“Thank goodness that’s all you’ll have to buy.” Lainey shakes her head at the screen. “You won’t believe how fast this baby stuff can add up.”
“Oh”—Miranda looks my way again—“have you painted the nursery?”
“Not yet.” I wince. “But I’m on it. We’ve already narrowed down the color.”
Meg scowls over at me. “Don’t wait until the last minute. Knowing my sister, she’ll freak out if the house smells like fumes when it’s time to bring the baby home. She might run away to Noah’s if you pull a stunt like that.”
“Good point.” And God knows I wouldn’t want that.
I toast Meg with my coffee as a show of appreciation.
“Don’t forget”—Lainey swipes a raspberry tart off the tray before her—“we’ve got class tonight at the hospital. We’ll be getting down to the nitty-gritty, so you won’t want to miss this one.”
“There’s no way I’m missing it.”
But will I be missing a majority of this baby’s childhood? That I cannot promise.
A slew of customers walk in and along with them is Juliet Jackowski from the knitting shop across the street.
Lemon waves her over. “Hey, Juliet. How about some coffee and a few raspberry tarts?” She cringes as the words speed from her mouth. “Sorry. You probably don’t want anything to do with those.”
“I would love those.” The kind brunette brushes it off. “I know there’s nothing wrong with your baking, Lottie.” She catches a glimpse of the laptop in front of Meg. “Ah, I see you’re visiting the Craft Emporium. That’s like my second home.”
“Mine, too,” Lainey chimes. “Have you seen the Valentine’s Day display in their store? It made me want to buy it all up and redecorate my house in little pink hearts.”
The woman laughs. “Actually, I haven’t seen the display. I spend my mornings doing troubleshooting for the tech department. It’s funny because the knitting shop doesn’t feel nearly as much mine as that place does. But then, I’ve been with the Craft Emporium for the last eight years.”
Miranda shakes her head. “I don’t blame you for not wanting to leave. I bet you get a nifty little discount. If that were me, I’d end up turning in my paycheck right back to them at the end of the week.”
Juliet laughs at the thought. “Oh, I do enough damage online. Believe me.”
Lainey turns her way. “And I bet with that employee discount, on top of their eighty percent off sales, it practically feels as if you’re stealing from them.”
“That is exactly what it feels like I’m doing.”
Lemon hands the woman a cup of coffee and a small bag full of treats. “Are you heading to the Rendezvous tomorrow night for their big Valentine’s Day bash?”
Juliet nods. “It’s a tribute to one of my best friends in the world. I wouldn’t miss it for anything. I’ll see you all there.”
She takes off, letting in an icy breeze, and a woman with an equally icy heart steps inside, but then, that icy heart is exactly why I’ve selected her to represent me.
“Essex,” she calls my name out and nods to a table by the window, and I dutifully follow her over. Fiona has her hair, lips, and demeanor in a knot.
“Well?” she asks as we take a seat. “I need to let the DA know if you’re going to accept the deal. We have two hours left, Essex. I don’t appreciate working this close to the wire. But for you, it appears, I make concessions.”
Lemon shows up with a plate full of raspberry tarts and a cup of coffee for each of us.
“What’s happening?” She takes a seat next to me, and I take in her sugary scent.
I’ve been memorizing everything about her these last few weeks—her scent, her different smiles, the way she looks up at me as if I were an immovable boulder she found safety in. I might need to remember it in the event they cart me off one day soon.
“Well?” Her eyes enlarge as she looks my way. “One of you, tell me what’s happening?”
I take a deep breath. “Today is the deadline to give the DA his answer.”
Her lips part, and I can see them trembling. “For the deal?”
Fiona nods. “He’ll get half the sentence, Lottie. And with good behavior, he’ll get out in half that time as well. Four years, tops. Your kid won’t even be in kindergarten yet. Tell him to take the deal. If the trial goes south, we’re looking at fifteen years minimum. There’s no reason for him to lose that much time. This isn’t the hour for a flight of fancy. The feds don’t pursue a case unless they think they can win. We’re not just looking at an uphill battle—we’re looking at a trip to the dark side of the moon. It’s going to take a miracle to survive this.”
“Oh, Everett.” Lemon takes my hand and gives it a squeeze. Her eyes swell with tears. The pain on her face isn’t something I’d like to memorize, but unfortunately I have a feeling I’ll be seeing it for the next fifteen years every time I close my eyes. “What are you going to do?”
“What do you want me to do?” I say the words carefully, not wanting to influence her in the least.
She shakes her head slightly.
“Then it’s settled.” I breathe a sigh of relief, but only because I know this option buys me a little time with Lemon on the front end.
If things go wrong, as they’ve been prone to do, I’ll pay for it in spades. I look over to Fiona. “Tell the DA we’re not taking the deal. Let’s get a trial date.”
Fiona lulls her head back and glares over at Lemon as if this were all her fault.
“As you wish.” She scoops up her things and takes off without so much as a goodbye.
Lemon wraps her arms around me and plants a kiss to my lips.
“We’re going to get a miracle, Everett. Just you wait and see.”
“Good.” We’re
