Lured: A Love Letters Novel

by Kristen Blakely

Tom shook his head. “No, not here, and definitely not now.” He waited until they were in the parking lot before broaching the topic of Brandon. “You need to understand, he’s not your friend. Regardless of what he says, it’s not in his best interest to reach a fair settlement. He’s trying to get the best deal for his clients.”

  “Wait.” Shannon frowned. “Are we talking about Brandon Smith or Daniel Lewis?”

  “Same difference. They’re on the other side of this case. It doesn’t matter who’s leading the case. The firm owns the client relationship. Brandon’s not going to be able to help you.”

  “I’m not looking for his help,” Shannon said. The last time someone had asked him for help— She went cold. Was that the reason why Brandon hadn’t told her that he’d asked to be removed from the case? Because he didn’t want her asking him for help the same way Cynthia had asked for his help? “I was just…”

  What was she? Curious? Yes.

  And aching. Hurting over the horrible conversation they’d had and the terrible things she had said without giving him a chance to explain. Then when he had explained, she had called him a liar.

  Her voice shook, trembling on the edge of a sigh. “I just wanted to know why.”

  Tom frowned. “Who’s Brandon to you?”

  “Nobody,” Shannon murmured, her heart breaking because it was true.

  From his office window, Brandon watched Shannon and her lawyer walk out of the building. She did not look back.

  He damned himself for wondering if she would.

  Why would she?

  She had left nothing behind.

  A muscle twitched in his smooth cheek, and the cynical twist of his lips matched the wrenching ache in his chest. It could have been amazing, but I should have known better. Falling in love while on vacation in a state of suspended reality never works. It’s not based on anything real.

  Someone knocked on his office door, and he glanced over his shoulder. “Daniel. What’s up?”

  Daniel Lewis strode into Brandon’s office. “I just had an interesting conversation with Shannon Larson and her lawyer. She asked about you.”

  “Did she?”

  “When you cited a conflict of interest, I didn’t realize it was a personal conflict.”

  “It isn’t.”

  “It’s not the impression I got.”

  Brandon shrugged.

  “How much do you know about the case?” Daniel asked.

  “Just what I read in the file—the same file you received.”

  “You know more, don’t you?”

  Brandon’s jaw tightened. He said nothing.

  “What did she tell you about the clinic?”

  “Nothing that you can use in the case.”

  Daniel was silent for a moment. “Brandon, you know how important this case is to the firm. It’s not the settlement from the clinic; that’s peanuts. It’s the client. We nail this case; he’ll trust us with his legal affairs, and he has a ton of business to send our way.”

  “I know.”

  “Do you really? If so, then it’s mind-boggling that you turned it down. Hammerstein wanted you to take this case and reel the client in.”

  “Well, it’s not working out that way.”

  “The firm is going to reel the client in regardless.” Daniel’s tone took on an edge. “So what do you know about the clinic?”

  Brandon turned around to face the junior partner in the firm. “I can’t help you.”

  “Do we have to go through this again?”

  “Go through what, exactly?”

  “What happened when you lost a major client last year. You can’t afford to screw this up.”

  “That’s why the case is on your desk, not mine. I know you won’t screw it up.”

  Daniel’s pleasant expression gave way to a scowl. “We’ll talk about this next week. I expect Hammerstein will want to weigh in.”

  Damn it. Brandon did not bother to watch Daniel stride down the corridor. Curse words tangled in his mind; with effort, he bit them back. Just perfect, he grunted. From the frying pan into the fire.

  Chapter 12

  For the rest of the following week, Shannon kept an eye on her smartphone, wondering if she would see a missed call or a voicemail, but Brandon did not call. Why had she hoped he would? Just because she seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about him?

  He was probably hard at work, trying to make up for the ground he had lost in turning that case over to another lawyer in his firm. It would have been an easy victory for him. Instead, he had walked away.

  For her?

  If that was the case, then why didn’t he come back to her?

  He did. He came back.

