Page 127 of A Legal Affair
“Good,” Shara said sullenly. “I need a new ally since you and Caleb have iced me out for the past two months. You didn’t even invite me to your end-of-summer party.”
Evander gave a harsh snort. “Please stop playing the victim, Shara. Unlike that wine and cheese crowd you roll with, I don’t do fake. What you did was foul, and I had no qualms letting you know how I felt about it. I mean, damn, woman,” he growled, lowering his voice so passersby wouldn’t overhear. “You actually set up a meeting with our boss to report Caleb. If Kinsale had gotten back in town before Daniela withdrew from the university, you would’ve gone through with snitching on Caleb. And for what? Huh? I mean, I would’ve taken your concerns more seriously if Caleb had been messing around with some naive little freshman instead of a grown-ass twenty-seven-year-old woman who knew what the fuck she wanted and knew exactly how to go after it. But this was never about power imbalances or professional ethics or morality clauses for you. You were on some scorned bitch bullshit, and you were ready to go scorched earth just to get back at Caleb. Foul, like I said. And off code. But thanks for letting us know how you roll so we can move accordingly from now on.”
Shara’s jaw tightened and she looked away, blinking back tears.
“Anyway, gotta run. I’m meeting wifey for lunch.” Evander slid his sunglasses on, clapped Caleb on the shoulder and grinned. “Nette said to tell you that Karina’s looking forward to Saturday night. It’s all she’s been talking about all week.”
Caleb felt rather than saw Shara stiffen. “Have a good lunch,” was all he said.
“With Nette? Always.” Evander winked and sauntered off whistling cheerfully, as if he hadn’t just taken a wrecking ball to a woman’s feelings.
Shara swiped at the corners of her eyes and sniffed, looking miserably at Caleb. “Sounds like you’ve finally put Daniela in your rearview mirror. Congratulations.” A bitter little smile twisted her mouth. “Let’s hope things work out better for you this time. You haven’t had the best luck.”
Caleb chuckled coldly. “Stay classy, Shara.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but he had already shouldered past her and headed inside the building.
When he reached his office, he was surprised to find his father waiting for him, hands clasped loosely behind his back as he stood before the oak-paneled wall examining the titles on the bookshelves. “Dad?”
Crandall turned and smiled at him. “Hey there, son. Nice office you have here—nicer than I expected.”
Caleb’s lips twitched as he stepped inside the room and closed the door. “And here all this time you thought they’d stuck me in a broom closet in the basement,” he said drolly.
His father chortled. “Let’s not get carried away. Your office is nice enough, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the corner suite you left behind.”
“However will I manage?” Caleb drawled wryly, sitting down behind his desk.
“I saw Evander before he headed out to lunch. We talked for a few minutes, and I asked him when he and Robinette are going to stop fooling around and start a family. I told him his mama and Robinette’s parents want to know as well. The topic comes up every time the four of us get together, which will happen more frequently until our demands are met.”
Caleb grinned, shaking his head. “You have no chill, pops.”
“Can’t afford to at my age, with a bum kidney to boot,” Crandall retorted.
Caleb sighed, lips quirking. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”
His father walked over and picked up the crystal paperweight he’d given Caleb years ago, idly turning it over in one hand before placing it back on the desk. “I had to come into town for a meeting, so I thought I’d drop by and see you, maybe take you to lunch if you have time.”
Caleb nodded, knowing there was more to his father’s unannounced visit than he let on. “Have a seat,” he offered, waving him into a chair.
His father sat down, then got right to the point. “How long are you going to prolong this ridiculous feud with Daniela?”
Caleb frowned, leaning back in his chair with a relaxed calm that belied the sudden tightening of his nerves. “Did I miss something? Aren’t you the one who brought me the news that Daniela Moreau—Roarke—was a complete fraud?”
“I did,” his father agreed, a touch impatiently. “And it was probably one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made in my life.”
Caleb thought his ears were deceiving him. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me, boy. I wish I hadn’t told you the truth about who she is.”
Caleb’s mouth twisted cynically. “Yeah, well, the truth has never been very high on your list of priorities, has it?” The moment he saw his father wince, he regretted the caustic words.
“I’m sorry,” he said grimly. “That was uncalled for.”
“It was, but I had it coming.” A quiet, self-deprecating smile touched Crandall’s mouth. “Sometimes I take for granted just how far we’ve come in our relationship. I forget that the only reason you let me back into your life was that I was knocking on death’s door, thanks to my failing kidney.”
Caleb smiled a little. “That’s not the only reason I wanted a reconciliation, Dad. I was tired of being enemies with you. It required more energy than I was willing to expend.”
Crandall laughed. “Only a lawyer would put it that way.” Sobering, he gazed across the desk at his son. “Seems to me that if you can forgive me for the unpardonable sin I committed, you can forgive Daniela.”
