Bourbon Springs Box Set: Volume II, Books 4-6 (Bourbon Springs Box Sets Book 2)

by Jennifer Bramseth

  “Well, if you don’t want that kind of shower,” Hannah said, grinning, “maybe we can do something different.”

  “Like what?” CiCi asked before taking a bite of lasagna.

  “How about a private shower—very private—at Booty-Teke?”

  CiCi nearly choked and had to take a sip of water.

  “What’s that?” Harriet asked.

  “It’s a lingerie store in Lexington,” CiCi whispered, reddening and then giggling. “Would you need my sizes?”

  Hannah shook her head incredulously. “You think we’d really need to know your size for something that has no more weight to it than a piece of plastic wrap on a couple of straps and wires? As far as sizes go, I think we’ll be able to eyeball it.”

  “And so will Walker,” Harriet added and raised her eyebrows suggestively, causing them all to fall into fits of giggles.

  “Hey—would you like us to take you there sometime?” CiCi asked Harriet. “I mean, you’re an engaged woman as well, right?” she asked, her eyes falling to Harriet’s left hand.

  Her bare left hand.

  CiCi’s mouth formed an O, reflecting the oh shit, I just really stepped in it thought.

  Harriet looked down at the table and placed her left hand in her lap.

  “I’m not engaged to Mark any longer,” she stated flatly. “Happened last weekend.”

  “I’m sorry, Harriet,” said Hannah.

  “Really, I’m good,” Harriet declared and truly felt it. A resolve, a sense of freedom stole over her in saying the words. “Let’s get to planning.”

  Hannah finished her drink, stood, and offered her guests Garnet, but both declined.

  “We’ll have to take you to Booty-Teke anyway,” CiCi said, trying to lighten the mood. “If you’ve not been there, you’re in for a treat. So much fun. I think Hannah must own part of the place the way they cater to her there.”

  “Not true,” Hannah said and returned to the table with a fresh drink. “Although I suspect I’m their best customer.”

  “And I suspect Kyle is one lucky man,” Harriet said.

  Hannah grinned. “And you’d better be sure he knows it.”

  “Like you’d ever let him forget it,” CiCi muttered but loudly enough so that her companions could hear her.

  The women squealed, and Harriet’s news was forgotten, given up to the delights of companionship, good food, and the challenge of getting something done.

  14

  After finishing lunch, the trio turned its attention to the tasks at hand, namely, the planning of two showers. Most of the work on Lila’s shower had already been completed by Hannah—it was to be a small affair in the tasting room at the distillery in a few weeks—so they focused on Rachel’s party.

  “I can’t believe Rachel only wanted one shower,” Hannah lamented. She was writing a reminder in a small notebook about the kind of cake and refreshments they had decided upon.

  “So much for that surprise shower you wanted to give her, right?” CiCi asked. “Never thought that was a good idea.”

  “I know,” Hannah sighed. “And I really wanted to go all out for her.” She shoved her small notebook into CiCi’s hands and told her guests to brainstorm some food and game ideas while she went to the restroom.

  Harriet watched as Hannah disappeared down a short hall toward the front of the house and listened for the bathroom door to close.

  “CiCi, what is it with Hannah and Rachel? I feel like something’s a little—I don’t know—odd about that relationship.”

  “Don’t you recall what happened a few years back?”

  “I recall Hannah ran against Brady, and it came out he was involved with Rachel. And I remember seeing that video you released of him when he was being held hostage.”

  “Don’t you remember? Hannah was the one to tell the whole world about Rachel and Brady. Rachel had confessed it to Hannah, but then Hannah—well, she spread some pretty nasty rumors. It almost destroyed their friendship.”

  “So all that stuff about Brady and Rachel just being—well—I don’t want to say it,” Harriet muttered.

  “Yeah, the stuff about friends with benefits or just a hookup or whatever? All that came from Hannah,” CiCi said. “And as we now know, that was not the case. They’d fallen hard for each other over the summer and had wanted to keep it quiet until after the election.”

