Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

Jordan

Mary Ann Diedritch agreed to meet us at Flex Gym at seven that evening so we could get a look at the gym equipment that had allegedly injured the plaintiff.

Ellis had planned to go earlier, but we'd gotten sidetracked. I couldn't bring myself to chastise him much for putting me ahead of the job. I'd been waiting a lot longer than Mary Ann Diedritch.

Luckily, though, the gym stayed open until nine, so we had plenty of time to get the job done.

On the way there, I filled Ellis in about the staff interviews I'd done that morning. Ellis was adamant that he'd never lie for management if he were one of those staff members.

"First, gyms don't pay that well. Second, it's not that difficult to find work at another gym. Why would employees take on their employer's legal risk? Not to mention, the idea of endangering gym visitors turns my stomach, as it should every personal trainer. We've all seen some terrible accidents. No one wants that."

"Terrible accidents? Like what?"

Ellis grimaced. "I once witnessed a guy using a leg press. He added too much weight, then when he pushed up, he locked his legs. It was too much weight for him, so it came back down, but with his legs locked… Well, the crack of his bones was the most disturbing sound I've ever heard." Ellis shuddered. "And his scream?—"

"Okay," I said quickly, my stomach turning. "That sounds pretty awful."

Ellis blew out a breath. "Gym safety is always a priority, Jordie. Nine out of ten times, people injure themselves, which is what makes my job valuable. I can ensure that doesn't happen. But if true negligence is happening, that's a real concern. But I can't believe a whole staff would support something like that."

I pulled into the gym parking lot. "Well, let's go see what this equipment tells us."

We got out of the car and started toward the building. Our hands brushed as we walked, sending a tingle of awareness through me. I tentatively linked pinkies with him. Ellis smiled at me, the kind of smile that invited me to touch more parts of him.

This is real. I can have this now.

My fantasies didn't even come close to the bubbling of elation in my chest, the swell of warmth that Ellis had chosen me out of all the men he could have.

I truly never thought it would happen.

Ellis pulled open the entrance door, holding it for me as I passed through, then following me in. The wind had tossed his long bangs around, and my fingers itched to smooth them back. Then I remembered I could . Ellis was my boyfriend .

I stepped forward and gently smoothed his flyaway hair back into position.

"There," I said quietly. "That's better."

I glanced down from his hair to find his eyes locked on me. "Thanks, Jordan. Does this mean I can fix your tie?"

"Sure?"

He tugged it, straightening its position, then smoothed one hand down the length of the tie, the length of my torso, and skirted one finger down to my belt.

I stepped back hastily. "Thanks. Let's get inside before Mary Ann wonders what happened to us."

Ellis gave me a knowing smile. "Or we get sidetracked again?"

"A definite possibility," I said with a chuckle.

We stepped apart, assumed a professional composure, and pushed through the front doors…to find Mary Anne openly watching us.

Whoops.

She smiled brightly. "Aren't you two just the cutest couple? I suspected as much at the law firm."

"You did?" I said, startled.

Ellis and I weren't dating yet—hadn't even kissed—at the time of that meeting.

"There's just an energy. You exchanged a lot of looks, checked in and supported each other. It's really very sweet."

"That's why I fell for Jordan," Ellis said with a smile, unfazed that we'd just been caught out by our own client. "He's the sweetest."

"Well, something tells me you're a sweetheart too," Mary Ann said.

Ellis laughed. "That's what all my clients say. Er, my personal training clients, not my law ones. I'm still in law school."

"You're a personal trainer," Mary Ann said in surprise. "So you know how all this works, probably even better than I do." She swept a hand toward the main gym filled with treadmills, weight machines, and other equipment. "I'm just trying to hold it together. This is my husband's legacy, but I don't know if I can do it."

"Your husband wouldn't want you stressed and worried," Ellis said.

I stepped forward. "He's right. How you choose to carry on his legacy is up to you. My friend Austin was in a similar situation with his great-uncle's business. He nearly worried himself to death before he realized he could forge his own path without ruining everything his uncle had built."

"Well, I'm sure getting sued wasn't what he had in mind," she said sadly. "If we lose, it'll ruin his good name."

"Then let's do our best to make sure you don't lose," Ellis said.

Unlike Callahan's insistence that we guarantee a win, El's words only promised we'd do everything we could. Judging by Mary Anne's face, his sincerity comforted her far more than Callahan's empty declaration had.

It all came to Ellis so naturally. Connecting with people, finding the right words to reassure them. I would envy him if I wasn't so damn proud.

He might have pursued law for all the wrong reasons, but Ellis had found his calling. The question was: Had I found mine? I understood the law from an analytical standpoint. I enjoyed the study of law. But the philosophies about how to practice that Callahan espoused? I wasn't so sure.

I let Ellis take the lead, carrying the conversation with Mary Ann as we headed to a storage room in the back of the building. The lawsuit had named the faulty gym equipment as the FitnessMaster, and Mary Ann said they'd removed it from the floor immediately.

"Here it is," Mary Ann said, gesturing toward what appeared to be several pieces of machinery, rather than one machine.

"Oh no," Ellis said softly.

"Is that…"

"They've disassembled it," Ellis said.

"Is that bad?" Mary Ann asked. "It was in a tight corner, and that's the only way we got it in and out. They had to disassemble it to get it out of there."

"It makes it difficult to assess the validity of the claim the machine was faulty," Ellis said gently.

"We could reassemble it," Mary Ann suggested.

"It won't help," I said. "We can't prove you didn't replace a part or repair it after the fact."

"But we didn't!"

