Halton: Vested Interest #6

by Melanie Moreland

  I began to laugh. This was a side of her I hadn’t seen before. I had caught a glimpse of it at the dinner long ago, but now I could hear her sense of humor loud and clear. It hit me as I watched her that she seemed relaxed, almost happy. It was a different look on her.

  I liked it.

  She ran a finger down her notepad. “I rescheduled all your meetings. You need to be in at six every morning and you’ll have to work late the next couple of nights to fit them all in, but I was sure you’d be fine with that.”

  I nodded in silence. I was usually in before seven anyway. I would come in earlier to get the day started and catch up for the next while.

  “I made sure you were confirmed for your court times. I have someone coming in to fix the ladder. I printed out all the documents you need to sign that came in via email. They’re by your door.” She tapped her chin. “Oh, and someone named Molly called repeatedly, saying she was sorry about throwing water at you and wanted to talk. She kept blathering away until I finally told her you were much too busy for any more emotional outbursts and to go away. And I got your dinner—it’s in the kitchen.” She indicated the small area Rene where kept coffee and necessities. “I washed the few cups in the sink too.”

  I stared at her. Gaped, in fact.

  I was at a loss for words. A rare thing for me.

  She spoke again. “How is Rene?”

  I shook my head to clear it. “He’s got a concussion and a messed-up arm. He’s having surgery tonight or tomorrow to repair it. He’ll be gone for a few weeks.” I had no idea what I was going to do without him. I looked at the desk in front of her—neat and tidy. “How did you do all this?”

  She shrugged. “It’s like riding a bike. I did it all for Scott, and Rene is so organized, I was able to find things easily.” She indicated his laptop. “He was still signed in to your calendar, and I was able to go from there after he helped refresh my memory a little. That was the priority—to arrange your schedule. The phone calls and emails were simple.”

  I studied her for a moment. “Did you really tell Molly to go away?”

  “Yes.” She rolled her eyes. “I think you need to find better, ah, dinner companions.”

  I chuckled over her statement. It was something Rene would tell me.

  “You got me dinner?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  I made a snap decision. “Could I interest you in a temporary position?”

  Her smile was wide. “Yes, you could.”

  I attacked the Chinese food Fee had waiting for me with gusto. She sat across from me, nibbling on an egg roll.

  “You need more than that,” I said. “Why aren’t you eating a combo plate too? It’s awesome.”

  “I had some wonton soup a while ago. I wanted to get you something healthier, but I couldn’t leave the office.”

  “Create an expense file and add dinner to the bill.” When she opened her mouth, I glared at her. “That isn’t a request. Any meals you get me, or yourself, while you work here are covered. The same with transportation or anything else. You take an Uber to get here in the morning and to go home at night. No more subway. Understand?”

  “Okay.”

  I opened my desk drawer and tossed a set of keys her way. “These will open the door. The code is 872977 to turn off the alarm.” I paused. “Those are for the outer office and library. They don’t open my door or the door to the file room.”

  She regarded me intently. “That’s fine, Halton. As long as I can get into the front area, I can do my work.” She paused. “I know you prefer no one in your office if you aren’t here.”

  “God, morphine makes Rene gossipy,” I grouched.

  “I understand. I had no privacy in our house. Scott questioned everything. Looked through the mail, insisted on scrolling through my texts and email, not that there was much of either.” She sighed. “So, I get it.” That was all she said, but her words rang true.

  Drawing in a deep breath, I pulled a key off the ring and handed it to her as a sign of trust. “No, you need the file room key.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. The kitchen doesn’t have a key. I like coffee waiting for me when I get here. And toast. Whole wheat toast with butter.”

  “Nice try, counselor. Rene warned me.”

  I threw back my head in laughter. “It was worth a shot.”

  I finished the dinner she brought me and wiped my mouth. “Thanks for that. I’ve been running on empty most of the day.”

  “I figured as much. The sandwich Rene got for you is still in the fridge. You can have it in the morning since there won’t be any toast.”

  I chuckled and shook my head. “Okay. I’ll call you an Uber and you head home. I’ll go through everything on my desk and meet you here in the morning.”

  I ordered the car and she stood, pushing a small USB drive toward me.

  I picked it up, curious. “What is this?”

  “That is me, fighting.”

  “What?”

  She fidgeted, then met my eyes. “I used a payphone this morning and called Scott’s office. I pretended to be a client needing a lawyer. I said I had to see him immediately. His assistant told me he was in court all day, but he could see me tomorrow.”

  “I don’t understand why.”

  She huffed out a sigh. “I was around the corner from the house. It runs along a fenced walk to the park. I slipped in the back by the garage, used my key, and it worked.”

  “No security system?”

  She shook her head. “Scott thinks they’re bogus and they listen in on you. He refused to get one.”

  “Ah, that seems a little…” I wasn’t sure how to respond to her statement.

  “Paranoid,” she finished. “He is about a lot of things.”

  I held up the drive. “What did you do once you got inside, Fee?”

  “I got everything I could get off his laptop. Tax returns, investment statements, emails. There was a file marked SHL and Associates, but it was password protected.”