  “I see.” Understanding dawned inside Harriet about Hannah’s “good deeds” comment at the office the previous day.

  CiCi nodded. “Hannah feels like she has a lot to make up for, bless her heart. And maybe she does. But she sure is doing a hell of a job at it.”

  “Wait—you said Brady and Rachel were trying to keep their relationship secret?”

  “Yes, they didn’t want to hurt Hannah. Ended up doing that very thing though, didn’t they? Just goes to show you how really smart people can do stupid stuff, especially when they’re in love.”

  Harriet felt terrible. And panicked.

  Was she keeping a secret from Hannah—her client and her friend—as bad as the secret Rachel and Brady had kept? True, Harriet wasn’t running a judicial race and wasn’t Hannah’s best friend, but…

  Hannah was a client.

  Goose was Hannah’s cousin.

  She had to tell, to confess, even though she and Goose had done nothing more than share one kiss on Monday morning.

  Hannah returned from the bathroom, and for the next hour, the three women discussed plans for a holiday-themed baby shower for Rachel. The shower was going to be at the distillery cafe, which Hannah promised would be festooned with decorations for the season. Hannah was in charge of food, and CiCi was in charge of invitations and games.

  “Well, girls, I gotta go,” CiCi announced in the middle of the afternoon. She stood up from the couch, smoothed her jeans, and fluffed her curly brown hair.

  “Walker waiting on you at home?” Harriet asked.

  “How’d you know?” CiCi asked. “Did I say something?”

  “Just a hunch.”

  “We’re going to the grocery is all,” CiCi said. “But even that can be fun with the right person.”

  Harriet said good-bye as Hannah escorted CiCi to the front door. Hannah returned within a minute and asked Harriet whether she wanted to take any food home, but Harriet claimed only her apples.

  As Hannah began to tidy up the kitchen table, which was still littered with plates and food from their lunch and extended snacking session, Harriet sensed her chance to confess was ripe.

  But Hannah spoke first.

  “Harriet, I’m sorry about your engagement,” she said, picking up bags of snacks from the table and bringing them into the kitchen.

  Harriet rose from her seat on the couch to help her hostess.

  “That makes one of us,” Harriet said, surprising Hannah. “I’m not that upset, really—except for all the time I feel like I lost. We were together for five years. Five long years,” Harriet added, wonder and irritation in voice.

  “Oh, sister, can I ever relate to that feeling.” Hannah put the snacks on the counter and faced Harriet as she entered the kitchen. “I look back at my marriage to Josh, and it’s like I’m not even thinking about me. I’ve almost convinced myself that it was someone else who was married to that asshole.”

  “But it was a different person, wasn’t it? An unhappy person.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’m definitely not that person anymore,” Hannah said with a smile. “You know, Kyle and I have been married almost a year now. Hard to believe.”

  Hannah’s face glowed with the contentment only a true, deep love can reveal. It was Harriet’s chance.

  “Hannah, I have a confession to make. And an apology to offer.”

  “Huh?” Hannah said, snapping out of her little love stupor.

  “Can we sit down?” Harriet asked, uncomfortable having a serious conversation standing in Hannah’s kitchen amidst the debris of their hours-ago lunch.

  Hannah shooed
Harriet back into the living area, and they both fell onto the couch.

  “What’s wrong?” Hannah asked.

  “Never had this conversation with a client before.” Her hands were tightly clasped on her lap, and she found it uncomfortable to look at Hannah.

  “But I’m your friend, too, Harriet. In fact, I hope I’m your friend first.”

  “Thanks, but for purposes of what I’m about to tell you, you’re my client.”

  Hannah leaned back on the couch, kicked off her clogs, and slipped her feet underneath her body. “Now you sound serious. You have my attention.”

  Harriet took a deep breath and released it. She wouldn’t be able to reveal this conversation to Goose, but she knew it was a conversation she had to have.

