Chapter 39
ONE MONTH LATER
Roman
“I am going to miss you so much, princess.” I held Maddie up and kissed her cheek. “You be good for Gigi Pippa while Mommy and Daddy are at work.”
“She’s always an angel, Roman,” My mother, Pippa, said.
I handed her over to my mom.
“Bye, sweetheart. Mommy will see you later.” Morgan kissed her head.
“You two have a good day at the office,” my mother practically pushed us out the door.
We climbed into the back of the Escalade, and I grabbed Morgan’s hand and brought it to my lips.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too, babe.” She smiled.
“My brothers and I will be tied up in interviews all morning. So if you find something for the Pearson case, we’ll be in conference room three.”
“Got it. You three have been interviewing for almost a month. I can’t believe you haven’t found anyone yet.”
“You know we only hire the best; unfortunately, the best hasn’t been found yet. But I’m hoping today we will. You know we have a reputation to uphold.” I smirked. “I will say that one application really stood out to me.”
“Oh yeah?” Morgan asked.
“Her name is Laurel Evans. She graduated at the top of her class with a 4.0 from Duke University with several honors.”
“Where did she previously work?”
“She was an associate at a law firm in North Carolina, and then she moved to San Francisco two years ago and became a public defender. Her record is amazing.”
“She sounds like the perfect candidate, babe.” Morgan smiled.
“At least she does on paper. We’ll see how she interviews.”
“I’m sure she’ll do great.” She leaned over and kissed my cheek.
“What was that for?” I smiled.
“I can’t kiss my future husband for no reason?” Her brow arched.
“You can kiss me anytime you want.” I hooked my arm around her and pulled her into me. “I love you, future Mrs. Hamilton.”
“I love you too, Mr. Hamilton.”
I set my briefcase down and asked Olivia for a cup of coffee. I picked up the interviewees' resumes and took them to the conference room.
“Where’s Julian?” I asked Parker.
“He got called into court. He said to start without him, and he’ll be here as soon as he can. Who’s our first interview?”
“Laurel Evans. ”
Olivia opened the conference room door and set my coffee in front of me.
“Thanks, Olivia.”
“You’re welcome. Laurel Evans is here for her interview.”
“Send her in.”
When Laurel stepped into the conference room, Parker glanced at me and arched his brow as the corners of his mouth curved upward.
“Miss Evans, I’m Roman Hamilton, and this is my brother Parker.”
“It’s nice to meet you both.” She shook our hands.
“Please, have a seat.” I gestured. “Your resume is impeccable.”
“Thank you, Mr. Hamilton.”
“I do have to ask. Why a public defender?”
“It was only supposed to be temporary until I found something else. But you know how life gets in the way sometimes.”
“We sure do.” Parker smiled.
“So, if we were to hire you, there wouldn’t be a problem relocating?”
“Not at all. I’ve already found a house to rent until I get established.”
“Oh yeah? Where at?” Parker asked.
“I don’t think that’s any of our business.” I glanced at Parker.
“Right. Sorry.”
“It’s fine.” Laurel smiled. “I found a house in West Hollywood. The couple who own the home are very nice. They agreed to hold the home for a week when I told them I was interviewing with your firm today.”
The door opened, and Julian walked in. “Sorry about that.”
Laurel turned around and stared at him. Julian stopped dead in his tracks.
“You!” He pointed at her.
“Ah, the arrogant and overconfident man hitting on me at the bar and hoping to take me to his suite.”
“That is not true. What the hell is she doing here?”
“Wait a second.” Parker put up his hand. “This is the woman you told us about?”
“Is he your brother?” Laurel asked.
“He sure is.” I sighed, running my hand down my face.
“You’re a lawyer?” Julian asked her, taking the seat next to me.
“I am. And a damn good one.” She smiled.
He picked up her resume and studied it.
“A public defender? Really? You attended forensic camp growing up?”
“I did.” She nodded.
“Huh, a 4.0 from Duke. I take it you’re super smart.”
“I am, which is the reason I didn’t allow you to spew anymore of your crap to me at the bar that night.”
Parker let out a chuckle, and Julian shot him a dirty look.
“I was born with a gift. I can easily read people just by looking at them, including jurors. I have a knack for picking the right jury to suit my client's needs.”
“It says that you graduated high school at sixteen, went straight into college, graduated in two years, and then graduated law school when you were twenty-one,” I spoke.
“I have a photographic memory, and I can speed read.”
“Thank you, Miss Evans. We’ll be in touch.” Julian stood up, extended his hand, and quickly put it down. “Oh, I’m sorry. I wouldn’t want you to think I was hitting on you. ”
“Julian, enough.” I sighed. “Don’t listen to him, Laurel. We’ll be in touch in a day or two.”
