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“I have to say, I was surprised when you invited me to a work dinner. I didn’t think we did that sort of thing,” Sheila commented as we walked toward the restaurant.
“I eat dinner, you eat dinner. There was a dinner planned, so why not?” I answered vaguely. Sheila frowned but didn’t say anything else.
The maître d’ led us to the back of the restaurant toward a glass conservatory. Adam had booked a table for eight, but only four people were seated. Adam was saying something in his animated fashion and his fiancé, Meg Galloway, was laughing. Rob was of course alone, looking as if he hadn’t changed from the court earlier. And he probably hadn’t. He was a good-looking guy, but he dressed as if his mom were still buying his clothes.
I purposefully waited until the last possible moment to lay eyes on the final member of the party. Because of course, Lena looked hot as hell. She had piled her long, dark hair on top of her head, leaving her neck and shoulders bare. She never wore much makeup, because she honestly didn’t need it. I had never met a woman who was more naturally beautiful.
I swallowed, my mouth feeling suddenly dry, and put my hand on Sheila’s elbow, leading her to a chair. “Good evening, everyone,” I called out, making my entrance. “You all know Sheila Moore from the District Attorney’s office?” I asked.
Adam got to his feet and shook Sheila’s hand. Meg nodded hello. I pretended that I didn’t see the look Rob threw my way. “Hi, Sheila, lovely to see you.” Adam turned to his sister. “Lena, Sheila is an assistant over at the DA’s office. Sheila, this is Lena Ducate, our new associate.”
Lena’s mouth was pinched, but she gave Sheila a lovely smile as she leaned over the table to shake her hand. “It’s so nice to meet you, Sheila,” she said sounding sincere.
“Nice to meet you too, Lena. Though I believe I’ve seen you at the courthouse a few times before.” Sheila sat down while I greeted Adam, Meg, and Rob.
“Lena worked as a paralegal at the office for almost a year. So, I’m sure your paths crossed already,” Rob added. Sheila made a noise of interest and began to ask Lena questions about the cases she worked on.
I sat down directly across from Lena, my leg brushing against hers underneath the table. Her eyes met mine before quickly skittering away.
“Can I get you something to drink?” the server asked me once Sheila and I were seated.
I glanced at Lena, my lips quirking. “Something with tequila perhaps?”
Lena’s eyebrows rose. “I don’t know, you seem like a Cosmo kind of guy to me.”
We stared at each other combatively.
“No hard liquor on a school night, I’m afraid,” Sheila laughed, interrupting our stare-off.
I slung my arm over the back of Sheila's chair and laughed too. “That’s probably a good idea. Iced tea for me, please. No tequila” I ordered with a final dig at Lena.
Lena snorted but didn’t respond.
“So, Lena, why didn’t you bring Brian?” Meg asked after clearing her throat. Brian? Who the hell was Brian?
Lena took a sip of her wine and I did not watch the way her lips parted over the rim of her glass. I repositioned myself in my seat, trying to surreptitiously maneuver my bits into a more comfortable position. Sheila was chatting with Rob about a new piece of legislation set to hit the state legislature in the next few weeks, which wasn’t really holding my attention. Plus, I wanted to hear more about this Brian fellow.
Lena waved away the comment. “Brian is so last week, Meg.” The women laughed together, as if in on a private joke.
“That’s a shame. He seemed like a great guy with a good head on his shoulders,” Adam said, joining the conversation.
“Sounds like a boring stiff,” I stated, biting down on a stuffed mushroom.
Lena’s shoulders tensed at my remark but didn’t look at me. I frowned, feeling ignored. “Brian’s a great guy. Really nice—”
“So, he was a dog then. There’s no way a woman would describe a good-looking guy as ‘nice,’” I sneered.
“Or he could be a really nice guy,” Meg added before Adam could tell me to shut up.
“There’s nothing ugly about Brian, I assure you, Jeremy. But thank you for your concern,” Lena quipped, finally glancing my way.
I lifted my glass in a mocking salute. “Marlena Ducate, defender of fugles everywhere.”
“I swear to god if you don’t stop calling me Marlena, I’ll—”
“Guys, guys, save the battle for the courtroom,” Meg broke in with a nervous titter.
Sheila put a hand on my leg and squeezed. “Everything okay?” she whispered. I gave her a distracted nod.
“So, back to Brian. Is he your boyfriend then?” I couldn’t help but ask.
Lena pressed her lips together in a thin line. “He’s no one. Don’t worry about it,” she bit out and I relaxed back into my chair. No one was just fine with me. I could live with no one.