  And I called him an asshole, a liar, and I sent him away.

  Shannon buried her face in her hands. I screwed up. I totally fucked up.

  “Shannon?” Andrea’s voice called softly. “It’s 2 p.m. We’re done for the weekend. Aren’t you going home?”

  “In a while, I suppose.”

  Without invitation, Andrea sat across from her. “How it is going with the lawyers?”

  “They’re talking.” Shannon shook her head. “I don’t think they’re close to an agreement.”

  “So it’s going to go to court?”

  “Possibly. It feels ridiculous to not fight it when the charges are completely blown out of proportion, and you know they’re just trying to milk an honest mistake on Herbert’s part for everything they can get.”

  “He should have brought in more help.”

  “There’s no guarantee it wouldn’t have happened even if Herbert had brought in an army of people to help. It was an administrative slip-up. A nurse showed the patient into a consultation room. A slip-up happened with the paperwork, and Herbert didn’t realize the patient was waiting.” Shannon scowled. “If it hadn’t been a concussion, if the patient hadn’t fallen asleep, he might have just walked out and complained about the wait, in which case, he would have been attended to immediately. And why didn’t he just go straight to the ER if the fall was as bad as he described?” She shook her head. “The point is that there are lots of holes a lawyer can poke into his story.”

  “But the jury will take his side. They almost always do because they see themselves in the same position—alone in a consultation room, forgotten by the doctor and the nurses.”

  “Doesn’t the happy ending matter?” Shannon demanded. “The nurses eventually found him unconscious and brought him to the ER.”

  “Hours later. He could have died.” Andrea interlaced her trembling fingers. “We’re lucky he didn’t, or this lawsuit could be even worse.”

  “I know.” Shannon sighed. “I’m trying to be sympathetic, but it’s really hard. Several people, including the patient, made bad decisions, but the ones paying for it aren’t the ones who screwed up. If I lose the clinic, the nurses here who will lose their jobs are not the ones who messed up that day.”

  “I know.” The older woman sighed. “It’s all so crazy. And Brandon…did he really choose not to accept the case?”

  Shannon nodded. “The case is now headed up by Lewis himself, of Lewis and Hammerstein.” She tapped her fingers on the desk. “I think Brandon might have been easier on us—even if he was trying to prove that he was up to making partner.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “He’s…” She smiled, surprised by the warmth she felt in her chest—a good kind of warmth that might have been happiness. “He’s a decent guy. Innately decent. I wish I’d realized that earlier.”

  “You did, or you wouldn’t have gone out with him. I remember you saying, after Jerry, that you weren’t going to waste your time on anyone without long-term potential. You must have seen something in Brandon worth having over the long term.”

  She frowned. “I did say that, didn’t I?” She shook her head. “I guess it doesn’t matter anymore. Nothing’s going to come of it.”

  “Why not?”

  “We’re o
n opposite sides.”

  “But you said he dropped the case.”

  “He dropped the case, but someone else in his firm is on it. We can’t both win. If I win, he won’t make partner. If his firm wins, I lose my clinic and every penny I’ve invested in it. Either way, one of us is screwed.” An ironic smirk curled at the edges of Shannon’s lips. “I would rather it not be me, but I don’t want it to be him, either. He wants to make partner, and he would have last year, if his ex-fiancée didn’t screw things up for him.” Pressure knotted in the middle of her chest. “It’s insane that life has to be an ‘either or’ situation like this.”

  “Yes, it is. But let’s just imagine, for a moment, that we’re at the end of the situation. Would you rather be with him at the end of it?”

  “Who won the case?”

  Andrea studied her for a moment. “Does it matter?” she asked finally.

  Shouldn’t it? One of us won’t get what we worked our lives to achieve.

  But even if I lost my clinic, if I had him, maybe I could survive it. And if he didn’t make partner, if he had me, would I be enough to make up the disappointment in his career?