"That doesn't matter?—"

Mary Ann lifted her hands to cover her face, and Ellis put a hand on my arm.

I fell silent, realizing my blunt honesty was too much. I bit down on the tumble of frustrated words that wanted to escape. In this instance, perhaps Callahan had been right. I'd just demoralized the client.

Shit.

But lying to her would hardly help anything, would it?

"Mary Ann, this isn't ideal, but we have other avenues we can pursue. We haven't finished our discovery phase yet." He turned to me. "Right, Jordan?"

I considered his words. "We have the equipment inspection reports. I'll have to go over them with Victor. There may be something helpful there. And we haven't deposed the plaintiff. If we get his story firsthand, maybe we'll discover a weakness, but…" I hesitated.

Ellis picked up my unspoken thought and couched it in better phrasing than I ever could.

"We'll still do everything we can, Mary Ann, but we can't guarantee you'll win this."

"If you were to settle—" I started.

"I can't," Mary Ann said in a trembling voice. "I can't afford what this man is asking. Not to mention the harm it would do to my husband's good name."

"We could potentially include an NDA in the settlement," I said. "It would protect the Flex brand. If we could negotiate a reasonable number, would you consider it?"

"It's already a matter of public record, isn't it? Being filed with the courts."

"Yes, but we'd keep any specifics from being revealed."

Mary Ann hesitated, looking torn. "A settlement will be agreeing to wrongdoing, though. I can't stand seeing my husband's legacy tarnished this way." Tears filled her eyes. "Please don't give up on the case. Please."

"We won't," Ellis assured her. "We'll do everything we can. Settling is a last resort. Right, Jordan?"

Sometimes settling was the first and best option, but given Mary Ann's financial constraints, it wouldn't end much better for her. We at least owed her due diligence before taking that step.

"Yes, you have our word that we'll try every avenue." I bent to read the name on the side of the machine. "I'm not always the best with words but, Mrs. Diedritch, I'm pretty good at fact-finding. We'll research the FitnessMaster and determine whether it's got other cases pending, anything that might validate your claims that it's not faulty, or if it is, shift the liability from you to the manufacturer."

"The FitnessMaster. Why does that sound so familiar?" Ellis murmured.

I glanced at him. "Do you have one at your gym?"

"No," he said slowly. "But I think we used to have one. I'll check into it."

"Thank you both," Mary Anne said, dabbing at her eyes. "I know I'm just an old lady out of her depth, but it means so much that you're taking me seriously, even if it makes your jobs harder."

"It's no fun if it's not a challenge," Ellis said playfully, giving Mary Ann a squeeze. "Don't worry. We're going to get to the truth one way or another."

Mary Ann actually smiled as she said goodbye, which felt miraculous after I'd brought her to tears.

"You're so good with people," I said wistfully as we left the building.

"Callahan would probably say I'm too good," Ellis said ruefully. "I can't just see Mary Ann as a client. I see a grieving widow who wants to do right by her husband. This lawsuit breaks her heart, you know? I don't want to let her down."

"We might have to," I said carefully. "You know that, right?"

Ellis nodded. "We can't win every case. It's impossible. But I really, really want to win cases like this, you know? Cases where the defendant is innocent, where the defendant doesn't have the means or savvy to protect themselves."

I smiled tentatively. "So, in other words, you're not looking to be a corporate lawyer or high-paid criminal attorney?"

"Probably not," he said with a laugh.

We got into the car and buckled up. Then Ellis turned to me. "I'm really liking this nonprofit law class I'm taking. You know the one?"

"Yeah, of course. If you go into law because you truly want to help people, then legal aid or working with nonprofits are great choices. Not the most profitable ones, though."

"I don't care about that," Ellis said. "Is that silly? I'm spending all this money on school—well, my parents are—and I don't want a high-powered, high-paying job. I just want to do some good in the world."

I reached for his hand and squeezed it in mine. "It's not silly. It's you. You wouldn't be Ellis Woods if you didn't want to do good in the world. It's why I love you."

His cheeks turned pink, and he smiled shyly at me. "What about you? You're not really about corporate greed either, are you? And yet you double majored in business and law."

"I thought corporate law made the most sense since I'd started my business degree when I got interested in law. But the more hands-on work I do for Callahan, the less sure I am that I've chosen the right path."

Ellis frowned. "Well, it's not too late for you to use your law degree a different way." He paused. "Or your business degree. You have a lot of options."

"I guess so," I mused. "I just have to figure out which option is right for me."

"I'm sure you will," Ellis said. "And if you decide to continue in corporate law, I won't hold it against you. Callahan's firm needs a few good eggs like you to keep him in check."

I snorted. Ellis was probably overestimating my influence on Callahan, but he'd told me to stop selling myself short, so I didn't argue. "Thanks, El. That means a lot."

He smiled at me. "So, I guess we should call it a night and rest up for tomorrow?"

"I guess so."

"Or I could come home with you."

"Or that," I said quickly. "I'll pick up some takeout and we can research the FitnessMaster."

"Ooh, Jordie, you know how to turn me on."

I laughed. " Afterward , we can reward each other for all our hard work."

Elli slid his hand up my thigh. "That is the best incentive. You should have used it much sooner. Maybe I'd have caught on to how sexy you are."

My cheeks blazed like a furnace, and I wanted to protest I wasn't the sexy one. But El's scolding over how I treated his boyfriend came to mind, and I bit my bottom lip to keep the words in—and the whimper of need as El's fingers danced closer to my hardening cock.

"On second thought, let's have the reward first. Then we can really focus."

He laughed and leaned in to kiss my neck. "I like how you think."