She stiffened and pushed her shoulders back. Her gaze fell on her daughter. “I understand the stakes. I’ve taken cases before with higher risks.”
“But you didn’t have Hazel then.” He set his hand on Hazel’s back as if shielding her. “You didn’t have a daughter to look out for.”
The intensity in his gaze, the honesty in his tone made her heart flutter. Drew held Hazel like a father would, looking out for his little girl. It was all Molly had ever wanted from her ex. Instead, Derrick had told Molly he’d never wanted children with her when Molly had revealed her pregnancy. After Molly had ended things, Derrick had promptly returned to his ex-wife and his former life as if Molly and their relationship hadn’t ever existed. Hadn’t ever mattered. She’d been wondering if she’d expected too much of Derrick. Now she knew. She hadn’t expected enough from Derrick or their relationship.
Now she had to fill the role of two parents for Hazel. She couldn’t and wouldn’t fail her daughter.
Drew Harrington’s case would get her noticed in the San Francisco legal community. Clearing Drew of the charges against him would establish her credibility among her peers and her skill in the courtroom. Winning created a solid foundation to build her new practice on.
And that solid foundation ensured she had the stability she wanted to provide for her daughter. “It’s because of Hazel I have to do this. I will clear your name.”
“I know it’s a lot to ask.” He motioned toward the shopping bags near the door. “An air plant and a stuffed animal aren’t enough to negate the risks.”
“We took an oath as lawyers, Drew.” She stepped closer to him. “Now one of our own has broken that oath. I cannot turn my back on that.” Or you.
Drew closed his eyes and exhaled. “Thank you.”
“Save the gratitude for after the plea hearing.” Molly rubbed her hands together rather than reach for Drew to reassure him. He was a client, nothing more. “Tomorrow morning we can discuss your charges and the Van Solis case in detail.”
“Or we could start now.” His eyebrows lifted. “You always were the most curious person I’ve ever known. The first to get to work and the last to leave.”
He wasn’t wrong. But tonight she needed Drew out of her hotel room before she forgot their working arrangement and let her curiosity extend to the man Drew had become. “Tomorrow at nine am we begin. Meet me here.”
Surely, by tomorrow she would have focused her curiosity on the case only.
She eased Hazel from Drew’s arms without disturbing her sleep. “Do you have information on your friend’s in-law unit?”
“I left the phone number of my friends, Brooke and Dan Sawyer in the bag with the air plant.” Drew walked to the hotel room door, opened it and turned back. “I’m sorry this is our reunion.”
Molly nodded and pressed a kiss to the top of Hazel’s head. Drew left and eased the door shut behind him with a soft click.
Molly was sorry too.
Sorry she hadn’t met Drew in another time. One where she still believed in love and listened to her heart. Now she had to concentrate on her career and Hazel instead.
Being a good mom and lawyer would take all her resolve and energy.
There simply wasn’t room for anything or anyone else.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“WE’VE BEEN IN this hotel too long.” Molly stared at the collection of Hazel’s things that were missing their partners. From the purple polka dot bootie to the green stacking cup to four stray socks. The whale and shark water squirters had escaped from the mesh bath bag and two rings were not on the red stacking base.
Hazel, strapped into a baby carrier on Molly’s chest, kicked out her legs and babbled as if supplying the location for each missing item.
“Hide-and-seek is your favorite game.” Molly sighed and kissed the top of Hazel’s head. “Time to seek.”
A knock on the door disrupted Molly’s search. It wasn’t housekeeping, who usually announced their arrival. Molly stood sideways and peered through the peephole. She jerked back. Drew, not housekeeping, waited on the other side. Molly pressed her palms against her temples, speared her fingers into her hair and glanced at the bedside clock. The red digital lights flashed like a silent alarm. Mortification rattled through her.
She forgot. Forgot a business meeting. Forgot about her client.
Her client: Drew Harrington.
She had not forgotten a client meeting. Until today.
Hazel giggled and chewed on her frozen washcloth.