“Thank you. It was nice to meet you, gentlemen.” She stood up and walked to the door. Stopping, she turned and looked at Julian. “It was nice to see you again, Julian.” She smiled and left the room.
“She’s perfection,” Parker said. “I say we hire her right now.”
“Over my dead body,” Julian spoke.
“She’s the best candidate we’ve interviewed so far. She has a lot of experience and is highly intelligent,” I said.
“I don’t care how intelligent she is. We’re not hiring her.”
“Bro, forget about what happened at the bar. For fuck’s sake, think of the firm and not with your dick.”
“Trust me. I’m not thinking with my dick. She’s a mean-spirited person.”
“Why? Because she called you out?” Parker laughed. “I can honestly say I love that woman.”
“Shut up, douchebag. No. She’s not working here.” He folded his arms and leaned back in his chair like a child throwing a temper tantrum.
We spent the next few hours interviewing more people, even though both Parker and I knew we were going to hire Laurel.
“That last one wasn’t bad,” Julian said.
“He was a moron.” I sighed.
“I have to go and meet with a client.” Julian stood up.
“We’re hiring Laurel, bro,” I said.
“The hell you are.” He pointed at me before leaving the conference room.
“Pull out your phone and call her,” Parker said. “She is exactly what this firm needs, and we can’t let Julian’s hurt butt interfere with that. ”
“I agree.” I pulled out my phone and dialed Laurel’s number, putting it on speaker.
“Hello.”
“Miss Evans, this is Roman Hamilton from The Hamilton Group. We want to make you an offer you won’t be able to refuse.”
“Thank you, Mr. Hamilton. I appreciate it. But what about your brother?”
“Don’t give him another thought,” I said.
“You hurt his ego, and that’s on him. You’re exactly the attorney our firm needs. Can you come in tomorrow morning to go over all the details?” Parker asked.
“Yes. What time?”
“Nine a.m.,” I spoke.
“I’ll be there. Thank you again. This means a lot.”
“You’re welcome. We’ll see you tomorrow, Laurel.” I ended the call.
“Hey, you two.” Morgan walked in. “How did the interviews go?”
“We’ve hired someone.” I grinned.
“The woman you were telling me about earlier?”
“Yep. She’s perfect.”
“There’s only one problem,” Parker said.
“What’s the problem?” Morgan asked.
“She’s the woman Julian hit on at the hotel bar in San Francisco last month.”
Morgan’s eyes widened. “The one who told him he was arrogant, overconfident, self-assured, and too charming for his own good to get what he wants from women?”
“Yep. That’s her.” I smiled.
“And Julian is okay with hiring her?”
“Nope.” Parker shook his head. “He doesn’t want her here and doesn’t know we hired her yet. I have a case to look over. I’ll see you two later.”
Morgan walked over and sat on my lap. Wrapping my arms around her, I kissed her cheek. “Tell me you found something for the Pearson case.”
“I did.” A beautiful grin crossed her face.
“I knew you would.”
“Things are going to get interesting around here with—what’s her name?” she asked.
“Laurel. Laurel Evans.”
“Laurel and Julian working together. Do you really think it’s a good idea? Especially with the way Julian feels about it?”
I reached over, grabbed Laurel’s resume, and handed it to Morgan.
“Damn. She is perfect. Forensic camp?” Morgan asked.
“She told us she has a gift for reading people and picking the right jurors that benefit her clients. She also has a photographic memory and can speed read.”
“I can’t wait to meet her. Julian is just going to have to accept it.”
“Accept what?” Julian stepped into the conference room. “I swear to God, Roman. If you hired Laurel?—”
“I did, brother. Get over it. You know damn well she’s perfect for the firm. You also know we must do what’s in the firm’s best interest, not your personal life.”
“I told you she’s a mean-spirited person,” Julian said.
“No, she isn’t. You think that because she said a few things about your character and pissed you off. Play nice in the sandbox, bro. I mean it. Maybe once she gets to know you, she’ll realize she was wrong.”
“I don’t give a fuck. The damage is done. I can’t believe you.” He shook his head and walked out of the room .
“I think a storm is coming.” A smirk crossed Morgan’s lips.
“So do I.” I sighed. “Enough about Laurel and Julian. What did you find for the Pearson case?”
“I’ll show you after we have sex in here. Go lock the door.” She smiled, softly kissing my lips.
“This is why I love you so much.” I winked.
Thank you for reading Cause of Action (Hamilton Brothers Series, Book One). I hope you enjoyed it!