by Carsen Taite
Seth pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and started dialing while speaking to her. “Okay then, we’ll order in.”
“No, seriously, you go. There’s no reason for both of us to be here. Besides, Vivian will kill me if you don’t show up for dinner at least once during my term.”
“Vivian knows the deal. She’ll understand.” He pointed at his cell. “Pepperoni or sausage?”
Not a hard question, but when Emily opened her mouth to answer, she couldn’t find the words. She took a long, sweeping glance at the contents of her desk. She and Seth had been working tirelessly with staff to clean up the administrative messes for the last two months and they’d made a lot of progress, but no way would she solve the rest of these problems tonight. She’d been promising Seth she’d join him and his fiancé for dinner, and she’d broken her word every time. If she joined them tonight at least she could cross one thing off her list. She slammed shut the nearest file folder. “Put away your phone. We’re going out.”
The restaurant, Ambrosia, was only steps away from downtown, but its modern ambience made her feel transported miles away from the stately marble walls of the courthouse. Vivian was already seated at a table for four, apparently confident Emily would be joining them. As she and Seth walked to the table, Emily assessed the woman her friend and first lieutenant had chosen to marry.
Vivian was big-city pretty. Her elegant clothes were probably purchased at Neiman’s, and she sported perfectly coiffed hair and an impeccable manicure. She probably had a pedicure too, even though it wouldn’t be show your feet weather for at least another month. Emily had met her at the election night party, but she hadn’t had a chance to spend more than a few minutes chatting about the news of the day. She’d been looking forward to getting to know the woman Seth had met in Dallas and lured back to their small town. Tonight would be the perfect opportunity.
Her plan was quickly derailed. After they ordered, Vivian launched in with a series of tales about the latest new restaurants, shows, and shopping in Dallas, and left no space between stories for anyone to change the subject. Emily sipped her glass of red wine and let her mind wander. She’d known Seth since they went to law school together. He generally chose his dates by which one looked best on his arm, but most of them had had enough manners not to monopolize the conversation, and definitely not when having dinner with the boss.
Not that she would ever pull rank where Seth was concerned. They’d started their careers together and, although she’d been the one to win the office, she knew his help both during and after the election had been invaluable. She couldn’t imagine running the office without him.
“You’ll have to try it if you’re ever in the city,” Vivian gushed. “You do come to Dallas sometimes, don’t you?”
Emily smiled at the question while she tried hard not to draw attention to the pained look Seth gave her from across the table. Since she’d zoned out, she had no idea what Vivian was asking about, but she couldn’t resist the opportunity to shut her up. “Actually, I have family there. My mother’s side of the family lives in Dallas. Well, actually, they live in a smaller town in Dallas County. You’ve heard of Highland Park?”
She smiled sweetly while she waited for the inevitable blush to rise on Vivian’s face. She supposed she should feel bad about baiting her. Highland Park was a wealthy township located smack in the center of the Dallas area, and it was home to the area’s elite, including a former president. Her mother had grown up there, and after she returned from college, had planned to stay there until she met Dalton Sinclair. Dalton, Emily’s father, whisked the future Mrs. Sinclair away to a small town a few hours away that couldn’t have been more different from the wealth and privilege of the place where she’d been raised. Emily enjoyed life in a small town but resented that outsiders often thought they were not as sophisticated or cultured as their big city counterparts.
Vivian must have some other redeeming qualities for Seth to be so smitten, so she changed the subject and hoped they’d find some common ground. “Have you set a date for the wedding?”
Vivian shot Seth a look, and he cleared his throat. “We’re still working out the logistics. Vivian has several projects that will keep her in Dallas for a while, so we thought we’d let that play out before we make firm plans.”
“Okay.” Emily looked between them, certain there was some undercurrent to this topic, but not entirely sure she wanted to probe further. Seth’s personal business was his own. She’d been a little bit wary when he’d announced his engagement to a woman from out of town. Vivian didn’t seem like the type who would want to live here, and if Seth moved away, it would leave a big hole in her administration, but they seemed to be taking things slow, and she’d settled on a wait and see mode.
The rest of the dinner was painful, but quick. Vivian eschewed all the dessert options as too unhealthy, and Emily was more than happy to cut things short. She declined Seth’s offer to walk her back to the office, and said her good nights at the restaurant door.
A full moon hung low in the night sky, and even with a light breeze, the temperature was in the fifties. Emily strolled the downtown square, taking the long way around to the courthouse, enjoying the cool night air and the quiet solitude. The restaurant was the only business still open, and only a few patrons remained inside. The shops that lined the square were shuttered and still. She walked past a plaque, posted to dedicate a large tree to the city from the Sinclair family. The tree had been here for as long as she could remember, and her father had always said it was a symbol of how the family helped the town grow.