  She did not know the answer. She wasn’t even sure she had the courage to ask the question aloud. Shannon pushed to her feet and reached for her handbag. “Guess I’m out of here. I’ll see you next week. You have a good weekend.”

  “You too.” Andrea smiled.

  Shannon stepped into her car and started on the drive back to her townhouse. She stopped at a red light and her idle gaze flicked to the stores along the side of the road. Brandon? Was that him, seated at the Starbucks, with a blond-haired woman? What was he doing back in Westchester, and why hadn’t he called her?

  Just keep moving, her head coached her heart.

  Oh, to hell with it, her heart retorted.

  She pulled into a nearby parking slot and cut the engine. A quick glance into the rearview mirror assured her that her makeup, if not perfectly fresh, was not a disaster. She stepped out of the car and walked toward Starbucks. No, no, bad idea, her mind screamed at her.

  Too late. Brandon looked up, his eyes widening.

  Before she could spin into a hasty turn, he shot to his feet. “Shannon.”

  The blond woman across from Brandon turned to look at her. “Stunning” would not have adequately described her. Her almond-shaped eyes gave her an exotic, feline look and the slash of her cheekbones were so sharp, they might have cut paper. Marguerite Ferrara rose and extended a hand to Shannon. Her smile was both dazzling and warm. “Hi, I’m Maggie, Brandon’s sister. He told me about your week in Italy. I’m glad to meet you.”

  “I…” Shannon slanted a glance at Brandon. “Likewise. I didn’t realize you’d be in town.”

  Maggie grinned. “Drew and I make trips into New York fairly often for work, but Brandon insisted we come up here for the weekend. Something about a barbecue at the old house. I think he hoped to run into you.” She glanced at a nonexistent watch on her wrist. “Oh my goodness. Look at the time. Drew must be wondering where I am.” A tiny dimple danced into her cheek. “I’ll see you at the house later.” She strolled away from the table, turning the heads of men and women before vanishing around the corner.

  Brandon chuckled softly. “I’m sorry. She’s not subtle at all.”

  “No, but then again, apparently neither are you?”

  “I hadn’t planned on this meeting at Starbucks, but I did ask Maggie and Drew to come up to Westchester for the weekend, and I had planned to go by your home shortly to invite you to a barbecue this evening.”

  “You didn’t call all week.”

  “I figured you’d be busy.”

  “I assumed you weren’t interested.”

  “I’m interested, Shannon. But I’m also aware that you’ve got lots of issues to deal with right now. I’d rather wait for a good time than be dismissed because you’re busy.”

  “I’m not sure the timing’s any better.”

  “Even lawyers take the weekend off.” He smiled disarmingly. “Sometimes.”

  She expelled her breath in a sigh. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

  “We had lots to talk about while we were in Italy that had nothing to do with the clinic, and I’d like you to meet Maggie and Drew.”

  “Why?”

  “Because they’re family, and I’d like my family to meet my friends, especially friends who I hope will be willing to be more.”

  Shannon’s smile quavered, and she pressed her hand against the ache in her chest. “You’re not fighting fair.”

  “I could say that I’m a lawyer, and you should have expected it from me, but that would be too obvious. Please, it’s just dinner.”

  “It’s never ‘just anything’ with you, Brandon. You’re always able to make it something more. The week in Italy became more than just seven days of Tuscany’s most beautiful places. You made me want something I didn’t even know was missing.”

  “What was that?” he asked softly.

  “Comfort. Layered beneath the physical attraction and the excitement of discovering someone new was the comfort of knowing I was with a good man. A man I could trust.”

  His eyebrows arched. “Really?”

  “I know that’s not what I said when you came by to see me two weeks ago, but I’ve had time to think things over. I’m sorry about the things I said, but I still don’t know if this is a good idea.”

  “What isn’t? Barbecue this evening, or getting married and having three and a half kids?” He roared with laughter at the horror that must have splattered over her face.

  “Don’t do that.” She thumped her heart. “My nerves can’t take it.”

