Julian
Close this one out strong, Hawthorne.
I smirked and typed a quick reply, not surprised he was paying close attention. That was what happened when you brought in the kind of deals I did.
Me
Done. Final review complete and sent to Ryder for signature.
At thirty-four, I was already one of the youngest partners in the firm, and I had zero intention of slowing down.
Still, my gaze drifted to the framed photo on my desk of Lila and me from our trip to Punta Mita between Christmas and New Year’s. She was laughing in the shot, the wind whipping her chestnut brown hair across her face. Her hazel eyes glowed as she looked up at me like I hung the moon. Her embroidered cover-up did little to hide the delicate curves beneath.
I missed that version of us, before our schedules seemed to fall out of sync.
I had surprised her with that trip because I thought we both needed a break away from it all. I could still remember her barefoot in the sand at sunset, laughing when a wave had splashed higher than she expected and soaked the hem of her cover-up. She’d wrapped her arms around my neck afterward and told me she wished we could stay there forever.
I’d promised her we’d come back again and stay longer next time.
Glancing at the clock, I realized that I needed to get this wrapped up if I wanted to have enough time to stop at Oste on my way home. A quiet night on the couch after we talked about whatever stuff she wanted to discuss sounded fucking amazing. Probably seating charts or flower colors. I’d sit through all of it happily if it meant having her cuddled up against me.
The door to my office opened, and Kaylee slipped inside carrying two coffees and a takeout bag.
“Thought you might need reinforcements.” She set one of the cups in front of me. “Black with one sugar, extra hot, just how you like it.”
“Thanks.”
“You’ve been glued to that screen for hours.” She perched on the edge of my desk, crossing her legs. “I figured the caffeine willstop those dark eyes of yours from glazing over before you finish reviewing Ryder’s contract.”
“Already done.” I took a sip of the coffee. “But it’ll help me stay awake for the drive home.”
Kaylee rolled her eyes. “Yes, that nine-mile trek must be so hard.”
“Plus a pit stop on the way home.”
“Still better than sitting on the 110 for an hour.” She reached into the takeout bag and slid a sandwich toward me. “Turkey avocado. Before you ask, yes, I remembered the aioli you like.”
I looked up. “You didn’t have to do that.”
Kaylee shrugged. “You forget to eat when you’re buried in contracts.”
“Apparently, everyone in this office knows my habits better than I do.” I shook my head with a laugh. “I appreciate it, but I need to stop at Oste in about an hour and don’t want to spoil my appetite.”
“Then I guess I’m ahead on meal prep for tonight.” She slid the sandwich back into the bag. “You and Lila have big dinner plans tonight?”
“Nah.” I turned back to my monitor. “Just takeout at home. I don’t have a lot of time to spare, so let’s knock this out.”
We shifted to the retainer agreement for a new client I’d just landed this morning. She was a breakout star from the most-watched show on a major streaming service, and she wanted a couple of small changes to the boilerplate contract I normally use.
Kaylee stayed perched on the edge of my desk, reading over my shoulder as I scrolled through the latest revisions. She caught a typo I’d almost missed and pointed it out immediately.
“See? That’s why I keep you around,” I muttered, making the change.
She laughed softly. “Someone has to watch your back while you’re playing hero for all these Hollywood egos.”
We worked like that for another twenty minutes before she murmured, “If you ever need me to stay late again, just say the word. I don’t mind pulling extra hours.”
She was a solid paralegal, ambitious and detail oriented. A little overly friendly sometimes, but nothing worth making a big deal over in this office. Everyone here was casual.
