Perhaps. But the stakes were too high, and Drew had to trust his own counsel. He shifted his gaze to Molly. “You’re a mom. Do you always know best?”
“I know when it’s best not to argue.” Molly arched her eyebrows and angled her head toward his mom.
Molly would have to argue on his behalf if she remained his attorney. And if she remained his attorney, she could become a target too. And in that, Drew knew what was for the best. Relieving Molly of her responsibility as his attorney. Now he just needed to find the appropriate moment to do that.
Drew followed his mom and Molly into the brand-new playroom. The walls were color-blocked in lavender and yellow. Wide windows filled one wall, and would bathe the entire space with natural light during the day. An oversized couch, fluffy pillows and toys in every shape and size filled the vibrant space. A kitchen set complete with a shopping cart waited patiently for a young chef. A castle-themed jungle gym claimed the far corner. Electrical outlets had been covered. The room had been made entirely childproofed and ready thanks to his mom and her best friend, Evelyn “Evie” Davenport.
Evie set a plastic green bucket on a mat spread on the floor and walked over to them. She kissed Drew’s cheeks and squeezed his shoulders with the same affection she’d shown him since he’d been a toddler. “This must be Hazel.”
“Hazel, meet the best baker in the city.” Drew tipped his head toward Hazel and whispered, “Blink at her with those irresistible blue eyes and you’ll get anything you want.”
The older woman’s laughter illuminated her sharp gaze behind a pair of trendy horn-rimmed black glasses. Rather than a handshake, Evie introduced herself and embraced Molly in one of her all-encompassing hugs. “Pleasure to meet you, Molly, and your precious daughter.”
“I’m sorry for the last-minute ask,” Molly said. “I hope we didn’t intrude on your Saturday night plans.”
“I can’t think of a better way to spend the evening.” Evie leaned into Hazel’s view and let Hazel take her glasses off. “Now, can I hold this darling baby girl? We need to get acquainted.”
Molly lifted her arms as if preparing to snatch Hazel back. Then she quickly dropped her arms to her sides. Drew considered Molly, noted how her bottom lip disappeared and her eyebrows creased together. Hazel wasn’t the only one who needed to settle in. He smoothed his tone to guarantee it would be reassuring. “Evie is like my second mom.”
Molly’s smile wobbled. Her words tumbled out. “I won’t be too late. I don’t plan to be late, that is.”
Drew was stunned. He’d never known Molly to be flustered. Or insecure. Over anything.
“You take all the time you need, dear. Have fun.” Evie swapped Hazel a squishy ball for her glasses, then produced a stuffed unicorn. “Hazel and I have a full evening ahead. We have treasure baskets to explore, bubbles to blow, a sing-along and reading books to get to.”
“That sounds more entertaining than a ballroom full of tuxedos and artificial small talk.” His mother smoothed her hands over the neckline of her floor-length emerald green dress. “Save me some of those bubbles.”
Hazel dropped the ball, babbled and stretched both arms toward Evie as if ready to begin her fun-filled evening. As if she had no reservations about Evie at all.
Molly clenched her hands together as if her uncertainty had multiplied.
Uncertain about Evie or simply leaving, Drew wasn’t sure. He could try again to alleviate some of Molly’s concerns. “Between Evie and my niece, Ella, they are our resident authorities on all things baby.”
Evie knelt on the large blanket stretched across the carpet. Hazel scooted into Evie’s side, her babble continuing at a rapid rate. The pair busied themselves pulling plastic shapes from a bucket. Evie grinned. “I’m more the co-captain. Ella is the leader of the baby knowledge brigade.”
“My brother and his wife are expecting twins in a few weeks,” Drew said. “Their daughter, Ella, has been instructing us all in proper baby care from infant to toddler and every stage along the way.”
“With Evie—” his mother touched Molly’s arm, her gaze soft, her voice soothing “—Hazel couldn’t be in better hands tonight.”
