The Law of Unexpected Attraction: An Enemies to Lovers Romantic Comedy (Book 1: Dani & Nick)

by E. M. Shea

  “Do you want to tell him, Colin?” Phil asked solemnly. Colin shook his head as he stared down at the floor.

  “Colin was arrested yesterday afternoon,” Phil explained. “He was caught buying heroin from a dealer in South Boston.”

  Nick lurched his head back as though physically hit with a wave of shock. He eyed the empty chair next to Colin and pulled it over a few feet. “I think I’d better sit down for this,” he said as he sank into the seat.

  “And, well …” Phil sighed and pursed his lips, as though biting back words that he knew would only make matters worse. “Colin, I think you should tell Sergeant Bellamy what you told me. I know he’ll help you if he can.”

  Phil looked up and locked eyes with Nick, who silently nodded his willingness to do whatever he could.

  “I’ll leave you two alone,” Phil said as he headed out into the hallway and closed the door behind him.

  “Look, Colin,” Nick began. “I’m not here right now as a police officer, okay? I’m here as someone who cares about you. So why don’t you just tell me what happened.”

  “You won’t believe me.”

  “Try me.”

  “My mom,” Colin began haltingly.

  Nick waited a few moments for Colin to continue, then realized it was going to take some coaxing on his part. “Go ahead. What about your mom?”

  Colin turned to him, finally making eye contact and refusing to let go. “She came by the house a few days ago. Said she wanted to visit with me and Gram, but that’s not the real reason why.”

  “What was the real reason?”

  “She told us she’d been accepted into a new drug treatment program. At least that’s the part she told both of us. But then she asked me to go for a walk with her. And that’s when she told me that she was afraid of going into withdrawal before she could start the program.”

  Nick clenched his jaw, already knowing where things were leading before Colin had a chance to lay it all out for him.

  “She asked me if I would buy her a bag of heroin just this one time, and then she’d get clean.” Colin looked up at the ceiling and then back at Nick as he shook his head. “I don’t know why I was stupid enough to believe her.”

  Nick reached over and gently placed his hand on Colin’s shoulder. “Because she’s your mother, and you wanted to believe she was being honest with you. So did you agree right away to buy the heroin?”

  “Hell no!” Colin exclaimed, quickly followed by, “I mean heck.”

  Nick managed a slight smile despite the gravity of the situation. After all, foul language was the least of Colin’s troubles at the moment.

  “So what happened?”

  “I told her I wasn’t comfortable buying drugs for her. I mean, look at me. Do I look like some street dude who’s used to this sort of thing? Just the thought of approaching a dealer scared the crap out of me. Plus, I’ve always pictured myself on your side of the law, not on the criminal side. And now I’m scared that I might have ruined my chances of ever becoming a police officer.”

  “One thing at a time,” Nick assured him, though a similar thought had already crossed his own mind. But he knew he was getting ahead of himself and needed to concentrate on the more immediate situation. “So at some point, though, you decided to do as she asked.”

  “She told me she owed money to the dealer, and that if she tried to buy from him herself, he would try to collect—as she put it—in the worst possible way. And then she swore that once she got her fix, it would be enough to carry her over until she started the treatment program a few days later, where they’d give her something to help with withdrawals.”

  “Boy oh boy, she really put together quite a story, didn’t she?”

  “But if you were me, wouldn’t what she said kind of make sense?”

  Nick nodded. “Yes,” he said quietly. “It would.” The thought that a mother would basically have set up her own son to take the fall … Nick understood the power of drugs, had seen too many times in his line of work how people would choose a chemical-induced high over the welfare of their own children. And yet to witness such a travesty happening now to a good kid whom he had taken under his wing …. Sometimes, he just didn’t understand the human race. Or at least certain members of it.

  “So you decided to buy the heroin,” he said, gently nudging Colin on.

  Colin nodded, his eyes cast downwards. “I thought if this is what it takes to get her into a treatment program that finally works …” He turned to Nick. “One time—that’s all I was going to do.”

