20. When You Do Not Know What to Do, Ask an Expert
20
WHEN YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO, ASK AN EXPERT
Bennett was just as broody and disagreeable as Noah described.
What Noah failed to mention was that Bennett had the face of an angel to counteract his personality.
Honey-colored tresses curled around an angular face, darker brows lowered over stormy hazel eyes.
Dressed in a fitted, black suit, the sharp cut of his jaw and unsmiling face screamed uptight and no-nonsense.
He reminded her so much of how closed-off Noah was when she first met him that Hanna immediately wanted to befriend Bennett.
As they walked into his office, Bennett rounded his desk to shake Noah’s hand, softening the formal greeting by clasping his shoulder and pulling him into a hug.
Noah returned the gesture with a clap on Bennett’s back.
“Thanks for meeting us.”
“Not like you gave me much of a choice,” Bennett said dryly.
“Calling in a decade old favor, I admit you have me curious what this request is for.”
His shark-like eyes pinned Hanna in place and she got the distinct feeling that he was sizing her up, assessing.
“This is Hanna, my girlfriend. She’s the reason I called you.” Noah stepped back to her side, resting a hand on the small of her back.
Hanna warmed at the title, though she wished the first time Noah introduced her as his girlfriend was under better circumstances.
Surprise sharpened Bennett’s face, his eyes going between Hanna and Noah.
“Girlfriend, huh? Must be pretty special to get you calling in a favor.”
Well, at least he did not add insult to injury by tacking on a placating “no offense” when he clearly meant to offend.
Hanna knew she was supposed to be insulted, and there was a part of her that wanted to smack the arrogant confidence off the blonde man’s face, but when she studied his posture and tone of his voice, Hanna considered that maybe it was not really about her.
She would phrase it differently, but Hanna knew that if it came down to being polite or protecting a friend, she would say a lot worse.
“Bennett,” Noah seethed in warning at the implied insult.
Hanna stilled him by placing a hand on his arm.
His friend was being an absolute ass, but if Hanna agreed to hire him as her lawyer, she needed Bennett to know that she would stand up for herself.
Hiding her true intentions behind a blinding smile, Hanna held out her hand for Bennett to shake.
When his palm clasped hers, Hanna squeezed.
Firmly. She really should not feel a giddy thrill at the wince on his face as his fingers were crushed beneath hers, but Hanna was petty enough to enjoy it.
“So nice to meet you, Bennett. Perhaps you would like to get to know me first before making a judgement call? Otherwise, you are wasting my time.”
Barely restraining the urge to stretch out his fingers after her punishing grip, Bennett met Hanna’s gaze, a hint of respect slipping through the look of chagrin.
“Very special then. My apologies. The courts are filled with people using emotional manipulation to take advantage of the other person and I had to check that you were not doing that to my friend.”
So Bennett said it to gauge her reaction.
Clever. She could use that in a lawyer.
It did not hurt that he acted to protect his friend.
Noah needed people like that in his corner.
Pleased that Bennett was not too prideful to admit to his faults and apologize, Hanna accepted his apology, pushing their first introduction out of her head and accepting the seat he pulled out for her.
Hanna had never been in a lawyer’s office before, but if this one offered a glimpse into the personality of its owner, Hanna was intrigued.
She had hosted lawyers on tour before, many of them giving off the general impression of a profession that encouraged the mentality of work hard, play harder.
While Bennett’s first impression gave off an air of a person who had never heard of the word fun, his office suggested otherwise.
His bookshelves were lined with beautiful tomes, spines stamped with gold foil and intricate binding, yet none of them were books on the law like one would expect.
Instead, Hanna scanned the titles of Agatha Christie’s complete work, Jane Austen shared space with the Bronte sisters, collections of poetry and scientific theories stacked together.
The shelves had no logical order, books that should be categorized together shelved separately.
Catching the quizzical look on her face, Bennett spared a glance towards his personal library before returning his attention to Hanna.
“My cousins and I are in a family book club. I keep a separate shelf for each of their selections.” Bennett shrugged as if it was nothing, while Hanna thought it spoke volumes toward his affection for his family.
Now that he pointed it out, Hanna noticed that the shelves held additional nods to each of the cousins.
A framed photo of them all together had the place of honor in the center shelf, a small canvas painting of a lake house was on another, a medal of valor displayed proudly on yet another.
“How are your cousins? Your uncle?” Noah asked as he folded himself into the curved, low-back chair next to Hanna’s.
Designed with natural wood furniture and a sage accent wall, Bennett’s office matched the clean lines and tasteful decor of the rest of the converted craftsman cottage.
A large window along the right wall provided enough light to brighten the space and offer a view of the garden outside.
“They are good, still pestering me to move back home.”
“You are not from here?” Hanna thought she detected a slight accent.
“No, my family is from New York. I came out here for college and it made sense to stay when the company was expanding to the West Coast.”
There was an undercurrent to his tone that had Hanna thinking there was more to that story than his succinct summary, but she let it go.
She did not know him well enough to pry into his personal life.
Though, if he really was a close friend of Noah’s, perhaps she would learn the story one day.
Spinning a pen between his fingers, Bennett answered Noah’s second question.
“Though it might be time for me to visit them. Apparently, my uncle has a new personal assistant for the foundation.”
“And?” Noah asked.
“That hardly seems concerning. You were saying that he needed help planning the charity gala.”
Bennett’s voice took on a bitter edge as he clenched his jaw around the words, “She’s twenty-four.”
