Page 39

Rad

I’m not sure what happened.

One minute, I’m living life like I always do, and the next, I’m one-half of a couple. I’m coupling. This is going to take some getting used to. Especially when my new girlfriend . . . Girlfriend . . . Whoa . I have a girlfriend.

Tealey sits on the bed with crossed legs, watching me choose a tie for court. She says, “Red’s nice.”

“Too aggressive for this judge.”

“Blue is calming.”

“Eh. I’m not feeling it.” Watching the ties rotate on the holder, uninspired, I release the button, and it comes to a stop. “What does green say to you?”

She stares at me, slowly blinking before she falls back on the bed, kicking her legs in the air.

“I don’t know. This is exhausting. What does orange say?

Purple? Yellow? Polka dot?” Propping herself up on her elbows, she says, “And here I thought facts and principles only mattered. Who knew a tie could make or break a case?”

“So burgundy then?” I grab the tie and loop it around my neck.

As if I’ve offended her, she stands with her hands on her hips. “I said red first.”

“Burgundy isn’t red. It’s deeper. Richer. It says you can trust me, and my client should win.”

Her gaze goes to my tie, and then, in disbelief, she eyes me again. “That’s what you think that tie says?”

“Sure, to this judge.”

“You pick your clothes based on the presiding judge?”

I’m lost to how she doesn’t know this. Doesn’t everybody plan their professional clothes around impressions and performance? I glance at her pants with another cat print, suddenly realizing maybe it doesn’t matter in all fields. “Nice pants.”

“Don’t mock me just because you’re absorbed by the shade of a tie in hopes it wins you the case. Next, you’re going to say the material plays a role.”

“Good point. Maybe I should go with the pure silk.”

Throwing her arms up in the air, she storms to the door. Just inside the hall, she whips back around. “For your information, these pants are the cat’s pajamas,” she says, slowly enunciating the last two words.

“I get it. They’re pajama pants.”

“No.” She huffs, shaking her head. “You don’t get it.

You know, like the bee’s knees?” Staring at my blank face, she adds, “Cat’s pajamas?

Oh, forget it. They’re awesome. That’s all that matters.

” By seeing how bothered she is when she walks off, I start to wonder if we just had our first argument.

Shit. I don’t even know what it’s about.

“Hey, Tealey?” I call, dipping my head into the hall. “So no on the burgundy?”

Her door slams closed. “Okay, I’ll go with green. That color always brings me luck.”

Before I head out, I stop by her room. Standing there, I begin to wonder how this will work exactly with her room and mine. Will we start shacking up in the same room, or will she want her space, like now? Will I want mine?

I don’t think there will be an issue for me. I’ll go where she goes, wherever she’s most comfortable. I knock. “I’m sorry.”

The door cracks open, and she’s standing with a cocked eyebrow. “For what?”

Resting against the doorframe, I shrug. “I don’t actually know, but I don’t want you upset either.”

She opens the door and steps into my arms. “Not everyone gets my humor.”

“They’re idiots.”

“You didn’t get the joke.”

“Sometimes, I’m an idiot as well.”

Squeezing me in her arms, she says, “You’re not. Not at all.” She walks to the kitchen but glances over her shoulder with a smile. “I like your tie. You look very handsome. I’m sure the judge will love it.”

“Thanks,” I reply coyly. She grins.

“I need to leave in a few minutes, but I wanted to talk about us once more.”

“What do you want to talk about?” She hands me a bottle of water and then starts filling a cup with water from the faucet for herself.

“Marlow and her father are scheduled for a meeting today.”

“Oh.” There’s a curtness in the simple response.

“It was supposed to be over lunch or dinner, but I had Ashleigh reschedule to meet at the office.”

She perks up a bit. “I see.”

Not sure why I’m holding back, but I need to get to my point. “The group gossips.”

“They do,” she replies and then takes a sip of water. “Is this about keeping us a secret?”

Thank God she said it. Now I don’t feel shitty for bringing it up again.

She goes on, “I agree. I still don’t have all the details, but what does it hurt to pretend you’re together if it’s only for her father?

And, with the wedding just around the corner, we shouldn’t take away the spotlight.