  “Did you worry you might get caught?”

  “I think I worried more that the dealer would shoot me for saying something stupid. I didn’t even know how to ask for the stuff. My mom had to coach me.”

  Nick bit down hard on an imaginary bullet between his teeth. He knew he had to keep his growing anger in check, but each revelation from Colin was making it damn near impossible to keep his cool. A mother who walks out on her son, has no guidance to share—except for how to successfully buy heroin? There had to be a special place in hell for that kind of parent. It’s not her, it’s the drugs, he told himself. But his strained effort to give her the benefit of the doubt did little to appease his anger.

  “Did your grandmother know what was going on?” he finally asked, hoping beyond hope that the answer was “no”. Because if she had also been willing to put Colin at risk—a scenario that was hard to imagine knowing her as he did—then all hope was lost.

  “No,” Colin replied, prompting Nick to breathe a sigh of relief. “My mom said she wouldn’t understand, and I agreed.”

  “Did you tell any of this to the arresting officer?”

  “I did. But I didn’t say I was buying it for my mom because I didn’t want to get her in trouble. I said it was for a relative and that I couldn’t say more.”

  The irony was not lost on Nick. Even when faced with the grave consequences of an arrest, Colin tried to protect his mother, even though she had knowingly put him in harm’s way.

  “And?”

  “There were two officers, and they both laughed. Said something like, ‘Yeah, tell it to the judge, kid.’”

  Nick wanted to be able to cut the officers some slack given that they didn’t know Colin like he did, but he wasn’t ready to do that yet. He would deal with them later, once he had a chance to review the full report. As a juvenile, Colin wasn’t subject to the same criminal prosecution as an adult. A first-time offender, he would most likely be looking at probation and/or drug counseling, and certainly not jail time. Still, a drug conviction would be a blemish on his record that could hurt his chances of pursuing a career in law enforcement. And though it was inconceivable that his own mother had put him in this predicament, Nick knew he had to concentrate on doing what he could to minimize the damage.

  “Am I going to end up in prison?” Colin asked, as though reading Nick’s thoughts.

  “No, definitely not. If you were a few years older, the answer might be different, but luckily that’s not the case.”

  “But there will be some record of my arrest, right?”

  “Most likely,” Nick reluctantly conceded.

  “So if I apply to the police academy in a few years, they’ll know I was arrested for buying heroin.”

  Nick swallowed hard, knowing it would be so much easier to explain away an arrest for, say, marijuana—now legal in the state for adults—then for a drug with so much figurative baggage like heroin. “Don’t go there just yet, Colin. I’m going to do everything I can to help you put this situation behind you—that I promise. But you need to promise me something as well.”

  Colin nodded as he waited for Nick’s request.

  “Did your mom end up going to the treatment center?”

  “No. I found out afterwards that it was all a lie. She just told me that so I would buy the drugs for her. I guess the part about her being on bad terms with the dealer was the only true thing in all of this.”

  “Do you kn
ow where she is now?”

  He shrugged as though indifferent, but the pain in his eyes said otherwise. “My grandma told her she wasn’t welcome at our home anymore. Although she didn’t say it in quite that nice of a way.”

  Nick could easily picture feisty Eleanor giving her two cents—times a hundred—to her own wayward daughter for the sake of her grandson’s safety and well-being. “Okay, what I want you to promise me is that if she comes around again—and she might, even if your grandmother warned her otherwise—you need to let me know. And above all, do not let her talk you into doing anything on her behalf. I could probably pull a few strings and get her into a treatment program, but something tells me she wouldn’t actually go. But whatever the case, I don’t want you worrying about any of that. Let’s just concentrate on the best possible outcome with the arrest.”

  “Is there anything you can even do? It’s a whole other police department, and I already have a hearing scheduled at juvenile court.”

  “I’ll need to know when that hearing is. And I’m not sure if I can personally turn things around, but I know someone who possibly can.”

