office; returning to northern Idaho and taking over a shitstorm of a disaster seemed too risky.
“Family,” he said simply, not expanding.
Ah. That I could understand. Family meant everything. I turned to study his strong profile. His grandparents and his mom still lived in Silverville, that much I knew. His mom was an accountant for pretty much everybody besides the larger companies and knew most of the miners in town by name. “How is your mom doing?”
“She’s doing well but facing a knee replacement probably in a month or so. Busted it snowmobiling last season, and it hasn’t healed well enough. Both of my brothers have moved home. Ricky is working with mom in accounting, and Dominick left the SEALs and is now a cop in Silverville. Gets a lot of cats out of a lot of trees.” Amusement tilted his lips.
I warmed again. Just enough to be uncomfortable. “Um, did you ever hear anything from your dad?” Darn my curiosity, but we were talking, and it was the type of gossip that had lasted through the years, still brought up by old men fishing by the side of the river. His dad had been a foreman at the Independence Mine, and he’d taken off without a word with his secretary when Nick had to be, what? Maybe fifteen?
“Nope.” Nick’s hands remained relaxed on the steering wheel, but even so, a tension seemed to spiral from him.
“I’m sorry to pry,” I said, meaning it. I’d had no right to ask. He’d been so nice to me, and now I’d overstepped. This was all so odd, but I wanted him to like me—especially professionally. Maybe on a friend level. Man.
He glanced at me; his bourbon colored eyes soft. “We were talking about family, and it’s a logical question. Don’t worry about offending me. If you ever do, which I doubt, I’ll let you know.” His smile released the worry I’d been holding.
I nodded, oddly grateful. He probably could level somebody with a reprimand. Even so, Nick Basanelli was hard to pin down. He was definitely ambitious, but his kindness at the moment helped. Juries probably really did love him. I suddenly wanted to know everything about him, including where he’d been and what he’d been doing besides practicing law. Did he have a girlfriend? My face heated again, and I turned to watch the lake out the window. He was my boss, and I had to keep him in that category.
Being a female attorney in a small town was one thing, and it came with certain advantages, but it could all be tanked by sleeping with the boss. With anyone in the legal community, actually. I had to be careful, and I knew it. Not that Nick was sending those vibes, anyway.
My mind flashed to Aiden and his sizzling blue eyes. Talk about vibes. All sorts of heated and wild ones. Just the thought of him finally banished the chill with a heated flush. What a disaster. I had to get over the childhood crush I’d held for him and do my job. Hopefully I could clear him or help him in the process, but I had to stop thinking about him as my hero. Same with Nick. They were both strong men, intriguing men, but I had enough on my plate.
It was time to be my own hero.
Maybe I should get a cat or something that would be warm and furry and love me. With that thought, I sighed and rested my head against the window. It was so hard being a grownup.
Chapter 9
The sun set across the lake in hues of bright pink and yellow when Nick and I returned to the office and walked from the parking lot and along the rose bushes to turn the corner. My mother was waiting on the front steps of the Justice Building.
Nick’s cheek creased. “Looks like word has spread,” he whispered.
I sighed and moved in for a hug, trying to keep my composure as my mom’s rose scent surrounded me. “I’m fine.” I stepped back, studying her.
My mom bore a striking resemblance to Maureen O’Hara from her The Parent Trap Days. Red hair cut in a bob, soft green eyes, and a jaw of pure Irish rock. She wore pressed white pants with a light blue sweater nipped at the waist, and her shiny gold cross matched her gold stud earrings. Her pink lips were pursed, and those eyes held familiar worry. Raising three girls, three very-different-from-each-other girls, had given my mother