Page 116 of Until You

“Okay.” Now two people close to him were acting strange. What the hell was going on?

When they were out of earshot of the other guys, Randy asked, “Do you think the injunction’s going to hold?”

The injunction was solid, and he’d resisted the urge to tell the partners “I told you so.” Sure, he could have filed one earlier—and they had pushed hard for him to do just that—but that precedent had been shakier. He’d begged for more time to come up with something more ironclad, and he’d come through.

His partnership was in the bag.

But Randy rarely asked about his cases, so this was odd. “Why the interest?”

He shrugged but looked uncomfortable. “Just curiosity. Britt would kill to have a Margo Benson store open here.”

“Her and every other woman,” he grumbled.

“Say…how serious is it with you and Lanie?”

“Pretty serious.”

“That was fast.”

“I know.” Tyler grinned like a fool. “No one’s more surprised than I am.”

“What do you know about Lanie’s job?” Randy asked, looking concerned.

Tyler tensed. “Why are you asking?”

“If things are serious between you two, then you really need to know.”

“She’s signed an NDA, and says she can’t tell me anything.” Then a new thought hit him. Why hadn’t he thought of it before? “What about Britt? Does she know?”

Randy’s gaze held his. “You need to talk to Lanie.”

“Dammit, Randy. Does Britt know? Wait, do you know?” When Randy didn’t answer, he said, “You do.”

“I can’t tell you. I’m sworn by attorney-client privilege.”

Tyler shook his head. “Wait. Lanie hired you to be her attorney?”

Randy leaned closer. “It was strictly off the books; I was doing Britt’s cousin a favor and looked over her contract. No one else knows, and I’d really like to keep it that way.”

The firm frowned on pro bono work for extended family and friends, but something still seemed off.

“You need to talk to her, okay?” Randy said. “Especially if things are serious with you two.”

Tyler rubbed his temple. “Yeah. Thanks.”

“She’s an amazing person, and Britt thinks the world of her,” Randy said as he walked out the door onto the sidewalk. “Don’t hurt her, okay?”

“I love her. The last thing I’d ever do is hurt her.”

Randy nodded but he didn’t look convinced as he walked back inside the bar.

***

Tyler let himself into his apartment, relieved when he saw the table set and the sound of running water in the bathroom. Between Randy’s chat and Lanie’s tears, Tyler was paranoid and freaked out, and nearly convinced himself that Lanie was about to break up with him, although he couldn’t figure out why she would. Sure, they’d both worked long hours the last week, but when they were together, it was amazing.

He walked down the hall and stopped in the partially open doorway and peered inside. Lanie was in a tub full of bubbles with her hair up in a messy bun. Her eyes were closed, but her jaw still looked tense.

Her eyes opened and she gave him a hesitant smile. “Hey, what are you doing home already?”

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