Molly had indulged in extra mommy–daughter time earlier, extending their morning walk another mile to continue their one-sided game of I spy. Then she’d returned to their hotel room to pack. She hadn’t even showered yet. Hadn’t even fully prepared for her day.
And her client waited out in the hallway. Ready to discuss his case.
Molly looked like she was ready for a playdate.
She gripped the door handle and paused. The facts remained the same whether she wore a power suit or yoga pants. She was a fine lawyer and a fine mom. She could do both well. She would ensure Drew knew that.
Hazel giggled before chomping on a corner of the washcloth she held in her tiny fist. Molly’s inner battle between mom and lawyer was over.
She unlocked the door and opted for a cheerful but professional tone of voice. “Drew. You’re early.”
Hazel squealed, her body wiggling, at the sight of Drew.
“Hey, baby blue.” Drew greeted Hazel with a quick tickle under her chin and tender smile. “You look rested and ready for adventure.”
Molly wasn’t ready for Drew. Her bare feet and the baby attached to her chest all but shouted that Molly was in full mommy mode. And definitely not ready to fend off Drew’s soft side and the sudden sigh coming directly from her heart.
She touched her messy bun, but then dropped her arm. He could keep his sweet smiles and endearing qualities for Hazel. Drew was both a client and a peer, so two red flags. Not to mention, the statistics proved that the majority of work romances were doomed to fail. She knew that from bitter experience. She was part of those statistics. And the fallout from crossing a line with Drew would only be more heartache.
Winning Drew’s case boosted her reputation. As for a boost to her heart, Molly would leave that to her daughter. She motioned Drew inside, silenced her sighs and her heart. “Good timing. We’re just about to begin our toy hunt.”
“Toy hunt.” Drew gripped a black leather briefcase and glanced around the suite.
Molly pointed at her display on the bed. “You’re looking for items that go with those ones.”
“We need to discuss my case.” Drew aimed a frown, not his charm, at Molly. The easy affection he’d shown Hazel dispersed.
Score one for Molly. She had to transition out of mommy mode and quickly. The tough attorney inside her could fend off her misplaced attraction to Drew in a heartbeat. Molly squashed one of the lone socks between her hands. Flexibility. That had been the critical advice in a parenting book Molly had read. Now she had to get Drew on board for a slight schedule change. “First, we’re collecting toys. Then we’re finishing packing. And finally, we’re moving.”
“Moving?” Drew shifted his briefcase to his other hand. “Right now?”
“Yes. Brooke and I spoke on the phone last night after you left, and we worked out the rental terms.” Molly lifted the cushion off the couch, discovered a pale green sock and earned a giggle from Hazel. However, nothing about her increasing interest in Drew made her want to cheer. “Brooke babyproofed the apartment this morning. It’s ready for us now.”
“That was fast,” Drew said.
“I don’t like to waste time.” And she hated that she forgot something as important as a client meeting. Now her heart wanted to join the chaos too. But distractions like emotions could ruin her goals. She would not let that happen a
gain. “Brooke was more than willing to do the babyproofing for us.”
“Fair enough, but we have work to discuss.” Drew tapped his briefcase.
“We also have toys to find and a move to complete.” And her work armor to put on. Molly waved the sock and picked up her partly packed suitcase.
Drew’s eyebrows pulled together. “How are you planning on getting to Brooke and Dan’s house with all this?”
“I’m really hoping you drove here” He wasn’t dressed for moving in his button-down shirt and navy dress pants. She wasn’t dressed for business yet, but everyone had to adjust sometimes. “You did drive, right?”
He nodded, a slow up-and-down motion of his chin. “My life is on the line. All of our futures are on the line.”
“I’m fully aware of the stakes.” Molly stepped into his space, settling into her standoff stance. Toe to toe. Briefcase to suitcase. Mom to lawyer. “We do this. Hazel naps. We get to work uninterrupted. You’re still new to this, I’m not.”
