Chapter 16
Chapter sixteen
Levi
Everly was dressed for court, which was incredibly odd on a Saturday.
Centennial Park buzzed with life. Children laughing in the playground.
Soccer games on the field. Couples walking hand-in-hand down the paths.
It was the kind of warm winter day people celebrated after weeks of cold.
The ease of everyone else only put Everly in starker contrast. Her suit was pressed, her spine ramrod straight, and her hair slicked back in a tight bun.
She’d dressed for battle, but she’d already brought me to my knees.
Everly changed everything with one kiss.
Until that moment, I hadn’t allowed myself to believe my attraction to her could lead anywhere.
I wasn’t clueless. There were moments when the tension between us thrummed.
I just assumed Everly would continue to keep her distance.
However, if she was as interested in me as I was in her, there was only one reason I wouldn’t cross the line again, and it had nothing to do with my career and everything to do with protecting hers.
As I neared, she looked up from her notepad, and my heart cracked at the dark half-moons under her eyes.
“Is it OK if I sit beside you?” I asked. I’d approached armed suspects with less trepidation.
She nodded. I sank onto the bench, careful not to touch her, despite wanting to haul her into my lap and kiss her until I’d obliterated whatever brilliant argument she’d designed to keep us apart.
“Do you want to go first? Or do you want me to?” I asked.
“The DA usually starts,” she said almost robotically before closing her eyes and blowing out a breath. “Not that you’re the DA.”
“Thank goodness,” I said. “That would make it a lot harder to argue my case, counselor.”
She opened her eyes and her lips turned up ever so slightly. “Please proceed.”
If she wanted to handle this discussion professionally, I’d play along.
For now. Not that I was playing. I’d been so focused on my research I’d almost dropped my phone last night when my dad called.
Typically, I started checking the clock on Friday long before eight, but I’d completely lost track of time.
“The department’s policy on relationships between officers and attorneys is pretty straightforward.
I’ll need to let Chief Fitzwilliam know of any potential conflicts, such as the Wythers case.
Then he’ll decide whether to remove me.”
“That’s it?” Everly asked, her eyes widening.
I nodded. “You’re not a victim or a witness, so there isn’t any undue influence. Most likely, Chief will ask me to step back from the Wythers case since you’re already established as his counsel.”
“And you’d do that?”
I nodded. Would it hurt my chances of making detective? Maybe. One case was unlikely to change Chief’s mind one way or another. “Tristan was the arresting officer, anyway. I’m sure Gunterson would be happy to step in and help if needed.”
“What about future cases?” Everly asked.
“If they’re an established client of yours, I’ll step back. If they aren’t—”
“You’ll expect me not to represent them.”
“That would be ideal,” I said, shifting closer. “What’s your firm’s policy?”
“Pretty similar,” she said, knocking her pen against her notepad at a speed that revealed the nerves she was trying so hard to hide.
“I’d have to disclose the relationship to the partners right away.
If both agree, I can continue to work on any cases you’re involved in as long as the client is notified of the relationship and has the opportunity to change counsel.
Obviously, we couldn’t discuss anything in private or try to influence one another. ”
“So, it’s possible,” I said, taking her hand in mine. Despite the warm weather, her skin was icy cold.
“It would definitely hurt my career,” she said. There was so much swirling in those honey eyes, it made my chest tighten. “It’s not something I’d do for a fling.”
“Good thing I’m not interested in a fling,” I said, squeezing her hand, which seemed to warm with my touch.
“We haven’t even been on a date. What if we’re just attracted to each other because it’s taboo, and there’s nothing between us worth complicating our careers for?” she asked.
“Then let’s go on a date,” I said, rubbing my thumb across her soft skin.
“We’d have to disclose a relationship before we did that. You shouldn’t even be holding my hand,” she said, pulling her fingers from mine. “And we already kissed. That alone is a breach of ethics.”
“Which is why Monday morning, I’m going to remove myself from the Wythers case,” I said. “I’ll tell Chief there’s a potential conflict of interest, and I want to preserve the case’s integrity.”
“And he’d remove you without asking why?”
“I’ve never asked to be dropped from a case before.
I’ll try not to go into specifics. If I have to tell him, Chief will keep the information private.
There’s something between us, Everly, and until we figure it out, I have no problem stepping back from the one active investigation where you’re involved.
All I ask for is one date. Let me show you how good we could be together. ”
Everly’s gaze dropped to my lips before she cleared her throat and subtly shifted her body away from mine. “I suppose that could work. But you should know, I’ll be looking for reasons being together is a bad idea.”
I nodded. I assumed as much, though I hadn’t expected her to come right out and say it.
“We could hike to the falls,” Everly said. “The water is peak this time of year with the rain and the snow melt.”
It wasn’t as romantic as a candlelit dinner, but it wasn’t coffee at Karma either, and despite living in town for over a year, I’d only seen the falls a couple times. Honestly, I’d meet Everly anywhere she was willing. “How’s Monday afternoon?”
Her gaze softened. “How about a week from today? Instead of talking to Chief Fitzwilliam on Monday, wait until Friday. I don’t want you to hurt your career any more than I want to hurt mine. We need to be absolutely sure.”
I’d never been surer of anything in my life, though I had a feeling saying that would scare her more. A week was a long time for Everly to second guess the possibility of us, but I couldn’t argue with her reasoning without admitting how hard I’d fallen for her. “I’ll tell him Friday.”
“If I change my mind before then, I’ll let you know.”
My stomach sank. “OK.”
If that happened, I’d be doing everything I could to change it back. Because now that I’d had a taste of Everly, I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted anything. The last time I played by the rules, I burned my entire life to the ground. This time, I’d build it back better than before.
“Well, I guess I should get going,” she said, shoving her notepad into her bag.
“Or we could knock a couple housing complexes and businesses off the list,” I said, like the heartsick fool she’d made me. Because I’d spend the rest of the day talking with asshole landlords and disinterested shop owners if it meant spending time with her.
Everly chewed on her bottom lip as she considered my suggestion. “That’s probably a good idea, even if we don’t have the brochure yet.”
“We can finalize the content in between stops. I’ll drive, and you can take notes,” I said, pointing to her notepad.
“Deal.”
It might not have been an official date, but at least we were together.