Chapter 7

seven

. . .

Easton

“That was amazing,” Henley whispered as we walked side by side out of the courtroom.

Once we were out in the hallway, Sadie Walker turned to face me. “Easton, I owe you everything. I never thought I had a chance of winning this case until you agreed to take it.”

Sadie wasn’t lying. She was going up against a big chain restaurant, and they knew how to intimidate people who attempted to fight them tooth and nail for fair compensation after being let go from a job she’d given her heart and soul to.

“What they did to you was wrong. You gave them twenty-eight years, and you should have gotten a goddamn ticker tape parade.” Instead, they’d fired her unfairly and unjustly. And the court had agreed with me.

“Thank you.” Her weathered face showed the distress this had caused her, and I was hoping the large check she’d receive very soon would help alleviate some of that stress. “You were the only one who stepped up and offered to help me.”

“Don’t give me more credit than I deserve,” I said.

Sadie leaned forward and whispered to Henley. “He did it pro bono. I couldn’t afford a fancy lawyer.”

Sadie could barely afford to stay afloat and keep a roof over her head. But sometimes, you met people who you knew deserved a break.

And Sadie Walker deserved a break.

She deserved someone to stand up for her in a forum where others would listen.

These were the days that I really loved my job.

“He’s clearly softer than he lets on,” Henley said as her gaze locked with mine.

“All right, Sadie. You go celebrate with your family. I’ll follow up with you next week on what you can expect moving forward.”

The older woman threw herself into my arms, and I patted her back before giving her a nod and watching her walk away.

Henley studied me for a few beats. “The ruthless Easton Chadwick, AKA… the Shark, has a heart?”

“Don’t offend me.” I motioned for her to walk outside, and we paused when a few reporters asked if we were happy with the settlement. I stopped to make a very brief statement, letting them know we were pleased that justice was served today, before guiding Henley toward the waiting car. We’d left my car at the office when we’d arrived in the city this morning and used the company car service so we didn’t have to deal with the press and parking.

Our driver, Walt, opened the back door, and Henley slipped inside first, before I moved in beside her. The woman distracted me to no end. I’d avoided her these last few weeks, bogging her down with cases and then deciding last minute to bring her to court with me after she’d all but begged.

Roses and jasmine were my new kryptonite.

Her scent was fucking everywhere.

It was like some sort of curse, having this woman as my mentee. I’d tried to get laid after pickleball a few weeks ago, and when I was about to close the deal with Valerie Lennox, a woman I’d spent some time with on and off over the years, I just wasn’t feeling it.

So, I’d fucked my fist more times than I could count to thoughts of my boss’s daughter over the last few weeks.

A woman I was mentoring.

I blamed her goddamn scent for all of it.

Her sapphire eyes.

Her plump lips that I imagined wrapped around my dick.

Her sexy-as-hell legs, which were currently on display in this SUV.

The space was small.

Too small.

And Henley was—everywhere.

I didn’t get distracted by women. At least, I hadn’t for a very long time.

And I didn’t fucking like it.

So, most of the time, I barked at her, and she’d clearly tried her best to keep busy and stay away.

And then I’d invited her to court. Today of all days. This was the one day a year that I preferred to be alone, at least while I wasn’t working. I had my reasons, and most people in my life just accepted it. Yet, I’d made the offer to bring her. We’d spent thirty minutes in the car alone as we drove to the city this morning, and we’d barely said two words to one another. She’d claimed she was reading over the notes for the case, but I think she just didn’t want to make small talk after the way I’d acted ever since I’d brought her to pickleball.

And now we were sitting beside one another, heading to meet her father for lunch.

“I’m glad you came today. It’s good for you to get experience in the courtroom.”

“Thanks. I wasn’t sure if I was going to get to go, seeing as you insisted you weren’t bringing me, and then did a one-eighty. It seems to be your thing.” She smirked.

I narrowed my gaze and then snapped my fingers a few times. “Things are always changing in the legal world, Princess. You have to be ready to pivot at all times.”

“Sure. Law and pivoting go hand in hand,” she said with a chuckle.

Is she mocking me?

“Listen, I’m your mentor. I’m not here to hold your hand. I’m here to show you what you’re getting into.”

“I appreciate it,” she said dryly, as if she were completely annoyed by me.

“Something bothering you? Because this would be the time to tell me. We’re about to be at lunch with your father, so I’d rather clear the air now. If I’m pushing you too hard, you need to tell me.”

She gasped as her head whipped in my direction. “Pushing me too hard? You have no idea how hard I can be pushed.”