  “I first want you to know that I did not break up with Mark because of what I’m about to tell you. I broke up with him because he’s a jerk. He showed up at my condo unannounced on Friday night, and we had a huge fight over a lot of our problems, including how he’d mostly ignored me for the past several months. Ending it was for the best.”

  Harriet briefly related how, after coming back from the outing with Goose, Mark was waiting on her, got mad, and she returned his ring after they’d argued.

  “Sounds like you’re well rid of him,” Hannah said. “You deserve someone better, Harriet.”

  “That’s what I think too,” Harriet said and paused. “In fact, there’s someone else in the picture. “It’s—”

  “Goose?”

  Harriet felt like she’d been slapped in the face and felt a deep blush spread over her features.

  “How did you know?”

  Hannah smiled. “When Goose returned to work on Monday after seeing you, there was just something strange about him, that’s all. And I’ve seen a few of the looks he’s given you at the distillery.”

  “Looks?”

  “Yeah, like his eyes were lasers that wanted to zap the clothes right off you.”

  “Never noticed,” Harriet said and felt her blush deepen.

  Hannah laughed. “I used to think CiCi and Walker were like night and day, but you and Goose really are opposites. My crazy cousin and my lawyer. Soooo,” she coaxed. “What’s happened?”

  “Nothing—well, not exactly—I mean, we kissed but… “

  Harriet stopped and hid her burning face in her hands.

  “Take it as slow as you like,” Hannah said “I got all day and plenty of bourbon, if that’s what’s necessary to lubricate your tongue to tell me this tale.”

  Harriet dropped her hands. “No,” she said. “I need to be completely sober.”

  “So what happened?” Hannah asked again.

  Harriet paused, trying to think of how to begin.

  She wasn’t going back five years ago. No. That was too special, too intimate to reveal, even to Hannah. She didn’t need to know about that night to understand all the dynamics of the present.

  “When Goose and I were at Lila’s on Friday night, I realized that I wasn’t in the right place,” she said vaguely. “Nothing happened between us, don’t get me wrong. We just talked, that was it. But I left there with a lot to think about. And then Mark showed up, acted like he did, and I knew what I needed to do. So I did it. We hadn’t been a real couple in ages, now that I look back on it. And he was asking more of me than I felt was fair, more than I could give.

  “So when Goose came over on Monday, I told him Mark was out of my life for good, and we kissed, like I said. But that was it. I told him we couldn’t be together—”

  “What?” Hannah cried. “You rejected him?”

  “No, I told him we couldn’t be together until the boundary issue and site expansion application get resolved. Don’t you see? He’s your employee, Hannah. You’re my client. And I don’t know whether Goose is really so high up in the distillery’s organization that—”

  Hannah burst out laughing. “Sorry, it’s just that you make us sound so high and mighty. There’s just a handful of people at Old Garnet, and I think of them as family, not as folks I work with or manage.”

  “But the distinction is important—is Goose just an employee? Or something more? If he’s got any kind of power or influence within the organization—and I’m deliberately using legalese now, okay?—that means he’s considered my client.”

  “And you can’t have a sexual relationship with a client unless it predates the representation,” Hannah added, “and even then it could be a conflict of interest.”

  Damn! Girlfriend knew her ethics rules! Many lawyers didn’t even know where to look them up.

  “It doesn’t predate—I mean that hasn’t…” Harriet trailed off.

  Well, it did happen, but that was five years ago. But a wonderful one-night stand wasn’t a relationship and wasn’t relevant to what they were talking about.

  “I understand. And I’m not going to count a kiss as a relationship. But obviously that’s where you want to go—beyond a kiss?”

  “But we can’t,” Harriet said, avoiding yet answering the question. “I’m representing you now on the boundary issue, doing title work. And just because I’m not charging for my time on the historic property application, that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be considered legal work for a client. So I told Goose we’d have to wait until the work was over.”

  “But who knows when that could be?” Hannah swung her legs to the floor. “And in the meantime—what? You two burn up apart while waiting?”

  “What else can I do? I can’t ask you to waive a conflict—I don’t think it is waivable. And I still need to tell Bo and Lila.”

