Page 10 of Someone For Everyone

She frowned. ‘Why not?’

‘All the money’s tied up in property and I can’t afford an upfront retainer. There’s no available money to pay a solicitor until after everything’s sold, and that could take months.’

‘That is a problem,’ Kate said, feeling bad for him – it was a common scenario. ‘When I worked for Blandy & Kite, we were limited as to the number of cases we could take on that wouldn’t generate immediate income. I’m sorry, it’s not fair, I know. I can sympathise.’

For a moment he seemed baffled. ‘Are you a solicitor?’

It was no wonder he seemed surprised. She hadn’t exactly displayed professionalism, or even sanity. ‘Yes, although right now I’m working temporarily as a paralegal, until I know whether I have a career left or not. If I’m made bankrupt, then it’s game over.’ She snatched at another handful of tissues, willing herself to stop crying.

He was still looking at her. ‘What area of law do you specialise in?’

‘Wills and probate.’ She took another sip of hot chocolate and forced a smile, for her sake as much as his. ‘Why, do you want to engage me?’

‘Yes.’

She stilled. ‘I was joking.’

‘I’m not. I’m desperate, and by the sounds of it, so are you.’ He repositioned himself next to her on the sofa, not touching, but close enough that she could see speckles of copper in his brown eyes. Calvin. That was his name. Calvin Johnson.

She swallowed awkwardly, unsure where this conversation was headed – and slightly thrown by his close proximity. ‘You want me to apply for probate for your uncle’s estate?’

‘Yes, I do. I’m the executor and I have no idea what I’m doing. I really need the help. And it’s a big estate, so your fee will be substantial. As well as the tower blocks in London, there’s a few garage blocks and a large property in Kent. The commission will easily clear your ex-husband’s debt.’

She liked that he hadn’t referred to it as her debt. ‘There must be a catch?’

‘Several.’

She almost laughed. He was honest, she’d give him that. ‘Go on then, hit me with it.’

‘All the records are stored in handwritten ledgers dating back to the 1950s. I’m struggling to find out who owns the leases on the all the flats, and the property in Kent is a care home. There are several debts and the staff there haven’t been paid for five months.’

That didn’t sound good. ‘Who runs the business accounts?’

‘My uncle did.’

She was almost afraid to ask her next question. ‘No one since?’

He shook his head. ‘It’s a bit of a mess.’

An understatement. The chances of her dealing with an estate of that complexity in three months were slim-to-none. Valuing the estate alone could take years.

But what other choice did she have? This was the first glimmer of hope she’d had in months to escape her predicament. This had the potential to solve her problems, even if not straight away. Her uncle would allow her the time off, she was sure of it. He hadn’t really needed a paralegal; he was just helping her out, so she wouldn’t be missed.

She held out her hand. ‘You have yourself a deal.’

He let out a sigh of relief. ‘You have no idea what this means to me.’

When he shook her hand, she almost sighed, too, but for an entirely different reason. His grip was so warm and soft, it was almost as comforting as the hot chocolate. Thankfully, she stopped herself in time.

‘Hopefully, it helps us both out,’ she managed to say, aware she’d yet to release his hand, and unsure as to why. Maybe she was distracted by his hair, which she’d noticed faded from a dark chocolate brown colour to almost blond at the ends.

‘I’m Kate Lawrence, by the way,’ she said, fighting for professionalism and not allowing herself to be distracted by the man sitting next to her.

Something that proved impossible when he said, ‘Kate Lawrence, you’re a lifesaver,’ and his face broke into a huge smile. The impact nearly had her falling off the sofa, and for the second time that day she lost her breath.

It was rude to stare open-mouthed at someone, but she couldn’t look away, even if she’d wanted to. His whole face changed when he smiled. His eyes creased, his dimples turned from slight dents into deep crevices that framed his even white teeth, and his face just… Well, it glowed. There was no other word for it. It was like the sun coming out on a cloudy day.

A sense of foreboding settled over her and she quickly withdrew her hand. Getting all doe-eyed over a man was not what she needed, or wanted. She was still recovering from her marriage imploding. No man was ever going to burn her like that again. Not ever.

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