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Clayton could only imagine how that would go over—the lawyer for the Knotts hanging out with Georgia Ludington and the attorney representing her.
Yeah, if they did meet up, it would have to be just the two of them, and they’d need to make it clear they were hammering out case details. The more he thought about it, the worse the idea of her coming here sounded.
“Maybe it’d be better if I travel to your neck of the woods,” he said. “You can visit later on your own and spend time with the Ludingtons.”
She nodded. “Got it. I forget how hard it is to keep secrets in a small town. I’d better get to the office, but I’ll have my assistant set something up for us. Thanks for trusting me with your friend’s case.”
Clayton opened his mouth to say they weren’t friends—they didn’t know each other, really. But was that true? Could he classify Georgia as a friend now? He hoped not, but only for one reason. He didn’t want to be just her friend.
Shoving that alarming realization aside, Clayton started toward the room, planning to breeze in and ask if she was ready to go. But when he got to the doorway, Georgia was standing there, eyes wide, cup of iced coffee in one hand and notepad in the other.
“I guess we’re done,” she said.
Clayton stepped back and gestured for her to exit, but something weighed heavily on him as he followed her through the lobby. This would be it. He’d say goodbye to her, and there’d be no reason for them to see each other until the case went to trial. In fact, it would probably be advised for him to keep his distance. But he didn’t want to do that.
“Have you ever seen a courtroom?” he asked.
They were alone in the lobby—and the whole building, as far as he could tell. He’d already wandered around while waiting for Georgia and Marnie to finish up.
She turned and looked at him, eyes still wide. Then she shook her head.
“I had to go to traffic school once when I was sixteen,” she said. “But they had it at the high school for some reason. My dad went online and signed me up. I never had to go in front of the judge.”
Clayton was trying not to smile at hearing that she’d gotten a ticket as a teenager. She’d always been the girl in school who got perfect grades, was never in trouble, and was always on time for everything. Hearing that she’d broken the rules amused him, but he also felt like he was in on a secret.
“Well, let me show you what it’s all about.” Clayton gestured for her to go first.
It was hard to miss the courtroom with that big sign that readcourtroomin bold print above the door. Clayton had logged many hours in that room—mostly divorce cases and civil disputes. He did try a criminal case once, though. A series of break-ins that was tied to a local teenager. But that was about as scandalous as it got in Cupid Ridge.
“This is small,” Georgia commented as he entered the room behind her.
She was standing in the aisle, rows of chairs on either side. They didn’t have pews like fancier courtrooms, just individual seats.
“We don’t have a lot of big cases here,” he said. “There is a jury box, but jury trials are nonexistent. I guess we have it just in case…”
She’d been sipping her coffee, but at his words, the straw dropped from her mouth and she stared at him. “Will mine have a jury trial?”
Clayton shook his head. “No. You’ll probably be on the docket with a bunch of other cases that day. It’ll go quick. You’ll be surprised. I’ll present my case, Marnie will present yours, and the judge will make a ruling.”
“Unless we settle.”
Oh. Yeah. Good point. Right now, it was looking likely they’d never even make it to this room.
Clayton opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again. What was there to say? Luckily, he didn’t have to speak. Georgia spun on one heel and marched straight toward the front of the courtroom. She didn’t stop on the other side of the judge’s bench, though. Instead, she walked around behind it and climbed the small step onto the platform.
“Can I get in trouble for this?” she asked.
Clayton looked behind him. “I don’t think so. The judge isn’t in the building. She isn’t coming in today.”
He’d overheard someone saying that out in the lobby. He couldn’t imagine anyone else would get mad about Georgia being back there, aside from the fact that she’d set her coffee cup and notepad down before taking a seat. The judge was a little strict about food and drink in the courtroom, but that was when they were in session. Besides, Clayton was holding an iced coffee, too, so he was just as guilty.
“I feel powerful just sitting up here.” She smiled out at him.
In that one moment, it hit him why he hadn’t been able to shake her from his mind for the past week. He was in love with Georgia Ludington. He’d probably been in love with her for a long time. He’d written it off as attraction, admiration, and maybe even a silly crush, but from the moment she really looked at him, he’d fallen and fallen hard.
“Have you ever tried it?” she asked, that smile still on her face. If she’d noticed him staring at her without speaking, she didn’t show it.
“Can’t say I have.” He shook his head.
