Lawfully Yours by Stacy Hoff Read Free Book Online Page A

with you to say something. I know I put you in a tight spot tonight. I am sorry for that.”
    The waitress comes back with the coffee. “More creamers over here?”
    “No thanks,” he says, and she scurries away. “Sue, I want you to know I’m appreciative.”
    “Sure, no problem.”
    “It sounds like you don’t believe me. You should. Standing up there, ready to launch into that crazy stall act you thought you’d have to do took a serious amount of moxie.”
    “I’m seriously glad I didn’t have to make the P & Z board read the metes and bounds into the record.”
    “But you would have, and I’m sure you would have pulled it off just fine.” He pauses. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, did you forgo a lot of personal plans these past few weeks in order to get this job done?”
    I’m not sure that I need him to know I don’t have a life. I hesitate. “Don’t worry about my personal life. I’m here for you.”
    I think maybe I’ve said something wrong, given the strange way he’s looking at me. He’s been acting so oddly since we got to the restaurant, first silence, and then stares.
    “You must have a personal life,” he says, before pausing again. “If it won’t ruin your relationship with the boyfriend I’m sure you have, I’d like to take you out to dinner at a more formal restaurant to show you how much I appreciate you.”
    Confused, I find myself staring back at him. To my surprise, his expression is warm and more intent than a lighthearted conversation would ordinarily command. His light brown hair flips forward onto his forehead in an almost childlike way. I stare at his jawline, chiseled out of rock. Or maybe steel, because he is starting to look like Superman. Except for his lips. They’re almost sensual, too soft and full to belong to a man from a DC comic. My face burns so hot I probably look like a red balloon. I need to cover my horrific reaction. Say something to normalize the situation. “Uhh, the firm already celebrates my efforts with a very generous paycheck. You don’t need to spend any of your time or personal money on me.”
    “I didn’t realize that buying you a fancier meal would take so much of my time or my money. Now I know.”
    My conversation filler has failed. I hurry to smooth the situation over. “It’s a kind offer, Jordan, but unnecessary. Just telling me that you appreciate my effort is enough of a thank you.”
    “Check,” Jordan demands of our waitress, who is chatting in a corner with the rest of the wait staff. My boss has, once again, dismissed me. About to get into my car, I realize he never did tell me what assignment he wanted to dole out.
    It’s a whole hour later before I finally get home. Crawling into bed never felt so good. In seconds, I am fast asleep.
    My dreams are usually so calm, so rational. But I am dreaming now, and this dream is totally different. I’m at the beach at sunset, cooling off after the day’s feverish heat. Walking along the darkened shoreline endlessly, listening to the seagulls and the waves, I’m happy to be alone, to have no one’s noise drown out the ocean’s sounds.
    I hear a man’s voice. “I have an assignment for you,” he says.
    The voice is Jordan’s. He’s only a few feet away, partially illuminated by the little bit of moonlight shining in the dark sky. Despite being at the beach, he’s in office attire, striped navy trousers, and a white oxford shirt. Sand covers his bare feet. I’m angry he went this far to find me. He wants me to do work for him now? But I can’t deny the flattery that’s felt, too. Maybe he can’t live without me, my dream-logic rationalizes. My initial anger with him ebbs, and I open my arms wide to take from him the files and books I think he’s holding. But he steps into my arms instead, and I’m holding him. The moonlight, getting stronger, highlights his features. Like the sand, his eyes reflect warmth. Leaning down, his cheek brushes gently against mine.
    In a