Page 38 of A Legal Affair

“Are you at work?” Daniela asked her.

“No. I’m at the Mercedes dealership trading in my S-Class for a new one.”

“Seriously?” Daniela exclaimed. “You literally just bought that car last year.”

“I know,” Kennedi said with a shrug. “I was ready for an upgrade.”

Daniela shook her head in disbelief. “That’s crazy.”

“Don’t hate just because you can’t make power moves like me.”

Daniela laughed. “No hate here. You got it, big baller. Anyway, I just wanted to tell—” Something in her cousin’s eyes stopped her midsentence, and she frowned. “Is everything okay?”

“Of course,” Kennedi said irritably. “I’m just waiting for them to finish the paperwork so I can go. I have meetings to attend and calls to make.”

Daniela studied her cousin in silence. Her lips were tight and she was fidgeting with the bow at the neck of her white ruffled blouse. Kennedi never fidgeted. Unless…

“Kenn,” Daniela said quietly. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Kennedi broke eye contact—another dead giveaway.

“Tell me what happened.”

“It’s just…I just…” Kennedi swallowed visibly and shook her head at the ceiling. “I had breakfast with Dad.”

Oh, no.“He’s in town?”

Kennedi nodded tightly, still looking at the ceiling. “He flew in from New York last night. He had to visit one of his properties and insisted on spending time with me. He wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

Daniela eyed her sympathetically. “Did he come alone?”

“You mean, did he bring that Botox bitch of a trophy wife?” Kennedi’s lips twisted. “He knew better.”

Kennedi’s parents got divorced when she was eleven. Her father had been unfaithful for years, but Aunt Phyllis always forgave him and took him back. Until one day he didn’t crawl home seeking forgiveness or reconciliation. He’d fallen in love with a much younger woman and wanted to start a new life with her, and that was exactly what he did.

“I don’t know why he even bothered calling me,” Kennedi ranted bitterly. “He doesn’t give a shit about me or what’s going on in my life. I can count on one hand the number of questions he asked me about myself. All he wanted to talk about were his precious sons, how brilliant and amazing they are, how rich and successful they’re going to be after graduating college. The way he talks, you would never know he already has a highly accomplished daughter. I’m an afterthought to him. Always have been.” She shook her head, pain hardening her features. “I made it halfway through breakfast before I decided I’d had enough. I told him I had better things to do with my time, got up and left his ass sitting there.”

“Then drove straight to the Mercedes dealership to buy yourself a new car,” Daniela murmured, smiling a little. No one did retail therapy better than Kennedi.

“I’m such an idiot for thinking he could ever change,” she mumbled.

The rare glimpse of vulnerability plucked at Daniela’s heartstrings. “I’m so sorry, Kenn. It’s his loss, not yours.”

“Big facts.” She sniffed and wiped the corner of her eye, then gestured airily at Daniela. “So how’s law school going? Kicking your ass yet?”

“Pretty much,” Daniela admitted. “But you know what? I’m actually enjoying it.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. You’ve always been smart and disciplined, and you’ve never backed down from a challenge. If anyone can excel in law school, it’s definitely you.”

Daniela gasped in exaggerated shock. “Did you just pay me a compliment?”

Kennedi snickered. “Don’t get used to it. Oh, hey, before I forget. When I told my friend Adele about you going to Northbridge Law, the first thing she asked me is if Caleb Thorne is one of your professors.”

“Really?” Daniela hedged. “She’s heard of him?”

Kennedi snorted. “What kind of question is that? Of course she’s heard of Caleb Thorne. Don’t forget she’s a lawyer, and at one time, he was a rising star in the legal world. Plus one of his closest friends was a partner at the law firm she works for.”

“Oh? Who’s his friend?”