Page 6 of Something Borrowed

Brigid stood at the tall table, her hand clutching the empty glass like a life preserver in the sea of hostile lawyers. After she and Grady had come back inside, they had stayed together for a while, and then they had been split by conversation. She still wondered what the hell he’d meant about his mother. She had known the relationship between him and Matthew had been odd, but she had never been one to pry into it. Now she wished she had. But he had shut her down quickly, throwing her own words back at her, about them not being in a relationship. At least he didn’t say they were just fucking.

Damn. She had bigger issues to deal with, like her own career and her own life. Too many questions thanks to Barracuda Betty. She was barely into her third year at the firm, and she had plenty of time to think about her personal life. But it was becoming more and more obvious that her entire life and choices were being scrutinized as part of her career path. Her plan needed to be revised. Immediately.

“So you and Grady are getting serious. I knew it!” Caroline’s ecstatic voice interrupted Brigid’s reverie.

“What? No, absolutely not.” Brigid whirled around and leaned into Caroline, poking a finger at her chest. “Don’t be getting any ideas, Caroline. He was just convenient. Nothing more. Besides, he should be here for his brother.”

Caroline smirked. “Matthew could have invited his family any time he wanted. In fact, his mother and stepfather are talking with my parents right now. Grady didn’t need your invitation.”

“Still, I needed a date.” Brigid grumbled, still off balance by her previous conversation.

“Well, I think you two make a cute couple. You need him, at least someone like him. Brigid, you’re too serious. You need to relax instead of working all the time. One of these days, you’ll have an ulcer, the way you’ve been going.

Brigid pressed a fist to quell the burning in her stomach, hiding it behind her empty glass of scotch. Check that off her list.

Grady and Matthew chose that moment to join them, although, judging by the grim look in Grady’s eyes, he might have overhead some of their conversation already. She snuck another glance at him. Yup, he was pissed all right. Damn. She didn’t have time to walk him through this now. She had partners to impress.

She lifted her glass to Matthew. “Congratulations, partner. You deserve this.”

He grinned and clinked her glass. “Someday it’ll be you. Peterman likes your work. And now Elizabeth Wardwell has taken an interest in you? I don’t know whether to congratulate you or pity you. Hey, your glass is empty.”

Grady smoothly slid the glass out of her hand. “I’ve got this. Anyone else?”

“Thanks, Grady.”

They watched him weave his way to the bar, then Matthew cleared his throat. “So, you and Grady?”

Caroline punched him in the stomach. “We’ve already covered this. They’re friends.” She put up air quotes around the word friends.

“Good.” Matthew nodded and scanned the room, as if the topic was closed.

“What?” Caroline’s voice rose an octave. “How can you say that?”

Matthew shrugged. “This is a rough business. Grady wants a wife, a family, white picket fence. The complete package. That’s not Brigid. It’s better if they don’t get involved. This way, no one gets hurt.”

Caroline and Brigid both stared at Matthew, jaws slightly opened. Caroline was the first to recover. “And I don’t want all of that?”

“It’s different. You can have it because I’m the lawyer. Brigid, however, is the workaholic lawyer, leaving Grady at home. He doesn’t get that kind of life. He’s happy the way he is. And I doubt he’s the kind of man Brigid wants. Am I right?”

Grady cleared his throat next to them, and all three swung around, staring guiltily at him.

Brigid took a step forward, but he shook his head, stopping her from moving closer. “Grady, I…”

“No problem. I’m a contractor, a builder. And I’m happy with who I am, that’s true. Brigid and I are just friends. I’m just helping her out, right?”

He handed her the glass of scotch and only she saw the tightened jaw, the hard, icy glint in his blue eyes.

Damn. They were in too deep.

* * *

It was close to ten by the time Brigid let herself in her apartment and tossed her purse and keys on the table by the door. Flicking on the light, she sighed. Her apartment was spotless, as always, except for a few law books on the coffee table where she had been researching late into the night. It wasn’t that she was a neat freak; it was just that she was rarely home long enough to make a mess. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her of that long-forgotten salad and the missed appetizers while she was interrogated by Barracuda Betty.

After that conversation, and what she saw in the other woman’s eyes, Brigid wasn’t sure she could call her that anymore. Elizabeth raised serious questions that Brigid never thought about in her zeal for her goal. She had a plan, one developed years prior, and she was so close. She had always known her future. Her father had been very clear from the time she was a child what his expectations had been for all of his children. They had all achieved their goals early, except for Brigid. She was on pace for her goals, but that wasn’t good enough for her father, as he often reminded her in their weekly conversations about her career choices. Up for a promotion, putting her on the track for partner at one of the top law firms in Houston. She should have been at least content. But Elizabeth Wardwell gave her a glimpse of her future. Everyone knew Elizabeth was a ball buster, one of the top divorce attorneys in the state.

And she was alone.

Elizabeth Wardwell never brought a date to firm events. She was never linked to any man or woman, for that matter. She always seemed confident, unapproachable, and aloof. Yet tonight, Brigid saw something in her eyes that she wondered if she would feel if she followed the same path.

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