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“Admitting you need my help.”
Her eyes snapped to his, sparking with indignation. “You are such an ass sometimes.”
Something in him unclenched at the insult, a sliver of hope piercing through the fog of heartbreak. Yeah, okay, she’d called him an ass, but her voice no longer held the cold detachment she had been addressing him with earlier.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Cal replied, his grin persisting.
Ellie frowned, but there was a hint of something else in her expression. It wasn’t quite amusement, but it wasn’t far off— a spark of the Ellie he knew and loved buried beneath the frost.
“You would,” she said, and her posture relaxed ever so slightly. “You know, it’s insufferable how you manage to turn everything around.”
He shrugged. “It’s a lawyer thing.”
That earned him an eye roll. “Of course. It’s always a lawyer thing.”
He studied her for a moment longer, soaking in her presence. She was here, asking for his help. This was his chance— not necessarily to make everything right between them, but at least to prove that he could be there for her.
“So, will you help or not?” she asked after a moment of silence.
“Of course I’ll help. I’ll always help you, Ellie.”
She looked down at her hands, twisting them anxiously in front of her.
He reached out to take her hands, and still the nervous gesture, but she pulled away.
“Alright then,” she said in a rush and took a step back from him, putting more distance between them. “As long as we’re clear that this is strictly professional.”
Cal nodded. The rejection of his touch stung, but he made sure to keep his face neutral. “Absolutely, strictly professional.”
She studied him for a long moment, her blue eyes guarded behind those red glasses. There was fear there, and pain, and an undercurrent of longing that made his heart jump.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
Someone called his name from the front of the courtroom. He didn’t look to see who it was but lifted his hand in acknowledgment. “I have a few more things to do today, but I can meet you at my place at about six. We can order take-out for dinner.”
“No,” she said too quickly, and color infused her cheeks. She pushed her slipping glasses up her nose. “I’d rather meet in public.”
Right. Because the last time she came over to his place to talk about something, they’d ended up in bed together. She probably didn’t want to risk it happening again.
“Okay, then. The Mad Dog at six?”
She was already backing away. “Yep, it’s a date. I mean, not a date. It’s definitely not a date. This is professional. We already said it was strictly professional, nothing else. I meant… six is good. The Mad Dog is good. I’ll, uh…” She trailed off, and the color in her cheeks deepened.
God, he loved the way she babbled when she was nervous. It was adorable. “See you then, Ellie.”
She made a distressed squeaking sound and turned around, her blond curls bouncing around her face as she rushed from the courtroom. He watched her for a moment before giving in to the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. This was going to be so much more interesting than the evening he’d initially planned.
“Cal.”
The sharp bark of his name had him wincing. Ash was striding toward him with his usual scowl etched on his face.
“Hi, Ash. How are you? I’m great, thanks for asking. The weather is particularly nice today, isn’t it?”
Ash’s scowl only deepened. “What was Ellie doing here?”
Cal shrugged nonchalantly, attempting to keep his booming heart from broadcasting in neon letters on his forehead. “Just chatting.”
“About what?” Ash asked, crossing his thick arms over his chest.
