Chapter
One
Whitney Winters stepped out of her condo building onto the sidewalk with a light sweater draped over her arm. This was her favorite time of the year. Early May, when the Richmond, Virginia, weather was almost mild and the humidity not yet unbearable. Living only a couple of miles from the office, she enjoyed the walk, especially when she got an extra early start, like today.
The brisk morning air invigorated her. Finally, the last of the pink and white cherry blossom petals that had littered the city had been washed away by the recent precipitation, and the streets were clean again. Longer days were on the way.
She slipped on her sweater and shoved her hands into the pockets, lifting her shoulders and enjoying the sun just beginning to peek above the horizon, casting a beautiful glow across the horizon.
Across the road, a man jogged alongside a shiny Irish Setter. It was unclear who was leading whom, but neither flinched as a tractor trailer rumbled by, interrupting the quiet morning.
Ahead, the offices of Barron, Winters & Wall still impressed her as much as they had when Mom would bring her to visit Daddy. The four-story building was small compared to the tall buildings that now flanked it, but its grand, palazzo-style architecture with large arched windows, and the way the red brick contrasted with the natural stone still made a statement. With a sense of pride, she approached the tall double doors. Her keys jingled as she pulled them out of her purse to open up the building and turn off the alarms. Moments like this, where only memories hung in the air, enveloped her and felt as comforting as those quiet days with Uncle Blake on his farm. Back then, when she’d fed and watered the horses in the early mornings, she’d dreamed of being a veterinarian and living in the country.
She took in the grandeur around her.
This is about the furthest thing from my childhood dreams.
But she was walking in the footsteps of her father, and this place was a living testament to her roots and being a part of upholding legal excellence for the community for four generations.
Once the alarm disengaged, she headed for her office. Her heels echoed against the gleaming white marble floors.
For a brief moment on her way to the break room to get a cup of coffee, she let her mind go back to those mornings on the farm when the hay smelled sweet, and the horses nickered with excitement at the sound of her muck boots hitting the alleyway in the barn.
The only warm nuzzle she’d get today would be from her coffee mug. She made her coffee and went to her office. Her computer started up as she took her first sip of coffee and settled in to get a head start on this week’s caseload.
Over the next two hours, the office came alive. Phones rang, people talked in the halls, and the rustle of papers filled the air.
She’d been plowing through case files for a while when a deep voice at her door caught her attention.
“Did you see it?” he said, his voice tight.
Her brother William stood in the doorway to her office, business-ready in his signature black suit and designer tie. However, his reaction was noticeably agitated, his mouth twisted as if his morning coffee had been spiked with prune juice.
“Your head isn’t spinning, so I’m going to guess you haven’t,” he said.
His mocking tone hadn’t gone unnoticed, and to be honest, it wasn’t a welcome interruption. Beside him, her sister-in-law and best friend, Carina, had just stepped in from behind him. With her chin tipped downward and lips pressed together, she was clearly amused by whatever had William so shook up. Even though William and Whitney were brother and sister, Whitney and Carina were more often on the same page, so Carina’s reaction tempered her own.
Whitney leaned back, distancing herself from the computer screen that had commanded her attention for the past two hours. “See what?” She blinked as her eyes readjusted.
William marched over and shoved his phone toward her. “Look.”
She fumbled with his phone, but it only took a moment for the picture to come into focus.
“Where did you find this?” She laughed at the picture of a billboard with the firm’s slogan in shiny eighteen-carat gold, and her father from the chest up looking remarkably young. The way his partial image hung against the background gave him sort of a King-Kong-on-the-side-of-the-Empire-State-Building look. “Hysterical. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this one before.” The laughter was a pleasant reprieve from the work she’d beenconcentrating on, but when she handed William his phone, he wasn’t laughing.
He leaned forward, tightening his grip on the phone. “That’s because it’s new. I just took this picture ten minutes ago.”
“Wait. You’re telling me this is anewbillboard of Dad?” She got up from her chair and snatched the phone back to get a closer look. She glanced toward the open door, then stepped closer, lowering her voice. “Did he have them airbrush his wrinkles and darken his hair?” She turned the phone toward Carina. “He looks twenty years younger.”
“Oh, I already saw it in the bigger than life-size version on the ride into work. Trust me, it’s obvious he looks younger.” Carina’s lips pursed, a sure sign she was getting ready to say something sassy. “I see more of a likeness between William and your dad now.”
William glared at Carina.
She shrugged, clearly enjoying poking fun at her husband. “Just saying. Don’t take it the wrong way. Your dad is a handsome old man. You will be too.”
William’s jaw pulsed as he turned his attention back to Whitney. “I thought we convinced Dad that billboards are outdated?—”
“And embarrassing. From what I see there, he took it to mean we thoughthelooked outdated?” Whitney said.