“I’m sorry. It’s not Evelyn, it’s me.” Molly pressed her palms to her cheeks. “Our day-care experience hasn’t been overly positive. I’m just really anxious about leaving her.”
Drew stuffed his hands into the pockets of his dress pants to keep from taking Molly’s hand in his. Then he pressed his lips together. She wasn’t his to reassure. Or to soothe. Or to hold hands with. She was his legal counsel that he needed to fire. “To avoid the messy leaving thing, when I was a kid, my parents used to sneak out of the room when my brother and I weren’t looking.”
“We coordinated every exit with the babysitter beforehand.” Drew’s dad stepped into the playroom, kissed his mom’s cheek and turned to greet Molly.
Evie set a purple plastic cube in the bucket. Hazel followed her lead. The bucket was soon refilled and Hazel set out emptying it again. Squealing and babbling with every new discovery she made. With each bounce and cheer Hazel released, Molly’s smile slowly returned. “Did sneaking out work?”
“Every time.” His mom grabbed his dad’s hand and backed toward the French doors.
Evie shifted Hazel, keeping Hazel’s back to them and her attention on the array of toys spread out around her.
His mom continued but in a pensive voice. “Of course, the guilt from leaving tiptoes right out of the room with you.”
Molly blinked and whispered. “What am I supposed to do with the guilt?”
“Accept it.” Empathy tinged his father’s words. “It’s part of being a parent.”
“Along with the constant worry.” His mother squeezed Drew’s arm as she passed. “A parent always worries about their child, no matter how old they get.”
Drew nodded, acknowledging his mom’s words. His parents were worried about his situation. That worry had pushed them to seek out Molly. He understood. Would they understand he wanted to protect them? And that to do so, he had to represent himself and keep his enemy’s focus only on him. Would Molly understand when he refused her counsel later tonight?
Molly glanced at Drew. Her voice low. “I know I need to network. To make connections. I have to build up my practice.”
And he knew having him as a client would certainly help her do just that. But he had to refuse her counsel. Still, he could help her in other ways. Drew kept his hands inside his pocket and angled an elbow for Molly to grip if she chose to. If she chose to accept his assistance, at least in this instance. “I can bring you back here in an hour or whenever you want to leave the gala. Promise.”
Molly hesitated. Looking to Hazel, then back to Drew. Finally she curved her fingers around the sleeve of his tuxedo jacket. Together, they eased out of the room. Hazel’s giggles trailed after them.
And the sense that his world would never be the same trailed after Drew.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE LIMOUSINE PULLED up outside the Silver Monarch Hotel in less than twenty minutes. Molly walked beside Drew as they entered the lobby of the luxury hotel. The kid-sized table and chairs, rainbow colors and babyproofed playroom at the Harrington home had been replaced by the surroundings of a five-star hotel, its impeccable but no doubt discreet staff and multiple crystal chandeliers. An elevator ride to the fortieth floor granted Nancy Harrington the opportunity to introduce Molly to the CEO of the Bay Water Health System and her husband.
And so began Molly’s evening of networking.
The elevator bounced to a stop. Molly never swayed.
She had on her favorite black heels, the same ones she’d worn to win one of her largest cases against a popular Fortune 500 corporation. She’d accepted an award for being named one of the top thirty up-and-coming lawyers in California in the same pair of heels, and when she’d mingled at her former
firm’s holiday gala. And she hadn’t lost her balance one time.
She didn’t intend to lose her footing tonight either.
If she had to trade time with her daughter to rebuild her career outside of normal business hours, she would make sure their time apart was spent productively. As for that whisper of guilt over leaving Hazel, she followed William’s advice and accepted it. Tonight was about starting a new life for Hazel and herself.
The elevator opened into an opulent ballroom. The atmosphere was intimate and inviting and at odds with the formality of such a grand space. The fancy-dressed guests were anything but standoffish and reserved.