The only outward sign of Noah’s surprise was his raised brow, the rest of him took on a solemn air, concern for his friend softening his posture.
“That’s young, sure, but not that young. We were the same age when we got our first jobs out of grad school. What are you so worried about?”
“He does not need to be spending that much time with a girl barely out of school. It’s inappropriate.”
“We are not in a regency drama, Bennett. She isn’t a child. Your uncle can hire whomever he wants. Stop looking for trouble where there is none. She’s his assistant. It’s not like they are dating.”
The pen hit the desk with a resounding clack.
“Don’t even joke about that.”
Hanna watched them carefully, wondering if she should excuse herself from this obviously delicate conversation or remind them of her presence.
“I am not saying he is dating her, but would it really be so bad if he started getting out there again? It’s been seven years since–”
“Enough.” The cold steel of Bennett’s voice was enough to make Hanna shiver.
There was an invisible line that Noah crossed and Hanna watched as a mask of indifference slid over his friend’s face.
Pain radiated from Bennett’s rigid posture and equal parts of frustration and empathy coated Noah’s features.
Clearly, this was not the first time they had this conversation, but it was the first time it tripped into uncharted territory.
Hanna could see that Noah wanted to help his friend, but it was equally clear that Bennett was not in a place to accept the help.
This was an issue he needed to work through on his own.
Offering what comfort she could, Hanna laced her fingers with Noah’s, placing their joined hands on his thigh.
Bennett tracked the movement, snapping his gaze back to the couple.
“Look, you know that I think of you like a brother, Noah, but you need to drop it. The subject is closed, and if you value our friendship, you will not bring it up again.”
Noah sighed sadly.
“Understood. I am sorry I pushed too far. I will not bring it up again, but I want you to know I am here for you if you ever want to talk about it.”
With a twitch of his mouth, Bennett turned his attention back to Hanna.
“Well, I was right, you must be special. In all the years I have known him, I have never heard Noah apologize.”
Her laughter broke the remaining tension in the room.
“He just needed a good teacher,” Hanna said.
“No.” Noah brought their joined hands to his lips.
“I just needed you.”
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, each flap of their wings sending shockwaves of happiness through her.
Love for him saturated her pores until Hanna was sure it was radiating out of her.
There was a matching light in Noah’s eyes as they leaned over their chairs so their lips could meet in the space between them.
Each touch was a jolt of energy to Hanna’s system, giving her a boost of strength.
The clack of a keyboard drew them apart, Bennett’s blunt interruption causing Hanna to blush as she remembered where they were.
And why they were there.
“We’ve wasted enough time and my billable hours are quite expensive. Why don’t you tell me why you are here?”
Straightening at the reminder of how much this might cost, Hanna tried to temper her expectations.
Some of her apprehension must have appeared on her face because Bennett’s glower softened marginally.
“I was joking. If I think that I can help, I’ll take on this case pro bono. I cannot make the court fees disappear, but we can talk about those after we agree to work together.”
The reassurance helped settle her frazzled nerves and Hanna relaxed into the chair.
Summarizing the details of the lawsuit as quickly as possible, Hanna pulled out the court summons from her bag and handed it over to Bennett.
His assessing gaze reviewed the document, pausing to type notes into his computer or ask Hanna questions.
When she was done talking, Hanna found the resulting quiet disconcerting.
Gaze locked on his computer, Bennett scanned the typed words, no hint of what he was thinking revealed in his expression.
Worry was a sneaky thing, slipping under Hanna’s skin and winding its way through her system, urging her heart into a rapid beat, pressing a hard knot into her stomach, and tightening her skin until it tingled with nerves.
If Bennett did not accept the case, that meant he did not think it had a chance at winning, and Hanna did not see how she could continue.
Removing his glasses, Bennett steepled his hands, resting his bottom lip against the tips of his fingers as he took a deep breath.
Hanna’s lungs stopped functioning, the air trapped as she braced for bad news.
With fire in his eyes, Bennett spoke.
“Let’s make these bastards pay.”
Air whooshed out of Hanna.
Beside her, Noah inhaled sharply, as if he had also been waiting to breathe until he heard the news.
He remained quiet, though his relief was palpable, and Noah’s hand relaxed under hers.
“So it’s not a lost cause?” Hanna asked for clarity.
“No.” Bennett’s curls shook with his head.
“Definitely not. Larger corporations scare smaller businesses with lawsuits, the threat of huge fines enough to make most competition give up. This–” He pinned down the court summons with a finger.
“–is their way of trying to get you to cave under pressure.”
“And you can help?”
His brow creased in befuddlement.
“Didn’t Noah tell you what type of law I practice?”
Noah huffed out a laugh.
“I would have made you help either way.”
Rolling his eyes at his friend, Bennett filled Hanna in.
“I specialize in mergers and acquisitions. My family owns a lot of companies, investing in startups that otherwise lack access to funding, and help them grow. I do not like bullies, Hanna, and I got into law to fight against groups like Trips Ahoy.” His mouth ticked up in a wry grin.
“Well, that and to make a lot of money.”
“Can you get them to drop the case?” Hanna could not keep the hope out of her voice.
Hanna was glad to have Bennett on her side when a vicious smile twisted his features.
She would not want to be on the receiving end of that look.
“Oh, I am not only going to get them to drop the case, but I will do everything in my power to make them pay for the damage they caused you. By the time I am through with them, they will wish they never looked your way.”