Lawyer Up by Kate Allure Read Free Book Online

a long time, but I will repay the money I owe you as well as any other court costs and stuff like that.”
    â€œOkay, sure, but no rush.”
    Then he led her gently to his car. As he drove toward his home, Jon was dumbfounded by his own behavior, ultimately concluding that he had gone completely nuts.

5
    ALL RISE
    Hours later, they sat at the kitchen table in his small, almost barren apartment in the ritzy Hollywood Towers complex. When they arrived, Beth had looked around curiously at the sparse, cheap furnishings and lack of decor, and he’d felt the need to explain that his ex-wife had taken almost everything in the divorce.
    â€œDamn lawyers!” he had said, not quite joking.
    Beth had showered and dressed, inquiring first how to firmly lock the bathroom door. Afterward, she’d expressed gratitude for the loan of his clean but too-large sweatpants and T-shirt. She had washed her clothes, such as they were, and hung them to dry.
    After that, they ate the simple lunch he’d prepared and talked about what to do next. At her request, Jon agreed to drive her to the diner. One way or another, they would get some answers. Then he’d take Beth to the public housing department to see about some emergency shelter for her. They also discussed her legal defense and whether there was any point in going after her former roommate for selling her stuff.
    When Jon told Beth that trying to get her things back would probably not be successful, her face fell. He watched her wrestle with her emotions—from anger to misery and finally spunky determination. He was impressed. No matter what had brought this woman to such a low point, he could see that she wouldn’t give up easily. Her grit transformed his apathy about the pro bono task into a desire to help Beth overcome her problems.
    At the same time, Jon fought his inappropriate, growing attraction to her. His loneliness must be what was making this woman so captivating, he surmised. But she looked adorable in his way-too-big clothes. With her hair clean—falling in wavy, blond curls around her face—and no makeup, Jon could almost believe that she really was just a small-town Southern girl with hopes of stardom. Earlier, while she was arguing with her ex-roommate, he’d been completely surprised to hear Beth speaking with a Southern accent when she got upset. The soft drawl was pleasant sounding, exotic, even erotic. He could imagine her purring in bed in a come-hither drawl.
    Jon realized there was a lot he didn’t know about Beth. Suddenly she ceased to be just a case and became a person with a past, with problems he knew nothing about, and probably with hopes for a better future. That made Jon question whether he was being fair to her.
    Then his cell rang and he went to the bedroom to answer it. After twenty minutes he returned and reported, “Beth, unfortunately I have to do some urgent work on another case. I can work from home, but I’m sorry, the trip to the diner will have to wait until tomorrow.”
    He ignored his inner guilt when he saw her disappointment, reminding himself he’d already done more for her personally than for any other client in his entire career. At least his mentor was happy that Jon had taken on a charity case, not even commenting on the ad hoc nature of the “project.” He turned to go back to the bedroom.
    â€œOkay then,” she replied, hesitation in her voice. “Umm…as soon as my clothes are dry, I’ll head out, and maybe we can meet at the diner tomorrow.”
    Jon suddenly realized that she had no place to go, no family in the area or boyfriend, as he’d learned at lunch. He turned back to her. “Beth…do you have anywhere you can go for the night?”
    She shook her head no. “It’s okay. You’ve done so much.” That look of determination was back. “I’ll figure something out.”
    He stepped closer, looking down at her.