Chapter Thirteen Alex
One problem with ducking down a random hallway is that I have no idea when the coast will be clear. How long does a meeting between lawyers typically take? Our meeting with Richard, while a disaster, was relatively short. Somehow, I don’t think we’re going to be that lucky.
God, why did I have to choose Theresa’s ex of all things?
I’d been so focused on avoiding the other lawyers at her firm that I barely paid attention to the remaining names.
Besides, it’s not like I remembered his last name.
Theresa always referred to him as Richard or Rich or ‘my ex’ when she wasn’t particularly happy with him.
It’s too common of a name to assume every ‘Richard’ in the city is my ex’s ex.
“Should we wait here until they finish their meeting?” I whisper. “Or just until she goes into Richard’s office?”
“I think we should probably at least have eyes on the hall.”
“Good point.” Slowly, I peel the door open and peek through the crack. Not that I can see much from this angle. Sections of the lobby are visible but all I see is part of the receptionist’s desk.
Euan places his right hand above me to support himself while he leans in, and I crouch down to give him a better view.
Maybe he’ll be able to see more than I can from his angle.
Something brushes my left hip, and I glance down to watch Euan’s other hand press against the door.
Whether he means to or not, he’s caged me in.
Aside from that brief graze, he’s not touching me anywhere.
The heat radiating from him traces me from head to toe, drawing the thinnest line between us.
Goose bumps rise along my skin and the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, as if trying to lessen the distance.
If I lean back the tiniest bit, I’d be completely plastered against him.
“It seems your client is late, Richard.”
I tense and snap my eyes back to the hallway. Shit, they’re coming this way.
Richard is leading Theresa and an older woman directly toward us. Why aren’t they meeting in Richard’s office? I specifically chose a hallway leading away from there so we could avoid this issue.
“As you’ll recall, our meeting is scheduled for noon. You’re just egregiously early,” Richard replies, grinning at her over his shoulder.
Please, please, please do not look over here and notice the crack in the door. Closing it might draw more attention to us.
“Early bird gets the worm,” Theresa quips. “Or in this case, the settlement.”
“Arriving early only guarantees you’ll need to sit in the conference room’s uncomfortable chairs longer.”
Conference room? Shit.
I lurch backwards in a panic, trying to get away from the door.
Euan grunts as I collide with him and wraps his arms around me but it’s not enough to keep us upright.
He falls back, carrying me with him all the way to the floor.
The door we opened just a crack creaks as it swings open several more inches.
Light spills into the room, framing Euan and I perfectly as our audience arrives.
Richard stares down at us, one dark eyebrow raised in judgement.
Theresa and her client are standing behind him, which means they don’t have a clear view of us.
Before I can sigh in relief, Richard steps forward and flips the light switch.
Fluorescent lights flare to life, illuminating the whole damning scene.
I flinch at the brightness, and Euan’s arm tightens around me.
“Alexander?”
Blinded for a second, I miss any opportunity to hide from Theresa. Or at least not be caught lying on the conference room floor, wrapped up in my husband’s arms.
Euan finally releases me so I can scramble to my feet. I offer him my hand and he grasps it, pulling himself up.
“What are you doing here?” Theresa asks as she steps around Richard.
“We’re a little lost.” It’s a terrible excuse but my thoughts are too scattered to think of anything else. My husband and my ex-girlfriend are bookending me while her ex-boyfriend smugly watches.
“Lost,” Richard repeats. If he was a cat, his mouth would be covered in yellow feathers right now. “In one of my conference rooms?”
“We were looking for a bathroom,” I mutter. “And just … chose the wrong door.”
“Next time, ask the receptionist for directions,” Richard says dryly.
The older woman’s lips purse as she examines us. “You aren’t my husband’s spies, are you? Trying to see if we’ll discuss anything without him in the room?”
“Uh, no ma’am, I have no idea who you are or who your husband is,” I reply honestly.
Behind me I hear a soft chuckle. I jab my elbow backwards without even looking and connect with Euan’s side. The chuckle turns into a disgruntled ‘oof.’
“I’m so sorry, Ethel, this is my”—Theresa hesitates and changes course—“Alexander. Though I’m not sure why he’s here. Would you mind if I take a few minutes to speak with him?”
