Page 107 of Dirty Judge

He was guilty as hell.

There’d been so many moments when I wanted to call him for advice on my law school applications, so many instances when I wanted to show up to his place and slide under his sheets, but…I couldn’t.

I had a train ticket booked for Ithaca, New York for tomorrow—to look into a small bit of information I found on his hometown, but I doubted it would change anything.

I still hoped it would, though…

Brushing the thoughts of him away, I slipped out of my car and strolled into the admissions department at Hudson Law School.

“Hold it together, Liv,” I muttered. “Hold it together.”

I had a scheduled interview to ace.

The golden entry doors welcomed me inside a marble hallway, immediately reminding me of my days working in Liam’s office.

I followed the signs for “Mid-Year Applicants,” and signed in before taking a seat.

Everyone else in this room looked far younger than me and far more prepared.

Shit.“I left my briefcase in the car,” I muttered.

“Next applicant, please!” A suit called out from the other side of the room. “Is Miss Olivia Spencer here?”

“Yes?” I nodded. “That’s me.”

“Come follow me, please.”

“Could I run to the car and get my briefcase first?” I asked. “I’ll be quick, I promise.”

“That won’t be necessary.” He gestured for me to cross the room.

I bit my tongue, hoping I hadn’t messed up my chances before they could begin. I followed him through three sets of doors that gave way to a circular room encased in floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.

“Well then, Miss Spencer,” he said, picking up a navy blue binder with glittering gold lettering, “welcome to Hudson Law School! We look forward to you continuing your education here.”

“Wait, what?”

“A guide will arrive here soon for your one o’clock tour, and then your advisor will meet you for a free lunch at our Sweet Sentencing Café.”

“I thought this was a first round interview,” I said, not wanting to get my hopes up. “Are you sure you’re not confusing me with someone else?”

“Not at all, Miss Spencer.” He laughed. “We’re quite honored to welcome you into Hudson, and are confident you’ll excel exactly where you left off in your studies.”

“But…” I dug a nail against my skin to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. “I haven’t been doing anything special to be considered so fast.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Very sure.” I nodded. “I hit submit on my application two seconds before the deadline.”

“You’re not the only one.” He laughed again.

“But when you get a glowing, five-page recommendation letter from the Honorable Judge Liam Ashton—along with a “You’d be fucking foolish not to accept this woman ASAP,” note—you get to skip the entire line, Miss Spencer.”

Liam did what?

I stared at him in utter disbelief.

“You were already near the top of our list for managing to last longer than three months as his law clerk,” he said. “His stamp of approval pushed you over the top.”