Pro Bono Romance

by Shirley Holder Platt

  “It’s one of my many talents.”

  He finished his bag and enjoyed watching her as she obviously used the popcorn to keep her stress level down during the most exciting parts of the movie.

  Standing, she held her hand out for his empty bag; the one he’d tossed onto the coffee table.

  “I can’t believe you’re this lazy,” she said as she walked to the kitchen trash container.

  “I’m not lazy. I would’ve thrown that away the next time I got up. You just beat me to it. What’s the hurry? The movie’s still going and you’re missing the best part.” If he lived to be a thousand, he’d never understand compulsively clean nuts.

  “My motto is to never put off until tomorrow what I can do today,” she said. She wore a smug look and an interesting outfit. He thought she looked sexy in her shorty pajamas, because she was so obviously shy about him seeing her in them. This was the third set he’d seen. She never wore the same one twice, or she hadn’t yet in the week they’d been together. Heck, the woman would look good in the pink bunny suit that kid in The Christmas Story movie had to wear for his mother on Christmas day. Of course, having seen her only in her underwear at Martin’s house left little for his imagination to fill in when she walked around in her pajamas. He could still remember the way she’d felt when he’d come to rescue her, and she’d leapt into his arm.

  They were sitting on the same couch, with far too much distance between them in Gabe’s opinion. Samson seemed to have taken a liking to Gabe’s lap, and Gabe was finding the big cat’s presence comforting. Delilah liked to lay under the coffee table near Rainy’s feet. She followed Rainy everywhere. The dog was still a bit nervous after all she’d been through, and Gabe couldn’t blame her.

  Rainy, on the other hand, seemed to be recovering quickly. She yawned and stretched her arms over her head. Gabe tried not to notice the skin between the raised shirt and the top of her shorts.

  “I think it’s bedtime for me,” she said. It was around eleven p.m., so still a little early for Gabe.

  “Let me know if you need anything.” He was watching the weatherman tell him about tomorrow’s weather, so didn’t get up when she stood. He did, however, make sure to watch as she walked away, swaying her hips. He licked his lips unconsciously. At least the spare room was on the other side of the house from his bedroom, so he didn’t have to suffer the agony of lying in a bed only a few feet away from her each night.

  When the news and weather ended, he turned off the television and most of the lights in the house. He stood in a cool shower for several minutes as he tried to think of anything other than Rainy’s pink panties and bra. It was rather like someone telling him to not think about blue flamingoes. An impossible task.

  He went for a run early the next morning before Rainy got up, hoping to tire himself out and burn off the excess energy he felt because of her nearness. His arm pained him with every step, but he pushed through. When he got back, the house smelled like bacon. The dog, which he’d let out into the back yard earlier, met him at the door with a wagging tail, and the cat rubbed against his ankles with affection. He told himself not to get used to all this, but knew he’d miss it when she left. He stepped out of his shoes and took off the sweaty socks just inside the door. On his way to the bathroom for a shower, he dropped his sweaty shirt on the back of the couch.

  “I’m making breakfast,” Rainy called from the kitchen. “Come and get yours when you’ve showered.” She’d been making delicious breakfasts every morning, and he couldn’t wait to see what went with the bacon this time.

  “Sounds wonderful,” he called back. As he stepped into the shower, he envisioned Rainy in nothing but those pink panties and a white frilly apron. He leaned against the shower wall and said, “Man, you’ve got to stop this,” to himself.

  Dressed and ready for that food he’d been smelling, he walked into the kitchen. Rainy stood with one hand on her hip, his shirt and socks were hanging from her other hand. She narrowed her eyes to match her frown.

  “What’s with this?” She raised the hand full of his dirty clothes.

  “What?”

  “You don’t have a laundry basket?”

  “No.” He’d never thought one necessary. When it was time to wash, which was when he couldn’t find any clean underwear, he simply went through the house gathering everything up. No big deal.

  “I’m getting one for you this morning,” she said. She tossed the dirty clothes at him, and he caught them deftly with his free hand. “Put those on the washer.”

