“I saw it,” he said.
She let out a brittle laugh.
“Apparently, everyone did.”
He didn’t ask to come in.
“Are we doing this on the porch?” he asked gently.
She stepped aside.
“Come in.”
The door closed.
She folded her arms, more armor than comfort.
“They made it sound like I knew,” she said. “Like I defended a murderer.”
She looked away.
“And like the verdict had nothing to do with me being good at my job.”
Her voice thinned.
“Like the only reason I won was that Charlie and I were together.”
Silence stretched between them.
“As if I couldn’t possibly have beaten them on my own.”
She turned away from him, wrapping her arms tighter around herself.
Reid’s expression hardened.
“No,” he said quietly. “They said that because the alternative is admitting you were smarter than everyone else in that courtroom.”
“They didn’t have the evidence, Reid. The state didn’t prove its case. That’s how this works. I didn’t believe he was guilty. I would never represent someone I believed killed his wife.”
Her voice shook.
“I believed him. And I proved my case.”
“I know.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I know you.”
That stopped her.
She swallowed hard.
“Why is this happening now? What does Charleston have to do with whatever those podcasters are chasing? This is crazy. Why drag me into it?”
“Ratings,” he said. “Clicks. You’re visible.”
“So I’m content.”
