2. Melissa
Chapter Two
MELISSA
“I can’t believe Peter wants to cut the pro bono program,” I sigh into the phone, leaning back in my office chair. “These cases mean everything to me.”
My friend Lisa makes a sympathetic noise on the other end of the line. “You know how Peter Foulkes is. Always putting profit over people.”
It’s Friday afternoon. And thanks to a late meeting with a vendor, I’ve decided to wait out the worst of Houston traffic at the office before heading home.
“Exactly. And now that John’s retired...”
My voice trails off as I think about my former partner and Lisa’s husband, John Barton.
John was the one person at the firm who always had my back. But now he’s living in Barton Beach with Lisa, running his family’s hotel. And without him here to advocate for the pro bono cases, I feel like I’m fighting a losing battle.
“You’re thinking about rage quitting, aren’t you?” Lisa asks knowingly.
I let out a rueful laugh. “Is it that obvious?”
“Well, as someone who’s been there and done that, let me just say that you should think it through before you do anything rash.”
“Oh, like you did?” I say teasingly, recalling how Lisa had stormed out of the firm two years ago after a huge fight with John. It was a spur of the moment decision that ended up changing her life.
“That was different.”
“How was that different?”
“Because I was in love,” she says simply. “When you find the right person, you just know. And you’re willing to take risks, to leap into the unknown, because being with them is worth everything.”
A knock at my office door interrupts my venting session.
“Ms. Graham?” My secretary Emma pokes her head in. “Your 5:30 is here.”
I furrow my brow. “My 5:30? I don’t have any appointments scheduled for this afternoon.”
“He just showed up to the office a few minutes ago. Nancy told him you were about to leave for the day, but he said it was urgent?”
“Did she get a name?”
“Sebastian Cooper.”
My breath catches in my throat.
Sebastian Cooper. Bash. I haven’t heard that name in years, not since high school when I used to tutor him in English. Is he really here? At my law firm?
“Melissa? You still there?” Lisa asks.
“Sorry, girl. Gotta go,” I say distractedly. “I’ll call you back later.”
I hang up before she can respond and stare blankly at Emma. “I’m sorry. Did you say Sebastian Cooper is here to see me?”
Emma nods. “He’s waiting in the lobby. Should I send him in?”
I take a deep breath, trying to compose myself. Part of me wants to tell Emma to send him away, but curiosity gets the better of me.
“Sure. Send him in.”
My heart is pounding in my chest as I hear Bash’s deep voice thanking Emma. Then his footsteps approach my office door.
When Bash walks in, my knees nearly give out at the sight of him.
He’s just as tall and muscular as I remember, his frame filling out the doorway. But he looks even more handsome now, with a sexy sprinkling of salt and pepper in his brown hair.
His green eyes sparkle with mischief as they meet mine.
“Well, well, well. Melissa Graham,” he says, his voice like velvet. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”
“Hello, Bash.”
I say the words in a calm enough voice. But inside, my mind is reeling.
Bash looks around and gives a low whistle. “Damn, this all you?”
He turns in a slow circle, taking in the expensive modern decor and the impressive downtown view from my corner office windows.
I give a modest shrug. “One of the perks of being senior partner.”
His face splits into a wide grin. “I always knew you’d be a boss. Even back in high school. You were destined for big things.”
My cheeks flush at the unexpected praise. I decide to ignore the compliment. “What brings you by?”
He grins, oozing charm as he sits down in front of my desk. “Would you believe me if I said I was just in the neighborhood and thought I’d say hello?”
I laugh, trying not to stare at how his jeans hug his muscular thighs. “Considering your ‘neighborhood’ is three hours away in Barton Beach, I’m going to say no.”
Bash chuckles. “Fair enough.”
I take the seat across from him. “So, what can I do for you?”
He sighs. “I need your help.”
“With what exactly?”
Bash leans forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “I run a foundation down in Barton Beach called Diamond Dreams. We raise money to give underprivileged girls college softball scholarships.”
“That’s very admirable.”
His expression darkens. “Last night, one of the board members embezzled all the funds. Now the scholarship fund is empty.”
“Oh, no! I’m so sorry,” I murmur sympathetically as I reach under my desk for my purse. “I’d be more than happy to donate. Who should I make the check?—”
Bash cuts me off. “I’m not here for a donation, Melissa.”
I blink at him. “Oh. Um, then what are you here for?”
“I’m here for you.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Me?”
“You. I need the best lawyer in Texas to represent Diamond Dreams. To help me make this right for those girls who are counting on us. You’re the smartest person I know, Melissa. Always have been. You’re the only person I trust to help me with this.”
I fight back a blush at the compliment, my traitorous heart fluttering.
“I appreciate your confidence in me, Bash. But I’m a corporate litigator, not a criminal prosecutor. Embezzlement cases aren’t really my specialty...”
