to say, I don’t know if I’m okay with that.”
He glances over at me and his eyes narrow. “We’ve been over this, I don’t screw anyone over. I get my clients what the law states they are entitled to.”
“To you maybe. It’s convenient for you to see it that way.”
He follows the navigation in his Range Rover since I stopped directing him after we got off the highway. Pulling up toward the club, he stops at the gates.
A security guard leans forward to look inside the car.
“Hi, Len.” I wave.
A smile wraps around the fifty-year-old man’s mouth. “Hannah? We’ve missed you.” He presses a button. “Have a great brunch.”
“Thanks, Len. Give Ruth my love.”
“Always.” He waves and Roarke drives through the open gates.
“Funny that Len doesn’t get the cold shoulder,” he mumbles but it’s clear he intended for me to hear it.
Roarke parks in a spot and my hand yanks the door open as soon as the SUV comes to a stop.
Before I can exit the car, his hand lands on my left one. “Just so you know, David Quinton isn’t my client.”
I slide out from his grip not sure how to react after my assumptions were wrong. Stepping out of the car, he’s rounding the front before I can smooth my skirt and swing my purse over my shoulder.
“It’s Scarlett. She’s my client. If you have to know in order for us to go in there like the happy couple we’ve been since we started dating, then I’ll tell you. But please remember you are not to repeat this information.” I nod in agreement. “David tried to hire me. Offered me double what Scarlett was paying me.”
A heavy weight drops in my stomach.
I had it wrong?
“Oh.”
His hand slides to my back and I have no time to think about how I keep making assumptions that aren’t true about him before his lips are on my neck. The sweet spot he found that stirs butterflies in my stomach.
“I forgive you,” he whispers, his hand tapping the small of my back to get moving.
“Oh do you?” I raise both eyebrows, the usual playfulness not on my face.
Roarke scrutinizes my expression, still in the dark as to why I’m being so bitchy this afternoon.
“Hannah!” a male voice yells my name from somewhere in the parking lot.
“It’s my dad,” I murmur and Roarke’s frown instantly tips up, reminding me he’s like a chameleon, able to change with a snap of his fingers into someone else.
Looking around, I spot my dad at the valet. I wave and we head that way.
The other valet opens the door for my mom, holding his hand out for her.
“We’re so happy you could make it today.” My dad smiles and embraces me with a kiss on the cheek. “You look beautiful.” As he steps back his attention moves to Roarke. “Ah, I think our daughter failed to mention something to us, Olive.” He holds his hand out to Roarke who’s steady hand immediately shakes my dad’s.
“Roarke Baldwin. Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Crowley.” He does this all with one hand wrapped around my waist.
“Please, it’s Gregory and this is my wife, Olive.”
My mom walks up to us, her eyes looking Roarke up and down. I can tell she thinks he looks familiar but she’s having a hard time placing him. This is how little she notices what happens in my life.
“Nice to meet you,” Roarke says. “Hannah’s the spitting image of you.”
Olive smiles because she doesn’t know who he is—she’d hate to offend someone important.
My dad slaps Roarke on the back. “I was just telling Hannah the other day how I’d wished we got to you before Todd did.”
I roll my eyes. Roarke glances my way for a second before returning his attention to my father with a condescending smirk on his face.
“You’re the lawyer.” My mother says it as though it was a test and she got the right answer. “Todd’s lawyer.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Roarke nods.
She half smiles which I know means she’s mentally trying to figure out how much money he might be worth. He wasn’t born into money but having money is better than not having it in her world.
“Please don’t call me ma’am, just Olive.” She smiles fully now, probably figuring that Todd would only hire the best and she’s probably conjured up some memory of hearing one of her elitist friends mention his name.
She slides her arm through mine. “He’s very handsome,” she whispers and leads us forward through the double doors.
Roarke and my