Chapter 14

fourteen

. . .

Henley

That had been some kiss. And of course, he’d run off immediately.

I shouldn’t be surprised.

The man was a walking red flag.

I should have charged him a dick tax for kissing me like that, and then cutting it off abruptly. In fact, he should just pay a daily dick tax to me for as much as he pissed me off.

I pushed the door open, and the phone continued to ring because my father didn’t like being ignored. I dropped my purse on the entry table and put the phone to my ear.

“Hey, Dad.”

“Hey, sweetheart,” he said. “Why do you sound like you’re out of breath?”

Because I just had a hot make-out session with your senior partner on my front porch.

No? Too much?

“I just got home from a pickleball tournament.” I made my way to the kitchen, flipping on lights as I moved through the house.

“I’m glad you’re getting out a little. I know it’s always hard when you first move to a new place.”

“Says the man who’s lived in the same home since I was born.” I chuckled.

“Right. I don’t like change.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing you tomorrow night. We’re going to stay over in the city for a few days so we can start meeting with employees and begin the interviews.”

“That sounds like a great plan. Will Waterman is going to join us, and you remember Jamison, right?”

“Dad,” I groaned. “Please don’t make things more awkward than they already are.”

“Sweetheart, he’s Will’s son and a senior partner. He’ll be a managing partner someday. He just got back in town from vacationing abroad, and he heard you would be there. He wants to sit in on the meeting with Bruno, and seeing you is just an added perk.”

My father and Will had been best friends my entire life. They’d always tried to push me and Jamison together, and it was awkward as hell. Jamison was a few years older than me and was just not my type. He was pretentious and a little too self-focused for my liking.

“Why is he coming to the dinner? This is Easton’s client. I understand why you and Will are joining us, but it makes no sense to have Jamison there.”

“He works for the firm. This is potentially the largest client we’ve ever signed. We want to show up and let Bruno King know that we’re a firm that works as a team.”

“Just don’t play matchmaker again, okay? I’m there to assist Easton and show Bruno King that I’m a valuable member of this firm. This is a big opportunity for me. I don’t need my dad trying to set me up with his best friend’s son. It’s not happening.”

“Sweetheart, I would not do that to you.”

“You’ve done it before, Dad,” I reminded him.

“We’re all going to be professional at the meeting. But I don’t know why you’ve ruled things out with Jamison. You’re living here now, and you’re out of school, so the timing couldn’t be better.”

I poured myself a large glass of water and pulled out the premade salad I’d bought at the store yesterday.

“I’m living in Rosewood River, not the city, remember?” It had been an intentional decision to work out of this office. I didn’t want to be in the same office with my father because I knew everyone would act differently to me there. Not that it wouldn’t happen here, but it would be easier to establish myself without him hovering around me all the time.

“It’s a thirty-minute drive, sweetheart. People date people that live on different coasts.”

“Aren’t you the one who has instilled in me how important it is to focus on my career? And aren’t you also the one who warned me to be careful with Easton Chadwick when I came to work here, calling him a legal Casanova?” I laughed at the memory. “Yet you’re trying to push me together with Jamison?”

He chuckled. “Easton is a different beast, Henley. The reason I wanted him to mentor you is that he’s the best. There are no other senior partners at this firm who are not the legacies of the managing partners. Easton is brilliant, no doubt about it, and that’s why we bent the rules and gave him the title that he wanted. But his success is because he’s married to his job. We need him. Everyone in this city, in this state, knows who he is. His track record is unparalleled. We wouldn’t have landed a big fish like Bruno King if it weren’t for Easton. So yes, I wanted you to work with the best.”

“And Jamison is also a senior partner, but you want me to date him?” I chuckled, but it oozed sarcasm.

“I’m just saying, Jamison would be a great partner. And it would be the joining of two very affluent families. Imagine what that would do for the firm. Two managing partners and board members voting together on things. There’s a power in that.”

I poured the dressing over my salad and closed the lid before shaking it aggressively because I was irritated.

“Okay, let me make this perfectly clear.” I popped the lid open and dumped the salad into a bowl. “I’m not going to date Jamison. I’m not interested in a romantic relationship with that man.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. Let’s change the subject. Tell me how working for Easton is going?”

He’s sexy and brilliant and by far the best kisser I’ve ever met.

“It’s going well. He’s a hardass, but I’m learning a ton. I’m really happy that I get to assist him with King Hotels. It’s going to get a ton of media attention, and I’m guessing it’ll go to trial, so I’ll get to experience all the different aspects from start to finish.”

“Yes. This is a huge case. I’m looking forward to seeing you shine.” He paused. “Do you think you’ll want to come back to the city in a few months, after you’ve finished shadowing Easton?”

“I bought a home here,” I reminded him. I’d researched this town quite a bit before I decided to move to Rosewood River. I hadn’t moved here on a whim. I’d thought about it long and hard. “I plan to stay here, Dad.”

“All right. It never hurts to have two homes, and you could run the office in the city,” he said.

“I’m happy. I’m exactly where I want to be.”

“I’m sorry. It’s been a long time since I’ve had you living near me. I know I’m saying all the wrong things, but just know that I’m incredibly proud of you.”

I sighed. He was impossible to be mad at. His heart was good, but his words were a different story. “I know. We’ll figure it out together. It’s new for me, too. So how about tomorrow night, you treat me like any other attorney working at the firm.”