Certainly, by then Molly would remember the boundaries of their relationship. Certainly, by then she’d stop noticing the silver shards in his light blue eyes. Stop considering the fatigue framing him like a shadow. Stop the concern building inside her for him. As if he meant something more to her than a client.
Drew’s gaze shifted to Hazel. A large yawn traveled through the little girl, sighing into the small space between Drew and Molly. Drew’s chin lowered. “Look, baby blue. You only get to win once. This is it, understand?”
Hazel reached toward Drew, handing him her frozen washcloth as if to thank him.
Molly stiffened, refusing to surrender to his charm.
Drew shook his head, a soft smile curving over his face. His piercing all-too-perceptive gaze locked on Molly.
Something inside her chest unlocked. But that was only the mom inside her responding. The nurturing side she hadn’t known existed until Hazel had arrived. Work Molly would remember the risks. Recall Drew’s faults and secure her heart from them.
“I’ll find the toys,” he said. “You find the missing clothes.”
Thirty minutes later, with the last of the three large suitcases zipped closed and stacked on the luggage cart, Hazel and Drew traded a blue plastic ring and green stacking cup back and forth on the couch. Hazel’s delighted babble bounced around the room. Drew revealed what seemed like endless patience. And the twinge in her chest—the one that had her forgetting Drew was a peer and off-limits—grew.
She concentrated on the lost items inventory and tucked the last of the matched sock pairs into a suitcase pocket. “I think that’s everything.”
Drew picked up Hazel and helped Molly secure her into the baby carrier. He tapped Hazel on the nose. “Time to get our move on, baby blue.”
“I’m not sad about leaving our hotel suite.” Molly followed Drew out into the hall. He pushed the full luggage cart toward the elevators. She added, “But I will miss the daily housekeeping.”
Drew laughed. “Don’t tell Brooke. She’ll arrange something to make your stay more comfortable.”
“She’s already done enough to ensure we are comfortable.” Molly had yet to meet her new landlord. But she’d liked Brooke immediately on their phone call. Molly pressed the elevator call button. “I appreciate the introduction.”
“Brooke and Dan Sawyer are good people.” Drew maneuvered the luggage cart into the waiting elevator. “You’ll be safe there.”
Molly pressed the lobby button, distracted Hazel from touching every button on the panel and glanced at Drew. “Do I need protection?” she asked warily.
Drew gripped the luggage cart. His gaze remained fixed on the descending numbers flashing on the elevator screen. “Let’s get you and Hazel moved in and then we can talk without distraction, like you said.”
Hazel gripped Molly’s thumbs. One in each of her small fists. Molly curved her fingers around her daughter’s and drew their arms together for a hug. As if that would shield them from Drew’s somber attitude. The day she’d heard Hazel’s heartbeat for the first time, she had vowed to protect her child with everything she had. That had not changed.
She would represent Drew and defend herself and Hazel from external threats and invisible ones that could be even more dangerous. If she had to lock down her heart too, so be it. She was committed to her career and Hazel. That was more than enough to fulfill her.
Drew rolled the luggage cart off the elevator and through the lobby. Molly walked over to the valet’s station.
“No wait time.” Drew grinned at Molly and tipped his head toward a silver truck. “In the city, large trucks don’t usually get parked in the garages.”
It took only a few minutes and the luggage was stored in the truck bed. Molly muttered and for the fourth time unsuccessfully yanked Hazel’s car seat into place.
“Are you sure I can’t help?” Drew stood behind her, entertaining Hazel. His voice cheerful.
“I got it.” Molly scooted farther into the truck and tugged on the seat belt.
“Maybe if you...”
The seat belt snapped back against the frame and frustration snapped through Molly. She jumped out of the truck and faced Drew. “How many car seats have you ever installed in your truck?”
Drew lifted Hazel until they were eye to eye. His voice lowered into a not-so-quiet whisper. “Here’s another lesson, baby blue. Your mom is a take charge sort of person, which is perfectly fine, except when I can lend a hand when she seems to need it.”
