Here to Stay by Debra Webb Read Free Book Online Page B

angry glare. “I have to
go,” she whispered. When she got to the door, she stopped, reached
down and picked up something. Nathan frowned and then groaned
inwardly. Even frowning hurt.
    Paige considered the necklace she had picked
up, the black pearls clicking together. Nathan stopped breathing.
She lifted her gaze to his. Disgusted, she flung the necklace at
him. The pearls hit him square in the chest, then fell to the
floor.
    “Why would you need friends like me when you
have friends like Celine?” Paige glared at him for the space of a
heartbeat before she stormed out of the room.
    Nathan closed his eyes and tried to think. If
he could only turn off the jackhammer in his head. He didn’t answer
to Paige. Why would she care what he did? What did she want from
him? Better still, what did he want from her? He had no idea. The
only thing he knew for sure was that he didn’t want to hurt her.
And he’d done a bang-up job so far. Maybe they could be friends.
Too much time had gone by for anything else. Being friends might
just work. Right now Nathan had to get some caffeine in his
bloodstream before he died from his hellacious hangover.
     
     
     

Chapter Four
     
    “Your Honor, my client has no prior record
and holds down a part time job. He’s an honor roll student. Refusal
of bail could prove devastating to him academically as well as
financially,” Paige countered the DA’s request to withhold bail for
her client.
    “Your Honor, the State has reason to believe
Mr. Jefferson might flee,” urged the young, handsome deputy
district attorney.
    Paige turned and swept a measuring gaze over
her adversary. “Perhaps, Mr. Myers would like to share with this
court his compelling reason to make such a request?”
    “That’s my line, counselor,” the judge chided
Paige.
    “Sorry, your Honor. Just thinking out loud.”
She smiled apologetically.
    “Perhaps you’d like to share with this court
your compelling reason for making such a request, Mr. Myers?”
    Paige bowed her head and tried to hide her
grin. Judge Mattson had always been her favorite judge. He was one
of the few who still had a sense of humor.
    “Your Honor, the State has learned that Mr.
Jefferson has made statements to several of his friends that he
intends to avoid testifying.”
    “Are these witnesses present this
morning?”
    “No, your Honor, they are not.”
    “Request to withhold bail is denied. Bail is
set at one thousand dollars.” Judge Mattson banged his gavel.
    “Court is adjourned.”
    “All rise,” the bailiff called.
    Paige smiled at Calvin Jefferson, who
proceeded to give her a big hug. Beatrice, his grandmother, reached
over the bench and pulled Paige against her bosom.
    “Thank you so much, honey,” she whispered,
tears threatening.
    “Everything is going to be fine, Beatrice.”
Paige drew back and smiled reassuringly at the older woman dressed
in her Sunday-go-to-the-meeting clothes. Beatrice had been like a
mother to Paige since her own mother’s death, and she had been more
than happy to take care of Jesse as well…at least when Elliott
Weston was away.
    “Thank you, Miss Paige.” Calvin grinned
widely.
    Paige gave her eighteen-year-old client a
speculative look. “Myers better not know what he’s talking about,
Calvin.”
    “Don’t worry, Miss Paige, I won’t let you
down.”
    “I’ll make sure of that,” Beatrice put in
firmly.
    “You can make the bail?” Paige asked
Beatrice.
    Beatrice smiled and patted her hand. “Don’t
worry none about that. Your daddy has always paid me fairly. I got
the money to take care of my boy.”
    “Okay, see you in two weeks then,” Paige told
them.
    Calvin nodded before disappearing with the
guard; Beatrice followed to post the bail. Paige packed up her
briefcase and steeled herself for the wrath of her opponent. Myers
was new and ambitious. His political aspirations gave her the
willies.
    Myers met her in the center aisle, a
statement in taste from his styled blond hair