Nancy linked her arm around Molly’s and guided her expertly through the crowd. Molly quickly learned Mayor Harrington’s rhythm. A quick exchange of names only was a courtesy introduction. Disclosing full names, job titles and place of business was an invitation to further network later. And lastly, there was a handful of special guests. The ones the mayor presented to Molly as her dear friends who stepped in and promptly continued Molly’s introductions to even more attendees.
Sometime between her introduction to the organizer of a prominent charity group and a large business owner, Drew disappeared. Later, as Molly spoke to the mayor’s dear friends, Jaqueline Landry and Lewis Malone, Molly spotted Drew slipping outside to the extensive patio. Between one conversation and the next, Molly scanned the ballroom for Drew. He never returned.
An hour passed and Drew’s dad, William, excused himself to find drinks for Nancy and himself. Two of the gala event planners captured Nancy for last-minute instructions regarding her award acceptance speech. And Molly decided it was past time to find Drew. There was a conversation they’d put off long enough.
Molly wiggled her toes inside her lucky black heels and pinched her shoulder blades together, drawing everything inside her straighter, allowing no room for doubt or uncertainty. The same as she did before every court appearance. Every interaction with a judge. And every conversation with the opposing prosecution team.
Drew wasn’t the opposing counsel. And the outdoor patio wasn’t a courtroom, she reminded herself.
Yet Drew was her client who hadn’t officially accepted her services.
He was the key to establishing her legal prowess in the city and growing her practice as fast as possible.
He was also her friend.
Lawyers tended to reject representing family and friends. Too often the lines blurred, and emotions often lessened a lawyer’s impartiality and clear mindedness.
But Drew and Molly had not discussed the law, their past cases or the weather in years. Their friendship was more former than current. And Molly knew all too well the fallout from crossing boundaries.
She had been at Loft and Concord Law Group since she’d graduated from law school. Had worked tirelessly to become one of the top producing attorneys for the firm. There she’d built her reputation and staked her future: both professional and personal.
That had been her mistake—blending the two. Derrick, her ex, had been her peer and her colleague at the law firm. She’d believed in love and discovered too late it had only ever been one-sided. Derrick had confessed he’d only ever loved the image of the powerful attorney couple they’d presented, not Molly herself. She’d vowed never to fall for someone she worked with. Or let love blind her again.
Besides, falling in love would only give her a broken heart, not a practice for herself or a home for Hazel. Work had to be her focus.
She could represent Drew and remain objective and neutral about his case. He would remain simply her client.
Now, she just had to convince Drew to let her be his legal counsel.
She plucked two champagne flutes from the tray of a passing waiter and walked out onto the rooftop balcony. She located Drew in the farthest corner, stretched out on a plump sofa, surrounded by darkness and solitude. His feet rested on a coffee table, his tuxedo jacket was draped over the armrest and his phone was propped against a tasseled throw pillow.
The tap of her heels on the tiled patio gave her away.
Drew stacked his hands behind his head and watched her approach. The shadows concealed his gaze, but not the indifference in his voice. “Shouldn’t you be inside meeting folks and making connections?”
“I needed a moment.” In fact, I wanted to check on you. She lifted one shoulder in a small shrug, knocking against Drew’s reticence. And her own rebellious thoughts. Drew was strictly a client to her. He didn’t need her looking after him. “Your mom wanted me to tell you that only the guilty hide.”
“I’m not guilty.” He sat up. His feet thudded against the floor. “I’m also not hiding.”
The raw frustration in his gaze made her breath catch. “Then what are you doing?”
“Same as you.” The irritation eased from his face, tempering his words. He stretched his arm over the back of the couch, slow and casual. “Taking a moment.”
Molly set the champagne glasses on the table and sat beside him. “You’ve been out here since we arrived.”
“What can I say? Some moments take longer than others.” He brushed his hand behind his head as if resetting himself. Then he tipped his chin and his one-sided grin toward his phone. “And it’s the seventh inning of the Bay Area Angels’ game. Tied at six. Bases loaded. Nobody out.”
“You’ve been out here watching a baseball game?” Molly adjusted her gown around her heels. Drew’s ability to swiftly and seamlessly shield his true emotions knocked her off-balance.
