking from an aromatic selection of muffins, pastries and beverages, Blake walked a direct line to where Cadence stood. She felt him coming.

  “Good morning,” he said to her back.

  She turned slowly. “Good morning to you and congratulations once again.”

  “I want to personally thank you. I know you felt blindsided by this, but you worked hard and I appreciate that.”

  “Oh...you’re welcome,” Cadence said as if she was surprised by his sentiment. “Um... I’d like to talk with you later. Will you have time after work?”

  Blake paused for a moment. “Sure.”

  “Nothing big or alarming, I just want to clear up a few things,” she said, dismissing any sense of urgency.

  “Where would you like to meet?”

  “How about Timothy’s Coffeehouse over on Seventh?”

  Adam cleared his throat, snagging the attention of everyone in the room. Blake nodded at Cadence and both turned in Adam’s direction.

  “Ladies and gentlemen... I hope you’ve all had a chance to grab something to eat. I’d like to begin.” Around the room, people nodded their agreement. “Great.” Adam continued, “First, I would like to recognize the team that worked on Mr. Barrington’s case. You all did a splendid job. Kudos to each of you. You’ve made Maco, Dunlop and Norman look good.” Adam nodded
at each team member.

  Staffers clapped their hands and a few even hooted, except Kerry.

  “Who is that?” Blake leaned over and whispered in Cadence’s ear. Amy obviously heard him because she snickered.

  “Oh. That’s my nemesis, Kerry Cooper,” Cadence leaned in and whispered back.

  “She doesn’t look very happy.”

  “She’s never happy when I receive accolades.”

  “Oh,” Blake said.

  Adam continued, “I’d also like to take this opportunity to announce that our illustrious partner, Scott Hagen, will be leaving the firm.” Ohs and gasps rang out throughout the room. Scott, an older partner with a distinguished blend of salt-and-pepper hair nodded, acknowledging the group’s sentiment.

  “Scott will be relocating to Florida and has begun the process of opening his very own firm there. Hagen and Associates!” Adam raised his coffee cup in a toast-like manner and the room exploded in applause.

  “We’ll miss you, Scott!” an associate called out, starting a rise in similar sentiments.

  Tapping his coffee cup with a pen, Adam brought the room back into order. “That brings us to our last announcement for the morning. “With Scott’s departure, which will be effective this week—” a few more gasps erupted “—we have decided to fill his position immediately so that he may begin transitioning his caseload to the new partner.”

  A slow, confident smile spread across Kerry’s face and she balled her hands into hopeful fists.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you our newest partner...” Adam stopped speaking as wonder and suspense filled in the space of his dramatic pause. Kerry’s smile grew wider and she self-assuredly stepped forward. “Cadence Payne!”