Page 52 of Dare to Need

“I really appreciate you coming down this far. I know you don’t like to venture out of your wasp nest in Tribeca,” Mrs. Walker jested openly.

“You know I’d go anywhere for you and Mr. Walker.” The smile he gave was strained, as though the muscles in his face weren’t accustomed to the gesture.

I wondered if the real reason he’d go anywhere for the Walkers was because of the monthly sum he received for being on retainer. As I eyed his ensemble once again, that wonder turned into knowing. This man was all about the money.

Mrs. Walker turned her attention to me and said, “Melvin has been our family’s lawyer for decades now. What he lacks in a sense of humor, he certainly makes up for in his ability to guide us through sticky situations.”

It felt strange listening to her talk about him so openly while he sat less than a foot away from us. Maybe this was the kind of behavior that developed when you had more money than most small countries. Or maybe it was because the Walkers’ retainer fee likely put Melvin in his Tribeca apartment to begin with.

I forced a smile and pushed down the nerves that were racking my stomach like a swarm of bats flying through hell. Having come from a sleepy beach town where the dress code was ripped jeans and flip-flops, being in the presence of such poshness was making me feel like I had been jettisoned to another world entirely.

Melvin slapped a Manila envelope onto the table, breaking through my thoughts. With hasty fingers, he unclasped the gold metal flaps and opened the envelope, revealing several sheets of pristine white paper with black ink spread across the front. Leaning over slightly, I glimpsed that the papers were the original subpoena I’d given Mrs. Walker for Melvin to look over.

A string of expletives ran through my mind as I was reminded of the prick who had his own lawyer draw those papers up.Connor. Regret slithered down my spine as goosebumps rose along my arms and legs. So many years were wasted on him and now he was trying to slink back into my life any way possible.

Mrs. Walker’s phone scooted along the table top as it buzzed. Her face lit up when she answered the call. “Okay, great! Would you hold for one second?” She asked the person on the other end of the line.

Covering the voice piece, she leaned forward and said, “George is ready for discharge so I have to run back to the hospital to sign some paperwork with him. You’re in great hands, Eva. Give me a call after?”

“Of course,” I said, rising from my seat to give her a quick hug.

With her hasty exit, I was left alone with Melvin who wasted no time in getting to the point.

“I reviewed the subpoena you received and unfortunately these types of subpoenas are airtight. The likelihood of you being able to get dismissed as an eye witness is very low.” His face was a cold statue as he spoke.

“I don’t understand why Connor would want me to be a witness when he was my boyfriend at the time and he cheated on me with her.” I could feel the tension coil through my muscles. I took a deep breath in, trying to calm myself.

“It’s fairly useless to ask yourself such a question. His legal team is likely grasping at straws to get the professor fired and to seek some compensation for your ex-boyfriend’s losses.”

In that moment I decided with every fiber in my being that I despised Melvin. He was an ass, but at least the ass had done his homework on the case.

“So there’s nothing you can do to get me dismissed as a witness?” I pleaded.

“No, there’s not. Especially since Mrs. Walker informed me that you were an eye witness to the affair. The judge is going to want to hear what you saw in that moment. The advice I have is to be honest. If it looked like two lovers in the midst of a passionate affair, then be truthful about that. It’s the only way you can seek revenge on him.”

Seek revenge…was that even something I wanted to do? Sure, Connor was a complete dipshit, but I didn’t think I wanted to waste my time trying to make him suffer for what he’d done. I’d moved on already and the only thing I truly wanted was to get back on track with my own life.

Melvin dug in his suit jacket and pulled out a small rectangular metal card holder. With a quick flip of his wrist, he pulled a business card out extending it to me. It was simple and elegant with his name and contact information embossed in navy blue and gold lettering.

“Feel free to contact me if anything changes with the case and you require further assistance. Mrs. Walker informed me that services provided to you are now part of my retainer fee as well. I’m at your disposal.”

“Thanks,” I watched as he nodded at me once before he rose from the chair that was much too small for his large frame and walked out the door.

Well, shit.

ChapterTwenty-Two

My feet felt like heavy bricks. With every step I took, they dragged behind me and made an obnoxious stomping sound as I moved forward.

There was nothing actually wrong with my feet, other than the shitty attitude that plagued me the moment I left the coffee shop with Melvin’s voice thrumming through my mind like a broken record.

There was no use in twisting my face into a smile as I opened the door to our hotel room. I was beyond screwed-on smiles at this point.

The door clicked shut behind me and I tossed my small purse onto the nightstand. That’s when I noticed it. A black shimmer dancing in the mid-day reflection from the window. Hanging on the front of the bathroom door was a black mini-dress fit for an heiress of a nightclub chain. The shimmer wasn’t made from plastic frills one would find from a dress in a Forever 21. No. It looked as though it was a patent black snakeskin, with a delicate mesh that ran halfway down the middle, landing right where my belly button would be if I were wearing it.

“Do you like it?”

I nearly jumped out of my flip-flops, my heart racing so fast I could hear it in my ears.

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