Legal Attraction: A Romantic Suspense Novel (Legally Suspenseful Romance)

Chapter 18

Rand waited until long past the lunch hour to hear from Coral. By around three in the afternoon, he knew she had to have returned but every time he made an excuse to walk by her office, it was empty. She wasn’t in any of the other partner offices. And she had not attended the quick new associate orientation check in he had scheduled. No one was talking about why she was missing, except for the other new hires. They all speculated and worried out loud over her job, like he was silently. But the fact that none of the partners seemed concerned made him think something more was going on. Had they heard of her visit to Muskanza? Of course they would have. Had they joined her? Was she already fired? He knew his worries were spiraling into the ridiculous but after the week they’d had and all the stresses, he couldn’t stop the circling thoughts.

Mel and Jaden were about all he could handle. They were perfectly helpful, exceptionally intelligent and overly curious about him and his life. They asked normal questions about the firm and then personal questions about him and his place in it. He supposed it was because they were trying to see themselves working there. He knew he shouldn’t even be bothered. But he was. And he didn’t want to talk about personal things at work. Particularly because his lack of a steady romance was the topic of every performance review.

He exited to find Mr. Goldstein and, on the way, stopped at the receptionist desk. “Gladys, hello.” He brightened his smile larger than usual. “Is that a new blouse? Yellow looks cheery on you.”

“Why, aren’t you darling this afternoon? Thank you. I was feeling bright today.”

“It suits you and it’s nice to have a warm welcome when we come in.”

She nodded and then lifted her lashes, waiting. “What can I do for you?”

“Any messages? I’m looking for something that might have showed up during lunch.”

She shuffled through her papers and pulled up a screen on her laptop. “No. Nothing here. All I have during the lunch hour is Ms. Anastas’ return.”

“So, not a busy day.”

“Not at all. But that’s grand because I can catch up on the invitations Mr. Goldstein asked me to create.”

“Oh? We throwing a party?”

“Client appreciation and team building. He wants to host it here in the building.” She studied her nails. “And I’m sure he’s going to want me to decorate the place.”

“It’s great the way it is, certainly. It has that charm.”

She nodded and then lifted an eyebrow. “You trying to give your new hires some space?”

He leaned over the counter. “Between you and me, yes.”

She laughed. “Well, I could fill you in on the tea.”

“The tea?”

“The gossip around here, the harmless stuff. It will take a good ten minutes at least.”

“Then yes, please do tell. Gladys, I find I must know the tea.”

She kept stuffing envelopes and spoke quieter. “Mr. Halstrom still has not returned from lunch which wouldn’t be newsworthy at all except that Ms. Sanchez hasn’t either.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Is there something going on there?” He could never picture the two of them doing anything but work, but it was noteworthy that they could possibly be doing something work related. He considered their clients.

“I’m not here to interpret the tea. I’m just sharing it.”

“Fair enough.” He nodded. “What else you got?”

“Your friend Coral?”

He smiled. “Is she my friend Coral?”

“That’s what it looks like to anyone with eyes.” She looked at him with some sort of meaning which he found curious and had no ability to interpret.

“Well, what about her?”

“She showed up late from lunch herself.” She pointed. “And went straight into that office.”

“Oh?” He glanced at the door.

“And she hasn’t come out.”

He checked his watch. “She’s been in there for almost three hours?”

“I think so.” She shrugged.

“Doing what?”

She organized her stack and then handed him some envelopes. “You’re gonna need to start licking these.”

He grimaced but did as he was told.

“I don’t know.”

He made a mock frown. “I’m licking envelopes for you and you don’t know?”

“I didn’t know you had so much interest in the office gossip.”

He laughed. “Well, as you so astutely pointed out, I have reasons.”

“Too true. I forgot. Let’s see. What else do I know? Oh! Mr. Goldstein is going in for a medical procedure next week. I think he’s getting a lift.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

“A lift?” This was way more than he wanted to know, but he had to keep her talking so she’d say something more about Coral.

“Eyebrow.”

“Ah. I didn’t know that was something to lift.”

“Because you’re still young.”

He handed back a stack of sealed envelopes.

Jaden approached them at the desk. “There you are.” She held out a file. “I have the latest draft of the brief you asked for, but I can’t move forward until I get the main points correct and passed off with you. Would you mind taking a look?” She held it out as if in accusation.

“Certainly. Put it on my desk in the right corner.” He’d explained very clearly how he wanted them to turn in the client work.

But instead of turning around and doing as he asked, she stubbornly stood with her hand held out waiting for him to take the folder.

So he did, but he held it closed and under his arm.

Then the door to security opened and the Joe exited.

Rand whipped his head around to see behind him.

But the room was empty.

Gladys’s eyes widened but she didn’t look in Rand’s direction at all. And she suddenly became engrossed in something on her computer. Joe frowned. “It’s not advisable to loiter around the entrance.”

“On our way.” Rand nodded and Jaden stepped up beside him. They walked out together. “Thank you for your work on this.” He held up the file. “I’ll have my thoughts on your desk this afternoon.”