Friends aside . . .” She comes closer and straightens my jacket.

“I like that we have something that only we share, so I’m good with keeping us a secret. ”

Her nod is full of the same confidence I recognize from the day we met. She may have apologized for ruining my shirt back then, but she wasn’t seeking forgiveness for how we did it. How is it possible she’s even more beautiful?

I say, “We’ll keep it until after the wedding. Just to be on the safe side.”

Lifting onto her toes, she kisses my chin. “Do you know how sexy being sneaky can be?”

I kiss her because I struggle to keep my lips or hands off her. She’s too gorgeous not to touch. Especially where I want to touch her repeatedly. Fuck. Don’t go there right now, Wellington. “I hope I’m about to find out.”

“Oh, you will indeed. Now go win those cases, so we can celebrate your victories.”

I dip her, holding her low enough for her to give me her trust by relaxing in my arms. I kiss her and then set her back on her feet again.

She slides her hand down my neck and then lower to my chest. Tapping over my heart, she replaces her hand with her lips. “You need to go,” she whispers. “The sooner you leave, the sooner you return to me.”

“What about you? What will you be doing today?”

Walking toward the elevator, she wiggles her ass. She has no clue how I wish I had a job that I could cancel going in altogether. Court days are not those. “I’ll be here waiting for you.” There’s lightness in her reply, a smile infiltrating her tone.

I punch the button and hold her one last time. In her bare feet, she fits right under my chin. “You have a date, Miss Bell.”

The door opens too soon for my liking today. Her arms wrap around me, and she says, “Go be awesome, Counselor.”

I kiss her forehead and step into the elevator. Just before the door closes, I give her a wink. “I always am.”

Standing across the street from the courthouse, Ashleigh greets me with a smile. “Nice tie. Green is always good luck.”

I chuckle. “Do you know what cat pajamas are?” I raise my hand to run my fingers through my hair but stop because I don’t want it a mess for court. I detour to the back of my neck and scratch instead.

“Pajamas for cats?”

“No.” I furrow my brow. “Like as in the cat’s pajamas,” I say it slowly like Tealey did.

Ashleigh starts laughing. “Yeah, it’s like great, awesome. The bee’s knees.”

“Do bees even have knees?”

“That’s beside the point.”

“Apparently.” Why the fuck am I wasting time before court thinking about this? “Anyway, do you have the file?”

“We have thirty minutes before the hearing.” Ashleigh digs the file from her burgundy leather briefcase. I’m starting to think this color and dressing for the job is a formality in the legal field. I’m going to owe Tealey another apology.

Ashleigh hands me a file, and I immediately open it to review. She says, “I secured an office for us to go over everything.”

We start walking toward the doors of the building.

I know this, though. Everything in this file is here because I entered it.

I know my client’s assets top to bottom, and every offshore account is accounted for.

There shouldn’t be any surprises unless the missus has been hiding something.

I hate surprises. “Nothing’s changed, and I’ve been going through it all in my mind for weeks now. I’m ready.”

She nods. “You’re ready.”

“Maybe we grab a coffee instead?” We walk half a block in silence before I ask, “Why do you work at the law firm?” I open the door, and we enter the coffee shop. The sound of conversation and orders being called fills the air.

While we wait in line, she replies, “I don’t just work there. I’m achieving my goal of being an executive assistant. I also believe in you, and we make a great team.”

“We do.”

After ordering our drinks, we sit at a table by the window.

I shouldn’t be exhausted, but I squeeze the bridge of my nose and can’t help but ask, “Why do you believe in me? I’m a divorce lawyer, Ashleigh.

You could work for any other type of attorney.

I’m not changing the world. I’m not helping people in need.

I’m breaking families apart and fighting to dismantle a life they built together while destroying their kids’ lives in the process.

” She cocks her head to the side and stares at me like I’m out of my right mind.

“You’ve got it all wrong, Rad.”

I never used to question what I was doing.

I’ve wanted to be a divorce attorney since my family was ripped apart in the middle of a courtroom.

I want to make a difference for kids in the same scenario.

Ensure they aren’t forgotten or used as bargaining chips— something I refuse to do.

