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“Yes, but not in a courtroom. It’s kind of a long story.” She bit her lip, as if something was bothering her.
“Are you okay?”
She huffed. “Me? I should be asking you that.”
“I’m better now.” I looked at my watch. “But listen, I need to go. I’ll see you later, okay?”
“Sure, sure.”
I picked up one of her hands, lacing our fingers together. “No, baby, when I say I’m going to see you later, I mean it.”
32
Vivian
Speechless,I stood there as Dominick kissed the back of my hand and left.
He’d called me baby. Not the shortened babe. Butbaby.
What is going on?
My phone buzzed in my hand.
Delaney:I can do an early lunch. Meet me in 20 at the Italian place.
I put my hand on my chest in relief.
After the hearing, I had messaged her right away, asking her if she would meet me. I wanted to explain to her in person about why I hadn’t told her I worked with her ex-husband.
Telling her in front of a courtroom full of people was not a way I had ever pictured it happening, and I was angry with myself for not saying something earlier.
I’d thought for sure she would tell me to give her some time or maybe even not reply until she was no longer upset with me.
Finding out she was willing to hear me out right away made me feel better. But only a little. I still had to apologize.
The restaurant was only about ten minutes away, so I got a table, ordered two waters, and waited for Delaney to show up. I didn’t do patient well, and by the time she got there, I had ripped apart two napkins.
“You got something on your mind?” she asked, seeing the mess I had made on the table. “Do you need to talk about it?” she asked, taking the chair next to me.
Delaney was mature and sophisticated. She wasn’t that much older than me, but sometimes, I felt like she was a mom and I was a kid.
I turned in my seat toward her, so she could see my face. “I asked you here, so I could apologize to you in person. I’m a horrible friend and person to work with. I should have never kept it a secret, and I’m sorry for not telling you.”
Delaney took a sip of her water, and I copied her out of nervousness. “Sorry for what? Sorry for not telling me you’ve clearly been boning that beautiful man who was in my courtroom today?”
I clapped my hand over my mouth, almost spitting out the water I had just drunk. Maybe I was wrong about Delaney being sophisticated.
“Uh…no, I wasn’t talking about Dominick. I was referring to the fact that I never told you where I worked. That I work with your ex-husband.” I looked down at my hands. “And I apologize.”
She laughed, and wasn’t that just great? Everyone was laughing at me today.
“Vivian, I know you work with my ex-husband.”
My head flew up. “You do?”
“Yes. My ex and I are both friends with the mayor and her husband. There was a reason she asked me to be a part of her pilot program. And she went to Preston and asked him to recommend someone from his firm because she knew him.” She tilted her head. “You really thought I didn’t know?”
It seemed silly now to think that she’d really had no idea where I worked after we’d been working together for so long.
