of the freezing.”
“Why would they send a letter to my house? I wasn’t even-” Shakira stopped speaking because her temper was on the verge of spilling over. It wasn’t Wayne’s fault that the FBI, her bank and her mother who’d sold the house where her mail had been sent were all assholes. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she stared at the ceiling and counted to twenty.
Wayne interrupted her at fourteen. “You don’t need to worry about it. With you released without charges it should be easy to get your assets unfrozen in a week or less.”
Releasing her nose, she focused on him. There was a hopeful note in her voice as she asked, “You think so?”
“I do.” He nodded as a large smile spread across his face and creased the edges of his eyes drawing even more attention to the freckles there. “You’re with Green, Green & Becket and we always take care of our clients.”
She sagged in her seat in relief. The bank had only left her with the state’s mandatory one thousand seven hundred dollars but that would be enough to carry her until the end of the week or even longer. The thought of money cut her relief short.
“Wayne, I don’t have much money to pay you.” Picking up her bag, she searched for her wallet as within it as she said, “I mean I could give you a two hundred dollar ret-”
Wayne stopped her. “You don’t need to worry about it, Shakira. This one’s on me.”
She looked up at him in shock. “Really?”
“Really.”
She didn’t know what to say. She’d known a lot of kindness from people in her lifetime but it rarely came from people who lived in gilded cages as Wayne did. Eve’s own step-brother, a real estate mogul, had pretended he didn’t even know Shakira when she’d gone to his office to plead for aid with her university costs.
Wayne was the last person she’d expected to help her. He and Charlie had been university buddies and somewhat friendly. When he’d approached her offering his services Pro Bono after her first lawyer had ditched her, she’d been baffled – grateful but nonetheless baffled.
His spirited defense at the trial despite his disbelief in her innocence had convinced her that he only meant well. His kindness was as unexpected as it was appreciated.
“I don’t know what to say, Wayne,” Shakira said. “I don’t know how I can thank you.”
“Just a hug would be good enough.” He laughed. She wasn’t sure if he was kidding or serious but a hug was the least she could do. She stood and crossed over to his side of the desk. He hopped to his feet and drew her into his arms.
Wayne was taller than she was and her head only touched his chin. His cologne imbued her senses as she pressed her body closer to his lean tall length. He was a handsome man with a good physique – her body should’ve been lighting up in all sorts of celebration. But it felt almost like hugging London; comforting, innocent and definitely no sparks. Maybe the night with Nathan had soothed her hormones.
He held her for a bit longer than appropriate before releasing her. When she looked up at him, his mouth was cocked at an odd angle and his eyes were heavy lidded. She knew that look. Obviously Wayne’s hormones didn’t agree with her assessment of the hug.
His next words only confirmed it. “…and maybe dinner tonight?”
“Um…um…um.” She frantically tried to ferret for a good excuse why she couldn’t go to dinner with him but Shakira had always been hopeless in situations that required quick thinking. “Um…sure.”
“Eight o’clock then. Sabine’s. ”
A date with a nice guy like Wayne wasn’t the worst thing that could happen to her, she thought as she waited for the elevator. Unbidden, an image of Nathan clouded her thoughts. She started to shove it to the back of her mind then hastily reeled it back in. Damn it! She still owed the man money.
Obviously explaining that the FBI had frozen her accounts was out of the question. The man already knew
“Why would they send a letter to my house? I wasn’t even-” Shakira stopped speaking because her temper was on the verge of spilling over. It wasn’t Wayne’s fault that the FBI, her bank and her mother who’d sold the house where her mail had been sent were all assholes. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she stared at the ceiling and counted to twenty.
Wayne interrupted her at fourteen. “You don’t need to worry about it. With you released without charges it should be easy to get your assets unfrozen in a week or less.”
Releasing her nose, she focused on him. There was a hopeful note in her voice as she asked, “You think so?”
“I do.” He nodded as a large smile spread across his face and creased the edges of his eyes drawing even more attention to the freckles there. “You’re with Green, Green & Becket and we always take care of our clients.”
She sagged in her seat in relief. The bank had only left her with the state’s mandatory one thousand seven hundred dollars but that would be enough to carry her until the end of the week or even longer. The thought of money cut her relief short.
“Wayne, I don’t have much money to pay you.” Picking up her bag, she searched for her wallet as within it as she said, “I mean I could give you a two hundred dollar ret-”
Wayne stopped her. “You don’t need to worry about it, Shakira. This one’s on me.”
She looked up at him in shock. “Really?”
“Really.”
She didn’t know what to say. She’d known a lot of kindness from people in her lifetime but it rarely came from people who lived in gilded cages as Wayne did. Eve’s own step-brother, a real estate mogul, had pretended he didn’t even know Shakira when she’d gone to his office to plead for aid with her university costs.
Wayne was the last person she’d expected to help her. He and Charlie had been university buddies and somewhat friendly. When he’d approached her offering his services Pro Bono after her first lawyer had ditched her, she’d been baffled – grateful but nonetheless baffled.
His spirited defense at the trial despite his disbelief in her innocence had convinced her that he only meant well. His kindness was as unexpected as it was appreciated.
“I don’t know what to say, Wayne,” Shakira said. “I don’t know how I can thank you.”
“Just a hug would be good enough.” He laughed. She wasn’t sure if he was kidding or serious but a hug was the least she could do. She stood and crossed over to his side of the desk. He hopped to his feet and drew her into his arms.
Wayne was taller than she was and her head only touched his chin. His cologne imbued her senses as she pressed her body closer to his lean tall length. He was a handsome man with a good physique – her body should’ve been lighting up in all sorts of celebration. But it felt almost like hugging London; comforting, innocent and definitely no sparks. Maybe the night with Nathan had soothed her hormones.
He held her for a bit longer than appropriate before releasing her. When she looked up at him, his mouth was cocked at an odd angle and his eyes were heavy lidded. She knew that look. Obviously Wayne’s hormones didn’t agree with her assessment of the hug.
His next words only confirmed it. “…and maybe dinner tonight?”
“Um…um…um.” She frantically tried to ferret for a good excuse why she couldn’t go to dinner with him but Shakira had always been hopeless in situations that required quick thinking. “Um…sure.”
“Eight o’clock then. Sabine’s. ”
A date with a nice guy like Wayne wasn’t the worst thing that could happen to her, she thought as she waited for the elevator. Unbidden, an image of Nathan clouded her thoughts. She started to shove it to the back of her mind then hastily reeled it back in. Damn it! She still owed the man money.
Obviously explaining that the FBI had frozen her accounts was out of the question. The man already knew
Similar Books
