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“No, thank you. We won’t stay. I just thought you should know what happened today.”
Jake sits next to her and takes her hands in his. “It’s okay, Chels,” he says softly.
I watch from the doorway as he transforms from the protective guy sizing me up in the hallway to the supportive partner she needs.
Sophie catches my eye, and I can tell she’s thinking the same thing.
“He was nice,” Chelsea says, looking at Jake for reassurance before she turns her attention to Sophie. Her nose scrunches up as she grimaces. “I mean… he seemed it. You can never tell.”
“Who was?” Sophie urges gently.
“The man I bumped into while taking a walk around the park this afternoon. He didn’t tell me his name. But you said I should tell you if anyone tries to discuss the case with me.”
“You did the right thing calling. Was anyone else with you when he approached you?”
“No. I was on my own, walking my dog. I didn’t see anyone else.”
“Okay, can you tell me exactly what he said?”
Chelsea glances at Jake again, then swallows.
“He was making a fuss of Dylan, my dog.” She takes a deep breath. “Then he said he didn’t want to upset me but that he recognized me from the news and hoped that I was doing okay. He said he knew how stressful a court case can be.”
“Do you feel that he was trying to make you worried about testifying?” Sophie asks.
Chelsea shakes her head. “That’s just it. He was being so nice. He wasn’t suggesting I should be careful. He seemed more concerned about you.”
“Me?” Sophie frowns.
I bristle, my body tensing as I fold my arms and stare at Chelsea as she shuffles in her seat.
“He said he’d heard that someone wrecked my lawyer’s car, and that I must understand how stress isn’t good when you’re pregnant. He said he was sorry I had to go through a trial, but that you didn’t. That you were doing it by choice.” Chelsea places a hand over her swollen stomach.
“I thought it sounded weird,” Jake pipes up. “I told Chels we should call you.”
“You did the right thing,” Sophie says. “What he told you is correct. My car was vandalized. But it’s nothing that I’m worried about. And you shouldn’t be either. He’s completely out of order talking to you about the case. I’m not handing it over to anyone else, okay? I’ll be right there with you in court.”
“Thank you.” Chelsea sniffs. “I think he was just concerned. Because he said that I should think of your baby.”
“Babies,” I say suddenly, making everyone look at me.
“Yeah, babies.” Chelsea tries to smile as she looks at Jake. “They’re having twins.”
“Congratulations,” Jake says, meeting my eyes.
I tip my chin at him, the blood in my veins boiling as I process Chelsea’s story.
“Thanks.”
Sophie’s gaze slides to mine and there’s a ruthless determination in her eyes as she says, “Thank you for coming to tell me. I’ll deal with it.”
“Okay.” Chelsea stands quickly like she’s eager to leave, her shoulders dropping in relief. “Thank you.” She takes Jake’s hand and I move out of the doorway so they can come out into the hallway.
“Do you want me to describe him?” Chelsea asks, looking at Sophie as I open the front door.
“Older? Dark hair, gray around the sides? A few inches shorter than Drew?” Sophie says.
Chelsea’s eyes land on me as she assesses my height. “Yeah. Do you know who it was?”