She sighed. “Thank you.”

“It would probably be good to begin your relationship with this firm understanding that we all have work to do and the partners are not serving at your pleasure.”

“Understood.”

They continued down the hall and rounded the corner. Coral was in her office. He almost tripped over his shoes. Luckily, Jaden did trip over hers and ran to the door. “Coral! You’re back.”

“I am back. Have I been missed?” She avoided looking at Rand. He wanted to shout yes she had been missed every ten minutes from the end of lunch until that moment.

“We all wondered about your long lunch and hoped everything was alright.” Jaden lifted a hand. “Well, good to see you. Maybe we’ll catch you at dinner tonight?”

“Sure, I’d like that.”

Rand almost groaned but instead lifted his hand. “A whole group of us are going. I thought we could find a place with dancing and karaoke.”

Jaden’s mouth dropped open but she closed it again and said nothing more.

As he’d hoped, he urged a smiled from Coral but it was a small one. She lifted her phone, casually, but it was the burner, and she made eye contact with him finally. “I’d like that. I could use some good distraction I think.”

“No video. On threat of extermination.” He laughed. “And then I just might take my turn on the stage.”

“This I gotta see.” Jaden laughed. “I’ve got to get back to work. But I’ll see you tonight.” She looked as if she would wait for Rand but he stayed. So she left them blessedly alone after looking over her shoulder twice.

But Rand couldn’t linger. “You okay?”

She shook her head, just enough and then said, “Sure. I had a productive lunch. And then meetings here until now. I’m gonna need to really push to get some of this work done before dinner though…” She moved to circle her desk and sit.

“Of course. Glad things are working out here. See you tonight.”

She lifted her hand but her head was already dipped into her laptop. But her hand rested on top of her phone. He pulled his out of his pocket as he left her office.

Mr. Goldstein turned the corner. “Ah, Rand, just the man I wanted to see.”

Rand pocketed his phone and followed the man into his office.

He closed the door and then turned with a smile. “Sit. I’d love your thoughts on some of our new associates.”

“Of course.” He crossed an ankle over his knee.

“I’d particularly like your thoughts about Coral Anastas.”

He lifted his eyebrows. “I don’t share any cases with her. I don’t know if I’m particularly suited to having an opinion.” He shrugged.

“I’d like one all the same.” Mr. Goldstein’s eyes were emotionless and pointed.

So Rand nodded. “I enjoyed her fire in our new associate meeting. She stood up to me and had good arguments. I think she might be ready before the others to handle a client. But is perhaps too bold? Might need some mentoring on how to handle the delicate balance of client expectations and what is impossible to deliver.”

“Excellent. I’d like to assign you both the Monroe Company.”

Rand almost choked. But then he smiled. “The yacht company?”

Mr. Goldstein leaned back in his chair, more relaxed. “The very one. We need the two of you to do a client relations type visit this weekend. Take a few extra days. They’ll take you out on the boats. Take them to dinner. We need this client. And I think the two of you are the ones to retain them.”

“Has there been some difficulty?”

He tilted his head and then shook it. “Not really. I’ll let you read the files. They’re new. And you could handle another client. They were referred to us by Muskanza. Coral works with them. We felt like it was a good fit.”

Anything closer to Muskanza was a good move in Rand’s opinion. And more than that, he thought it was excellent timing to get Coral out of town and to be at her side twenty-four seven. He didn’t know what her security would think though. And he wasn’t sure how much he’d love travelling with all of them. But he wouldn’t complain. “Should I give Coral the details and get travel from Gladys?”

“Take the jet. It’s a quick one-hour flight, but we felt it advisable.”

“Excellent.”

“You’ll leave tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Will that be a problem?”

“Actually, no. I’ll bring some casework with me, but could someone check in with Melanie and Jaden while I’m away?”

“Of course, I’ll have their work assigned to Ms Taylor starting tomorrow.” He cleared his throat. “And Rand?”

“Yes.”

“It has not escaped out notice that there is a certain interest in Coral. We typically subtly frown on office relationships, but in your case, where you have regrettably not found someone as of yet to marry, we do think that she might be a healthy direction.”

Rand’s insides twisted in a churning hot mess, but he only nodded and tilted his head to the side as if the idea had not occurred to him. “I don’t usually consider such things while I’m working, honestly.”

“Or ever as far as we can tell. You are planning to one day settle down? We added you to our partnership with that understanding. You plan to be a family man?”

“I do, of course, some day with the right woman. We work a lot of hours. It is not the simplest thing to find a woman to marry…” He couldn’t believe he was having this conversation with anyone, most especially Mr. Goldstein. But here he was.

“Consider Coral. This new assignment might be just the trick.” He winked and Rand suddenly second guessed every amorous thought he’d had in his life. But instead of throwing up in his mouth, he smiled and stood. “Thank you, Sir. We will do our best with the Monroe Company certainly.”

“I would expect no less from either of you.”

He turned back toward Coral’s office and walked there as quickly as he could. Now that he had a legitimate work reason to talk with her, he was going to make the most of it.