“I’ve been a fan since I was a kid.” He drummed his fingers on the back of the sofa. “Don’t you remember always asking me if I had anything else to wear besides sports T-shirts and baseball caps?”
His fingers tapped a silent tune on the cushion inches from her bare shoulder. Distracting her. If she leaned in, the smallest of moves, she could draw from his warmth. Molly straightened. “You wore a T-shirt to an interview for a competitive internship. Then ruined your only debate dress shirt with grease from a loaded cheeseburger.”
“I still miss those hamburgers from The Pickled Burger.” He leaned forward as if ready to impart a secret. “I haven’t found sweet potato fries like theirs anywhere. It’s not for lack of trying either. I’ve been sampling them at every restaurant with sweet potato fries on the menu.”
“That’s dedication to a cause,” she said.
“I learned that from you,” he said. “It’s entirely your fault.”
The sudden amusement glinting in his gaze trapped her. A different sort of awareness spread through her. “My fault?”
“I was a perfectly content below-average student in undergrad.” Drew picked up the other champagne flute and tipped it toward her. His voice tipped from teasing to an exaggerated tragic tone. “Until you offered to proofread one of my history papers. Then Dr. Reynolds accused me of paying for the paper to get a passing grade.”
One history paper. One chance to show her appreciation. And nothing had worked out as she’d intended. Molly stared at the champagne in her glass as if her memory surfaced inside the bubbles. “Dr. Reynolds called me into his office too. I was so nervous. I’m surprised I even spoke coherently to your professor.”
Molly had always studied late until the library closed. Drew had always worked out at the gym at night. And he’d always managed to be outside the library to walk her home. She’d wanted to thank him for looking out for her. She’d wanted to pour her gratitude into a kiss. Instead she’d proofread his history paper. Offering tips and feedback enough that his professor mistakenly thought someone else had written it.
“I was terrified. Scared I was going to be expelled and sent home to face my parents’ wrath. Then you came to my defense.” Drew lifted his glass to her in a toast. “I vowed to never let you down again and dedicated myself to my education.”
He hadn’t wanted to let her down? She skimmed over that re
velation, opting to focus on the playful and light. “Dedicating yourself to your schoolwork is not the same thing as dedicating yourself to finding the ultimate sweet potato fries.”
“That’s just it.” He laughed. “I learned the rewards of perseverance and focus from you. The reward of biting into the best-tasting sweet potato fry is out there somewhere, waiting on me to find it.”
“I get the rewards of concentrating on your education. And I suppose fries too.” Molly sipped her champagne and stared at Drew. “But I don’t get the connection to me.”
“That was simple.” Drew set his glass on the table and centered his full focus on her. “The real reward was spending more time with you.”
Her heartbeat tripped into rapid, pulsing speed in the silence.
“To be around you, I had to step up my game.” Drew relaxed into the couch.
All that time, Drew had only wanted to spend more time with her. “You never said anything.”
“I never wanted to be a distraction,” he said. “Or to keep you from your goals. I remember you wrote your goals on little pieces of paper and stuck them everywhere as reminders to stay focused.”
She’d had big goals and even bigger dreams back then. Some dreams she hadn’t made public. Or posted around her college suite. But her time spent with Drew, she remembered all of it. And now she was beginning to recall how much she’d missed him. None of that was relevant. “I remember I had to order my own fries at The Pickled Burger because you refused to share yours.”
“I always got the ones you couldn’t finish.” He chuckled. “It was a win-win.”
Would he consider it a win-win if she were his legal counsel? Would he turn away if she confessed that she wanted to spend more time with him after tonight? She took another deep sip of her champagne and centered herself. She needed a client more than a friend. “Drew. When can we talk about your case?”
He blinked and shook his head as if she’d suddenly dropped a roadblock on their memory lane. “I have a possible lead on an apartment for you and Hazel.”
Three Makes a Family--A Clean Romance Page 3