Total pages in book: 166
Estimated words: 156145 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 156145 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
She picked up her wineglass. “I got the entire case thrown out today. All they had was circumstantial evidence and a bad attitude about my guy’s priors. They were so certain he did the crime, they didn’t look at anyone else. Anyone on the outside would have come to the same conclusion, but it’s always a crapshoot with Judge Jones.”
“That’s great, Lucy. Congrats.”
“Thanks.” She smiled and then took a drink. “How was your day?”
“Productive.” He leaned over and pulled a tablet out of his briefcase. “I have some things to show you.”
Disappointment coated her tongue when he slid the tablet across the table to her. They’d barely gotten their conversation started and now they were back to business. You hired him as a business decision. You don’t get to have it both ways. It wasn’t fair to ask him to go back to being her friend along with her being his client.
She picked up the tablet and found pictures of three men. She clicked on the first one—a blond guy with a close-cropped beard and a seriously expensive suit—and found a file. “‘Aaron Livingston, born May thirteenth...’” He’d compiled a list of information ranging from where Aaron was born to where he graduated high school and college—and his GPA at both. There was also a notification about possible likes and dislikes. “Wow, Gideon. You really don’t do anything halfway, do you?”
He had compiled the same information for each of the other two men. Interestingly enough, all three of them were local and had gone to prestigious business colleges, graduating close to the top of their class. All three had moved on to respected companies and seemed to be doing well for themselves.
Using their information and ignoring their pictures, she wouldn’t have been able to pick any of them out of a lineup. “This... Wow.”
“You said that already.” He frowned. “Is something wrong? I assumed that you were looking for someone in the same financial class as you, and leaning toward white-collar businessmen. That is why you came to me, correct?”
Yes, at least in theory. In reality, this whole thing was playing out much differently than she’d expected. It didn’t make a bit of sense, especially because it was proceeding exactly how she’d hoped. “No, it’s fine. They’re excellent candidates.”
Seeing them laid out like this, the situation just became so much more real. In a very short period of time she’d be sitting across the table from one of these men, rather than Gideon. She’d be torturing herself with wondering if they’d kiss her after dinner—if maybe they’d expect more to happen.
I’m not ready.
She took a gulp of her wine. “Can we get dinner to go?”
CHAPTER FIVE
NERVES STOLE LUCY’S voice as she and Gideon walked to her apartment. She’d intentionally picked a restaurant close to her place so that they wouldn’t have to worry about a cab ride to get from point A to point B. She nodded at the doorman as he held open the door for them and then she strode to the elevator and pushed the button.
Gideon followed her inside and leaned against the elevator wall. The food in the paper bag smelled divine, but her craving was solely for the man holding it. She clasped her hands together to keep from touching him. “I want to progress tonight.”
He raised his eyebrows. “I’m listening.”
Why was it so challenging to say these things aloud? She was an adult. She should be able to express her needs honestly without fear of being laughed out of the building—or rejected. Lucy fisted her hands and raised her chin. The mirrors in the elevator walls and door reflected a version of her that looked ready to go several rounds on the courthouse floor. “I don’t want to wait anymore. I want everything.”
That predatory stillness rolled over him and his eyes seemed to flare with barely banked heat. “Bite-size steps are the smart option.”
“Nothing about this is smart, and I think we both know that.” Last night had made her skittish in a way she hadn’t expected, and if she was shrewder and less stubborn, she would have called the whole thing off as a result. Instead she was pushing them toward something neither could take back.
The elevator door opened and she wasted no time walking into the hall and down to her door. There were only four apartments on this floor, each occupying their respective corner of the building. Hers faced southeast, so she often woke to the early morning sunlight streaming through her windows. At least on the days she wasn’t up before dawn.
She unlocked the door and held it open for Gideon. He stopped just inside the entranceway, barely leaving room for her to slide inside behind him. She tried to see the place through his eyes. The open floor plan showcased the big floor-to-ceiling windows. The kitchen lay just to the right of the front hall, the white cabinets set off with little turquoise handles she’d found online. The living room contained a decent-size TV that she rarely used and two short couches arranged in a loose V. Her cat, Garfunkel, lifted his head and gave Gideon a death stare.