25
Emma grasped Wade’s hand as they walked into the opulent lobby of her attorney’s building. Only two weeks ago, Wade had been sporting a cane, this afternoon she gripped one. A leopard print cane to steady her in case her wound throbbed.
Eight days ago, she had retained Zach as her attorney, and since their meeting, she had stared down the gun of a murderer, survived being shot, and fallen in love with, dare she say it, her boyfriend, who happened to be her former boss. She had fled to Whispering Creek for the quiet country life. God had other plans for her getaway, and He had orchestrated each twist and turn. Too bad she had let fear and worry tarnish some of her trust in Jesus.
Wade let out a low whistle. “You’ve got one fancy attorney.” Wade looked fancy in his white cotton shirt, gray slacks, and black wingtips. He resembled a high-powered legal mind. She’d take a small business owner any day. She and Wade understood the world of customer service, managing inventory, and paying invoices. The fact that they shared a faith in God was icing on the cookie.
“I’m not so sure fancy is the word I would use to describe Zach. He’s more like one of those marble pillars. Unshakable.”
“Glad he’s on our side.” Wade flashed a reassuring smile and kissed her cheek.
Good thing she had a balancing stick to keep her steady. “I’ve been thinking about how God has been on my side all along. I had a hard time seeing it. I’m sure God could handle one more hurdle, but I’m happy we have Zach to do the paperwork.”
“I am too.” He snuggled her hand into his crisp, warm shirt. “God’s been on double duty taking care of both of us.”
“Amen to that.” Amen, Amen, and Amen.
When they entered Zach’s suite, the receptionist opened her acrylic-glass window. Her guarded smile actually seemed genuine.
“Emma. Mr. West will see you in his office.”
Office? No conference room. “Great. Thank you.”
“I’ll wait out here.” Wade looked as comfortable as a kitten doused in a kiddy pool.
Should he stay out in the waiting area? He’d seen her giddy and with mottled makeup in the emergency room. He knew about the flash drive because he believed in her customer service skills and had asked to see her software. They had handled dog bites and confused elderly clients together. She’d seen him grumpy and resentful about his injuries. They’d seen each other at their best and at their flustered, grouchy worst, but they made a good team, compensating for the shortfalls.
Peace flooded her. A true peace only given by God. Life wasn’t a set of coincidences. God had ordained each part of her journey. The parts with Wade and the parts without him. The parts with Wade by her side were better.
She didn’t want her friendship with Wade to end. A future with Wade meant staying in Tennessee. Stating that fact, in this moment, didn’t frighten her.
“I’d like you to come with me.” She stroked his cotton-clad arm and held onto his impressive bicep. “If it wasn’t for you asking to see my software, I would be living with a dangerous stalker, and in fear of what the future held. I’m thankful to be nearing the end of all this chaos.”
He bent down and flashed a slightly surprised, kissable grin. “I like this ending. And I’m not sorry for saying it.”
Warmth crept into her cheeks while the sparks in her belly turned into an inferno. “We make the best team.”
A throat clearing sound came from the doorway. The receptionist stood against the wooden door motioning them into the hallway. “Mr. West’s office is at the end of the hall.”
“Thank you.” Emma released Wade’s arm and used her spotted cane to pivot and enter the hallway.
Wade followed, and as they neared the specified door, it opened, and Zach ushered them inside.
Emma introduced Wade to her attorney.
“Donoven. As in Donoven and Sons Electric?” Zach shook Wade’s hand. “You were Emma’s boss and discovered the contents of the flash drive.”
“I’m one and the same.” Wade was taller and broader than Zach, but somehow her attorney gave off the aura of being able to win in a cage match.
Should she mention to Zach that Wade was now her boyfriend. She’d wait. She would wager that Zach knew how to read a room and had noticed every nuance.
Zach indicated for them to sit in chairs in front of a sleek black standing desk with a rectangular lower portion. The configuration could pass as command central. The standing desk housed two large computer screens with a third screen lower down and even with a padded office chair.
“And how are you after that gunshot, Emma? I had some heated conversations about the oversight of contacting counsel.”
“The wound is healing.” As she sat, Emma tugged at her paisley dress to prevent the material from rubbing her bandage. She’d had to shop for some cheap dresses with better air flow and comfort. Another expense she couldn’t afford. “The burning has died down. I’m more in itch mode.”
“Good. Good.” Zach faced them from behind his flat top desk. His bushy eyebrows rose toward his shaved scalp. “I mean, it’s a good thing for the government that you’re healing. Pain and suffering is a negotiable amount.” Zach nodded like she tracked with his legalese. He opened a monogrammed leather portfolio. “Our class action suit is gaining steam. I believe we’ll eventually be successful in making partial refunds to the victims of Ron’s fraud. After attorney’s fees, of course.”
Fees? A throb settled in her temples. She prayed she wouldn’t have to pay Zach any more money right now. She needed to find a source of income and save money to rent an apartment in Nashville. She also had to break a lease in Milwaukee.
“The feds are dealing with Annette.” Zach threw up his hands. “Or whatever her name is. How they lost her trail is beyond me with all the technology at their disposal. Speaking of.” Zach opened a tiny drawer almost invisible to the eye. “I have a copy of your software. The original will be held as evidence, but I negotiated access to your material.”
She was sure she had a recent copy of People Peeps in the cloud, but seeing her creation sitting on top of Zach’s desk gave her a sense of pride.
Wade laid his hand on top of hers. “I’d like to get a look at that now that all the financials are gone. You are one talented office manager.” His thumb caressed the back of her hand. How was she going to concentrate? She melted inside like a chocolate Herbie.
