Page 9 of Brokered Betrayals
Royce looked at Sawyer and shook his head. “I’d protest again, but they’re not listening. At least you believe in me.” When Sawyer didn’t immediately respond, Royce gasped and clutched his chest. “Do you agree with them?”
“Idleness isn’t in your wheelhouse. You’re a doer, baby. I think the first six weeks will be easy to stay home because we’ll be sleep deprived and getting used to new routines. But once we get a system down…”
“You think I’ll get bored?” Royce asked.
“No, of course not. I think you’ll just have excess energy if you’re not getting enough activity.”
Royce’s brow furrowed into a dark scowl. “Like a dog?”
“He just keeps digging himself a deeper hole,” Andrew told Kelsey. “Think we should bail your bestie out?”
Kelsey giggled. “If it helps, I sent Andrew back to work after a month. He was used to a fast-paced career, and it was a tough adjustment for him. He put his excess energy into ‘helping’ me, which sometimes felt a little…”
“Smothering,” Andrew said. “And I kept hogging the remote control.”
Laughing, Kelsey kissed his cheek. “That too. No offense, my love, but I’m happy that my mama is coming to help with Ella while I recover this time. She likes the same face-slapping dramas I do and wouldn’t dream of turning on sports instead.”
“No offense, my love, but I’m happy your mama is staying with us too. She’s told me about the yummy food she plans to make for us while she’s here.”
Sawyer laughed at their antics, and the reverberation dislodged the tension balled in his chest. Sawyer exhaled slowly and looked around the conference room, taking in the framed accreditations and accolades on the walls interspersed with photos of the legal team posing with some of the families they’d assisted over the past two decades. They were in excellent hands and had nothing to worry about.
Royce’s knee nudged his, pulling his attention back to him. “You good?”
Sawyer smiled. “I’m great.”
Hushed voices from outside the conference room caught his attention. From his vantage point, Sawyer could see down the hallway to where Ivy spoke with a distinguished gentleman he recognized as the founding partner of the firm. At the moment, Ned Owens looked nothing like the smiling man in the photos on the wall. His posture was tense and his expression severe as he glanced at his watch.
“I was hoping to talk to you about a pressing matter before I left, but I don’t want to keep your clients waiting,” Ned said.
“Sorry,” Ivy replied. “My phone call ran longer than I’d expected. I can make time now if you like. The clients are here, but Miguel is running behind.”
Ned looked down the corridor and caught Sawyer watching their exchange. The older man didn’t flinch, but he seemed veryuncomfortable. He forced a smile and gave Sawyer a subtle nod before turning to Ivy. “That’s okay. I’ll call you later this evening.” Ned checked his watch again. Was he really concerned about the time, or was he anxious about something else?
“Is everything okay?” Ivy asked.
“Of course,” Ned replied, but nothing about his stiff posture or brisk tone offered assurances. “Ah, here comes Miguel now.” The relief in his voice was palpable.
Ivy watched Ned closely as he shook hands with Miguel. She seemed unsettled by the entire encounter but snapped out of it when Miguel greeted her next.
Royce leaned into Sawyer’s personal space and tried to peer down the hallway, but the angle wasn’t right. “What caught your attention?”
“Miguel is here,” Sawyer replied.
“Should I be jealous?”
“Would it stop you if he said no?” Kelsey teased.
Sawyer and Royce both laughed, then said, “No,” at the same time.
“Ivy had a strange interaction with Ned Owens before Miguel arrived,” Sawyer told them.
“Strange how?” Royce asked.
Kelsey leaned forward as far as her belly would allow. “Do tell.”
“Nothing juicy,” Sawyer replied. “Ned had wanted to talk to her about something before he left but didn’t want to keep us waiting. She told him that Miguel wasn’t here yet and offered to make time for him then. Ned caught me watching them and declined, saying he’d call her later.”
“That doesn’t sound ominous,” Andrew said, then furrowed his brow. “Unless you think he needed to talk to her about us.”