Some people thought she’d won the election because of her family name. It probably didn’t hurt that she was a Sinclair, but there were some in the town who resented her family’s influence. All she’d ever wanted to do was forge her own way, but to be totally independent, she’d have to leave this place she loved, and stake out a new life in a different place. She’d given the idea some thought, especially during long stints when she was off at school, but on her visits back she couldn’t deny the pull of the only place she’d ever really considered home. Legacy greeted her at every turn, from her brothers’ law firm on the town square to the avenue named after her grandfather that cut through town. She was proud to be a Sinclair, and she planned to show this town and this county they could be proud for electing her to enforce their laws.
As she rounded the corner to the courthouse, she debated whether she should call it a night or go back in and get a couple of case files to take home. It was only nine o’clock. She could curl up on the couch with another glass of wine and get a jumpstart on the next day. She was fishing through her purse for her keys when she smacked into a woman at the foot of the courthouse steps. She looked up into dark brown eyes full of surprise. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
The woman’s surprise faded into an anxious smile. “My fault. There’s probably some law against standing in the town square after a certain hour, and I’m for sure violating it.”
Emily had to tear her attention away from the women’s eyes. So expressive, so revealing. She slowly took in everything about this stranger. She didn’t know everyone in town, but she’d met a majority of the people old enough to vote over the last year. The woman’s accent signaled she was from somewhere in the Midwest. She’d never seen this woman before. She would’ve remembered if she had. Tall and lean. She wasn’t conventionally beautiful, but with a strong jaw and chiseled features, she was striking nonetheless. Like Vivian, she had a big city vibe, but hers was hip and edgy, complete with a distressed leather jacket, expensive black Frye boots, and low-waisted, slim-fitting jeans. She didn’t shop in the small town boutiques that lined the streets of Bodark.
“I’m sure if you were violating any laws, I’d know it,” Emily said. She stuck out her hand. “Emily Sinclair.”
The stranger’s eyes darted around, and she hesitated for a moment before she shook Emily’s hand. “Cade. Nice to meet you.”
She says that, but it doesn’t ring true. And she purposefully left off her last name. Why do I care? “New in town?”
“I haven’t been here very long.”
“The sights are even better during the day.”
“I like to take walks at night. I guess you do too.”
Emily pointed at the building. “Actually, I work here. I was just headed back to the office to pick up some files.”
A flash of recognition showed in the woman’s eyes, but all she said was, “I should let you get to it.”
But being let be was suddenly the last thing Emily wanted. She studied the woman’s face, but couldn’t get a read on her expression. The anxiety had dissipated, but she looked lonely, and a little bit lost. “Do you live close by?”
Emily told herself she was prolonging the contact out of a sense of duty, maybe even a holdover from the campaign where she’d gone out of her way to be nice to everyone, no matter what the circumstances, but the truth was she was drawn to this stranger with her edgy good looks and mysterious mannerisms.
“Not too far.” Cade shifted from one foot to the other.
“You’re not big on small talk are you?” Emily watched as a smile crept across Cade’s face at the remark. Happy she’d been able to dispel whatever had Cade looking forlorn, she pushed a bit. “How about coffee? Do you like coffee?”
Cade looked around. “I love coffee, but unless you know something I don’t, there’s nowhere around here open and serving.”
“Ah the disadvantages to being new in town.” Feeling uncharacteristically flirtatious, Emily leaned in and whispered. “I just happen to know secret coffee places that are open at all times of the day and night.”
“Is that so?”
“Truth.”
“Then I should probably get to know you better.”
“What are you doing now?” Immediately after Emily asked the question, she wished she hadn’t. The smile faded from Cade’s face, and she knew instantly their flirty banter was done.
“Actually, I have to be somewhere. Maybe another time.” She took a step and then stopped. “It was nice to meet you, Emily Sinclair.”
Cade started walking again before Emily could get another word out. She watched Cade’s back until she faded into the dark night. The entire encounter had been surreal, and she’d surprised herself when she’d asked Cade on a date of sorts. She hadn’t been on a real date since well before the campaign, and even then the woman she’d been seeing was from Dallas, so they’d only gotten together a couple of times a month. She’d been so busy, she hadn’t had time to notice the hole her work had torn in her social life, but the evening with Seth and Vivian had her thinking about what she was missing. That had to be the explanation for why she’d extended an impulsive invitation to a total stranger she’d met on the street.
No, that wasn’t it entirely. She’d been drawn to Cade, and it was about more than her appearance. She looked strong, yet vulnerable. Sweet, yet tough. Where did she work? When did she move here and why? Was she lonely? The questions were more than idle curiosity. For the first time in a long while, Emily was intrigued. She’d been ready to see where the feeling led, but Cade obviously had different plans.
Resigned to the fact she was probably making more out of the chance meeting than was actually there, Emily trudged up the steps of the courthouse to her office, wishing the night was ending with something besides a stack of paperwork. “It was nice to meet you too, Cade Whoever-you-are,” she muttered to the night air.
*
Cade didn’t breathe again until she was in her car, well on her way home. Emily Sinclair. It had taken a moment, but when Emily had started talking, Cade recognized her as the newly-elected DA who’d been voted into office the night she’d moved to Bodark. Emily was more beautiful than she remembered and that smile…dangerously engaging.
