Page 70 of Cold Foot Cash

She wasn’t crying, or asking God, “Why?” She’d expected this.

Beside her, Cash looked handsome in slacks and a button up shirt. His brown leather shoes had been polished. He sat there with his eyes on the door, his forearms resting on his knees, his hands clasped. He’d promised that either way, he would take her to a nice dinner tonight, and she’d known what he was doing. He was giving her something to look forward too whether Lance showed up or not.

He’d been tense all morning, but now, his hands suddenly relaxed. He sat up straighter with a smile on his face for Abigail.

“You freaking did it,” she murmured.

Confused by the exchange, Harley followed Abigail’s gaze to the front.

Bronson was holding the door open for his client. Lance glanced at her, and then focused on removing his belt for the metal detector.

“Oh my gosh,” she uttered in disbelief.

Abigail rushed to talk to someone standing in the doorway of the courtroom, and beside her Cash bumped her shoulder.

“He’s really here,” she whispered in disbelief.

No man had ever worn a more handsome smile than Cash did in this moment. “Zero more days,” he said.

She leaned heavily on him and tried to keep her emotions under control.

Lance was walking this way, and Bronson was headed toward Abigail.

She stood, and beside her, Cash stood too. To her shock, Lance nodded to Cash. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Cash murmured, like they had met before.

She looked from Cash, to Lance, and back to Cash. “What’s happening?”

It was Lance who answered. “He came and talked to me. Hey before we go inside, can we talk? Alone?”

“Okay.” Here it came. Here came the trick. Here came Lance to pull the rug out from under her.

Lance led her toward the wall and then turned, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. “My lawyer has drawn up new paperwork. He’s going over it with your lawyer now.”

“Great,” she muttered. “What do you want now? My hair? I think I have thirteen dollars in my purse for gas. You want that?”

Lance hung his head, and shook it. “No. The changes benefit you.” He lifted his gaze to hers. “Your guy said some stuff that stuck with me the other day. Don’t get me wrong, I hate him, but he made sense. He explained what I’ve been doing to you, and I…” Lance’s eyes held emotion for the first time in a long time. “I’ve been doing this all wrong. I know it’s done, and I know I can’t go back, but I don’t want you to hate me forever. Can I ask you for one more favor?”

She was shocked to her very bones at all of this. Cash had talked to him? When? They’d been together for the last three days. He’d been keeping her busy. When had he even had time to talk to Lance?

“It depends on the favor,” she said stiffly.

“Can we just end this like we started it? Just us in there? And the lawyers, of course.”

And she thought about it. She loved that Cash had been here for these three days, and had acted as vital support when she’d needed it. But she was okay with finishing this with Lance. She cast her attention back to Cash, and he stood there, tall, and stoic, and strong. He nodded once, as if he’d heard from all the way over there. He probably had. Handsome shifter.

She exhaled tension, and told Lance, “I’m okay with that.”

Lance gestured for her to enter the courtroom first.

“We’ve got to have a quick talk,” Abigail said, barely containing the excitement in her voice as she held up a stack of crisp paperwork. There was a private room just inside the courtroom, to the left of the doors.

Two men in suits were closing the swinging doors behind her, and in a few seconds, Cash would be blocked from Harley’s view.

He smiled at her, and she returned the smile, and gave him a little wave.

He truly was her best friend.

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