Page 4 of Tangled Hearts

It was with great relief that she broke up with me saying that turtles had more ambition than me. That’s probably an insult to turtles.

I had spent years chasing the best degrees, best internships, best jobs, best cases, and I missed that the person I loved the most in the world was growing sick. Mom kept her cancer diagnosis from me because she didn’t want to interfere, she said. And I, so busy with my career, didn’t even notice that she was thinner and more pale with each passing week until it was nearly too late.

She’s on the mend now, but her heart is broken that she’s too weak to knit, not to mention her eyesight is screwed up from all the chemo and radiation. So I knit for her. It didn’t seem like a big deal, but Julie was appalled when I told her the stash next to my living room sofa was mine and not my mom’s. She said that knitting was unmanly, as if somehow holding metal sticks in my hands that were sharp enough to pierce someone’s jugular actually made my dick fall off.

My sizeable dick still hangs between my legs despite the fact that I’ve made a scarf, a hat, and a sweater. Damned proud of the latter one, but it’s too warm for sweaters, so it’s tucked away until the snow comes.

Maybe my dick will fall off when I put it on, like the swan’s wings in the old Grimms’ fairy tale about the sister and the seven brothers. Hopefully Julie won’t be around for that. At some point, she has to stop crashing here. Right?

I contemplate pouring the glass of water on her face and forcing her out into the street, but that would actually makemy mom cry if she heard I did that, so reluctantly, I leave the passed-out drunk on my living room sofa and go to bed myself.

Julie is the perfect example of why I hardly ever date. Once a woman latches on to you, it’s almost impossible to get rid of them.

Chapter Four

NATALIE

“This case is actually horrible. The defense lawyer is dumb as hell. The judge is biased, and the client keeps trying to stick his hand up my skirt.” I thump my head against the desk a few times.

“Yikes.” Frankie drops down into the chair in front of my desk. “Sounds like you need a happy hour too.”

I lift my head. “Too?”

“Yeah. Luna called. Her new friend needs another girls' night.”

“That bad?” Julie had been throwing back those drinks the other night. I wasn’t judging her or anything because everyone deals with their stuff differently.

Then, I overheard her discussing with Luna the possibility of going to her ex's place. That sounded like a horrible idea. I’m sure Luna tried to talk her out of it, but sometimes when you’ve had a few too many, things tend to get out of hand.

Luna, Frankie, and I could get into some shenanigans back in college. The three of us always stuck together. We’d never been big into the dating scene. We kept our heads down and plowedthrough law school together. In rare moments, we’d have a girls’ night out to let loose a little.

“Actually, I think it's good.”

“Really?” That’s a bit shocking. “I didn’t think it was ever good to show up at your ex’s drunk.” I mean not that I would know from experience. I’ve never had a boyfriend, which means I’ve never had an ex and have no clue how these things go, but I read a romance novel here and there. Okay, maybe one every night before bed.

“I guess he took care of her or something. Probably had crazy hot make up sex. I didn’t get all the details. I’m sure we’ll hear them tonight.” Frankie rubs her hands together, ready for gossip, not caring where it comes from. She says the one big plus side to having to be in an office filled with men all day is they are bigger gossips than women. That they love them some drama.

“Fine, I’m in.” I shut my laptop. Julie is gorgeous and super fit. I bet she does have wild sex stories. At least someone is having sex. I’m not going to lie, it’s kind of nice to have someone new in our little circle. Plus, I’m nosy as all hell and really want to know what happened.

Less than ten minutes later, Frankie and I are walking into Hot Spot. Of course, Luna isn’t here yet. Luna can be rather predictable, and she is always late. She has all her little bubbly quirks, and they make up who she is, and I hope that never changes. I hope her new, very wealthy fiancé won't attempt to erase them and confine her to a Stepford-style box.

“They are really busy today.” I nod in agreement, my eyes roaming across the bar. “Oh, I think they might be leaving. He’s going for his wallet.” Frankie points to a table across the room. “Let's go over there and make it awkward for them.”

She is already moving before I can tell her I don’t think those men are going to be made to feel awkward. Both are handsome, but the one with thick, black hair is better-looking. A few womenat the tables near theirs are batting their eyelashes toward them, trying to get their attention. It’s not working. But I can’t say I blame them in the least.

As if sensing my gaze, the black-haired man turns his head and locks eyes with mine. My breath catches. I think handsome might be an understatement. I almost trip before I jerk my eyes away from him. What the hell was that? I'm blaming it on the heels. They are half a size too small, but I couldn't pass up the sale. I still have college debt to pay. I can't be forking over full price for anything.

I want to tell Frankie to stop before we get any closer, but I swear it’s as though this handsome stranger has some sort of hold on me. My feet continue to move toward him. Never in my life have I had a reaction like this to a man.

“You guys planning to wrap it up soon?” Frankie asks. Did I mention she’s anything but subtle? I swear I want the floor to open up and swallow me. “Holy shit, are you Kaden Gunner?”

“Yeah, you need me to sign something?” He doesn’t even look up at her. His attention is on his phone.

“Nah, I want to buy you a beer. You know how much money I won when you fumbled that ball on the one yard line?” Kaden’s head finally snaps up to lock on to Frankie. “You had the boys at the office so pissed, and I cleaned house!”

“Is she serious right now?” Kaden asks my black-haired man.No, bad Nat. He’s not your anything. Knock it off. I silently chastise myself. I think I have been hanging out with the new client too much.

“Why don’t you ladies join us?” Mr. Handsome suggests. Even his voice is nice. It’s deep but has a hint of softness to it. It’s sexy but also soothing. Did I mention his smile is killer?

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