Ethel harrumphs in annoyance but eventually nods. “Thomas won’t be here until twelve o’clock on the dot anyway. Man never met a deadline he didn’t want to edge right until the end.”
I choke on a gasp as I stare at the woman. Does she even realize what she’s said? From her no-nonsense expression, I don’t think she does.
“Thank you, Ethel. Alex, come with me please.” Although she says ‘please’, it’s clearly not a request I can refuse.
“Can you wait for me in the lobby?” I whisper to Euan.
Theresa watches this interaction with slightly pursed lips, looking at Euan like he’s a piece to a puzzle she found under the couch without even a hint of where he belongs.
Euan eyes Theresa like he knows exactly where she belongs and it’s not a very nice place. “Are you sure you don’t want me to join you? In case she swoops again.”
A smile twitches on my lips, both at the term and his concern. “I’ll be fine.”
He nods and steps past the group clogging the doorway.
Theresa places her hand on my arm as she guides me out of the room. Over her shoulder, she calls, “Don’t say a word to him or your husband until I return, Ethel.”
Ethel motions zipping her lips, twisting a key in the lock, and then carefully tucking the key into her pocket. Her lips are pressed so tightly together that I can’t see the seam within the wrinkles.
Theresa grins, pleased with her client’s promise to follow directions.
The smile drops as soon as she looks at me again.
She leads the way down the hall, her heels clicking against the tile, a short, angry staccato.
We pass a few other people in nice suits, and she nods a respectful greeting to all of them, really driving home Richard’s point about how well known she is.
When she finally reaches another unoccupied conference room, she opens the door and waves for me to precede her. She shuts the door and then stands in front of it, preventing any escape. “So, Alex, would you like to explain why you’re visiting Richard’s office?”
“About that.” I rub the back of my neck, stalling for time as I think of how to explain my drunken marriage and pending annulment.
She heaves a sigh. “I know what this is about.”
I cringe. Maybe Richard didn’t have to tell her in front of an audience because he already told her in private.
“Did Richard tell you?” we ask at the same time, then we both stare at each other.
Theresa recovers first. “He did, didn’t he? I can’t say I’m surprised. It’s not as if I asked him to keep it a secret, although you would think he’d understand the desire for confidentiality in our profession.”
Every word she says confuses me more. “Richard didn’t tell me anything.”
“You don’t have to protect him, Alex,” she says, reaching forward and squeezing my arm. “I’m irritated with him but I’m the one who should have been honest with you.”
“You are?”
“It really meant nothing, though. I was upset Saturday night, and he was available—”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She blinks and her brow furrows. “I’m talking about Saturday night? After, well … I just wanted someone to talk to. We didn’t sleep together, in case he implied we did.”
“Saturday night,” I repeat slowly, still not following any of this. “You talked to Richard.”
“Yes.”
“And you think he tattled on you and I came to his office to confront him?”
“Tattled is a childish word, but yes.”
It would be so easy to let her think her questionable choices on Saturday night are what led me here instead of my own.
It would also be a dick move. “Theresa, I’m not here because you went to an old boyfriend for comfort after a disaster of a night ending in a breakup.
I’m here to see Richard because I need a lawyer.
I didn’t even remember he was your ex-boyfriend. ”
She blinks at me. “But why would you need a Family Law attorney? And why would you go to someone other than me?”
Fuck. There really is no way to explain this except to rip the band-aid off and expose the whole story. “Because after dinner on Saturday night I went to a bar and got drunk. I met a man and we … got married.” I try to smile but my lips just squirm in discomfort.
Theresa stares at me without saying anything.
“We came to Richard to seek an annulment.”
“An annulment,” she repeats, her voice faint. She slowly walks toward the large conference table. Instead of sitting in one of the dozens of chairs, she leans against the table, facing me. Her hands grip the edge until her knuckles turn white. “You’re married.”
I nod slowly. “Yeah, I’m still kind of shocked about it too.”
“You didn’t mention anything yesterday.”
It’s not a question, but I explain myself as if it were one anyway. “I wasn’t sure if it was legitimate. We had to visit the County Clerk this morning to confirm it.”
She huffs in exasperation. “So you were going to keep it a secret if it turned out to be fake?”
You were planning to keep Richard a secret. I keep the jab to myself, not wanting to start a full-blown fight. “Yeah, probably.”
“Were you planning to keep the annulment a secret too? Is that why you went to another attorney?”