  “Okay.” This was still a ton of information I wouldn’t have to pay to get.

  A grin played on her lips. “Scott has a problem remembering things like dates, names, and the like. Including passwords. He writes them all down and puts them in a small hidden compartment in a figurine on his desk. He thinks it’s clever.”

  I felt my own grin start. “But you knew where to find them.”

  She smirked. I found it sexy. With her hair down, her glasses perched on the end of her nose, and looking proud of herself, she was incredibly pretty.

  “I do. I did. I have no idea what the files are, but they’re on that drive. Do with them what you want.”

  I tapped the drive on my desk, feeling proud of her as well, and relieved that the asshole wasn’t smart enough to have realized she had a key to the garage door and changed the locks, or that he hadn’t gone home to pick up a forgotten item. God only knew what he might have done if he had discovered her downloading files. My stomach clenched simply thinking about it.

  “That was incredibly brave of you,” I praised her, smiling as color flooded her cheeks at my words. “But don’t take any more risks. Let me and my team do that.”

  “I was careful. No one saw me go in or out.” She lifted her shoulders. “It was as if I was invisible. The same way as when I lived there.”

  I knew all too well the feeling of being invisible. But I wasn’t going to share that with her. I didn’t share that with anyone.

  Ever.

  My phone buzzed and I stood, crossed to the front of the desk, and extended my hand.

  “No more risks,” I repeated, pulling her to her feet. “Your Uber is here and paid for. Go get some rest.”

  I began to step back, but she shocked me when she threw her arms around my waist and burrowed into my chest, holding tight. I hesitated a moment, then returned her embrace. It should have felt strange holding her—yet it didn’t. It felt right.

  Somewhere inside of me, I recognize
d how desperate she was for some positive human contact—that she was simply seeking solace for a moment.

  But my body didn’t get that message. Instead, all I could think, all I could feel, was how amazing she felt against me. The way her head felt tucked under my chin. How soft her body was pressed to mine. When she lifted up on her toes and pressed a kiss to my cheek, the temptation to turn my face and catch her lips shocked me. I cleared my throat and stepped back.

  “Thank you for today. For being brave and for helping me.”

  She shook her head. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Then she was gone, leaving me standing alone, confused, unsure, and frankly, turned on.

  Fuck.

  Fiona

  I watched the city go past me, the early-morning light catching car windows and reflecting off the glass of the tall skyscrapers that filled downtown Toronto. I glanced at my new phone, pleased to see it was just past five-thirty. I would probably beat Halton into the office again.

  I tried to be there before he arrived in the mornings. Regardless of how I had teased him, I had coffee ready for him each day, and once, as a joke, I gave him toast. He had laughed and wolfed it down, as he did any food that appeared in front of him. I enjoyed watching him eat. For so long, I had watched Scott push food around on his plate, pick at everything I cooked or brought in for him. So seeing the way Halton tore into meals, or something as simple as toast, made me smile.

  He also made sure if he was eating, that I was as well. He seemed to genuinely care about my health—about me. Another huge difference between the two men. Scott didn’t care about his clients—only the money they added to his bank account. And as I discovered, he didn’t care about me at all.

  I stepped out of the Uber and hurried into the office building. The difference in how I had been feeling the past few days was amazing. It was as if I had a renewed sense of worth. I had a place to be every day. A new sense of purpose. Halton’s practice was busy, and the hours flew by. During the day, I was simply Fiona, not Mrs. Hutchings, not the soon-to-be ex, but me.

  At the end of the first week, I knew what I wanted, so I approached Halton, setting a pile of documents on his desk.

  “These need to be looked over and signed.”

  He indicated the chair in front of his desk and picked up the pile. “Sit.”

  He scanned and signed while talking.

  “Finding everything okay?”

  “Yes, Rene is very organized.”

  “How often has he texted?”

  I chuckled. “Only on occasion. I think his daughter-in-law is monitoring him since he got released from the hospital.”

  He smirked. “Clara is great.” He met my eyes briefly. “But I think he knows the place is in capable hands. You’re doing an amazing job, Fee.”

  “Thank you.” I hesitated and cleared my throat.

  “Whatever has you all jittery, spit it out,” Halton drawled, scrawling his name on the last document and laying down his pen. “What do you need?”

  Halton was the same with everyone. He was intense and driven. Blunt and direct. But there was the underlying sense of kindness I had first sensed in him. He treated his clients with respect and dignity. He stuck to his rules—he believed in the cause he took on, or he didn’t accept the case. Honesty was important to him. As was speaking your mind. So, I got right to the point.

  “I want to change my name back to my maiden one right away. I don’t want to wait for the divorce.”

  He sat back, resting his hands on his desk, his long fingers loosely entwined. “Tell me why.”

  “I don’t want to be Fiona Hutchings, ex-wife of Scott. I want to be me again.”

  He raised his eyebrows, silently telling me to continue.

  “I feel like Fee again. Productive. But when people ask my name, it brings me back to Scott and the past. I want to move forward.”

  He nodded. “Okay. We’ll get the paperwork done. You can do most of it yourself—it’s a fairly simple thing. I can help if you need me to.” His eyes crinkled in amusement. “How will I address you now—Ms.…?” He let his question trail off.