  “Bossy, aren’t you?”

  “I see why your house was such a mess last time I was here. You have terrible habits.”

  “Comes from living in a frat house and then living alone.”

  “No excuses. You’re a grown man. Act like it.” She turned away from him and went back to cooking. He obediently took the clothes and laid them on the top of the washer, rolling his eyes as he did so.

  “Smells great in here.” He sniffed in anticipation. He was used to eating at Rainy’s café, but this was better. He pulled out a chair, but before he could sit, she stopped him.

  “Wash your hands. Those clothes were disgusting.”

  “Yes, Mother,” he said. She was wide awake and demanding, but he liked that her hair was mussed and she wasn’t wearing any makeup yet.

  “Don’t make me act like your mother, and you won’t have to be so sarcastic.”

  “Message received, General.” He saluted.

  “And don’t call me names.”

  “Yes, ma’am!” He snapped his heels together and saluted once again. The perturbed look on her face made him laugh. She was easy to rile up. He wondered if her passion was as quick to rise as her temper. He walked to the sink and washed his hands like a good boy before sitting, being careful to keep his sling dry.

  “Cut it out.” She slid two pieces of crisp bacon onto a plate followed by two over easy eggs. The toaster popped up, and she added the toast to the plate and slid it in front of him.

  “This looks perfect,” he said as she placed two coffee cups on the table and sat across from him. “And just so you know, you’re nothing like my mother. She would die before she’d stand in front of a hot stove to cook breakfast. She has a cook for that. If Decie was ever sick when I was growing up, Mother would have us eat cold cereal.”

  He slathered butter on the toast she’d prepared and dug into the meal. Holding her coffee cup in both hands and her elbows on the table, she seemed to be lost in thought.

  “Penny for your thoughts.”

  “They’re not worth it.”

  “Let me be the judge of that,” Gabe said as he sipped the delicious coffee. Yep, a man could get used to this, he thought, then immediately tamped the thought down.

  “Just wondering if I’ll ever be free of Martin. I wish I’d never met him. I’ve always been independent and proud of it. I’m embarrassed at how easily I let that man into my life. I should’ve seen the signs.”

  “I’ve known Martin most of my life. We were several years ahead of you, so you weren’t aware of his reputation. He was a charmer in high school. Dated the prettiest girls, but only for a few weeks. The girls must have figured him out pretty fast. Then he met Toni. They were on again, off again ever after.” Gabe finished the bacon and sopped the egg yolk up with the last of his toast.

  “Was he into drugs back then?” Rainy asked. She sipped her coffee and waited for his answer.

  “I think he smoked weed. Don’t know what else he might have been into. I didn’t hang with his crowd.”

  “That’s one point in your favor.”

  “Aren’t you eating?”

  “I don’t have an appetite.” She turned her nose up in the cutest wrinkle he’d ever seen.

  “You can’t stop eating,” he said.

  “I’ll be fine,” she said. She seemed annoyed by his nagging.

  He thought she was fine already, but kept his mouth shut for the time being. He took his plate and cu
p to the sink and poured a little water on them.

  “Why don’t you put those in the dishwasher?”

  He was glad his back was to her, because he rolled his eyes and frowned before doing as she asked. If the woman kept this up, the damned house would stay clean, but at his expense.

  “Thanks. I hate a dirty kitchen.” She stood and stretched. He noticed that her pajama top couldn’t hide the fact that she was a generously endowed woman when she arched her back like that. His mouth watered, and he knew he needed to keep his hands to himself, leave the room even.

  “Thank you for breakfast. You didn’t have to do that,” he said.

  “It was the least I could do.” She hung her head. He couldn’t stand to see her beating herself up, so he walked into her space and lifted her chin. Looking into her eyes, he tried to think of the right words to say that would help her, but his brain went blank as he stared into those beautiful eyes. He heard her intake of breath. She didn’t break eye contact or back away. He dipped his head toward those luscious lips; watched as her tongue darted over her bottom lip.