  “Look, I know better than to rush this, but I also know that it’s possible to wait for the perfect time that never comes.”

  “It’s annoying how wise you are.”

  He spread his hands, his smile smug. “J.D.”

  “M.D.,” she retorted with a grin, but it faded into wistfulness moments later. “How are we going to do this, Brandon? We’re still on opposite sides. We can’t change that.”

  “We’re on opposite sides on just one element of our lives.”

  “One? It’s the most important, the most defining thing. It’s our careers. It’s what we do.”

  “Who we are is the most important, most defining thing.” Brandon seized her hand in his. His warmth tingled through her. “I’m not downplaying how important your clinic is, or my partnership is. I’m just saying that other things matter to, and I’d like us to have a chance to see if we can be one of those things.”

  “You talk a good game.”

  “Not only am I a good game; I am a great bet.”

  Shannon inhaled. Her shuddering breath made her voice wobble. “Have you ever not been able to talk anyone into anything?”

  “More times than you know. Several times last year, in fact.”

  Cynthia, of course. Shannon bit down on her lip and turned her face away.

  Brandon continued. “Can we take this a step at a time, starting with dinner tonight with Maggie and Drew? You’ll love them.”

  Shannon chuckled. “Your sister made quite an impression.”

  “It’s her job, and she’s damnably good at it.”

  “What’s her husband like?”

  “Drew? He’s steady; he’s her rock. They’re natural partners.” Brandon’s gaze was probing, as if he wanted to say something more, but chose not to. “Shall we?” He gestured to his car, parked a few spaces down from Starbucks.

  Shannon sucked in her breath and let her heart speak instead of her head. “My car’s around the corner. What’s your address?” She entered it into the mapping application on her smartphone. “All right, Brandon. We’ll start over with dinner tonight.”

  “Great!” He leaned in and brushed a quick kiss on her cheek. “Drew and Maggie should be at the house. Go on ahead. I’m going to pick up the wine.”

  “Of course.” Shannon rolled her eye
s and laughed. She returned to her car, and without any trouble, made her way to a large single-story home in one of Westchester’s more expensive neighborhoods. She pulled into the driveway and for a moment, sat in her car, staring at Brandon’s family home. She swallowed hard past the lump in her throat. How did he talk me into this?

  It’s too crazy. His firm is suing me, suing my clinic. I could lose everything…

  Her hand went to the key to turn on the engine and back out of the driveway, but the front door opened and Maggie scrambled out. “Hey!”

  Before Shannon could retreat, Maggie pulled the car door open. “Brandon called and said to look out for you. Come on in. Drew has the grill going, but Brandon warned him not to do anything with the food.”

  “Will you be cooking instead?”

  “Who, me?” Maggie looked startled. “Brandon doesn’t even trust me to wash the salad. He says I don’t dry it correctly. I mean who the heck actually dries salad leaves?”

  Shannon laughed as she followed Maggie into the house. “Brandon said he was going to pick up the wine.”

  “Yes, another thing he doesn’t trust Drew or me to do correctly.” Maggie peeked out through the glass patio doors to a man standing by a grill. “Well, now no one’s listening, tell me, are you in love with Brandon?”

  Shannon blinked. “I…just met him.”

  Maggie waved the objection away. “I was thirteen when I met Drew. I fell in love with him immediately, although he wouldn’t let me jump his bones until I was much older.”

  “Okay…” Shannon dragged the word out. Maggie was apparently as stunningly, shockingly frank as her older brother.

  “Brandon has never asked me to meet any of his girlfriends before. You’re the first, and it’s going to be seriously weird if you’re not even his girlfriend or in love with him.”

  “You’ve never met his girlfriends? Not even Cynthia?”

  “I eventually stumbled into most of them by accident, but you’re the first he insisted I meet. And as for Cynthia…” Maggie rolled her eyes. “I think Brandon was actively trying to keep her away from me. He probably knew I wouldn’t have anything nice to say about her.”