Her heart hitched. Herbie had helped save her life. Good thing Sam had repotted what was left of him in a new container along with his Scripture stone. Herbie had been part of her life for nearly a decade. Now, Wade was becoming part of her life.
“I guess this is as good a time as any for me to put the finishing touches on my software.” She smiled even though she had started two jobs recently and was zero for two.
“We’ll take a statement today, but you won’t need to come downtown much anymore.” Zach bounced his pen on his desk. “I was told that most of the perp’s movements were caught on camera, and there’s even audio of her claiming ownership of the drive. There shouldn’t be any legal issues regarding your involvement. Your financials haven’t been flagged for large deposits. It’s more case work for me from here on out.” Zach opened another drawer on his desk and pulled out an envelope.
Was it a bill? Was he expecting her to add to the retainer? She couldn’t. Not today. Her pulse quickened. She prayed there were funds remaining.
Zach scribbled on a yellow pad. “I’ll need to update any new contact information. I have your phone number and an address for Samantha Williams. Are you staying in Whispering Creek with her?”
“No. I’m moving.”
Wade’s intimate hand massage halted. He resembled the guarded man who had shuffled into her emergency room cautious, yet hopeful. She should have told him of her plans, but she’d only felt at peace about a decision when they entered Zach’s waiting room.
She showered Wade with a hundred-watt smile. “I’m going to find an apartment in Nashville.”
“You are?” Wade was holding her hand with both of his now. Two healthy hands. If they weren’t in front of a lawyer’s desk, she imagined him carefully tugging her into his lap.
Yowza! She needed to get her head back in the law game.
“Wonderful. That makes it easier for me.” Zach wrote on his legal pad.
“I’ll be staying with the Donovens until I can save enough money to cover rent. I think you have their address.”
“I do.” Zach’s serious, all-business expression softened for a milli-second. “I also think I can help you out with the apartment hunt.” He handed her the envelope.
She hated to reclaim her hand from Wade, but curiosity had her opening the unsealed envelope. Did Zach know someone in real estate? He probably knew the best of the best of realtors. More than likely, it was a bill. She pulled out a piece of paper. A check. No, two checks. The first one was made out to her for twenty-five thousand dollars. The second one was for five thousand dollars.” Her mouth gaped. What had she done to deserve this money?
“Do lawyers give advances?”
Zach chuckled at her response. “Not that I know of. Remember when I told you I had other clients that were swindled by Ron Runyard. Well, one of them posted a reward for information leading to the whereabouts of the money. The other is a government reward for help in apprehending his accomplice. You did both. I made sure the wire transfers came as soon as possible.” Zach leaned forward on his desk. “This is the beginning of justice. I hope to recapture more of Ron’s funds for you and my other clients.”
She slouched in her chair, her mind swirling with disbelief. Most of the worries clouding her future dissipated with one glance at a cashier’s check. She didn’t have to overstay her welcome with Mike and Linda. She could pay off her credit card and buy some clothes, even a pair of western boots. She could pay rent and afford the deposit. Simply, she had time to heal and to decide what to do next. Her eyes grew tingly. Thank You, Jesus. You truly are my deliverer.
“I don’t know what to say. Thank you, Zach. This is a huge blessing.” She handed the envelope to Wade.
Wade relaxed against the cushy client chair and scanned the contents of the envelope. His initial wide-eyed disbelief turned into a glistening, twinkling joy which embraced her heart. He handed her the reward money and caressed her shoulder with his hand. She was growing accustomed to Wade’s affectionate side.
“You deserve this reward, Emma.” Wade’s voice caught with emotion. “God has placed it in the best hands. Praise the Lord.”
She couldn’t have said it better or with more gratitude, herself.
~*~
Later, on Monday afternoon, Emma closed the door to her bedroom at Mike and Linda’s. The Donoven guest room fit like a comfy old shoe. She took out her phone and called home now that all the drama had died down.
“Hi, honey.” The glee in her mother’s voice caused a tiny tingle in Emma’s eyes. She missed her mom.
“Did I catch you at a good time?” Emma perched on the bedspread trying to get comfortable. She caressed the silver tortoise charm on her necklace. Her grandmother had been right. With God as her rock, Emma had been tough as a tortoise shell surviving Ron and Annette’s schemes. “Do you have time to talk?” Emma worried her parents were busy with their business.
“We’re at home. The girl we hired for the holidays, Isabel, has been working out well. She’s closing the store for us tonight.”
“That’s great.” Emma’s heart sank a half-notch, but she kept her voice upbeat. She had always been there to help her parents, but if recent life lessons had taught her anything, it was that she couldn’t be there for her parents every second of every day. A support system for her parents was a blessing.
“You know what’s so funny. Isabel invited us to church.” Her mom sounded happy, not dismayed.
“Really. That’s wonderful.” Thank You, Jesus. All the invitations Emma had given her parents to join her at church had been met with a threadbare excuse until they begrudgingly came at Easter and Christmas. “Which one?”
“The one by our house. On the busy corner.”
Emma stood, grabbed her cane, and paced across the rug. “Are you going?” She tempered her enthusiasm as if she asked a mundane question about dinner options. Her heart drummed an ecstatic beat.
“I don’t know. We’re thinking about it.” Optimism, and less hesitation, buoyed her mom’s tone.
Emma tamped the angelic choir harmonizing in her brain. She had prayed, and prayed, and prayed for years for her parents to know Jesus. God’s timing wasn’t her timing. How well she knew that after the last few weeks.
“You seem happy believing in God. You always say He’s watching over you.”
Emma let out a short laugh. “Yeah, about that. Are you sitting down?”