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Her fuzzy, pain-filled head picked up on the word renegotiate. Before she could contemplate asking what her sister meant, the call disconnected.
Chapter 11
Brooklyn nodded, her foot tapping the floor under the desk. Max Hale had come in thirty minutes ago, and since then he’d been shooting the breeze, an occurrence that was becoming more and more common these days. With his retirement announced, Max had stopped taking on any new cases—not that he’d been taking on many since his heart attack anyway. Most days Brooklyn didn’t mind the break the older attorney’s conversations provided. This evening she did.
She’d seen little of Derek this week. Still suffering from a migraine, she’d called in sick on Wednesday. He’d stopped to check on her after work, but she hadn’t been up for company. Not quite herself yet, she’d worked from home yesterday. When he stopped by with dinner, she’d had a hard time keeping her eyes open, so he hadn’t stayed long. She suspected she’d looked like hell too because he’d asked if they should postpone their getaway.
Although uncertain of how she would feel today, she’d insisted they keep their plans. And once Hale left, they could get the weekend underway. Derek was waiting in his office for her. When he’d returned from court, he’d shot her a friendly wave as he walked past her door, but with Max sitting across from her, she’d only been able to give him a nod.
“Did I tell you Noah starts at Georgetown this fall? Plans on studying medicine. I’d hoped after interning here for two summers he’d go into law. His father and I tried changing his mind. Noah’s stubborn. Insists medicine is for him.”
Brooklyn remembered the man’s grandson and wasn’t surprised he’d turned away from law. Although a nice kid, he’d seemed a bit of a rebel. The type who wanted to pick his own path, and the more someone pushed him in one direction, the more he’d run the opposite way. “Maybe Holly will go into law. She seems to like working here.” Brooklyn referred to Max’s granddaughter who was working at the firm for the summer.
“Maybe.” Max looked at his watch and winced. “I’m supposed to meet Carol and the Feathertons at the club, but looks like I’m going to be late. Enjoy your weekend.”
“You, too.”
The office door closed and she turned toward her computer. The moment Derek saw Max leave, he’d be over and she planned on having a little fun with him.
As expected, her door opened and Derek walked in without knocking first. “Thought he’d sit in here all night.”
She heard the door click as it closed, but she still didn’t look in his direction. “I know. Give me another ten minutes and I’ll be ready to leave.”
“Whatever you’re doing can wait.”
“It’s important,” she insisted, using the same tone she used in court and trying not to smile.
Derek came around the desk and looked over her shoulder. “Important, my ass,” he said when he saw the solitaire game she was playing. With a hard yank, he pulled her chair away from the desk and scooped her up. “Time to go.” He headed for the door.
“Put me down.” She slapped his shoulder, making him stop, but he didn’t let her go. “You can’t walk into the hall carrying me like this. There are people here.”
“So what? I don’t care. If they don’t know about us already, they will soon.”
She glared at him. “I do. I don’t want people talking about us.” Brooklyn suspected some already were, but they didn’t need to add fuel to the fire.
“I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m just eager to go.” He put her down. “Are you ready?”
“Most definitely.”
Brooklyn had expected they’d drive down to Newport before setting off. So she was pleasantly surprised when Derek entered the parking lot for the Providence Marina.
“When did you move the Affinity up here?” she asked after he opened the car door for her.
“Last night after I left you. I didn’t want to waste time tonight.”
Derek slipped an arm around her waist and kept it there all the way down the dock, only letting her go as she stepped onto the seventy-eight-foot Squadron he’d purchased the previous summer. A purchase she’d been envious of. Although she loved the water and spent as much time as she could on it, she’d never learned to pilot any kind of water vehicle.
“Make yourself comfortable. I’m going to let Oscar know we’re ready to depart.”
She’d met Oscar before. Derek hired the retired Naval officer whenever he used the Affinity for entertaining. Since it’d only be the two of them on board today, she’d assumed he’d man the controls like he normally did when they went out. “It’s only us. Why did you bother hiring him?”
“Too hard to focus on you and the water.” He winked at her before he left.
Getting comfortable meant changing out of her suit. Brooklyn carried her overnight bag below deck. In the past when she’d gone out on any overnight trips, she’d used one of the smaller guest cabins. Today she passed by her favorite one and entered the main cabin instead, a place she’d never ventured into before.
Like everything else on board, it appeared as though this space had been custom-designed to Derek’s specifications. A large bed took up much of the cabin and a long desk lined one wall while a sitting area occupied another. With no trouble, she could picture her and Derek cuddled together as Oscar whisked them off on romantic getaways every weekend until the weather turned too cold. One day at a time. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself.
The mental reminder got her feet moving again, and she quickly changed into the shorts and tank top she’d packed before heading back up.
