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“I guess we know what we both need to work on today. You find that case file, and I’ll continue to hunt through all the finances.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll let you know if I find anything,” he said. “Take some sushi back with you.” He pushed the bag toward her and watched her hesitate.
Hailey’s blond locks looked thick piled up on her head, but several wisps had escaped and a pencil was poking out of the top. She looked sexy and cute, but he wasn’t going to tell her that.
“You don’t have to feed me.” She peeked into the bag.
“No, but a hungry Hailey isn’t going to be as effective as a well-fed one, so take any that look good to you. I got a variety.”
She selected a tray of spicy rolls and a pair of chopsticks. “I’ll buy our next lunch.”
“I’m not keeping track, but I’ll let you take me out if you insist.”
Her eyes narrowed before she turned to leave, and he watched as her hips swayed. She floated out of the room, leaving a hint of mint and something sweet behind.
Then he started searching his computer for the court case he wanted. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been sifting through legalese when his phone started vibrating again in his pocket. His brothers had started texting him, and he realized he’d been in the office for almost four hours. He and Hailey had exchanged a few messages via their work chat system but otherwise were each digging through files. He’d found the case he remembered, but most of the files had a lock attached to them, so he wasn’t able to access everything.
Looking up, he heard her footsteps before she appeared in the doorway.
“I’m going to head out for the night. I still didn’t find any link between any of Mrs. Tovar’s accounts and the business accounts.” She sighed. “We can pick up on this tomorrow and request our client give us more details about her dead aunt. Maybe another relative kept better records of the inheritance.”
“Hey, real quick. Do you know what this lock next to a file signifies?”
Moving closer, she squinted at his computer. “Sensitive and compartmented.”
“Sensitive and compartmented by whom?”
“It means there was some level of government involvement. Could be they were under investigation by the IRS for tax evasion.”
He hit print on the document and shut down his computer then stood.
“Want to find out what it was?” Finn asked, hoping she didn’t have other plans.
She tilted her head and studied him. “That feels like a trick question but yes. But we’ll have to file a request with the court tomorrow.”
“Or we can ask someone who served as a district attorney in Alexandria when this case was tried.”
“Who?” she asked, her interest clearly piqued.
“Come with me to dinner, and I’ll introduce you.”
“You have a date for dinner with a district attorney working in the Virginia courts, and you’re inviting me to tag along?”
“No, I’m having dinner with my mom, and she was a district attorney in Alexandria when this case was on trial. Now she’s a judge.”
“Your mother is a judge?”
He moved past her, careful not to touch, but he still took a subtle inhale to catch her scent. Did she taste as delicious as she smelled?
“I thought you did all your research on me and knew that,” he said, grabbing the printed documents and heading out of his office. “Shut that door, will ya?” he called when he was halfway to the elevator. Not waiting to see if she would follow, he pressed the button.
The elevator doors popped open, and he held the door for her, then pushed the button for the garage level once they were both in. He knew she usually walked to the Metro. She would need to take the first floor to exit to the street if she wasn’t going to join him for dinner, but she hadn’t pressed the button yet. Hailey was like a wild animal living in a busy city: suspicious of people. The only option was for him to be patient and wait for her to decide she could trust him.
“I doubt your mom wants to talk about a ten-year-old case over dinner.”
She reached forward and pressed the number one. His heart sank, and his momentary disappointment cost him precious seconds on a game plan to convince her to join him.
“My mom loves to talk about law anytime and anywhere, especially with hungry young lawyers. Same as my dad.”