Why was she so pissed all of a sudden?

“Okay.” I smirked, holding her gaze. “I can push you harder if you’d like.”

“How about you just treat me like you’d treat anyone else. I swear you’re giving me whiplash, Chadwick.”

“Whiplash? I thought you just said I could push you harder, Princess.” I quirked a brow, and I could see the anger in her eyes.

And I liked it.

Why the fuck do I like it so much?

“One minute, you’re inviting me to pickleball and acting like a normal human, and the next, you can’t seem to stand the sight of me, and you’re kicking me out of your office and yelling at me. I can’t figure you out.”

“Perhaps you shouldn’t try. I’m a complicated man.”

She leaned forward, keeping her voice low. “Maybe you need to… what did you call it? Blow off some steam . But according to ‘The Taylor Tea,’ you already did that with a certain local. Yet, you’re still snapping at me all the time.”

Of course, she’d read the ridiculous column. And they’d kept that narrative going for the last two weeks because, apparently, there was nothing new to share in Rosewood River.

“First of all, you attended Harvard Law School. I can’t believe you’re reading that shit. You probably lost brain cells on that one.” I shook my head in disgust. “Desiree Carson grew up next door to me, and she’s barely twenty-one years old. The insinuation is offensive. She’s a family friend. She was upset, and I walked her home. And for the record, she and Grant are back together. She never moved out. He never cheated. They’d had a fight, and some nosy-ass deviant decided to run with it. But I’m wondering why you appear so concerned with my sex life, anyway?”

Her cheeks flushed, and she quickly straightened her features. “I’m not. My best friend came to town for a visit, and the column was right up her alley. I guessed it was you that they were referencing.”

“It’s ridiculous that they’re allowed to print that bullshit.”

“Why are you so bothered by it if it isn’t true? Who even writes it, and why is it called ‘The Taylor Tea?’”

“The Taylor family owns the paper. A lot of people assume their daughter, Emilia, writes the column, though she’s denied it.”

“The anonymity probably makes it more exciting. Why are you so worked up about it?” she asked, her voice completely calm, yet I was pissed off now.

“They wrote all sorts of shit about my sister when her wedding blew up, and I tried to intimidate them with some legal jargon, but it’s hard to stop someone from printing what they want to print nowadays.”

“It’s not that big of a deal. You’re single, right? So it’s not like it’s offending anyone.”

She was awfully concerned with my dating status.

We pulled up in front of the restaurant in downtown San Francisco, and Walt opened the back door, allowing me to slip out first, before I helped Henley out of the car.

She startled when a passing car laid on their horn, and I chuckled. “It’s hard not to be surprised by the noise when you’ve been living in a peaceful place for the last few weeks.”

She nodded, and I guided her toward the front door of the restaurant, maneuvering through the people who were walking down the street, on a mission to get wherever they were going.

Charles was sitting at the back table with another managing partner, Dick Jones. I couldn’t stand the guy. He was a weasel. He took shortcuts at his job, but he was a close friend of Charles’s, so they were often together at work lunches.

They both stood as we approached the table.

“There’s my girl. You look beautiful, sweetheart,” Charles said as he pulled his daughter in for a hug before shaking my hand.

“Well, look at you, Henley. You look all grown up, like a real lawyer.” Dick chuckled before wrapping his arms around her.

Who the fuck says that?

She didn’t seem fazed, as she was obviously used to dealing with assholes in a male-dominant profession. I pulled out the chair beside her father and motioned for her to sit down. Then I settled in the seat on the other side of her.

The waiter came by and took our drink orders as he set down the brie appetizer, and we all dove in.

“I heard that you crushed it in court today. Another win for the team,” Charles said, and I nodded.

“Thank you. The client deserved it, so I’m glad the court sided with us.” I reached for my Pellegrino and took a sip.

“He’s being humble. He owned that courtroom.” Henley shrugged.

I puffed my chest up but tried to act unaffected.

“Wow. That’s a high compliment. My girl is a tough critic.” Charles held his whiskey glass up for the waiter to bring him another.

“He’s young, so he’s still hungry. Some of us don’t need to hunt anymore. We can sit back and reap the fruits of our labor,” Dick said, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. He’d never been an impressive trial attorney. He’d had one really strong gift, and that was to surround himself with the right people. He’d latched onto Charles, and I’d credit him for recognizing talent there. Charles Holloway was one of the best I’d ever met. I’d seen him in action when I first graduated law school, and I’d made a conscious decision that I wanted to be just like him.