“Hey, I just like to get things done.” Molly tipped her chin up, but she’d already lost the edge of her irritation thanks to Drew and his spontaneous life lesson. “I’ve installed this car seat in a lot of cars without any problems. It’s your too-big truck that’s the issue.”
“It’s not too big and it’s not the truck,” Drew said.
“Now who’s acting like an expert?” Molly set her hands on her hips and stared at him.
“Watch and learn.” Drew handed Hazel to Molly and scooted into the truck.
Seconds later, Drew clicked the seat belt into the buckle and stepped away from the truck. He raised both arms over his head. “Done. In less than a minute, too.”
“I need to make sure it’s right.” Molly inspected his installation.
Drew leaned his arm against the open door and laughed. “In school, we lobbied against each other for climate change reform, argued over the death penalty, challenged animal testing as well as drug legalization. I never thought we’d debate a car seat.”
Molly grinned and shook her head. “Really, how did you know how to do this correctly?”
“I’ve been given lessons, then ordered to practice often,” Drew said. “Don’t forget the twins are arriving soon. My niece has been doing baby research ever since Sophie announced her pregnancy.”
“How old is your niece again?” Molly secured Hazel into the car seat and spread the favorite soft llama-print blanket over her.
“Ella is twelve.” Drew opened the front passenger door for Molly.
“I could have used someone like Ella when I first brought Hazel home.” Molly climbed into the truck and buckled her seat belt. One long deep exhale had her easing into the soft leather captain’s chair. She hadn’t sat all morning. Not since she’d climbed out of bed at sunrise to answer Hazel’s early morning wake-up call. The drive to Brooke and Dan’s offered her the perfect opportunity to restore and recharge.
Drew settled into the driver’s seat, fired up the engine and pulled out of the hotel’s drop-off area. “Ella believes the more prepared we are, the better we will handle potential problems.”
His niece’s lessons explained why Drew knew how to handle Hazel’s crying jags and needed little convincing to help Molly that morning.
The moment she’d told Derrick about her pregnancy, he had warned her not to expect his assistance. Not for
a diaper change, late-night feeding or even a pick-me-up embrace. Then he’d dropped his big reveal: he’d never wanted kids with Molly. That he’d never really loved her. Thanks to her pregnancy news, Molly had learned exactly what she could expect from Derrick: nothing. She’d ended their relationship that night, walked out of Derrick’s life, determined to rebuild a better life without him. She pinched the bridge of her nose.
Molly had wanted her baby. Accepted she would be a single parent. Now she had to accept every part of that decision, including the exhaustion. And the occasional twinge of loneliness.
“You okay?” A pair of sunglasses blocked Drew’s gaze, but not the concern in his voice.
Molly straightened in the seat. She’d never been weak. She wasn’t about to start now. Besides, she knew how to be alone and thrive. One morning with Drew acting like a co-parent changed nothing. “Do you have one thing that would make you happy? Completely satisfied. Totally fulfilled.”
“Besides clearing my name?” Drew turned onto a busy one-way street.
“That’s a given.”
“I’ve worked one case after another for so long, that’s all I know. Work has been my focus. I assumed I might find someone...” His voice trailed off as if he doubted his own claim. Stopping at a red light, he glanced at her. “What about you?”
“It’s all I’ve been thinking about recently.” Molly ran her palms over her yoga pants. “I keep wondering if I’m not meant to be fulfilled or satisfied, and whether I will spend my life on an endless, futile quest to try to find it.”
“You don’t really believe that do you?” he asked.
“I’ve always had a plan. Detailed and specific.” Molly looked out the truck window at the street crowded with cars and the sidewalk swarming with a crowd. People rushed in every direction, in constant motion, determined to reach their destination. Everyone knew exactly where they were going and how to get there. She wanted to be like them again. “I’ve pursued my goals so relentlessly and so doggedly. Now I’m wondering what I might have missed during the pursuit.”
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