  I returned his smile. “Nelson. But we’ll stick with Fee. My dad called me Nelly when I was little. He would make up funny songs and sing about his FeeNelly. It always made me laugh.”

  “You were close with your father?”

  “Yes. My mom died when I was younger, so it was only us.” My voice dropped. “He had a massive heart attack and died while I was at school. I never got to say goodbye. I still miss him.”

  “I was fourteen when my dad died,” Halton confided.

  “Were you close?” I asked.

  A mask came over his face. “Not as close as I wanted to be.”

  “Were you closer to your mother?”

  He stood, his voice cold. “Not even remotely.”

  “I’m sorry, I obviously touched on something personal,” I said, sensing his withdrawal.

  His face softened. “It’s fine, Fee. I don’t like to talk about it.”

  “I understand.”

  He handed me the documents. “We’ll get your name change started. I’ll sit with you on Monday as your lawyer, and we’ll discuss your case. I should have most of what I need then.” He winked. “Book yourself an appointment.”

  “You’re already booked solid, so we can do it after hours.”

  “Okay,” he agreed. “Get dinner in, and we’ll talk.”

  I headed to the door and turned. “Halton?”

  He glanced up. “Yes?”

  “I’m sorry. I honestly didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”

  Something passed through his eyes. Hurt, pain—distant memories that haunted him. I could see it. But he simply shrugged.

  “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

  But for some reason, I did.

  Halton

  Rene shifted, wincing slightly as his arm moved. I frowned at him, shaking my head.

  “You can barely move, and you think you should come back to work?” I reclined back into my chair. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “I’m bored. Clara is like a mother hen watching over me and fussing. She won’t let me do anything,” he complained.

  “I heard that,” Clara called from the kitchen. “Stop complaining, old man, or I won’t feed you tonight.”

  “Whatever,” he mumbled.

  I grinned at their banter. Rene adored his daughter-in-law, and she felt the same for him. I was glad he was feeling better, but he wasn’t ready to come back.

  “You had a major fall, Rene. You’re still recovering from the concussion. Your doctor says you have to take it easy. Between your head and your arm, what good are you to me? Take the time to recover, then come back. Don’t push it.”

  He studied me intently. “I assume this relaxed attitude has something to do with a silver-haired woman who has taken my place?”

  I laughed. “Fee hasn’t taken your place, Rene. But she’s doing a great job. I like her. The clients like her. In fact, I thought when you were ready to come back, you might want to keep her on to help you. I think you’d like working with her. There’s certainly enough work to keep you both busy.”

  “Mm-hmm,” he replied, narrowing his eyes. “You like her.”

  “I said I did. She’s a great temp. Lousy at choosing a husband, but we all make mistakes. At least I can help her with that.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  I glared at him. “What are you insinuating?”

  He waved his good hand. “Nothing. I’m simply agreeing with you, Halton.”

  “I call bullshit.”

  He met my gaze. “So do I.”

  “Okay, time to change the subject.”

  He smirked, and I picked up my coffee in order not to reply.

  Because he was right. There was more to Fiona than just a temporary fill-in for Rene. And she was more than a client. In the time I had known her, I discovered I enjoyed her company. Her humor and wit. I fo
und her intelligent and quick. I looked forward to the time we shared at the start and end of every day. I liked her. I really liked her. So much so, I found excuses to spend more time with her.

  Fiona slid a coffee and two sandwiches onto my desk and turned to leave.

  “What are you doing? I asked, flipping closed the file I was perusing for an upcoming meeting.

  “Going to my desk to eat lunch.”

  “Rene and I eat lunch together whenever I’m in the office.” I indicated the chair in front of me. “Join me.”

  She left, then returned with a sandwich obviously brought from home. She caught me eyeing it and rolled her eyes.

  “Something wrong?”

  “Nope. Nothing wrong with classic PB & J.”

  “No doubt Rene’s lunches were a little more exotic.”

  “Actually, he ate the same thing almost every day. Chicken noodle soup. Sally’s—his late wife’s—recipe. He makes a batch every weekend. On occasion, he shares.”

  “He’s larger than life.”

  “That he is.”

  “He must miss her—his wife.”

  I smiled as I chewed. “Sally loved clothes and style. She knew how to sew and liked to dabble in design. He liked to encourage her, and she always used him as her guinea pig for her ideas. He loved it—and her—and he has never stopped being ‘fashionable’ as he calls it, in her honor. I’m used to his eccentricities. I never know what he is going to walk in wearing.”

  “And you wouldn’t change it for the world.”

  I met her eyes. “No, I wouldn’t.”

  “You’re very fond of him.”

  “He is quite the character,” I admitted. “He runs this place and me.”

  She grinned. “He runs them both well.”

  I chuckled. “Don’t tell him that. His ego is big enough.”

  She winked. “Your secret is safe with me.”

  I lifted half of one of my thick ham and cheese sandwiches. “Interested in a trade?”

  Fee looked dubious. “Really?”

  “Yeah. I’m suddenly craving peanut butter. Give it up.”