hands on her hips looking suspiciously at Piper. “Did I walk in on you two about to make out or about to fistfight?”
“We were definitely not about to make out. We were having a fiery debate about my feelings that legal mechanisms for criminal punishment are either nonexistent or insufficient, and maybe a little justice outside the law is occasionally in order. He, however, feels that the rules are there for a reason and the law is completely black and white.” Piper started to stack the files up and found herself doing it with a little more annoyance than she intended.
“In other words you want to go kick some ass and he wants to let the law do its job. That sounds a lot like Bobby. He plays by the rules, almost to a fault. That’s how my dad was, and he feels like anything else would be doing a disservice to his memory. He might be a little sensitive today. The cake he’s going to get is for my dad’s birthday. Every year my dad used to let me pick whatever cake I wanted and every year I picked something different. We’ve tried to keep that tradition alive. We’ll have it after dinner tonight.” Jules swallowed hard as she smiled through the pain she still carried with her about losing her father. It didn’t matter how many years went by, how many cakes she picked, it always felt like she had just lost him.
Piper stopped forcefully stacking folders and turned herself toward Jules. She felt like a bratty little child now and wanted to slink away and die of embarrassment. “I feel like such an idiot now. I didn’t know. I get so caught up in my own convictions sometimes that I lose sight of the fact that people have reasons for believing what they do. I don’t want to intrude on your celebration tonight or upset Bobby any more than I have. I should skip dinner this time.”
“I want you to come,” Jules whispered, with a disarming smile. “My father would have liked you. He always appreciated a good discussion of opposing views. Plus, I know Bobby wants you there. When you know someone as long as I’ve known Bobby you can read ‘em like a book. I’ve actually been fixing to tell you that if something should happen between you and Bobby, I’d be all right with it. I’m always going to love him, but I don’t ever see us being together again. I want him to be happy, and if that comes from being with you then I’m all for it,” Jules said, flashing her magnificent smile at Piper. It was hard to even listen to Jules speak sometimes without getting caught up in how stunning she was.
“You don’t have to worry about that at all, Jules. Bobby is a really nice guy, and getting to know him better has been great, but nothing is going to happen between us. I know it’s kind of a cliché, but I have an enormous amount of baggage. I’m hardly in a position to be anyone’s friend right now let alone anything more than that. I don’t have any room in my life for it.” Piper hoped this brief moment of honesty on her part wouldn’t lead to a barrage of questions from Jules.
“Oh darling, Bobby is the kind of guy you make room for. He’ll open your car door, drive twenty minutes to kill a spider you’ve trapped under a jar, and he’ll forgive you before you even realize you’re sorry. That boy has been by my side for every hard moment of my life. Whatever woman makes room for Bobby will be eternally blessed,” Jules said with a knowing look on her face. Letting Bobby’s love slip through her fingers was a regret she’d have to live with, but if she could stop someone else from making the same mistake maybe she’d find some peace with it.
Chapter Eight
Piper kept thinking to herself, this isn’t at all like the movies. She was an average person with no notable skills trying to do something most people wouldn’t be delusional enough to attempt. It had been two weeks since digging through court records had helped her make the connection between the Donavan family and the judge, yet she still found herself buried in more research. She couldn’t decide if she was stalling or being thorough.
Two more trips to the town hall had proven helpful. She was able to read an