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“Good.” I laugh, reaching for my phone to snap a selfie. “It’s a perfect reminder of how incredible your grandma is.”
“Take the picture and then eat.” Bella points at my pasta. “After lunch, we’re going to connect you with Chloe, so you have the best of the best on your side when you negotiate with Case.”
I don’t want to negotiate with him. I want us to be on the same page.
Working with Case in California is what I want more than anything, but I don’t want a lawyer to help me get that. I want the offer to come straight from Case’s heart.
Chapter 60
Case
As I sit at Drake’s desk, I read Emma’s contract over for the third time.
“Is it correct, Case?” Maureen Townsend, the lead counsel for Cabbott Mobile, taps her pen against her palm. “You’ve been staring at it for thirty minutes.”
That’s because I’m taking a leap of faith.
I feel like I’m about to attempt a jump over the Grand Canyon without a running start and no safety net.
I read the paragraph about the location of the position again.
It’s the address for Cabbott Mobile in San Francisco.
Emma’s office will be next to mine.
I want her next to me in bed when I wake up every morning.
“The salary is generous,” Maureen says.
She wants to fill the silence. It’s the same thing she did after Pol died. She talked and talked about nothing when I asked her to come to my office a week after he died.
I needed her to work her magic to cancel my purchase of the apartment on Madison Avenue. Before she could do that, Drake worked his magic, and I agreed to move in.
I’m thankful for that now.
It brought Emma into my life. There’s no way in hell Drake would have tried to pass the two-bedroom walkup on the Lower East Side off as his own.
“It’s fine,” I finally say. “I need to order pizza and pick up some cupcakes.”
Her thin lips perk up in a grin. “Cupcakes? Don’t you detest sweet things?”
I laugh. “I’ve changed, Maureen.”
She takes a step forward. “You should thank whoever is responsible for that.”
Pushing back from my desk, I stand so I can give her a hug.
“What was that for?” She smiles.
“For helping me get through the darkness seven years ago.” I point at the contract on my desk. “And for helping make my dreams come true.”
She pats my cheek. “I’d do it all again in a heartbeat. I know it hasn’t been easy, Case.”
“Loss never is.”
She contemplates my words. “Grief runs on its own schedule. I get the sense that you’re edging toward brighter days.”
Before I can say anything in response, her hand is in the air. “I’m not saying that you’ll ever stop grieving, but you’re turning a corner. I can see it, and nothing could make me happier.”
“I am turning a corner,” I affirm with a nod. “I have someone special to thank for that.”
“I think I know who.” She presses a finger to her lips. “I’m bound by client and lawyer privilege. No one will get those details out of me, not even Drake.”
I raise a brow in response. “He’ll know soon enough.”
He will. I plan on telling my best friend that his sister owns my heart.
“Are you as surprised as I am that he’s marrying Jane?” She lets a laugh spill out of her. “I thought they hated each other.”
My brows perch together. “I have no fucking idea who Jane is.”
The laughter slows as her eyes skim my face. “You know Jane.”
“I don’t.” I shrug. “I’ve never met a Jane.”
Something shifts in her expression. “She was an intern at Cabbott, Case. It was years ago.”
“Seven years ago?” I question.
Her gaze drops. “I guess it was around that time, yes.”
“Shit.” I drag a hand through my hair. “Why don’t I remember her?”
“You had very little to do with her.” She rests a hand on my shoulder. “She was assigned to Drake. They couldn’t get along. She finally left after a couple of months.”
I try to drag up a memory of Jane, but I come up blank. Grief might be to blame for that, but it’s no excuse.
“She stopped in last fall to see Drake to apologize for giving him a hard time.” A smile tugs on the corners of her lips. “It wasn’t love at first sight, but there was something there. You know what they say about there being a fine line between love and hate.”
“Does he seem happy?”
“Happier than I’ve ever seen him.” She drops her hand in front of her. “Almost as happy as you are.”
I’ll be happier if things go my way tonight.
“Have a copy of the contract sent to my apartment.” I adjust my suit jacket. “Seal the envelope. I don’t want the doorman getting his eyes on it.”
“Done.” She nods. “Anything else?”
“Take the rest of the day off.” I surprise both of us with that statement.
