Page 243 of The Maxwell Brothers
"I hope I won't have to."
"So do I. Enjoy your freedom, Victoria." Her scumbag ex-husband had cheated on her and hadn’t even wanted to payalimony. He even bought a house without telling her. I got her a generous settlement that would allow her to start over. I saw the change in her posture the moment we won. Her shoulders straightened, and her body seemed to relax for the first time since I’d met her.
I took great pride in what I did. I’d promised her a fair deal, and I’d gotten her one. I had a reputation for being tough, but it was a necessary trait in my line of work.
"Oh, I will."
After she left, I went to my own car. I lived for days like this, when court started in the morning and I had the whole day ahead of me. Typically, I was too full of adrenaline to go back to the office. I wanted to celebrate this for an hour or so before I dove into the rest of my workload, so I decided to go home and work from there for the rest of the day. I headed straight to the house, wondering if Liz was going to be there.
I wasn't too proud to admit I’d made a mistake when it came to her. I’d clearly misjudged her. I hadn't cared to ask for an explanation about her odd hours. I thought maybe she was a grad student, partying until late every night.
Instead, her story had taken me by complete surprise. The woman was determined, hardworking, and too damn sexy for my peace of mind. The combination made we want to lock her in my house and have my way with her.
I still couldn’t get over how stubborn she was. Then again, I wasn’t in the best position to question that. I was stubborn as hell myself. Just like last night, I barely held back from going to the guest house and checking on her. I’d stayed up until one o’clock before deciding I was being completely ridiculous and went to bed.
Once I got in the car, I checked my phone. I had a missed call from Gran. I immediately called her back as I started the engine of my Range Rover. I never ignored a call from Gran. Shemight need something urgently. Most of her calls were for small talk, but you never knew when a real emergency could pop up. Thankfully, she answered right away.
"Morning, grandson," she said.
"Hey, Gran, what's up? What can I do for you?"
"Oh, don't go so fast, young man. How was your day?"
"I had court. I won."
"That would explain why you sound so energetic while this bag of bones is barely on her second coffee. I hope I didn't disturb you while court was in session."
"No. You know I always mute my phone when I'm in the courtroom. I checked it now and saw you called."
"I was thinking about organizing a get-together now that Reese and Kimberly are back as well. I spoke with Reese on the phone. She sounds like she had a good trip."
"Sure, why not? Let me know when it is, and I'll try to make it work. If it's on the weekend, I can make it for sure."
That was another golden rule: I didn't work weekends. I'd worked my ass off to get to where I was, and now I could make my own schedule, so I refused to put in any hours over the weekend.
"You don't know why Reese is a bit different since she came back from Paris, do you?"
I frowned, weighing my words.
"Different how?" I asked.
"You tell me. She's being coy on the phone. Yes, she said she loved France, but I got the feeling there was something she wasn’t telling me."
Shit. Reese hadn't told her about my uncle getting married, but obviously Gran's radar was on point as usual. The woman could sense anything.
"I don't know, Gran. Just ask Reese."
"Young man. You hesitated. What do you know?"
I cleared my throat. Gran only used “young man” when she meant business.
"I didn't," I said with all the confidence I always employed in the courtroom.
"I'm your grandmother. Don't you try to lawyer me."
For fuck’s sake.Why did Reese even tell me? I wasn’t good at playing clueless. When did she plan to tell Gran? At lunch, we hadn’t reached any conclusion.
"Look, Gran. I need to read an important email, but I'll get back to you."
