Page 15 of Who’s Your Daddy (Dadcoms #1)

Lola

T he shrill ring of a phone echoes around the room, startling me. When NJ Judiciary flashes on the display, I dive for the phone. I’ve been waiting for Judge Cabello’s law clerk to call me back for the last two hours.

“Murphy and Machon.”

Two seconds into the call, I cut the kid off.

“You’re telling me the judge still hasn’t signed the new order?”

Cal, who’s sitting across from me—yes, he moved me into the conference room with him, just like he said he would—freezes, focus trained on me. A framed picture of Murphy and T.J. in his hand, hovering a few inches over the table.

I’m trying to ignore him. After last night, it was hard enough. But now that he’s so adorably decorating our office with family pictures, feelings are creeping up that I don’t want.

The photo just inside the entrance was a nice touch. It’s one of the three guys with Terry. But when he hung the picture of his father and me from our Christmas party last year, a lump formed in my throat.

Yeah. I’m definitely ignoring the emotions roiling inside me. I need bane-of-my-existence Cal back. This version of Cal, the one that makes me tingle in all the places I don’t want, has to go.

He cocks a brow, and my traitorous stomach flips.

Desperate to fight the magnetic pull, I lower my focus to the table and the pen I’m tapping against a legal pad.

“Well…” The law clerk’s mumble is hard to hear over my incessant tapping.“We’re working on it.”

Irritation is a living, breathing entity inside me.

Working on it my ass. For two months, our client—who does not have kids or a child support obligation—has been harassed by probation for the arrears they now think he owes.

It wasn’t until a few weeks after it began, when he received a letter from probation in the mail, that poor Howard even knew this was going on.

The issue was a result of a mistake out of Judge Cabello’s chambers. And for whatever fucking reason, he’s taking his sweet time righting the wrong.

“Our client is about to have a lien put on his house because of a child support obligation for a child that doesn’t exist . You get that right?” There’s no tempering my rage.

“Hopefully soon.”

I grit my teeth. “I need it today .”

“I’ll talk to the judge.” He hangs up before I can insist he do it right now.

Dammit. Now I’m going to have to call probation and hope I can convince them to slow down the process of putting that lien on his house.

A clatter nearly makes me jump from my seat. Cal has set the frame down, but now he’s holding a second print of the same photo.

“What are you doing with that one?”

“It’s for Sully’s office.” He gives me a crooked smile, pride seeping from every inch of his handsome face. “I’m livening the place up.” His expression suddenly sobers, and he averts his gaze. “Unless you don’t want them there. ”

I scan the pictures he’s set out. His dad. His brother. His son... and me .

Dammit. That twinge in my chest is back.

Cal has always seemed like a shallow pond, fun and flaky.

But I’m beginning to wonder if I’ve just never given him a chance to be more.

With a sigh, I look at him again only to find him watching me, anticipation etched in the lines on his face, like he’s waiting for my response.

The air grows heavy under his warm gaze.

He seems to genuinely care about my response.

“It’s perfect there.” I clear my throat as my voice cracks.

“ Whatever Lola wants… ”

The line to that damn song is enough to snap me out of the weird stupor I’ve tripped and fallen into. “Stop that.”

“Lo,” Sully hollers from his office. “I’m sending a letter to your printer. It needs to be filed on JEDS to adjourn tomorrow morning.”

I stand, my body moving on autopilot toward the new laser inkjet printer. We set it up on the corner table for the time being. Just until we can install a larger maggot-free machine.

The paper is warm as I pluck it from the printer tray. I’ll get this done and then attempt to call probation again

“I just printed a consent order,” Brian yells. “It needs to be finalized on Tervant, and it must be filed today.”

I bite back an annoyed groan. Guess I’ll call after I do the consent order.

“Don’t forget to make sure Judge Avello has Winters ready hold for ten thirty tomorrow,” Cal reminds me.

The urge to roll my eyes is strong. But as annoying as his requests are, none of the chambers have given me a hard time with the stupid ready holds.

Apparently, Daddy Cal is even more adorable than normal Cal.

At least to the secretaries at the courthouse.

They all have easily agreed, eager to help him.

I grit my teeth.

“And—” Sully starts.

“Enough,” I snap. “I’m one person. ”

“Aww, Lola.” Cal stands and steps toward me, the scent of his cologne filling the air. “You need a wakey-breaky.”

I glower up at his stupidly handsome face. “A what?”

He grasps my hand, his body heat instantly soaking into me, and tugs me toward the office door. “Do your own shit, you plonkers. Lola and I are taking a wakey-breaky.”

Wakey-breaky? Cal and his damn weird ass words. I’m still trying to decipher this one when Sully appears in the doorway.

“What the hell is…” He crosses his arms, filling the entire space. “Whatever the hell you just said.”

“A coffee break.”

I fight the urge to smile. I do not want that to be cute. But it is…kind of. Just like Cal.

“It’s a wakey-breaky, right Lola?” With a wink, he pulls me toward the door.

“Oh no.” I yank my hand back, ignoring the way my heart flutters at his touch. “We are not making this a thing.”

“Too late. It’s a thing,” he assures.

I cross my arms so he can’t reach for my hand again. “It is not a thing.”

He wraps an arm around my shoulder, the warmth of his body presses against mine. Oh no. This is so much worse. I want to hate it, but I don’t.

Lips brushing my ear, he whispers, “It’s our thing.”

It takes everything in me not to shiver. “We do not?—”

“Shhhh, Lola. You’ll ruin it.” Despite his low volume, his words are laced with humor.

And as if they have a mind of their own, my lips lift at the corners.

“Wakey-breaky here we come.” He steers me out the door.

Though I’m loath to admit it, the wakey-breaky really does improve my mood. An hour later, I’m almost bummed when Cal slips out of the office without a word. Only then do I realize that although I got all the tasks ticked off the guys’ lists, I still don’t have my order .

With a grunt, I push out of my chair and head across the hall to Brian’s office.“What are we doing about Howard?” The door frame creaks as I lean my shoulder against it.

He glances up, eyeing the molding like it might fall to my feet. When nothing crashes to the ground, he sighs. “This place needs so much work.”

“So does the Howard case.”

His eyes narrow. “The suit didn’t work?”

“What?” I ask.

Before he can explain, the bell over the entrance jingles and in walks a bright orange suit. There’s a person in the suit, of course, but it’s impossible to focus on him while I’m being blinded by neon orange.

When I finally pick my jaw up off the floor, I ask, “What are you wearing?” Although Cal and I worked in the same building, we didn’t work together, and I’d never seen this outfit.

Cal holds out his arms, grinning. “It’s my get-it-done suit.”

The move causes his lapels to shift, drawing my attention to his chest and the pink polka dot tie around his neck.

Before today, I’d have told you Cal looks good in anything. I’d have been wrong. This suit is not only ridiculous, it’s downright painful to look at. “Wearing orange and pink helps you work?”

With a chuckle, he pulls a piece of paper from his shoulder bag and holds it out to me.

Once again, my jaw hits the floor. “My Howard order?” I gasp. “How?”

He rocks back on his heels, tugging on his lapels and smirking. “It’s the suit. They can’t ignore me when I’m in this baby.”

Brian chuckles. “Works every time for the dumbass.”

Teeth sinking into my bottom lip, I consider the man in the tacky suit. For once, despite the outfit, Cal doesn't seem like a dumbass.

“ Whatever Lola wants… ”

This time, when the lyrics slip from his mouth, they don’t annoy me at all.