Chapter 12
Chris
Goddamn, Lily’s gorgeous.
Clearing my throat, I take a sip of water. I took her to one of my favorite restaurants that isn’t too far from her office, and we were just seated at our table. I have barely been able to take my eyes off her.
Which is really fucking stupid.
She looks around, a small smile on her face. It makes me wish I could read her thoughts.
“How was your first day back at work?” I ask, needing to break the silence so I can distract myself from my ogling.
Surprise brightens her features. “Not as bad as I was worried it would be.”
“I thought it might be difficult for you.” I hesitate before finishing, knowing how it’s going to sound. “That’s why I wanted to stop by. To check on you.”
When she told me she was going to go back to work today, I was worried.
Worried about the press coming into her work, worried about what the police would think.
But I understand her not wanting to just sit around waiting for the next shoe to drop.
I’d go insane if I had to do that, so while I’m nervous for her, I understand and want to support her.
Her lips turn inward, and a hint of a smile teases me. “That’s really nice of you, Chris. Thank you.”
I nod once and adjust my suit jacket, suddenly warmer than I was before, with Lily staring at me with gratitude in her eyes.
She breaks eye contact to look down at the menu. “Have you been here before?”
“Yeah, it’s one of my favorite restaurants. The owner is a client. I helped him out with a contract dispute a couple of years ago. It saved him from having to move to another location.”
“It’s beautiful in here,” she comments thoughtfully as she looks around again.
Not as beautiful as you.
“He’s done a great job.” I clear my throat. “So, president of a marketing firm. That’s pretty impressive.”
Her face beams with pride and confidence. “Thanks, it was a lot of work to get here, but I love it.”
“Is that what you’ve always wanted to do?” The desire to know everything about her thrums through my veins.
“I went to school for marketing.” She gives a tiny shrug.
“I wasn’t sure what to do with it right out of school.
But when we moved to Nashville, I got a job as a receptionist at the firm I still work at.
I loved it because it was this amazing woman-owned business, and the second I met the owner, I wanted to be just like her.
Thankfully, she hired me, and I worked my way up. ”
The more I know about this woman, the more I’m captivated by her. Everything about her is unexpected in the best way, which isn’t helping my resolve to pretend I’m not insanely attracted to my client.
She bites her lip as she studies me for a few moments. “Can I ask you a question?”
“You can ask me anything, Lily.”
A soft smile pulls at her lips. “I might hold you to that one of these days.” She toys with her silverware as she says, “I’ve read some of the articles. About how good an attorney you were.”
I hold up a finger to halt her. “Just for the record, I still am a good attorney.” I lift my hands, palms up. “Some have said the best.”
She huffs a light laugh. “Sorry, yes, I have no doubt about that. I’m just curious about what made you stop being a defense attorney.”
I look to the left to collect my thoughts, deciding how much I want to reveal. I don’t talk about it a lot, so very few people know everything, but there’s something about Lily that makes me want to tell her my story, down to the most painful parts.
But not yet.
I take a deep breath and look back into Lily’s green eyes as I give the best carefree shrug I can manage. “Sometimes people just get to a point in their career when they need a change. And I was at that point.”
Lily narrows her eyes, and I’m pretty sure I’m saved from further grilling when the waitress comes over to take our order.
Once we’re alone again, she sighs. “That seems like a deflection, but I won’t press you on it. But one more question?”
With a slow nod, I agree, before taking another sip of water.
Lily leans forward and rests her elbows on the counter, and the scent of her perfume hits my nose. “Why did you decide to defend me?”
The million-dollar question of the decade.
I think back to watching her through the two-way glass. How she held her shoulders high whenever the detectives were talking to her, but the second they weren’t looking, they’d drop just an inch, as if the weight of the world was just too heavy and she needed a moment’s reprieve.
I remember how fascinated I was by her strength and the layers I know are right under her skin. It makes me want to peel every single one away so I can get to the core of what makes Lily who she is.
But I once again hold back from telling her all that. “I got a call from a friend who said you needed someone because he thought you were innocent. And he knew I would be up for the job.”
Something flashes into her eyes, but she looks down before I can identify it. When she looks back up, it’s gone. “Was it Detective Martinez?”
Feeling an urge to give her something, since I have withheld so much, I admit, “It was, but if you can keep that between us, we’d both appreciate that.”
Her smile is a little brighter, and I’m shocked at the bolt of jealousy in my chest. I remind myself why that’s ridiculous. I’ve represented plenty of attractive women.
Hell, for all I know, she might be guilty of killing her husband in cold blood. Maybe she’s the black widow type, and she’s looking for her next victim.
There’s no scenario in which giving in to my attraction would end well.
Or so I tell myself.
Mandi, who’s talking to a client loudly on the phone, greets me with a wave of her hand and a roll of her eyes as I step into the office.
She’s telling whoever it is that they need to make an appointment and discuss whatever the issue is with me then.
They seem not to like that answer when she repeats it two more times before I’m even seated behind my desk.
