20. Sean
SEAN
T his doesn’t make sense. There’s no reason for her to be hesitant.
Regardless, it’s time to seal this deal, so I press forward. “Please, do this for me. There’s no question it will be beneficial for both of us.” If she only knew what’s at stake for me. Ironically, I’m leery of her finding out.
“It is within my area of expertise. Plus, you’re correct that bringing in the Athena’s work would grab the law partners’ attention. There’s one problem. I’m still not sure we should entangle our lives further, but if you sincerely want me to, I’ll do it.”
She agreed, so I’m not going to worry about what’s going through her head. There is one more condition to weave into the deal.
“I do. Thank you. It’s a relief to know that you’ve got my back on this. Having you here will make it much easier to deal with the repercussions of the accident.”
Her head whips around. “You expect me to stay in Las Vegas while I work on this?”
“It makes sense. The witnesses are all here. The accident took place at the Athena, and the prop that caused the accident is on our stage. Also, any lawsuit will be filed in Las Vegas. This is where settlement negotiations will take place.”
“I can’t argue with those points, but there’s no need for me to stay here full time. I can fly over for settlement negotiations or court dates.”
“For now, it will be simpler for you to be on site. You already have a place to stay. It’ll be convenient for both of us.
You won’t be here long if Mr. Brentwood’s family is reasonable.
My preference is to reach a settlement as soon as possible.
I’d rather not rack up enormous attorneys’ fees for the next year or two when it appears the Athena needs to compensate Brentwood’s estate for the accident. ”
“Agreed. I could stay a little longer to interview everyone, take another look at the tree, and reach out to the family to offer a settlement. Who knows, we may wrap this up quickly.”
“Let’s hope so.”
Just not too quickly. Three months will be perfect.
“I’d like to tour the stage again and interview some of the performers.”
“I’ll have Emily take care of everything. She’ll contact you to coordinate.”
“There’s one more thing. I don’t mix business and pleasure,” Lowri says with a look of determination.
“Understood. Neither do I typically. From here on, when we meet with anyone relating to the accident, we’ll keep it completely professional. No PDA.”
“I meant that I separate business and pleasure completely. We’ll need to quit spending our nights together.”
Shit! I didn’t see that coming. That won’t work. The trust requires us to live together.
Concealing my panic, I calmly ask, “Why?”
“When I’m working, I become extremely serious.
I’m not the all-smiles, fun-loving woman you’ve been spending time with.
I can’t rapidly switch between those states of mind when dealing with you.
Besides, clients expect their attorneys to be serious all the time, so I’ve made it a point never to date anyone involved in my work.
Our play time together is ending anyway.
This is the perfect time to make that break. ”
The glimpses she’s shown me of her so-called serious side are actually rather hot but sharing that won’t help. We’re not in a real relationship.
Taking my time before answering, I question whether to play the card I’m holding. It’s my best option, so I proceed.
“I understand. Of course, you won’t always be in fun mode. I want you to focus on my work when necessary. However, when we’re not working, let’s enjoy each other until our marriage is properly annulled. At your request, we did agree to be monogamous.”
I wouldn’t break my promise not to cheat regardless. The problem is that my father handcuffed me with a brutal trust provision. That requires pulling out all the weapons to ensure she lives with me for the next three months—even if it means reminding Lowri of her request.
“You spoke to the lawyer today. How long did he estimate it would take?”
“It’s a straightforward process. He’s starting the paperwork. A judge must sign off on it, and he doesn’t know exactly when that will happen. It should be soon.”
Three months will fly by, won’t it?
“Did he think getting a judge’s approval will be difficult?” she asks.
“He said it shouldn’t be. Can we agree to continue sharing our nights while we wait? It will be easier on both of us.”
“We could take care of ourselves. Are you saying that’s not an option?”
“Not exactly. We already agreed to stay together until the annulment goes through. It’ll be enjoyable for both of us. Besides, it’s not for long. Why not?”
“I won’t argue that it would be more pleasurable, and we are technically married. Okay. We can keep our arrangements the same while we’re married.”
“Deal. The chef’s headed our way. Let’s see what he has on the menu for us tonight,” I say, lifting my glass for a long swig of Macallan to disguise my relief.
Damn. That plan almost backfired.