Ever. So why am I seeing my chosen path in life in a new light? “Do I?”

“Bear with me here.” She sits forward, resting her hands on the table.

“You’re wrong about me willingly working for other attorneys.

I work for you because you help people out of bad situations, situations that destroy them and the people around them.

It’s an ugly process that our world dictates, not you.

You aren’t tearing them apart. You’re giving clients hope for a happier future.

” She stops and looks out the window, seeming to gather her thoughts.

“You’re more than your job, Rad,” she says, her eyes on me.

“You’re a friend who stands by their side through one of the most difficult times of their lives.

And that is why I work for you and not for the firm. ”

“Like I always say, everyone needs an Ashleigh on their side.”

I’m grinning when she says, “Robert Marché canceled again. He’s open for a video call next week, but he’s stuck in California and can’t get back to New York until after the fifteenth.”

Personally, that suits me just fine. Professionally, I’m starting to wonder if he even wants this divorce by how much time he’s spending back in LA.

“He’s focusing on business there while reassuring me that his priorities are here.

It’s not adding up. Can you verify the residency clause?

He’s walking a fine line, and I can’t let him jeopardize my career by not protecting ourselves.

” Residency is not an issue I’ve encountered with a client before since they usually live here year-round.

It’s a given. I do know that if he’s trying to get the sweeter deal by lying, that will play into the outcome.

When our names are called, I get up and wait at the counter, not wanting to think about the partner position or get lost in the weeds of the minutiae of my cases. I need a clear head for that.

Thinking about Tealey is much more entertaining, even with the topic of marriage coming at me sooner than expected.

Marriage is something that I’ve let skate by whenever it was even hinted at by a woman.

But I’m glad Tealey talked to me, even if it wasn’t an easy conversation to have.

She’s making sure she’s on a path that leads to what she wants.

She’s protecting herself, and I can respect that.

Knowing I’ll see her in a few hours helps return my good mood. The way we’ve flirted for the past month has been fun, and then how we progressed to acting on those flirtations in the Hamptons.

In the last week alone, I’ve discovered she makes delicious deconstructed eggplant Parmesan and mixes a mean paloma cocktail.

The woman’s got mad cooking skills, and though she carries doubts that her bedroom skills are up to par, I tell her the results speak for themselves. And then I apologize for coming so fast.

Retrieving the drinks, I notice how the paper cups are lacking in design. Tealey could fix that.

I set the cups down on the table and sit across from Ashleigh again. I open the file to review that everything is in order and all my paperwork is here as a backup to what I filed online. Ashleigh says, “Can I say something about your personal life? Share an observation?”

Some teens walk in, talking loudly, and cause me to look up. Returning my attention to Ashleigh, I say, “Of course.”

“You dedicate so much time to your career that you seem to be searching for answers that can be found outside the office. You’ve always enjoyed the bachelor awards, but maybe that and your work aren’t enough anymore.”

We’ve tiptoed around this topic before. We both know I don’t have a life and what I’ve sacrificed for my career.

She only says this stuff because she cares and worries about me, so I’m not upset.

But unfortunately, Tealey and I agreed just this morning that we wouldn’t share our private lives with others.

“Is there a question in there somewhere?”

“No. Just that I see the change. It’s slow, but it’s happening. Trust me, Rad, you’re going to fall so hard you won’t know what hit you. And then you’ll finally see the light. All the pieces will fall into place after that, and hopefully, you’ll find more work-life balance.”

“The light? Why is it always about seeing the light?” I sigh, rolling my eyes.

“Did you just roll your eyes?”

“Did I?”

She laughs. “You did. That’s new.”

“I must have picked it up somewhere over the weekend.”

With a knowing grin, she sing-songs, “Must have. Or someone has rubbed off on you.”

She sees right through me. Guilty as charged. Tealey’s definitely been rubbing off on me, and I on her. Fuck. Now I can’t hide my smile. Ashleigh pounces. “Who has you smiling like that, boss?”

Handing her the file, I stand. I grab my briefcase with one hand and my coffee in the other. “As fun as it has been to analyze my life, let’s get to court.”