  “Rainy,” he said in a whisper.

  “Yes?”

  Was that a question or an invitation? His body thought it an invitation. He bent his head toward hers.

  Blondie’s “Call Me” rang out from Rainy’s phone, startling both of them. Rainy cleared her throat and backed away.

  “I’ll just,” she said as she pointed to the phone on the table by her empty coffee cup.

  “Yeah, you should,” he said, not bothering to finish his sentence as she hurried to answer.

  “It’s Olivia. I need to . . .” she didn’t finish since he was nodding already. He wasn’t sure if he was mad or glad. Kissing Rainy would only leave him wanting more, and he didn’t think she wanted that from him. He needed to be her attorney and that was all. He ran a hand through his hair and left her talking to Olivia. Maybe he needed a second shower, a very cold one.

  Chapter Nineteen – Rainy

  Olivia’s phone call broke the spell Rainy was under. She turned away from Gabe as she answered, and he was gone when she ended the call. It had been a week since the last break in. She’d had the glass pane repaired on the back door; the police had come and gone; and no one had heard a word from Martin. She needed to go home, but she’d enjoyed Gabe’s company in the evenings. The man was a total slob, but other than that, he was fun.

  She cleaned the kitchen and let Delilah out again. Olivia had called to let her know that Leon was sick. Their back up line cook, Carlos, was coming in, but Olivia was the only one in the kitchen. Rainy needed to face the music. It was time to stop hiding and go to work. She surveyed the spotless kitchen, and when satisfied, went to her side of the house for a shower. It was funny to think that in one short week, she was thinking of this as home.

  Walking into the café an hour later, Rainy’s heart raced as she remembered the last time she’d been there. She’d never feel safe being alone again, and she had Martin to blame for that. If she ever found the man, she was determined to prosecute to the extent of the law.

  “You don’t look very happy to be back here,” Olivia said as Rainy pulled a clean apron from a hook and tied it around her waist.

  “I was just remembering the last time I was here.”

  “Any word on finding Martin and that slut he hangs around with?” Olivia asked.

  “Nothing. It’s like he disappeared. The police stopped watching the house, since no one’s been there since my rescue. Maybe they skipped town.”

  “I hope their car broke down in the middle of the desert and they are, at this moment, crawling in the dirt, shriveled lips, sunburnt, miserable . . .”

  “Hey, for such a young person, you sure can be cruel.” Rainy held her hand up to stop Olivia.

  “They deserve it.” Olivia couldn’t keep up her rant, because she had food cooking and customers waiting for it.

  “Martin kept telling me that he needed money to pay the guys he bought the drugs from in the first place. Maybe he’s in trouble.” Rainy pulled on her bottom lip as the unsettling thought came out of her mouth.

  “You can’t seriously be worried about him,” Olivia said as she flipped a hamburger patty and laid a slice of cheese on top.

  “I cared about him at one time. I don’t wish harm on anyone. I simply would like to see justice done.”

  “Which includes locking those creeps up for at least ten years,” Olivia said. She lifted the basket of fries from the fryer and dumped them onto a draining rack. Rainy sprinkled them with her secret mixture of salt and spices. It felt good to get back into the groove of working.

  “So,” Olivia said. Her voice had changed from righteous indignation to curiosity. “How are things going over at the house of Gabriel?” She didn’t look up, and Rainy knew why. If she could catch her employee’s eye, the woman would know she’d overstepped her boundaries. Instead, the question floated in the air for a short while, then fell flat on the floor with no answer. Rainy cut into the onions on her board with gusto. She watched Olivia working and wished she could read the tattoo on Olivia’s arm, but the woman insisted on wearing long sleeved shirts. Curiosity really could kill a cat.

  “What did those onions ever do to you?” Carlos asked with a wide grin.

  “Shut up.” Rainy kept chopping loudly.

  “OK. If you don’t want to talk about it, I get it,” Olivia said with a smirk. “Order up.” She’d plated the cheeseburger and fries perfectly.

