“Not yet,” he said sheepishly. “I was afraid she’d skitter off if I did. I’ll tell her that, too. If she’ll talk to me, that is. I was pretty angry when we parted. I’m not sure if she’ll want to see me again.”
“Do you think she loves you?” Del asked.
“Maybe. If not, there’s certainly potential. We have . . . good chemistry.”
Cady laughed. “That means you’ve had hot sex.”
“Cady Youngblood!” Wynn exclaimed.
“Wynn, please, I’m twenty-five. Not fifteen. And you’re blushing.”
He sensed the warmth flooding his face. “Okay. Yes. The sex is phenomenal. It’s not only about sex, though. Scarlett is incredibly bright and funny. Loyal to a fault. Family means a great deal to her.” He looked from Cady to Del. “It does to me, too. We’ve never been siblings who fussed over each other. Hugged. Said I love you. Being around Scarlett’s family makes me want to change that.”
Wynn stood and pulled Cady to her feet. “I love you to the moon and back, Cady Youngblood.” He kissed her forehead and released her, pulling Del into a bear hug. “I love you, too, big guy. Whether you two want to hear it or not, I’m going to be saying it every time I see you in the future. I’m also going to stay in better touch. I’ve let my career consume me. Not anymore. I’m going to pick and choose what I do and not cram so many hours of filming into a week that I can’t even remember what day it is.”
“I like hearing that,” Del said. “I could be a different kind of lawyer. Work one hundred-hour weeks. I choose not to. I like having a life. In fact, I’ve been seeing someone, as well. It’s getting serious.”
“What’s her name?” Wynn asked, genuinely happy for his brother. He couldn’t remember the last date Del had.
“Really?” Cady asked, the look on her face as good as a slap to his.
“What?” he asked, perplexed.
“I’m gay, Wynn,” Del said quietly.
“You are?” He glanced at Cady. “You knew this?”
“Of course. I pay attention.”
Wynn ran a hand through his hair. “Okay. I’m good with it. I’ll ask again. What’s his name—and when do we get to meet him?”
“Rob Delgado. He’s a painter. In fact, he has an exhibition at a gallery tonight. I’d love for both of you to come.”
“We’ll be there,” Wynn promised. He only hoped Scarlett would accompany him.
◆◆◆
Scarlett printed out the letter for Mr. Lymon’s approval and decided to take the high road by composing a list of clients she believed would follow her. Once completed, she forwarded it to Henry as a courtesy, knowing the old man wouldn’t change a word of what she’d written. Opening her door, she saw Erica returning with file boxes atop one of the mail carts.
“I’ll start packing up your office.” She handed Scarlett a flash drive. “This has pertinent docs for the clients who’ll go with you. I told HR I’d stay until the end of the day. I’m sure after the notification letter goes out, I’ll be talking to clients left and right. I’ll download any other files that you’ll need.”
“Thanks.” She held up the single page. “I’m heading to the old man’s office.”
Once more, his assistant sent her in. Lymon was on the phone and waved her over.
“Yes, Margaret will be thrilled. Thank you for arranging everything.” He hung up, a broad smile on his face. “This time next week, my wife and I will be on a Mediterranean cruise.”
“Congratulations. That was fast work.”
“They say you get a good deal booking last minute sometimes. I did. It’s an old people cruise. They’ll provide transportation and outings from various port cities. Barcelona. Rome. Margaret won’t believe it.”
“You’re doing the right thing, Mr. Lymon.”
“I should’ve done it years ago.” He sighed. “I wasn’t around much when Henry was young. He was still in bed when I left in the mornings and had fallen asleep by the time I dragged in every night. Getting a new firm off the ground was hard work but it cost me a relationship with my boy. I never saw him play any Little League games. Never went to a school program. By the time the firm was successful, it had become my drug. I gave it all my waking hours.”
“Surely, you’re proud Henry became a lawyer and joined the firm, though,” Scarlett pointed out. “You’ve been able to work closely with him over the years.”
“Too little, too late.” He studied her a moment. “You’ll do better with your children. I assume that’s why you’re making this abrupt change. Because you’re pregnant.”
Her cheeks heated. “Yes. How did you know?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t. It was a lawyerly guess. You will stay in touch, Scarlett, won’t you? I’d like to see you with a baby in your arms.”
“Of course. Would you keep it quiet for a while? I don’t want to say anything until after I get through my first trimester.”
“My lips are sealed.”
She handed him the letter. He pulled his glasses from his pocket and read through it.
“It can go as it is. Email it to my assistant. She’ll send it out under my account.”
“Would you mind waiting an hour before sending it? I’d like to be out of the building.”
“I understand. I’ll have her send it to company employees at noon and wait a quarter-hour before it goes out to our client list.”
“Thank you. For everything.” She hugged him.
Returning to her office, she saw Erica had everything placed in three boxes. The walls looked bare without the photographs and her degrees hanging on it.
Her assistant stacked the boxes back on the cart. “Since these are file boxes, no one will question what’s in them. Give me your keys and I’ll roll this down to your car. Wait ten minutes and then follow me downstairs. I’ll have the car packed and you can head out. I’ve already talked to Martin and he’s pumped about designing for you. He’ll email samples tomorrow. You can call and tell
