I’m working on is getting closer to trial. I have witnesses to depose and a ton of last-minute details to handle right here.”
Gina grinned. “Whatever you say.”
“That’s the truth.”
“Maybe you should do some thinking over the weekend, too,” Gina teased. “Maybe I’m not the only one whose feelings are ambivalent these days.”
Emma scowled at her. “Keep it up and I’ll charge you my regular fee.”
Gina shuddered. “Then I really would go bankrupt.” She bent down and kissed Emma’s cheek. “Thanks, sweetie. I’ll call you.”
Emma waved, then called out just as Gina was about to get in her car. “By the way, one piece of advice for right now—steer clear of Rafe. No matter what he says about being after Bobby, not you, you can’t trust him. From now on he needs to go through me.”
“I don’t think that’s going to work,” Gina told her, thinking of the way her relationship with Rafe was progressing and just how badly she wanted it to wind up in bed.
“Why not?”
“Because we’re just a little bit beyond needing an intermediary.”
Emma’s eyes widened. “Please tell me you’re not sleeping with him.”
“I’m not sleeping with him,” Gina told her solemnly. “More’s the pity. But I’m definitely hoping that will change.”
“Are you nuts?” Emma demanded.
“Nope. For the first time in a long time, I’m finally going after something I want. I’m paying some attention to my personal life.”
“Do you want Rafe more than you want Café Tuscany? Because that’s what this could come down to,” Emma warned.
Her vehemence took Gina by surprise, but it didn’t scare her the way Emma had obviously intended it to. That was just one more thing she was going to have to think about over the weekend.
Rafe was hunkered down in his room going through a pile of papers that Lydia had faxed to him just that morning. It seemed he was destined to run his law practice from a Winding River hotel for the foreseeable future. He was so caught up in his work that the pounding on his door startled him. Finding Emma Rogers on his doorstep startled him even more.
“This is a surprise,” he said.
“Yes, I imagine it is,” she said, her expression as fierce as her tone. “I imagine you thought you could try all sorts of sneaky tactics to get what you wanted from Gina and no one would call you on it, but I’m here to tell you otherwise.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Why don’t you come in and explain it.”
She stepped into the room, took note of the piles of paperwork. “Working on the Café Tuscany case, are you?”
Rafe sighed. “Gina told you.”
“She told me everything. I’m now representing her.”
“Good.”
She blinked at that. “Good?” she said, sounding ever-so-slightly more hesitant.
“She needs a strong advocate. Obviously, I can’t be that for her.”
“I’m glad you understand a little bit about ethics. I was beginning to think you were totally clueless.”
He regarded Emma curiously. “What exactly has Gina been telling you?”
“I’m not at liberty to discuss that.”
“And I’m not asking for details about Café Tuscany’s financial mess. I’m asking you what she’s told you about the two of us.”
Emma seemed to be weighing the ethics of saying anything about that, as well. “Enough that I suspect you’re crossing the line,” she said finally.
“Did she say anything about objecting?”
“That’s beside the point. It’s wrong. You have to know that. Go back to New York, Rafe. You’ll be contacted by an attorney there. Gina will come in and answer all your questions, and we’ll get this mess straightened out.”
“I’m not convinced Gina has any answers to my questions,” he said.
“Then what are you still doing here?” she demanded.
“Bobby Rinaldi has all the answers. He’s been in touch with Gina once. I imagine he will be again. Why don’t you convince her to let us tap her phone or, at the very least, hook up a caller ID?”
“I’ll discuss it with her.”
“I’ve already mentioned it. She refused.”
Emma’s expression turned thoughtful. “I imagine she doesn’t want her parents involved.”
“So she said, but the bottom line is, the longer she stays with them, the more likely they are going to get drawn into this. Bobby will call there again. If her mother answers, I imagine he’ll get an earful. Gina says her mother’s fit to be tied and ready to tell him just that. Her father, however, doesn’t know a thing, and she wants it to stay that way.”
“Maybe I can convince her to get her own place and her