  That is, if I’m willing to eat crow … and she doesn’t tell me to go to hell.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Dani grabbed her ringing cellphone off the kitchen counter, her eyes widening as she saw the caller’s name flash on the screen. She had just finished a four-mile run in the brisk early morning air of late September and was in the process of making a green breakfast smoothie. Her heart, slow and calm just a moment ago as was always the case post-workout, now surged as she said the caller’s name out loud.

  “Nick?”

  Realizing it would help if she actually answered the call, she pressed the receive button, choked on her next breath, then said, “Hello?”

  “Hi. Um, this is Nick. I hope I’m not calling at a bad time. I know it’s early.”

  Dani glanced at the fitness tracker on her wrist, which read: 8:45 a.m. “No, it’s fine. I’ve been up since six and just got back from a run.”

  “Same here, actually. Well, at least the run part. I slept in till six-thirty. Beautiful morning out there, isn’t it?”

  “It is,” Dani replied, squishing her eyebrows together as she tried to surmise the true reason for his call. Unless he had made a recent career change to meteorologist, there had to be more on his mind than a weather update.

  “So, I have something to ask you, and there’s no easy way to do it other than to just come out and say it.”

  “Right,” Dani observed, allowing for a long pause. “That’s usually how you ask for something.”

  “Huh?”

  “To ask for something, you have to actually say it.”

  Dani imagined Nick was must be rolling his eyes—or at the very least was wondering why she had to go all lawyerly logical on him. Nonetheless, he sounded more contrite than annoyed as he added, “You’re right.”

  “So go ahead, ask,” she prompted after several moments had passed.

  “There’s a teen at the Boys Club. His name is Colin. I’ve gotten pretty close to him over the past few years, and he’s hoping to have a career in law enforcement.”

  Dani nodded, then realized Nick couldn’t see her reaction. “Okay,” she quickly added.

  “So last week, he was arrested for buying drugs.”

  I’m going to need to sit down for this, Dani thought as she hopped up on a cushioned high stool by the breakfast counter. “What kind of drugs?” she asked, sliding one of her always-ready notepads over in case she needed to start scribbling details down.

  “Heroin.”

  Dani let out a low whistle-like sigh. “Heroin? And he wants to go into law enforcement? Hope he wasn’t planning on joining a narcotics unit.”

  Now it was Nick’s turn to sigh. “I know. Believe me, I know. But there are extenuating circumstances and … I’m sure you must be super busy with work and stuff, but I was wondering if I could run things by you to get your take.”

  Yup, it was a good thing she had earlier opted for the chair. Because if she didn’t know any better, Mister I-hate-defense-lawyers was about to ask for some, ahem, defense lawyer advice.

  “Ah, sure, yes, of course,” Dani replied, trying to hide the surprise in her voice. “I’m all ears.”

  “Actually, I was wondering if we could do this in person.” There was a several-second pause before Nick continued, his voice slightly halting. “I just thought it would be easier that way.” Another long pause. “Plus, if you’re going to give me dagger eyes for asking for this kind of legal advice, you might as well make it worth your while by letting me see them firsthand.”

  Dani smirked—a reaction she was glad was hidden from view. “Sure. Just let me know what’s good for you.”

  “Do you have any free time today? I know it’s the weekend and all, but there’s a time element to this situation as well. But if you have plans, I totally understand.”

  Dani was tempted to announce that she had a hot date lined up so, sorry, can’t make it … but her conscience got the better of her. Because, one, it was never good to lie. Two, what would he even care if she was entangled with another guy? And three, it sounded like Colin was in a messy legal predicament—without much means to diffuse it other than what Nick was trying to provide—and perhaps she could help.

  “I’m still in my running clothes and need to shower, so how about we meet at about ten a.m.?”

  “That would be great!”

  “Okay, next question—where?”

  “How about Carol’s Coffee Shop on North Main Street. We should be able to grab a table in the back and talk privately.”

  “Sounds good. So I’ll see you at ten.”

  “Okay. And Dani?”