  “Tell them what? That you’re not having a relationship with Goose? That sounds a little nuts.”

  “But the ethics rules can be that way.”

  “I guess so.” Hannah pursed her lips, thinking.

  “So I’ve told you. I realized this afternoon I had to tell you because you’re my client. But you’re right, Hannah, you’ve become more of a friend than a client lately.”

  “Nice to hear that,” Hannah said softly.

  “And—and I know that you’re a little sensitive on the subject of friends keeping secrets from each other,” Harriet ventured and watched for Hannah’s reaction.

  “I guess that’s fair to say, considering my history. But I’m not that person anymore. Wow, this conversation has certainly come full circle, hasn’t it?”

  “So I’ve told you now—as both friend and client,” Harriet said. “I’ll understand if you don’t want me to work on anything.”

  “Like I’d ever ask that,” Hannah said.

  “I had to put it out there.”

  “I know, I know,” Hannah said. “But I hate how the stupid ethics rules have you tied up in knots. Maybe you could get some legal advice—wait a sec…” She turned away from Harriet, deep in thought.

  “You mean hire another attorney to give me advice on how to deal with this?”

  Hannah turned back to Harriet, grinning and confident. “You don’t have to hire anyone, Harriet.”

  “I don’t?”

  “Haven’t you ever gotten an ethics opinion from the bar association?”

  Did Harriet ever feel stupid. She’d never used the service but had heard of it and had known other attorneys around town to use it.

  An attorney could request legal ethics advice and get an opinion on prospective conduct. If the attorney followed the opinion’s advice and a question later arose whether the conduct was appropriate, the attorney couldn’t be sanctioned. It was the equivalent of a get-out-of-jail-free card in an attorney disciplinary case.

  “I’m aware of it,” Harriet said. “But what should I ask?”

  “Whether you can pursue a romantic relationship with Goose,” Hannah said with a smile.

  “But Bruce would make me run it past him first,” Harriet said.

  She then recounted to Hannah how Bruce once mentioned to her that if she ever thought she needed an ethics question answered that she should come to him first before a
sking for an opinion from the bar. He’d be the one to decide whether to ask for a formal opinion.

  “Bruce can’t do that!” Hannah cried. “He can’t dictate your ethical responsibilities to you! This is about you and your license and your life, not his stupid need for control.”

  “But if he finds out—”

  “What would he do? Fire you? You’re a partner, right? Try to force you out? I don’t think so,” Hannah sniffed. “You happen to be the lawyer I want on the application to expand the historic site. You’re the lawyer I want to deal with the boundary issue. In short, you’re gonna be the go-to lawyer for Old Garnet on these things unless Bo and Lila gang up on me, which I would venture to say is rather unlikely. In fact, Lila’s gonna have your back on pretty much anything, especially if you’re trying to help us preserve the property.”

  “Hannah, this is crazy,” Harriet argued. “I’ll never get an opinion giving me the green light on a relationship with Goose under the current circumstances.”

  “You’re already assuming the worst, that you’ll get a no. What if they say it’s okay?”

  “As if!”

  “Stranger things have been known to happen. Are you afraid to ask?”

  “No, but…”

  “Think about it, Harriet. What if you could be with Goose right now? Don’t you deserve to know that? Doesn’t he?”

  Hannah was right. Harriet needed an answer. They all needed an answer.

  “Don’t waste a second,” Hannah implored, grabbing her hand. “Kyle and I spent years apart. I never knew how he felt until after Josh left. Now I think about all that wasted time with someone who didn’t really love me—it still makes me sick.”

  “I feel selfish for wanting this.”

  “You’re not selfish, Harriet. You’re human, and you just happen to be a lawyer. We’re a rare combination, right?” They both laughed, but Harriet’s concerns were not allayed. “Look,” Hannah continued, “only someone with absolutely no scruples whatsoever wouldn’t be worried. You should actually be happy. You have a conscience—although I understand that’s not gonna light your fire on a cold night.”