Read Online Lawmakers by Tressie Lockwood, Dahlia Rose - Free Book Online

him she had court today, he suggested she not see him. Still, he must know after so long being apart, she couldn’t resist. This was too much.
    She clenched her cell phone in her hand and stared down at the display. The phone call she had wanted to make was to Santi. Be strong, Della. Talk to him later.
    “Okay, fine. You win,” she said to Brent. “I’ll go back in.”
    “We’re not in a contest.”
    She rolled her eyes at him as she moved past. “Please, ‘he’s exotic and rich.’ Remember that?”
    Brent groaned as he fell into step beside her. “You’re going to throw that in my face every time?”
    “Sure, why not?” she teased. “Thanks for getting my feet back on the ground, and for being here.”
    “You got it.” He hugged her shoulders and then moved away. “Any time.”
    While Della had given in and recognized the truth in most of what Brent said, she knew the problem still existed. The fact was she loved Santi, and the thought of separating from him tore at her heart. She couldn’t be sure if she loved law the way she always had after going through so much with school and work and being broke. Maybe with time, everything would become clear. That didn’t change the here and now. Santi would leave at some point. What would she do if he offered flat out for her to come with him?
    I already know. I’ll go with him anywhere.
    * * * *
    “We’re taking the deal, Della.”
    She blinked at Bob, not registering what he said. “Wait, what? We had all the evidence, Bob. You were going to nail it to them after the break. In fact, you had Mrs. Campbell on the fence. A little prodding, and she would have caved. You can’t tell me you didn’t see that!”
    As she spoke, she came up out of her chair. Della put her hands on her hips and dared Bob to deny what she’d just said.
    “Please tell me why in the hell would we lose this case?”
    Bob’s lips tightened, and his cheeks pinked. Too late, Della realized she’d dressed her boss down, who was doing her a favor, in front of his colleagues. She snapped her teeth together and sank into her chair.
    “Uh…” She scrambled for words to take back the insult, but it didn’t change how she felt. Frustration tied her tongue.
    “Does anyone else want to spew their thoughts?” Bob asked.
    Della ducked her head. “Sorry,” she muttered.
    “Contrary to what we would like to think,” he said, “the law isn’t always cut and dried. We don’t always go by what’s there in black and white.”
    She couldn’t help glaring at him, and for an instant his good-natured attitude disappeared. A glimpse of the shark surfaced. Bob did what benefited his dad’s firm, and aside from that, if the order came down to let one slip through the cracks, none of them had any recourse but to accept it.
    “We made the deal,” he repeated. “This case is done. Now, next on the agenda…”
    For the rest of the day, they went over cases—ones the firm would accept, others they would reject. She listened as attentively as she could, making notes, asking questions. With supreme effort, she didn’t allow her personal feelings to get in the way or for a judgmental attitude to come through. At the conclusion of the meeting, Bob pulled her aside and let everyone else leave the room before he spoke.
    “Della, you’re an intelligent young woman who I’ve admired for a few years now,” he said. “I see great potential in you.”
    “But watch my mouth?” she guessed, kicking herself again.
    “No.” He chuckled. “You’ve been a life-saver for me many times.”
    She dismissed his old standby.
    “I personally don’t have a problem with you speaking your mind.”
    Della blinked at him. “For real?”
    “For real,” he agreed and laughed again. “You never disrespect me, and I’m not my dad, even if I do have to keep caving to what he wants. This is his firm until he lets go of the reins.”
    When Bob winked, she grinned. So he played nice until dear old dad retired.