  “You’re pretty handy in the kitchen. I think I’ll ask Abigail to work full time and keep you back here. What do you think of that?”

  “I think you’re pretty good at changing the subject.” Olivia wasn’t one to pull punches. She said it like she saw it, every darned time.

  “I’m moving back to my house tonight,” Rainy said. She’d been thinking she needed to go home, but had settled into a comfortable rhythm at Gabe’s house. It was nice to have help with the animals. Gabe was an early riser, so he let Delilah out before the dog could wake Rainy each morning. Sleeping in, not working, having help at home, even if the guy was a slob, was good for her. She’d calmed down appreciably, and the week had been like a mini vacation.

  “Do you think that’s smart?” Olivia’s question interrupted Rainy’s train of thought.

  “I don’t know if it’s smart, but I think it’s time.”

  “You do have an alarm system, don’t you?” Olivia pulled an order ticket off a clip and read it. She went to the pantry to pull out the items she needed.

  “I do. I think it’ll go off if I move during the night. I’ll have to figure out how to reset it for me being home. I’m glad you reminded me.”

  “What’s Gabe think of you leaving?”

  “What does it matter?”

  “Well, the guy’s been pretty generous with, you know, rescuing you and all. Then giving you a place to stay is above and beyond any lawyer’s pay grade. Don’t you think he deserves to have a say in it?” She stirred cream into a pan full of mushrooms and set the temperature on high. The result of reducing the cream and adding a pinch of salt and pepper to the mushrooms would be one of the café’s signature dishes. Rainy put the noodles on the dish, ready for the creamy mushrooms to be added.

  “I hadn’t thought of it like that. But, no,” she said after pausing for a minute, “he’s got no say in the matter.”

  “Well, if he doesn’t like it, he may not come running next time you get in trouble.” Olivia finally looked up with pursed lips. Rainy stuck her tongue out. She knew it was childish, but she hated to hear what Olivia had to say.

  “Really?” Olivia shook her head and rolled her eyes at her boss. Rainy shoulder punched her.

  “Let’s talk about your life,” she said. She knew that would end the conversation. Olivia never talked about her personal life. Rainy knew about her son, the adorable four-year-old with hair that was as white as Draco Malfoy’s in the Harry Potter movies. Beyond that, and the fact that the kid staye
d with Olivia’s mother while Olivia worked, Rainy knew nothing.

  “I really need to concentrate on this,” Olivia said as she pointed at the skillet in which she’d started a batch of stroganoff.

  “Uh huh,” Rainy said. And it worked. The two women went about their tasks in silence for another hour or so, much to Rainy’s relief.

  Apparently, Olivia hadn’t forgotten the conversation by the end of her shift. As she removed her apron and hung it up, she started up as if she’d never stopped.

  “Anyway, I think you’d better tell Gabe what you’re doing. He gave you a friggin’ key, for Pete’s sake,” she said. Rainy didn’t like the message, but she was glad that she’d finally convinced Olivia to leave the curse words at the door of the café.

  “I’ll call him. Will that make you happy?”

  “Yep. See you later, boss lady,” Olivia said. She picked up her purse and slung the strap over her shoulder. “Don’t look at me that way. You know I’m right.” She walked out of the door before Rainy could respond.

  “Wipe that smile off your face,” Rainy said to Carlos when she caught him snickering.

  “I no smile,” he said.

  “Don’t act like you aren’t fluent in English. I know you aced all your English language classes in high school. Remember. I was there,” she said as she pointed her finger at the infuriating man.

  “She’s right, though,” he mumbled. But he got back to work, so Rainy let it drop. She’d handle her personal life her own way. Her employees could keep their opinions to themselves.

  When the café’s last customer left and Carlos was finishing up in the kitchen, Rainy changed the sign on the door to “closed” and sighed audibly. She sat in a chair near the door, pulled off a shoe, and began massaging the bottom of her foot. She remembered the glorious feeling when, one night at Gabe’s, he’d pulled her feet into his lap and rubbed them as they watched a thriller. Maybe she’d stay one more night.