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“I’ll spot you, no big deal. You can buy our next meal.”
She hesitated and looked back toward the office.
“Hailey, it’s like a five-dollar taco bowl, and I’m going to order the lobster when you’re buying.”
“Or I’ll just pay you back,” she said.
“Whatever helps you sleep at night. Now I have an important question. Your taco experience hinges on this.”
“Fire away,” she said as they proceeded down the sidewalk.
“Do you prefer verde or roja salsa?”
Smiling, she considered the question. “Emm, this is an important decision. I’m going with verde on the taco but roja for the chips.”
He clapped his hands as they walked up to the short line. “Excellent, we are officially food compatible.”
“Is that important when two people are competing for the same job?”
“Well maybe not, but it makes things easier when two people are working in the trenches together.”
He was rewarded with another big smile, but then it was their turn to order. She opted for three street tacos, the same dish he always got, and they agreed to share one bag of chips and salsa. Once their order was up, they sat on a bench that outlined a big concrete fountain, the chips between them.
“I can’t believe I’ve never had these,” she said after finishing her first of the three tacos in record time.
“I can.”
She wiped her mouth, then sipped her drink.
“Is that judgment I hear?”
“No, I just mean you’re too driven at work. Focused. That’s commendable. You also don’t walk through this park on your way to court or, I’m guessing, on your route home.”
She studied him. “It sounds like you’ve been paying more attention than I realized.”
He wanted to flirt with her, and tell her of course he’d been noticing her, but he wasn’t sure if that would go over well.
“Just old habits to pay attention to my surroundings. Like I’ve noticed one of the senior partners disappears at lunchtime for hours, and several of the newest rookies come in smelling like breweries every Monday morning.”
“Kids today,” she teased after scarfing down another taco.
“What do you think is Tovar’s real angle? Does he want to just bully his soon-to-be ex-wife into giving him her company out of spite? Or is it more?” he asked, changing the subject. She didn’t need to know that he’d been admiring her with curiosity since he started with the firm.
Hailey nodded. “I don’t like to take my client’s word for it, but I think Mr. Tovar is a dirtbag, and Mrs. Tovar is telling the truth about her company. Mr. Tovar has had three sexual complaints filed against him, according to the chatty woman in HR at Tovar Enterprises. A few years ago, the board voted him out of a leadership role, and he’s nothing more than a figurehead, spending most days at his club in Arlington.”
“Did you do recon without me?” He was impressed with what she’d managed to dig up so far.
“I like to cover my bases and made a few calls. What do you think?”
“I don’t think they have any proof to support his claim that he funded her company. I think he’s self-righteous and entitled.”
“But if we aren’t prepared to defend it, we could look foolish in court. We can’t get complacent,” she said.
“Complacency breeds failure. I’m familiar with that old gem,” Finn said, reaching for a chip, and his hand collided with hers. Instead of pulling away, she stole the chip he reached for and ate it.
“What’s the toughest part of being a SEAL?” she asked.
He was surprised at her personal question. Until now, she hadn’t asked him anything about himself.