Secret coffee places. Geez, Cade, could you have fallen harder for that line? But it wasn’t the line that had her hooked. No, it was the woman who delivered it. Smart, witty, pretty—Emily Sinclair was a perfect package. Sheer force of will had allowed her to walk away, but the once slumbering parts of her longing for human interaction had been shouting for her to stay and take Emily up on her offer.
False hope. Coffee dates were about conversation, and while she had tons in common with Emily Sinclair, the natural topics were off limits. They were both lawyers, both prosecutors, and both women in a field traditionally dominated by men, especially Emily who was the first female elected DA in this county. Their common denominators would only add up to disaster. Figured. The first woman she’d been attracted to in her new life was one she couldn’t afford to get involved with.
She pulled into her driveway and stepped out in the cool air. She used the remote to lock the car, although she wasn’t at all sure who’d want to steal a Ford Focus, but she supposed there was someone out there that would appreciate four wheels and an engine that worked. She missed her Toyota 4-Runner, but had given in to WITSEC’s insistence she drive something completely different than her previous ride, and nothing too flashy, in keeping with her position as an assistant librarian. She had to admit that in the plain-Jane Focus, she completely blended into the traffic around her and the sameness of the car acted as a type of force field.
Her new house, on the other hand, was unique. A smallish 1950s bungalow, it had the look of a garden cottage complete with a sunroom, overlooking scraggly gardens full of potential, but desperately in need of love and attention. She hadn’t seen it before Kennedy brought her here on their second day in town, but she’d been instantly taken with it.
Not unlike her instant attraction to Emily Sinclair, except the house would never ask too many questions, never put her in danger. She was much better off having a love affair with this house than she’d ever be with any woman she might meet. She hung her keys on the hook in the kitchen, kicked off her boots, and started a pot of coffee—no secrets involved. She didn’t need a woman to satisfy her needs.
Chapter Five
Emily took a sip of coffee and sighed. The taste of the special blend reminded her of her invitation to the elusive Cade. It had been a week, and she had yet to spot the mysterious stranger anywhere in town. And she’d looked plenty. While she enjoyed the smooth brew, she imagined sharing a French press with Cade, followed by a walk under the stars through the streets of downtown Bodark. Silly, maybe, but she let herself give in to the dreamy fantasy for a few moments before deciding her subconscious was merely telling her to get out more, have a social life. She started to pick up the phone to call Becca and suggest a weekend jaunt to Dallas, when she saw the line from her secretary, Janice, light up. She picked up the phone. “What’s up?”
“Mr. Jansen is on line three. This is the third time he’s called today.”
Emily sighed. Ethan Jansen’s teenage son had been killed by a hit-and-run driver during the holidays. The sheriff’s office had finally made an arrest, and Mr. Jansen had called daily to check the status of the case. Janice had been holding him at bay, insisting he speak to the assistant DA assigned to the case, but he had become increasingly angry with each call, and it was time to set some boundaries. “Put him through.” She waited a few seconds until the call was connected. “Mr. Jansen, this is Emily Sinclair. I understand you’d like an update about your son’s case.”
“How about you start by giving me any information at all. Sheriff Nash said he got the bitch, so all I need to know is when is she going to prison for what she did to my boy?”
Emily silently cursed the overzealous sheriff for tossing this off on her. “I’ve assigned one of our top prosecutors to handle this case. She’s still working with law enforcement to gather evidence, and she’ll be presenting the case to the grand jury in the next month. I’m happy to give you her direct line so you can discuss the case with her whenever you like.”
A few months ago, she would have been the one getting the shit kicked down to her. She’d thought it would’ve been easier bein
g on the giving, rather than receiving end, but the truth was she felt bad about foisting Jansen off on her assistants. She’d do it anyway. Ultimately, everything at this office was her responsibility, but part of her responsibility was letting her employees handle their own cases.
“A month? Why so long?”
“Again, I’m happy to put you in touch with Elena to discuss all the details, but it’s to our benefit to spend the time up front to do things right if we want the charges to stick. Sometimes that means a delay, and I know that’s hard to take.”
“Hard to take. You have absolutely no idea what you’re asking. My wife has been inconsolable, barely able to leave the house since that mongrel killed our son.”
That “mongrel” was a forty-year-old Hispanic single mother with two kids of her own at home. Emily didn’t know the whole story, but she figured there was more to it than a woman goes on a drinking binge and plows down a kid in his prime. For her purposes, she didn’t care about the defendant’s backstory, but there were likely to be mitigating circumstances, and it was best to be prepared up front with a rock solid case rather than rush to trial without all the facts. “I’m deeply sorry for what both you and your wife are going through. Rest assured our office will do everything possible to make sure we get justice for your son.”
A couple of seconds of silence passed before the sharp crack of the phone being slammed down reverberated through the line. She stared at the handset and then replaced it gently on the base. Before she had time to process the conversation, Janice appeared at her door.