Falling for the Lawyer - By Anna Clifton Page 0,2

pal of my … of mine,” he corrected himself quickly. “We can work something out with her.”

Alex hesitated before replying, battling to get her head around why this man was going to a whole lot of trouble over a drowned rat he’d picked up on the edge of the street. “It’s not that simple. You’ve been very kind but I’m afraid it’s the end of the line on this rescue mission. There is no way a boutique like this will work something out for someone like me.”

The stranger shook his head in exasperation. “God help your boss if you’re this stubborn at work!” he declared before pressing on. “Now listen to me. This is how it’s going to be. You’re going to walk into that boutique and accept the help being offered because I am going to finish this rescue mission and I sure as hell haven’t got all morning to spend on it.”

He set his jaw then with a gritty determination Alex guessed would continue to rise with every protest she could throw at him. For some reason he’d decided to be her knight in shining armour and nothing was going to get in his way.

“All right then,” she agreed finally. “I’ll go in and see if there’s anything I can afford but I know we’re wasting our time. A single coat hanger from there will send me broke.”

“Just don’t make any decisions until you’ve cleaned yourself up and tried something on. Is it a deal?”

Alex nodded as she began to shiver violently in her wet clothes.

Together they approached the glass door of the boutique and left their sodden umbrellas to one side. A stylish young woman was moving about the shop and getting ready for the business day ahead. The stranger knocked on the door and caught her attention. She looked towards them in surprise but on seeing him at the door she smiled broadly and approached to unlock it.

“JP! Darling!” she cried, standing back to let the two of them in but barely acknowledging Alex’s existence.

“Andrea, it’s good to see you.” He smiled, accepting her kiss on both cheeks.

“It’s been too long! How’s Caroline?”

“She’s fine … last time I saw her anyway.”

“Oh … I see!” Andrea nodded, her eyes roving over him with flirtatious interest.

Alex turned in surprise to the man she now knew as ‘JP’, intensely curious about the powerful sex appeal he had for this very stylish woman. But giving him the quick once over again Alex decided that despite the devastating effect he was having on Andrea, he was a very long way from drop dead gorgeous.

There was no doubt he was what a lot of girls her age described as ‘built’, but he wasn’t especially tall. And he had a very ordinary, outdoorsy kind of face. In fact his knock-about looks suggested he’d spent far too many of his young years exposed to either the freezing cold of Scottish football fields or the blazing heat of Spanish beaches.

“So Caroline is still in the UK?” Andrea persisted, unfazed by JP’s short responses.

“Yep, no plans to come here at this stage.” JP gave Andrea an obscure smile. “Anyway, I didn’t come in to discuss Caroline; I need to ask a favour.”

“Of course, anything.”

“This is … ?”

“Alex,” Alex interjected, remembering JP didn’t know her name.

Andrea swung around to Alex for the first time and gave her a look as though she’d only just noticed she was standing there. Alex wasn’t offended. She was used to being invisible to women like Andrea. But she was clearly becoming less invisible as Andrea’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened as she took in Alex’s hair, face and clothes.

“Oh dear! Do you know you are almost completely encased in mud? What on earth happened?”

“Alex had a run in with passing traffic and lost,” JP offered by way of the briefest explanations. “She now has to front the new boss from hell and needs something presentable to wear so that she can get to work on time.”

“I’ll need to clean up first,” Alex threw in, looking away from Andrea’s stunned expression in appeal to JP.

“Would that be okay?” he asked Andrea.

“Of course. I’ve a shower and towels out the back.”

Andrea moved towards a rack of clothing and removed some garments. “Here, this is a lovely outfit for the office. I’m assuming you do work in an office?” she added doubtfully, staring at Alex’s dreary outfit before she draped a peppermint-coloured suit over her arm and began to lead her towards a