Batter of Wits (Green Valley Chronicles #22) - Smartypants Romance Page 0,71
height of her panic." He straightened his wrinkled tie and glanced behind him. "We'll be fine. We will. Just might take a hard look at the budget until we can pick up a few new clients."
"Did we rely on him that much?" It seemed hard to believe, but judging from the look on my dad's face, it was the truth.
He patted me on the shoulder. "I'll get it taken care of. This won't be the first speed bump we've ever had."
"Okay, if you're sure I can't help."
For a moment, he stared out the window, at the street that cut through the heart of Green Valley, that had been the home of Haywood and Haywood for thirty years. "Just keep doing your job, son. That's the best way you can help."
I spun the pen again when he left, closing the door more gently than when he'd entered.
Just keep doing my job. It's what I'd done since the day they moved my tassel over.
Thinking about the dried tears and smudged mascara on my mom's face, and my dad's messy hair, I did just that for the rest of the day. Barely stopping to eat, I threw myself into every single case file stacked neatly on the corner of my desk, making phone call after phone call, researching precedent and poring over rulings so that the remaining clients that I did have would have zero reasons to seek legal counsel elsewhere.
My eyes were bleary from staring at my computer monitor when my mom peeked her head in to say they were heading home for the day.
I worked for another hour, only stopping when the angry growl of my stomach echoed through my office. Instead of stopping for food after I locked the office up tight, my truck turned itself toward the Buchanan’s place, like my body craved Grace more than any other form of sustenance that could be put in front of me.
It was still warm enough out as the sun set that I could keep the windows of my truck rolled down, and I waved when a biker flew past me on his way toward the mountains. The grove of trees next to Grace's garage apartment was waiting for me as I pulled my vehicle in and wearily pushed the gear shift into park.
It felt silly that I needed to keep it out of sight, but that didn't mean it wasn't necessary, given what had already happened during the course of the last twenty-four hours. If J.T. was this pissed at me for breaking up with Magnolia, I could only imagine the ramifications on Grace if he had a different, more obvious scapegoat for his daughter's heartbreak.
Complications were hopelessly woven through both our lives, a messy knot that I had no way to untie, but there was no chance I could stay away from her, not with how quickly my feelings were growing, how strong they already were.
The best thing I could do was protect her from the fallout.
As I walked to the door, I could hear the music she was playing, loud and far too rock 'n’ roll for my taste, but if she liked it, I'd give it a chance. Walking into the apartment without knocking was something I'd never normally presume to do after only one date, but nothing about Grace felt casual.
She was standing at the kitchen island, laptop open in front of her and her hips moving slightly to the beat of the song. Her face turned when I walked in, and there was that smile again.
Any exhaustion I felt was gone in a blink. Any pressure that had weighed me down all day, disappeared at the sight of her smile.
It should have scared me, how much sway she had over me, but it didn't.
"Oooh, you may not like your job, but I love how you look when you're playing lawyer," she murmured, sidling over to me with an upturned face. Happily, I took her lips in a kiss, gripping her hip with one hand, the back of her neck with the other. Her own hand slid up my chest until she wound her fist around my tie.
When I tried to lift my head, I realized with a laugh that she was holding it too tightly for me to stand up straight. Which meant I was forced to kiss her again. Deeper this time, my tongue searching hers, with a growl that started deep in my chest because she tasted like strawberries.