“I think that if you love the law, you don’t ever want to sit back and be lazy, Dick ,” I said, purposely accentuating the name. I knew it bugged him, but he was pretentious and demeaning to others, so I liked to kick him down a few notches when I could. He’d been the one who fought me on taking this case for Sadie Walker. He didn’t like to take on anything that didn’t bring in the big bucks. A pro bono case had been risky, and he never did anything that was for the greater good.

Hence the reason I called him Dick.

He paused, his rocks glass at his lips, and he stared at me. “I’ve told you multiple times that Rick is short for Richard.”

“Oh, my apologies. I guess you’d have to take that up with medieval England. That’s where I must be getting it,” I said, and Henley chuckled, which caused Dick to shoot her a warning look.

“Luckily, we aren’t living in medieval times, Easton. So, I’d prefer we go with Rick moving forward.”

I nodded, even though we’d had this conversation multiple times over the years, and we both knew I wasn’t going to listen to anything that he said.

“Anyway, court went great, and Henley did a lot of the research for this case. So she deserves a big pat on the back.”

She raised a brow as if she were surprised. “Thank you. But that was all you today.”

“It’s good you recognize the strengths you each bring to the table. I definitely teamed you up with the right mentor,” Charles said. “You can’t work at this firm if you aren’t winning cases, Henley. So, learn from the best, and be the best.”

This was fucking lunch; he needed to relax.

“Agreed. And you are the youngest female that we’ve hired at the firm,” Dick added, giving her a pointed look as if he’d done her a huge favor.

Like I said, he just rubbed me wrong every time he spoke.

“She’s the youngest attorney at our firm. Male or female. Not sure why you left the attorney part out of your statement, Dick .”

The asshole just glared at me and ordered another cocktail.

“Being my daughter means that you’ve got a lot to prove. And I’m counting on you to help her get there, Easton.” Charles paused when the waiter set our food down.

“I’m happy to prove myself. I’ve made that clear.” Henley reached for her fork and started eating her salad.

“I believe Henley is the only one at this table who got a perfect score on her LSAT, and I’m fairly certain that the only person with a higher score on their bar exam at this table is me. And it was by only one point. Not to mention the fact that she graduated number one in her Harvard Law class. So, I think you gentlemen can relax. She’s way ahead of where you were when you first started, isn’t she?”

Charles barked out a laugh. He was a brilliant guy, and he pushed those who worked for him hard, but he never minded when you argued with him, as long as you made your point.

Especially if you were right.

“Yes, my girl is a superstar.” He popped a scallop into his mouth and then winked at her.

“She really is,” Dick said, setting his glass down on the table. “The only time I ever saw Charles disappointed in her was at the NCAA tennis championships. He’d flown us all out to that tournament, bragging about how he was sure you would win. We tried reminding your father that you can’t win them all.”

“That’s true.” Henley reached for her water and took a sip. “However, my team won. It was still a win.”

“Yes, sweetheart. And you did your best. You know I feel badly that I was hard on you about that. It’s that Holloway spirit in me.” Charles looked at his daughter, and she forced a smile and nodded.

I looked between them, unsure what the fuck was going on.

“Henley was favored to win the individual title, and she took second. It was still a very good showing,” Dick said, as he forked a piece of steak. “You almost pulled it off.”

Henley sighed. “I was pleased with how I finished, considering the fact that I had a 102 degree fever.”

Charles winced. “You showed a lot of fight that day. Your coach wasn’t too happy with me pushing you to play.”

“Yeah. He wanted to pull me, but you wanted me to play. I don’t regret finishing, Dad. I had to really dig deep, and I did. So, I think that speaks to my point that I don’t back down from a challenge, and I’m willing to do the work.”

“I was very proud of you that you didn’t let him pull you, and you finished your last tournament like a champion.” Charles smiled at his daughter.

“Well, you sure weren’t acting like that on the plane ride home.” Dick barked out a laugh, and I had the sudden urge to put my fist through his face. “Your dad is a competitive guy, Henley. He wanted that win.”

“Thank you for the reminder.” Henley oozed sarcasm. “Anyway, it was a long time ago, so let’s celebrate the win we got today in the courtroom.”

But I could feel her shutting down beside me.

A maniacal chuckle left my mouth unexpectedly, and everyone turned to look at me. “I’m just picturing either one of you on the court with her. I’m guessing she’d smoke both of you easily, even in your prime. So, glass fucking houses, gentlemen.”

How fucking dare they call her out.

And why did I feel this intense need to defend her?

It didn’t really matter why I felt this way. I always trusted my gut.

And my gut wanted to burn these bastards to the ground right now.