“Day and night?”
“Yes, and exactly what you’re implying did happen. We had sex.”
Hayley wasn’t shy about telling him something intimate. They’d learned about sex together, unbeknownst to their parents, when they nagged Ronan and Rafe to tell them that stuff until the guys finally related the facts of life. Seth couldn’t imagine his Aunt Bridget sitting them down for the talk with Hayley and Finn, though later, his own parents gave it to him.
“Are you troubled because you think you did something unethical? Because I don’t.”
“No. I’m troubled because I want to see him again.”
“Doesn’t he want to see you?”
“He does.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“After the jail thing, his boss and mine decided we couldn’t argue cases together again.”
“Then there’d be no conflict of interest.”
“The legal world is small and sometimes small-minded. Seriously, I wouldn’t care what people said if we were suddenly seen around town as a couple. But my boss would. And his bosses. Even the cases we argued might be questioned.”
“That’s an issue, I guess.”
“Yeah, we came to the same conclusion. We can’t risk a relationship. And might as well stop the whole thing before it really begins.”
Reaching over, he took her hand. “Honey, it’s okay to feel sad about that.”
She shrugged. “I wish I could stop thinking about him. And us. Together.”
“That’ll pass. Remember that cute guy at college that you thought was the love of your life? In the end, you were glad he dumped you and you forgot all about him.”
“I suppose.”
“In any case, you haven’t spent much time with him. It’ll be easier to get over than a serious relationship which lasted decades.”
She took a bead on him. “Are you thinking about you and Julianne?” His off and on girlfriend since they were in high school. He’d hurt her, a lot.
“Probably. This time our separation lasted a year.”
“Do you still think about her?”
“Sometimes. Especially when I see her with my mother.”
“The girl-next-door.”
“Yep. And I’m the bad boy. If any of my family knew why we broke up, they’d be shocked.”
“Maybe not. They have their own issues with women. Gideon’s divorced. Rafe was abandoned and never got over Kate. How are they, by the way?”
He went on to describe how his oldest brother, Rafe, and his wife, Kate, recently married and expecting a baby, were faring. He was glad for the distraction from Julianne Ford, the only woman he ever loved.
* * *
Paul leaned against the wall outside the courtroom waiting for his turn in front of Judge Branson. The judge who put him in jail brought Hayley back to the forefront of his mind. He’d been fighting thoughts of her for days.
Today in the early morning, he was embarrassed as hell about skulking around his family’s neighborhood last night. At about five a.m. he admitted to himself that he wanted to talk to one of his brothers or sisters or Matka. Even Pa. He realized, too—and this was almost worse—that he had no one else to confide in. He’d never made any lasting friends other than his brothers. Granted he’d been back east only a year, but he’d had time for connecting with people and didn’t do it.
Hell of a way to live, Covington.
The elevator pinged and Paul looked up from his phone. Hayley Casella walked out of it. She wore that pink suit that he’d teased her about in jail. Carrying her briefcase and no purse, she crossed the open hallway and didn’t catch sight of him until she was about ten feet away. She gave him a full, luscious smile. He smiled back.
When she reached him, she said, “Well, we finally bump into each other.”
“It’s been a week.” He searched her face. “How have you been?”
“Truthfully?”
“Of course.”
“Sad. So much so I went out to the lake house in Hidden Cove for the weekend.”
“Did you see your cousins?”
“Uh-huh. What about you?”
“Sad, too. Maybe a little mad.”
“At me?”
“No, no, of course not. At our situation.” He wanted to reach out and touch her arm, but he controlled his reaction.
“Yeah, I’m mad about that, too.” She glanced around. “Do you have a trial?”
“Yes. Embezzlement.”
“Ah, white collar crime. One of my favorites to prosecute.”
“I’m up against Steve Senge.” An ADA who worked in her office.
“He’s a good lawyer.”
“What about you?”
“I’m doing arraignments all day. I go up against your colleague John Cramer twice.”
“I’m not his favorite person.”
“Then I’ll be sure to beat him soundly.”
He grinned. She grinned.
When it was time, they both went into their respective courtrooms. Paul felt worse than he did before he saw her. And when he reached his client, his mood darkened even more. The guy was a scumbag.
* * *
Raising her chin, stiffening her jaw—something Bridget taught her to do when she didn’t want to show emotion-Hayley walked down the short aisle to the prosecution’s bench in Courtroom Three. She peeked over at John Cramer. He was older than she expected. At fifty-five, his hair in a combover, he was, well, weaselly, as Paul had described him. He held her gaze. “ADA Casella.”
“Mr. Cramer.”
“Good luck today.”
“To you, too.”
His client arrived at the defense table. “Sorry I’m late. I had a meeting that ran long.”
“If you walk in late when the judge is already out, you’ll have a problem.”
“I didn’t.” The man’s tone was dismissive. “Now let’s sit and you can tell me what’s going to happen. I don’t have a lot of time.”
Hayley rolled her eyes. Good luck with this one, Cramer.
In ten minutes, the bailiff announced, “All rise,” and Judge Branson walked into the room and sat down. The others followed suit.
She peered down at the file of her first case, then lifted her head. “Good morning, everyone. Today we’ll hear arguments from the prosecution detailing why the charge of embezzlement against Simon Lassiter should result in bail or confinement. We’ll hear from the prosecution first.” She nodded to Hayley. “ADA Casella, you’re up.”
“The prosecution is asking the court to withhold bail. The alleged perpetrator, Mr. Lassiter, has bank accounts all over the world,
