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“Trust me, it’s not the Tiffany’s necklace your gramps gave you, or the diamond tennis—”
“Seriously, you don’t have to give me anything, Lola. You took a day out of your schedule and spent it with me.” She held Lola in her gaze, even in the low light. “I know how much that means.”
Lola reached into the backseat and pulled out a wrapped package, handing it to Carmen. “It’s seriously nothing—”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” Carmen carefully tore off the paper, revealing a leather-bound journal titledLetters for Carmen.She flipped through the pages, eyes widening as she realized each one contained a letter handwritten in Lola’s surprisingly neat cursive.
Open When You Need Motivation.Open When You’re Not Sure What You Need Today.Open When You Miss Me.The prompts went on and on.
Carmen’s vision blurred with tears as she comprehended the time and care this must have taken. “You wrote all these for me?”
Lola nodded, eyes wide and glistening and unable to stay on Carmen’s.
“Lola…” Carmen shook her head, at a loss for words. “This is so beautiful.”
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s everything,” she insisted, not letting Lola slip away. “It’s…”
Carmen’s heart expanded to its shattering point. She wanted to tell Lola the truth. That this made her love her even more than she already did. That she was falling hard and fast and had no interest in slowing down.
But the words lodged in her throat. It was too soon, too risky. Lola was just starting to lower her walls, to trust Carmen not to hurt her. A love confession could undo all the progress, scare Lola away.
So Carmen swallowed the words down, ignoring the ache in her chest. She leaned in to kiss Lola instead, hoping she could feel the depths of her feelings in the tender press of her lips.
“Thank you for this,” Carmen murmured, clutching the precious book of letters. “It’s the most thoughtful present anyone has ever given me.”
Biting her bottom lip, Lola leaned in closer. Close enough for Carmen to drown in the masculine fragrance she was wearing. “Wait until you see what else I have for you,” she whispered, hand sliding under her skirt and over her thigh.
Carmen let herself drift under Lola’s touch. Physical intimacy had been easier for Lola than words. Showing her what she felt instead of telling her. So far, it had always preceded a conversation that revealed more about her, took her deeper, and Carmen hadn’t been lying when she said she wanted everything Lola had to give.
Leather-bound book clutched to her chest, Carmen followed Lola inside, deciding that she would walk alongside her anywhere.
CHAPTER55
In her usualspot in the armpit of the U-shaped conference table in a room packed with thirty other lawyers and various staff, Carmen waited patiently for her turn. She sat through long-winded bloviating and quick updates until her mother called on her from where she held court at the head of the U.
“I have an update on Elaine White’s case,” Carmen said casually, like the order she pulled out from under the cover of her tablet was no big deal. Like having won Elaine’s case in summary judgment before the outrageous expense of a trial was all in a day’s work. “Judge granted my motion today,” she said, sounding bored. “With attorneys' fees.”
“Good work,” her mother said before turning to the next person down the line. The pull at the corner of her lip was little more than a flash, but Carmen caught it before it disappeared.
Biting the inside of her cheek, Carmen kept her own grin from breaking free. She hadn’t just done a good job, she’d killed it and everyone in the room knew it.
A mega-dose of self-assurance kept Carmen focused on the rest of the meeting. Practicing what she was going to say to her mother, the way she’d practiced with Lola all weekend, Carmen was ready to take a stand.
As the meeting wrapped up, Carmen approached her mother at the head of the table.
“Do you have a second?” Carmen asked before her mother could stand.
Glancing at her watch, her mother nodded. “I have a call in ten minutes.”
Accepting that as ayes, Carmen waited for the last person to meander out of the room. She used the moments to gather herself. To force herself not to be nervous. “I have a client consult this afternoon, but I’d like to discuss something first,” she began.
Her mother quirked a brow, wordlessly urging Carmen to say what she had to say.
“I’ve been asked to mentor new lawyers for the LGBTQ+ bar association.” She lifted her chin. “And they’re looking to develop an inclusion training program for firms and organizations to use nationwide — so I’m going to be spearheading that as well.”
“I didn’t realize you had so much time to be involved. Your billable hours certainly don’t—”
