by Aurora Rey
“No, Mama. I’ve worked you hard enough.” Not only had Stella shown up with lunch, she’d helped Parker hang her diplomas and several paintings. She’d also helped to arrange the furniture in the reception area in a way that was far more inviting than anything Parker could have conjured.
“I am an able-bodied woman, not too far past her prime. I can move a few boxes.”
Parker crossed the room to give her mother a kiss on the cheek. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re one hundred percent still in your prime.”
Stella smiled at the compliment, but she had an extra gleam in her eye. “I’m glad you think so.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
She shrugged. “Nothing much. I’m just going on a date this evening.”
“A date?” The words came out pitched higher than Parker wanted. She cleared her throat. “With whom?”
“The instructor of a gardening class I took at the Botanical Society. He’s a widower.” She said the last part with something that sounded like satisfaction.
“Well, I’m happy for you.” She was. Her mother hadn’t shown much interest in men after her father passed away, which was fine, but Parker liked the idea of her getting to have some fun. “Just don’t do anything too crazy.”
Stella gave her a playfully disapproving look. “Don’t do anything you wouldn’t do?”
Parker laughed. “Something like that.”
“Speaking of things you would or wouldn’t do, how’re things with Elisa?”
“Subtle, Mama.” She’d confided most of the details of her budding relationship. And unlike when her father was alive, Stella’s happiness for her wasn’t tinged with worry.
“When have I ever been subtle?”
“One of my favorite things about you.” Although it had created some tensions through the years, Parker meant it. She liked to think she got her grit from her no-nonsense mother. “Things are good.”
“She wasn’t disappointed you left the firm?”
“Quite the opposite. She had major issues with the idea of dating her boss.”
“Even though you weren’t technically her boss.”
“I was close enough.” She hadn’t wanted to admit it, but Elisa’s reasoning on that had been sound. It would have complicated things—maybe not for them, but in the office as a whole. “I think this arrangement will be much better.”
“I’m glad.” Stella smiled. “Seems to me it’s about the time you should be bringing her around for supper.”
Again, not subtle. “I will. Promise.”
“Okay. I’ll get out of your hair, then.”
“Thanks for all the help. I hope you have fun on your date.”
Stella’s eyes sparkled. “I think I will.”
Parker walked her to the door. When she’d gone, Parker glanced at her watch. She had just about an hour before Elisa would be stopping by. Parker was excited for her to see the space, but a little nervous. Fortunately, she had plenty to keep her busy in the meantime. She eyed the stack of boxes. Plenty.
* * *
Elisa pulled up at the address Parker had given her. It wasn’t, as she’d expected, an office building. Rather, Parker’s new office occupied the left side of an old shotgun-style duplex. It exuded the kind of character and charm she often wished her office had. Once again, Parker had managed to surprise her.
She grabbed her purse and the box from the front seat, along with the bottle of champagne she’d hidden in the break room refrigerator after lunch. She made her way down the gravel path and up the steps of the front porch. She peered in the front door and saw Parker, in jeans and a black T-shirt, bent over a box. Elisa tapped lightly on the glass before going in.
Parker looked up and smiled. “I didn’t expect you here this early.”
Elisa offered a playful shrug. “You know me. I never let work get in the way of what really matters.”
Parker crossed the room and slid her hands around Elisa’s waist. “I’ve heard that about you.”
“Just don’t tell my boss.”
Parker smirked. “Your reputation as a powerhouse remains intact.”
Elisa laughed. “Don’t be spreading rumors, now.”
“I speak only the truth.”
Despite Elisa’s full hands and their somewhat lopsided embrace, Parker leaned in and kissed her. Not too long or passionate, but enough to send ripples of warmth up and down Elisa’s body. She had an image of Parker taking her right there in the reception area, bent over the antique desk they’d found at a flea market the previous weekend. At least the intensity of her desire for Parker no longer freaked her out. She filed the image away—they’d get around to it, she was sure. “I brought you a present.”
She slid out of Parker’s arms and lifted her hands. Parker glanced at the bottle and the box. Her eyes lit up. “I love presents.”
“This first.” Elisa handed her the box. Parker tore into it like a kid on Christmas morning. Elisa watched as her eyes registered what it was. Parker looked at her, then back at the box, a wide grin spreading across her face. She lifted the slate sign from the tissue and held it up. The white block letters—The Law Offices of Parker M. Jones—stood out even better than Elisa imagined when she commissioned Tess’s friend Jenny to paint it.
“I love it.”
“They’re reclaimed roof tiles. Since you’re literally hanging out your shingle—”
Her moderately amusing pun was cut off with a kiss. Unlike Parker’s greeting a moment before, this one packed a healthy wallop of passion. Elisa felt it straight down to her toes. “It’s perfect. You are perfect.”
Elisa was about to rebuff her when realization hit. “Crap, I forgot glasses.”
“Okay, almost perfect.”
Elisa cringed. “I guess we could swig it right from the bottle.”
Parker raised a finger. “The water cooler was delivered this morning.”
Elisa glanced in the direction Parker pointed. A five-gallon Kentwood Springs jug sat perched in a stand. “Beggars can’t be choosers, right?”
She handed Parker the champagne and got two paper cones from the dispenser. Parker popped the cork. Elisa smiled at the decidedly festive sound. Parker filled the cups and Elisa handed her one. “Thanks for helping me celebrate.”
“It’s a gorgeous space.” Elisa lifted her makeshift glass. “To fresh starts and new beginnings.”
Parker did the same, and they each sipped from their tiny paper cups. Parker looked at her, eyebrow raised. “You know, there’s an extra office on the second floor.”
Elisa offered a bland look. “I just got rid of you as my boss.” Not that the prospect of a more personal firm, with clients of her own, didn’t appeal.
“Which is why we’d be partners—equals, in it together for the long haul.”
Something in Parker’s eyes said she was talking about far more than the practice of law. The prospect both thrilled and terrified her.
Parker must have sensed her reaction because she smiled. “Not tomorrow. Eventually, once we know for sure we’re compatible.”
Okay, she was definitely talking about more than work. “I like the sound of that.”
“Good. For what it’s worth,” Parker drained the champagne from her cup and smiled, “I have the feeling we’re going to be phenomenally compatible.”
Elisa allowed the possibility to sink in. It wasn’t so long ago that the prospect of working with Parker was as off-putting as the prospect of dating her. Now she could easily imagine a future with her—professionally, romantically, everything. She looked around the office, thinking about what it would be like to come in each morning, together. And then, at the end of the day, go home together. Yeah, she could definitely imagine it. She returned Parker’s smile. “Counselor, I think we might be in agreement.”
Parker’s eyes gleamed. “Then I rest my case.”
About the Author
Aurora Rey grew up in a small town in south Louisiana, daydreaming about New England. Sh
e keeps a special place in her heart for the South, especially the food and the ways women are raised to be strong, even if they’re taught not to show it. After a brief dalliance with biochemistry, she completed both a BA and an MA in English.
When she’s not writing or at her day job in higher education, she loves to cook and putter around the house. She’s slightly addicted to Pinterest, has big plans for the garden, and would love to get some goats.
She lives in Ithaca, New York, with her partner, two dogs, and whatever wild animals have taken up residence at the pond.
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