Page 47 of Daddy’s Protecting

The foreperson raised a sheet of paper and read, “In the charge of accessing a computer to defraud and obtain value, the defendant is found to be not guilty. In the charge of intentionally damaging by knowing transmission, the defendant is found to be not guilty. In the charge of recklessly damaging by intentional access, the defendant is found to be not guilty.”

Cynthia turned to look at Dirk. Her death grip on his hand lessened slightly. She whispered, “Not guilty?”

“Not guilty on all charges,” he clarified.

“The jury has found the defendant, Cynthia Grant, not guilty on all charges,” the judge announced. He focused directly on Cynthia. “May I suggest you rely on the man at your side and your friends behind you from now on? It appears that you are not as alone as you once thought.”

“Thank you, Your Honor,” she whispered incredulously.

The judge rapped his gavel, ending the trial. Immediately, Dirk swept Cynthia into his arms and twirled her around in a celebratory circle that made her head swim. The Edgewater employees cheered their support as they rushed forward to congratulate her.

Dirk disappeared from her side as she thanked her former colleagues for being there. Worried that something was wrong, she looked around the courtroom. As she watched, he shook hands and spoke with every juror. Even from a distance, she could see them respond positively.

“Cynthia.” Easton Edgewater’s deep voice pulled her attention back to the celebration.

“Yes, sir. Thank you for coming to support me.”

“That’s what the Edgewater family does. They take care of each other. Suddenly, I think we need a cookie of the day to go along with the featured soup in the cafeteria. Do you think you could add that to your workload?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

“I have my job back?” she forced through lips that suddenly felt numb.

“Next week, I want to see you hard at work in the cafeteria. We’ve missed you,” he answered. “I would prefer you don’t work on the computers, though.”

“Never!” she promised.

An arm wrapped around her waist, and she looked up into that handsome face she loved. “I get to go back to work.”

“It’s about time,” Dirk told her. “I’m tired of hearing people whine about missing your food. Let’s get out of here, sweetheart.”

Cynthia nodded. She’d had enough of courtrooms for the rest of her life. They made one quick stop to have the ankle bracelet removed from her leg. It was funny how much lighter she felt with it gone. Only weighing in at a half-pound, it shouldn’thave been noticeable, but Cynthia allowed herself to celebrate its disappearance by skipping happily at his side as they left the courthouse.

Once buckled into the passenger seat of her Daddy’s luxurious sedan, she twisted to study him. From the first moment she’d seen him, illuminated by the spill of light from the basement entrance of his house, he had captivated her. Not just because he was handsome and well-dressed, but because of his quick mind and caring attitude. He could have left her alone under his deck in the rain. But he hadn’t.

“Why did you let me into your house that first evening?” she asked.

“I couldn’t leave you outside in the rain,” he deflected the question.

“Of course you could have. Many others would have. What made you decide to help me?”

“I opened the door because I’d promised my oldest friend that I would try to help. I decided I needed to help from the first look into your eyes when you emerged from the shadows.”

“I must have been a total mess,” she laughed.

“You were a sight I’d been hoping to find for years. My Little girl. I’m still amazed that after all my searches to find you, you came to me. Easton knew you were special. I wouldn’t put it past him to have already known that you were mine.”

“He’s pretty smart. How come you never ate at the cafeteria? I don’t remember running into you on the Edgewater campus.”

“I wasn’t ever there, except for meeting with Easton. We decided years ago, when he first designed the Edgewater campus, that it would be best if he housed the attorneys away from the other departments. Often, I even attended meetings virtually. It was more time efficient,” Dirk shared. “You may, however, remember catering frequently to meetings.”

“I do. My duties always squashed the temptation to deliver the food myself.”

“You work too hard. I will talk to Easton about this.”

“You will not!” she retorted, exasperated. “I just got my job back and I definitely haven’t earned any special treatment.”

“Watch your tone, Little girl,” he warned.

“Dirk, I’m serious. Please do not make demands about my hours. I chose to work overtime because I didn’t have anything else to do.”

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