Page 402 of Small Town Firsts
Dex gave me a thumbs up. “Sure, bro.”
“It isn’t,” I insisted. “If need be, I could go without for a very long time. Not easily,” I acknowledged as my brother laughed hard enough to splash scotch on his custom navy blue suit. “But I have before.”
“Yeah, but you found your brand of catnip. Now you’re in trouble. Much harder to resist when you’ve had a faceful of the good stuff.”
“If you only knew.” Before he could expound upon that subject, I forged ahead. “You told Dad what I said to you in confidence.”
“You said a whole lot of nothing, as usual.”
“Yet you told him I wanted to quit.” I drank half my coffee in one throat-searing swallow. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“Look, it’s your own fault for—huh?”
“You broke the ice with him for me. I appreciate it.”
Dex stared at me for a long moment, his expression puzzled. Then he set down his glass and walked over to flatten his hands on top of my desk. “I take it all back. You need to get this woman back. I have her number. I’ll call her. I’m not above offering her a cash payment to put up with your annoying ass.”
Only one part of that statement stood out to me. “Why do you have her number?”
He stepped back as if he was weighing his personal safety. “Company records?”
“You asked her for it.”
“Maybe?”
I sighed. “She’s allowed to give you her number. It’s a free country.”
“That it is, but when I asked for it, I didn’t realize you’d had your first boner in half a decade in her direction. I haven’t used it.”
“Your free pass for insults is almost used up. Get your last few in before I kick you out of my office.”
“Ah, yes, but it won’t be yours for much longer. I’m glad you told Dad you were done with his crap.”
“It depends how long it takes for me to wrap up my cases—and to convince Bishop he wants to throw his lot in with you.” I pointed at him. “Use that cash payment you were going to give Ryan to wine and dine him. Unless you want to helm this ship all on your own.”
He returned to the mini bar to retrieve his drink. “I’m okay with stepping up to shoulder more of the load, but I’m not prepared to carry it all on my shoulders. I enjoy divorce law for the sport it is. I also enjoy my very active personal life.”
“Rub it in.” I drank more coffee and debated getting another, liberally laced with scotch.
Or perhaps a scotch laced with coffee.
“She’s into you, man. I saw it myself. You were all sparky.”
I laughed. And kept right on laughing while my brother gazed at me questioningly and probably wondered if it was too soon to call for medical help.
A knock sounded at the door before our mom popped in her coiffed head. “There is literally no sound I love more than my boys laughing together. I hope I’m not interrupting.”
“Of course not.” I rose and waved her over, kissing her cheek and accepting her hug.
Was I imagining things or was her embrace a little tighter than normal? Could’ve been mother’s intuition or maybe she wasn’t as happy with her arrangement with my father as he claimed.
Frowning at the assorted desk paraphernalia scattered on the floor, she went over to hug Dex as well. He held onto her as he gestured to me. “Your eldest son is in love. You should start planning the wedding.”
I’d picked that unfortunate moment to take my last sip of coffee—and ended up spitting it out over the vest that Ryan had chosen for me that morning.
Our mother let out a tinkling laugh. “So, your pretty assistant sealed the deal already? Is she out selecting her bouquet? I was hoping to see her today. There’s a tarot festival in Turnbull in a few weeks, and I was wondering if she’d like to attend with me. Maybe we could make it a threeway.” She tapped her chin.
Dex shook his head. “Don’t use that word with other people, Mom. It doesn’t mean what you think it does.”
