Page 23 of Stuck With You
I would never divulge personal information, but Marcie’s voice carried down the hall from the kitchen this morning, and the entire office was made aware of her IUD replacement.
“Who’s got feminine issues?” Kat pops her head around the doorway. “I have cramps so bad, my uterus might actually drop out on the floor.”
Cory’s eyes drift upward, his cheeks turning red while I press my lips together to keep from laughing.
“Oh hey, Cor. You wouldn’t happen to have any Midol up in that arsenal of meds you keep in your drawer, do ya?”
He tucks the folders under his arm and turns to leave. “Excuse me.” He attempts to push past her, but she sticks her arm out, stopping him.
“Seth is looking for you. Something about a large fortune and a donkey sanctuary. He thought you might be familiar with jackasses.” Her mouth pulls into a wide, fake smile.
Cory avoids eye contact as he slinks around her.
Kat’s gaze follows him down the hallway, and then she grins. “He just makes it so damn easy.” She crosses her arms over her chest, leaning against the doorjamb. “He’s intimidated by you.”
I raise an eyebrow, wondering what he has to be intimidated by.
Her shoulders drop an inch as if she can read my mind. “You’re gorgeous, brilliant, and Griffin is loading you with the good stuff. He’s threatened by you.” She glances down the hall. “But if I catch him loitering in here one more time questioning your workload or wanting to review things, I will not only line his entire office with maxi pads, Griffin will be required to fire his ass.”
As far as I’ve seen, Kat and Griffin only interact when necessary. They’re business partners, but they don’t appear to be friends. I haven’t quite grasped why that is when they both seem to socialize with Seth.
The office calendar indicates that Griffin and Seth golf on Friday afternoons, weather and schedules permitting. Kat and Seth regularly meet friends for drinks and have invited me multiple times, but happy hours typically don’t include kids.
“Have you heard from Slade?”
“Not yet. I’m not sure I want to know the damage.”
“He’s a little rough around the edges, but a good one. He’ll shoot you straight and not take advantage.”
Kat has only said she helped Slade a time or two, but never how. It’s none of my business, and client-attorney privilege is real, so I haven’t asked. That doesn’t mean I’m not curious.
She glances at her watch. “I have a hair appointment at four, but if you want, I can drop you off at home.” Her nose scrunches. “I hate that you’re having to ride the bus.”
She offered to pick me up in the mornings, but she lives on the opposite side of the city and is usually here before sunrise or heads straight to court.
“Only if it’s on your way.”
She waves a hand. “I’ll grab my stuff and hopefully have time to squeeze those babies.”
My phone buzzes, and I reach for it, hoping it’s Miles and that, by some miracle, he’s ready to be a decent human being. It’s Slade Bennett.
“I’ll meet you out front in fifteen.” Kat throws a thumb over her shoulder and disappears.
I swipe to answer. “This is Sarah.”
There’s a moment of silence before the low, grumbly voice. “It’s Slade.”
My stomach squeezes tight, knowing this will be a blow to my bottom line that I cannot afford or easily recover from.
I brace my elbows on my desk, sending up a silent prayer. “Hi. It’s nice to hear from you. I’ve been anticipating your call.” They say kill ’em with kindness, and I wonder if that works with nerves.
I hear faint banging and what sounds like a drill in the background.
“I have an estimate prepared. Do you want to go over that or have it emailed?” His cordialness remains intact.
“Let’s just rip the Band-Aid off. No need to sugarcoat it. Just give it to me straight, doc.”
This man’s severe seriousness makes me want to push every single one of his buttons just to see what happens. Life sucks enough, but to wear it as a coat of armor would be really heavy.
