Page 30 of Bonus Daddy
I turned on my heel, but before I made it to the door, his strong hand landed on my arm.
“Jess, no,” he rasped. “You don’t have to go. You were making a silly joke. I get it. You don’t have to censor yourself around me. Yeah, I may be your lawyer, but we’re also friends. I like your awkward jokes.”
My heart seized up. “You do?”
“Yes. There’s nowhere near enough humor in this office. Other than when Cal pelts Sully with his mini basketballs and when Lo thinks she’s seen a mouse.” He winced. “I promise there aren’t any rodents. We got that taken care of quickly after we moved in. And Fuzzy provides extra insurance.”
I barely heard a word he said as I focused on breathing. I’d come in here, excited to see him, eager to make a kind gesture. Then I’d gone and made a big old mess out of everything.
“I’m doing my job. No gifts necessary. And trust me, it was truly my pleasure to fuck with Kenneth. This…” He held up his phone. “This makes me happy. You used your precious free time to come up with an idea and to create something I’d enjoy. That means a lot. I’ll listen to it on my run tomorrow. It’ll motivate me to keep working hard for you and the rest of my clients.”
My nose stung and my eyes got hot. That was the sweetest thing he could have said. And it only made me want to kiss him more. Why couldn’t the best relocation lawyer in the state be a crotchety old man? Or maybe a hyper-competent woman who intimidated me?
Either would have been preferable to this. Because I wasn’t sure I’d survive working with this handsome, competent, thoughtful man whose presence always brought back the best memories.
“I’ll get out of your hair,” I said awkwardly, taking a step back. “I’ve got to grab the girls.”
With a nod, he padded back to his desk. “Thank you again.”
I gave him a goofy grin and a double thumbs-up before closing the door behind me.
Double thumbs-up? God, I was a disgrace. I knew I was rusty after the whole traumatizing marriage and divorce, but my God in heaven, it would have been better to trip and fall on my ass. This manwas my literal savior. He was managing my legal issue, no doubt at a reduced hourly rate, and had thrown in messing with my ex-husband for free. And I had a raging, inappropriate crush.
Edna, my hypothetical therapist, whom I could not actually afford, would have a field day. I was definitely buying ice cream on the way home.
Chapter 11
Brian
“Where are you going?” Lo called as I passed her office. “It’s not time to walk Fuzzy.”
I backtracked, stopping in her doorway. “I have an appointment.”
She pulled up my calendar on her computer, wearing a studious frown. “Who is Doctor Johnson?”
Cal’s laughter echoed down the hall. “Good man,” he said as he ambled closer. “It’s time you got that checked out. It happens to a lot of blokes. There are a lot of medication options these days.”
I yanked the small basketball from his hand and tossed it at his forehead. “What’s a guy gotta do to get a little privacy around here?”
“I’m your assistant,” Lo said, chin lifted. “You don’t get privacy from me.” She looked over at Cal, whose blue eyes were shining with curiosity. “Are you gonna tell him, or should I?” she asked, eyeing me. “You know he has ways of getting information from me.”
“Fine.” I huffed. “And I could do without the mention of how he gets information from you, thank you very much.” I shuddered. “Therapy.”
Cal took a step back, as if receiving a physical push, and a second later, Sully darted out of his office.
“You?” Cal gaped. “You’re going to therapy? I thought you were going to the penis doctor.”
“It’s called a urologist,” Sully explained.
“Since I’m much younger, I have no need to know such details,” he said, giving Lo a wink.
I shuddered. “Not that it’s any of your business, but yes, I am going to therapy. Why? Have you been?”
“I’m British. Stiff upper lip and all that.”
“I have,” Sully admitted. “For T.J. and Sloane. And it helped. A lot. Good for you, mate.” He clapped me on the shoulder, and then he was gone, ducking back into his office.
I appreciated it. Sully had done nothing but grunt and snarl for months after Sloane had asked him to move out. These days, I caught him smiling more than he had since law school, when he fell head-over-heels for his wife, and too often, I’d accidentally walked in on the two of them dancing in the kitchen.