The clatter of the phone being hung up, and an exasperated yelp, echo through the small office seconds before Mandi materializes in my doorway.
“Can I help you, Mandi?” I keep my eyes locked on my computer as I organize the emails that came in this morning.
The clicking of her heels as she crosses the room has me lifting my gaze to find hers. She stops in front of my desk and folds her arms over her chest, her foot tapping rhythmically as she stares down at me. I raise my eyebrows and return the stare.
“I wasn’t sure if you still worked here, given how much you haven’t been in,” she chastises.
I sigh. “I was in on Monday, and I’m here now.”
She isn’t wrong that I’ve been out. I rarely take a sick day, and unless I’m in court, I’m here all day and usually into the evening.
“Uh huh. You sure are. And will you continue to be? Because your schedule for the rest of the week is packed, since I had to reschedule everything from the carryover of last week and yesterday.”
I hesitate before grinning up at my paralegal. “At this moment, I have no immediate plans to be out of the office.”
She narrows her eyes. “Why am I not comforted by that?”
I shrug before going back to my emails. “No idea, but you should really get back to work. I hear we’re very busy.”
The growl she lets out does scare me a little, even if I chuckle as she stomps out of my office. Checking my calendar, I see my next meeting is in thirty minutes. I drum my fingers on my desk as I contemplate whether what I want to do is a good idea.
I know my calling will just piss Barrington off.
We were never on good terms, but things worsened after Tom’s case.
Barrington wasn’t the main detective on the case, but he assisted for most of it.
He refused to look at any information I brought him, telling me the case was already being moved forward.
I may or may not have cursed him out on multiple occasions for not doing more.
Given that, I’m mature enough to admit he might have a reason not to be my biggest fan.
I rub my hand across my lips in frustration. Picking up my desk phone, I dial. It rings a few times before someone answers. After their greeting, asking how they can direct my call, I ask, “Can you connect me to Detective Wilcox?”
“Sure, just one moment.”
Grabbing a pen, I tap it against the legal pad on the desk, my thoughts racing.
Lily pops into my mind, and a smile sneaks onto my face.
Going to see her at work was impulsive. I had something I needed to do for Tom this morning, and on my way into the office, I decided to make a stop.
My intention was just to call and check in on her, because I wasn’t lying when I said I was worried about how her first day was going to go, but then the thought of actually seeing her appealed to me way more.
Plus, these monthly errands I promised to make for Tom always put me in a weird place mentally. I’m going to blame that instead of my growing attraction to my client.
Shaking my head, I toss the pen and scrub my hand down my face, needing to get my shit together.
“Detective Wilcox.”
Wilcox’s voice has me sitting up straight in my chair, immediately switching into attorney mode. “Wilcox, it’s Chris Rivers. How are ya?”
His answering sigh tells me everything I need to know about how this call is going to go, but I can’t give up yet.
“Rivers, I wish I could say I was glad to hear from you.”
I let out an unamused chuckle. “Great to hear it. So, hey, I was just wondering how the investigation into the Bennett murder is going.”
“As if I would tell you everything about an ongoing investigation where your client is the prime suspect.”
I grab the pen and start mindlessly doodling. “Yes, of course. I was just curious if you’ve looked into Bennett’s business dealings. Word on the street is that maybe there was something going on with those.”
Another sigh. “I’m going to reiterate to you that I’m not going to tell you anything.”
I continue doodling until I realize I’ve just written Lily. I quickly scratch it out. “I’m not asking you to give me a detailed rundown of all the evidence you’ve collected. I was just hoping to get something.”
He doesn’t say anything, and I can hear the hum of voices in the background. I try another tactic. “Bennett had an attorney who worked for him for a long time. His name is Vernon. I don’t know his last name, but I’m sure Li—his wife—would be able to tell you.”
Wilcox clears his throat. “We’re aware of Vernon and have spoken to him at length.”
My pen freezes. Not that I expected him to spill everything or even tell me he was interrogated, but I’m curious why he wouldn’t have said anything. Unless he really does think Lily did it, and that’s what he told the detectives.
I know my next question is a long shot, but I figure, what the hell? “And what did Vernon have to say?”
With a raspy chuckle, Wilcox says, “Rivers, you’re annoying as shit. The last few years have been blissfully silent and peaceful.”
Not being able to resist the barb, I reply, “Ah, yes. I’m sure the fine men and women of the Nashville police department had a grand old time putting innocent people behind bars without anyone to fight back against them.”
With an angry growl, the phone slams down in my ear. Cringing at the sound, I pull the phone away and set it back on my desk.
That wasn’t a complete bust. At least I now know they did, in fact, talk to Vernon.
I wonder if I can get Vernon to talk to me.
I looked through the few things Carlos gave me, but there wasn’t anything overly helpful that I could use to convince Vernon to give me information that would help.
But maybe I could figure out a way to spin something to my advantage.
But until then, I need to focus on remembering that Lily is only my client.