“I can do that. I’ve got a call coming in. Love you, sweetheart.”

“Love you, too.” I ended the call and made my way outside with my salad and drink. I stared out at the water and found my center again.

It had been a day.

And tomorrow was going to be even crazier.

I hadn’t slept well. I’d made out with the guy who mentored me, and now I was going to be driving with him to the city and working even closer with him over the next few days.

Easton had sent a text last night that he’d pick me up first thing in the morning. He wanted to get to the hotel and start going through all the files that Bruno King was having brought over to us at the hotel. We had our work cut out for us. There were three women suing the company for sex discrimination, and it was our job to prove that it hadn’t happened. According to the few things that had been shared with us thus far from their HR files, it appeared there was no wrongdoing on the company’s behalf.

There was a knock on the door, and I grabbed my rolling suitcase and pulled the door open. I didn’t know if it would be awkward after that kiss last night. But he said hello and took my suitcase, acting completely normal. When we were on the road, he’d told me that he had to take a call from a client just as the phone rang. He probably planned it so he could avoid any conversation with me.

He was clearly horrified that he’d kissed me because he’d run away right after.

“This never happened.”

That’s what he’d said to me.

My father had mentioned that Easton was married to his job, and he was probably right.

Falling for Easton Chadwick wasn’t an option.

I shouldn’t have kissed him.

It was unprofessional and a one-way trip to heartache.

I knew better.

But it’s all I could think of.

As a girl with some daddy issues buried deep in there, it didn’t surprise me that I was attracted to a man who worked crazy hours and didn’t do relationships. I purposely tried to date guys like Pete Powers because they were the complete opposite. But that hadn’t panned out for me either.

I loved my father. He loved me. But I had always fought hard for his attention.

I hated it.

Yet here I was.

Trying to get the attention of a man who wasn’t interested in me.

But what if this was just an attraction?

What if I didn’t want to date him, and we kept it casual?

I’d talked to Lulu about it last night, and she’d made me feel much better, reminding me that you could be attracted to a man that you didn’t want to pursue a relationship with.

People did it all the time.

I’d never had a fling, and a make-out session on my porch was hardly a scorching fling, but it didn’t have to be a big deal.

Maybe this was all part of me evolving as a woman in my twenties.

“You’re awfully quiet,” he said, pulling me from my thoughts, and I realized he’d ended his call.

“You were on a call.”

“And you looked like you were deep in thought.” He glanced over at me. “Everything okay? Are you upset about last night?”

I rolled my eyes. “No. That was nothing.”

“That was nothing? Don’t belittle it. It was a fucking awesome kiss.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “You’re the one who said it never happened. So why are we even talking about this?”

“Because you’re being quiet.”

“You are the most aggravating man I’ve ever met. You’re offended that I’m being a little quiet today, which is mostly because you were on a phone call until two minutes ago?”

“I’m just making sure you’re okay with everything. I shouldn’t have done that. It was my fault,” he said, his voice low and deep.

I sighed. “Let me guess… you’re worried that I’m going to be upset, and my father is going to find out, and that’s going to affect your chances of getting your name on the door.”

He pulled off the freeway and didn’t speak for a few seconds before he made his way to the side of the road abruptly and put the car in park. “Are you kidding me right now?”

I glanced out the window, shocked that he’d pulled over on the shoulder of the road to discuss this. We’d been in the car this whole time, and now he wanted to talk about it?

“Why are you so offended? It’s the truth.”

“It’s not the truth, Henley. I don’t have a problem with the truth. I will always be straight with you, regardless if you think I’m hot and cold or give you whiplash, or whatever the fuck you call it.” He let out a huffy breath, motioning his hand between us. “I’m struggling with this.”

“You’re struggling with what? The fact that we kissed, and you’re afraid my father will find out?” I said, not hiding my irritation.

“For fuck’s sake, this is not about your dad. I mean, obviously, I work for him, and I’m sure he’d be pissed, but I don’t give a fuck. He has nothing to do with me struggling.”

“Let’s hear it, Evil Genius. Why are you struggling? Once you kiss a woman, you can’t stand the sight of them? Or, let me guess, you’ve got regrets because it happened? It’s ridiculous, really,” I huffed.

“I don’t fucking regret kissing you. I’ve been struggling because I’ve wanted to do it for a while.” He raised a brow when my gaze met his. “But I’m not that guy, Henley. I’m not going to show up with flowers and ask you to dinner. I don’t date because I don’t have time.”

“What makes you think that I want to date you?” I smirked, and the corners of his lips turned up.

“I thought it was your thing.”

“It is, normally. But I was just thinking about it, and it’s not like my way has been working out all that well for me. I’m twenty-five years old. I can have a fling if I want to.”

His tongue moved along his bottom lip, and I tried hard not to react, but I squeezed my thighs together to stop the ache that was building. “And kissing me, that’s your idea of a fling?”

“No. I barely remember it,” I said over my laughter.

I was lying, and he knew it.

“It was a damn good kiss, Princess. Feel free to have a fling with me anytime you want.”

“I’ll keep that in mind if the mood strikes me,” I said, as he pulled back out on the road, heading to the hotel.

And I had a feeling the mood would definitely strike again.