Page 79 of A Legal Affair

Surprised, Daniela stared at the screen before cautiously replying.

I was there, yes. Why?

Omg! Adele was there too, and she says she saw you leave with Caleb Thorne!!!

Oh shit. Shit, shit, shit.

Daniela stalled for time.

What’s Adele doing in town?

Working. So is it true???

Daniela chewed her lip, riffling through a mental catalog of possible answers.

Why would I be leaving a restaurant with my professor? Sorry, but your friend’s mistaken.

Are you sure? Adele swears it was you. She had just arrived with some coworkers when she saw you and Caleb. Before she could walk over and say hello, you guys left in his Lambo! HIS LAMBO, DANIELA!!!

Daniela winced. She hated lying to her cousin, but she had no other choice. There were only three people who could connect the real her to Caleb Thorne. If others found out, word would spread like wildfire, doubling the chances of her cover being blown. She couldn’t take that risk.

Feeling like the world’s biggest liar, she responded to Kennedi.

You should know it wasn’t me. As much as I love supercars, don’t you think I would’ve told you if I went home last night in a freaking Lambo??? Hell, I would’ve blasted pics all over IG!!!

She held her breath as three dots danced on the screen for endless seconds. Finally Kennedi’s message popped up.

Lmao. Good point.

Daniela breathed a sigh of relief.

Remember that time Kenny rented a Mustang to take us to the beach? We rode with the top down, the wind blowing through our hair and you squealing in my ear. That Mustang was all you talked about for weeks!

Daniela grinned at the memory.

I was in love with that car!

You sure were lol. Maybe when the semester’s over, you can sweet-talk your way into Caleb Thorne’s Lambo.

Daniela’s chest squeezed. She would be long gone from Caleb’s life before the semester ended. He just didn’t know it yet.

Kennedi sent another text.

I’m off to a meeting. Have a good weekend.

You too. Kiss Mom for me.

Will do

Sighing, Daniela exited out of the messaging app and pulled up the city’s website to access Hoyt Philbin’s cached campaign finance reports.

She might not find a smoking gun, but researching his donors was as good a place to start as any.

24

For the rest of the day, Daniela could think of little else but her pending dinner engagement with Caleb and his father.

By 5:15 p.m., she’d changed six times, going through one power suit after another before finally settling on a navy-blue belted sheath dress with a mandarin collar. After some deliberation, she piled her hair up in a loose French twist and completed the look with a pair of pearl teardrop earrings.