  Her thumb, which had been hovering just above the end call button, froze. “Yes?”

  “Thanks. I know how easy it would have been to call me a hypocritical jerk, and I’m just glad you’re willing to hear me out about Colin’s situation.”

  Dani half grinned. “I’m glad to help.” She paused. “I’ll save the well-deserved name-calling until after we come up with a plan.”

  ◆◆◆

  A bright and airy eatery that seemed to perpetually buzz with animated conversation and the clanging of ceramic mugs and plates, Carol’s Coffee Shop was a popular destination on any day of the week. But as Dani stepped inside to a packed house, she wondered if it was the best meeting place for an especially busy Saturday morning. Several moments later, she was relieved to spot Nick as he partially rose from his seat at a back table and waved to her. Just seeing him now—a good thirty feet away, but still very much in person—made her heart momentarily flutter. It was an unwelcomed reaction given that this was an anything but romantic meetup—and with someone whom she knew had to stay off-limits for the sake of both of their sanities. Yet, as he pulled out her chair, a wisp of his familiar spicy cologne breezing past and their eyes catching for several seconds before she deliberately looked away, Dani realized she needed to stay focused. And on Colin’s plight, not on Nick’s … delicious everything.

  She gave her order of coffee and a bagel to the waitress who had just popped over, then took a deep breath and turned back to Nick. “So. Tell me what’s going on.”

  Thirty minutes, three cups of coffee and countless unintended physical stirrings later, she had the lowdown on Colin. Not just his present and very serious predicament, but his importance to Nick and the growing bond that they shared.

  “So, what do you think?” Nick asked, his voice earnest and eyes dark with concern. “Is there anything that can be done?”

  “It’s possible,” Dani replied cautiously. She knew that even with the best of intentions and proper due diligence, things didn’t always turn out as desired in a case, and she didn’t want to get Nick’s hopes up should this be one of those instances. Still, like any good defense lawyer at the top of her game, she did have some strategies up her sleeve. “Clearly, the goal here is to have the inci
dent expunged from his record so that it never even comes into play if he does decide to pursue a career in law enforcement.”

  “What are the chances of that happening?”

  “With me, better than average,” she replied, only half kidding. But it was enough for Nick’s tense face to visibly relax for a moment in tandem with a smirk.

  “Well, that’s what I figured. Care to let me in on how you think that could be accomplished?”

  “We would need to plead the case to the judge. Explain that there are extenuating circumstances, provide some witnesses as character references—you being one of them, of course.” She paused, looking up at the ceiling as she organized her thoughts. “We would need to talk to the arresting officers.”

  “I already met with them, actually.”

  “And?”

  “One of them seemed sympathetic to the situation once I explained everything, but the other one was pretty much a dick about it. His partner said he would talk to him some more and he would probably come around, but I’m not one-hundred percent convinced.”

  “I thought that good cop, bad cop thing was only for dealing with perpetrators. I didn’t realize it was a routine that they would use on one of their own.”

  “Yeah, no kidding. More like a jerk is a jerk, regardless of profession.”

  “And what about the mother? Where is she now?”

  Nick grimaced. “I hadn’t been sure of her whereabouts, but Colin told me yesterday that she was arrested again for drug possession. Apparently, the police came by the house to get any information they could from her mother—Colin’s grandmother. It sounds like they’re trying to get her into a treatment program. Do you think she should testify on behalf of Colin?”

  “No,” Dani quickly replied. “She’s too much of a wild card. Even if she says she wants to help her son, you don’t know what she’s going to say once she gets on the stand. Because it probably won’t be her talking, but the drugs. She threw him under the bus once, and she could do it again.” Dani drummed her fingers on the table as her thoughts percolated, shifting forward in her seat as one idea in particular jumped out. “But what we could do is have her say what happened in a signed statement. No, make that a videotaped one, if at all possible. Then we tell the judge that she can’t be there in person because she’s in a treatment center. That way, we’ll have something solid that exonerates Colin—and that can’t be changed last minute on the stand.”