Bash’s voice takes on a pleading tone that strikes me to my core. “Please, Melissa. Anything you could do to help would be great. I don’t know where else to turn.”
I’m secretly thrilled that Bash came to me for help. My rational side knows I should refer him to someone else more qualified. But the soft, vulnerable look in his eyes makes me want to move heaven and earth for him. Just like old times.
I sigh, tapping my pen against the desk. “I have a law school classmate who works in the Texas Attorney General’s office. Let me make some calls and see what I can find out.”
Relief washes over Bash’s handsome face. He stands up, and before I know what’s happening, he’s rounding my desk and pulling me into a tight hug.
He envelopes me in his strong arms, and my hands automatically come up to rest on his broad back. I can feel the heat of his body, the thud of his heartbeat against my own racing pulse.
Get it together , I scold myself. This is Bash freaking Cooper. I can’t let myself get sucked in by his charm again.
“Thank you,” he murmurs, his breath tickling my ear. “I knew I could count on you.”
I pull back and muster a professional smile. “I’ll do my best. No promises though.”
“Trust me, your best is more than enough.” He stands up, his large frame once again dominating my office. “I’ll be in touch with more details.”
“Sounds good.” I walk him to the door, my head spinning. As he steps out into the hallway, he pauses, looking back at me over his shoulder.
“Actually, I was thinking... any chance you’re free for dinner? I have a long drive back to Barton Beach and wouldn’t mind some company. We could talk more about the case.”
My heart races at the thought of dinner with Bash. Alone. Outside of the office. It’s tempting. Dangerously tempting. But is this really a good idea? Mixing business with whatever unresolved personal history still simmers between us?
I hesitate a beat too long. Bash holds up his hands, a rueful smile on his lips.
“Hey, no pressure. I get it. You’re a busy woman, probably have plans already...”
“No,” I blurt out before I can overthink it further. “I mean, yes. Yes, I’m free for dinner.” I grab my purse, aiming for breezy and casual even as my heart pounds. “I know a great tapas bar that’s walking distance from here.”
Bash grins, and damn if it isn’t just as knee-weakening as it was twenty-five years ago. “That sounds perfect.”
I smile back, trying to ignore the butterflies in my stomach. “Great. Let me freshen up, and I’ll meet you by the elevators in five minutes.”
Bash nods. “I’ll be waiting.” He gives me one last lingering look before heading down the hall.
The moment he’s out of sight, I dash into the ladies’ room and pull out my phone to call Lisa.
She answers on the first ring. “That was fast. What happened?”
“Guess who just showed up at my office just now?”
“Who?”
“Bash Cooper.”
Lisa gasps. “ The Bash Cooper? From high school?”
“The one and only.”
“What’s he doing in Houston?”
I check my reflection in the mirror, reapplying my lipstick with an unsteady hand. “He says he needs my help with some embezzlement case for his foundation.”
“Right. And is that all he wants your help with?” Lisa asks suggestively.
I roll my eyes. “It’s not like that. This is strictly business.”
“Sure it is. So why do you sound like you’re about to hyperventilate? And why are you primping?”
I pause with the mascara wand halfway to my eye. Am I primping? “I am not primping! I’m just...freshening up. Bash and I are about to go to dinner.”
“Dinner?” I can practically hear Lisa’s smirk through the phone.
“To discuss the case.”
“How convenient.”
I sigh, my stomach fluttering with nerves. “Look, I know what you’re thinking. But I can’t let myself get carried away here.”
“Why not? Of all the times to let yourself get carried away, I think this it.”
“ Because . Bash broke my heart back in high school when he asked Amber to prom instead of me. It was so embarrassing that I cried for weeks afterward. I can’t open myself up to that kind of hurt again.”
“Oh, honey.” Lisa’s voice gentles. “That was a lifetime ago. You’ve both grown up a lot since then. Maybe this is the universe giving you a second chance.”
I shake my head even as my treacherous heart leaps at the idea. “Or maybe it’s the universe playing a cruel joke. Dangling the one man I could never have in front of me again only to snatch him away.”
“You’re overthinking this, Melissa. Just go to dinner. Enjoy his company. See what happens.” Lisa’s voice takes on a wistful tone. “And for God’s sake, if he makes a move, don’t push him away.”
I know she’s talking from experience, remembering her own twisty path to happily ever after with John.
“Okay,” I finally relent. “I’ll try to keep an open mind.”
“Good. And an open heart. Now go get your man!”
I hang up and take one last look in the mirror, my hazel eyes glinting back at me with a mix of nerves and anticipation. I can do this. It’s just dinner with an old friend. No big deal.
I walk out of the bathroom and head towards the elevators where Bash is waiting, leaning casually against the wall, his strong arms crossed over his broad chest. As I approach, he straightens up, a slow smile spreading across his face.
“Ready?” he asks.
I take a deep breath and nod. “Ready.”