Finally, Dawson spun on his heels and stormed back down the hall, calling back over his shoulder, “Sharla, make them a copy of the damn file.”
Just as he was about to disappear from sight, he turned and served Reagan with a simmering glare.
Reagan smiled brightly at him and waved which only served to piss him off even more.
Not able to help myself, I planted a kiss on her forehead. “You’re really hot when you’re talkin’ in legalese.”
She grinned up at me. “If you thought that was hot, you should see me in court.”
Damn. My jeans got a little bit tighter at the thought.
Sharla came back out and handed me a legal-sized envelope, refusing to meet my eye. I took it, held it in my hand. I didn’t know what I expected to feel when my fingers touched the paper. A bolt of lightning, maybe. But it just felt like paper.
This was all new territory to me. Every step was a step into the unknown, and it seemed like almost nothing felt like I imagined it would.
I placed my hand on Reagan’s back as we walked out into the fragrant spring air. With her by my side, all of this was a lot easier to deal with. In fact, I didn’t know what the hell I’d do without her.
CHAPTER 48
Reagan
“Hello, Miss York.”
A deep, booming voice filled my office and I nearly jumped right out of my skin.
“Mr. Abernathy!” I exclaimed when I lifted my head and saw him standing there. The surprise was not only from him appearing out of nowhere, it was also that he was here at all. Since I’d been hired, this was the first time I’d seen him in the office. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“I can see that,” he said in his usual fake-hearty way.
He stepped up to my desk and began picking up papers randomly. Then, he rounded the desk to where I sat, leaned back against it and crossed his arms. I had to recline back in my chair so that I wouldn’t have to bend my neck to look up at him. It was a power move on his part. He was staking claim to my personal space. The invasion was his way of owning the room. His body language had a very clear message: This is my house. You are a guest here. Don’t forget that.
That was all conveyed silently, of course.
When he actually spoke he said, “I just wanted to stop by and check-in on ya. I hear you’ve been quite the busy bee lately.”
Was he talking about my work here, or was this about me seeing Billy? I had no idea.
I plastered a benign smile on my face at his strange, vague comment. “As I’m sure you know, my caseload is intense. But I thrive having a lot on my plate. As my stepfather used to say, ‘I’m blessed with work.’ And, honestly, it’s nice to know it hasn’t gone unnoticed. Thank you for that.”
“I’m not talking about your work here, Miss York.”
“What are you talking about, Mr. Abernathy?” If he wanted to discuss my private life he was going to have to come right out and ask me.
He narrowed his eyes a little and tilted his head to the side.
We were playing a chess game. It was common practice among lawyers. I knew it and so did he. The key to winning was not to move before you had a good idea what your opponent’s next move was going to be. I’d found the easiest way to do that, was just to keep an innocent, open look on my face and wait. Which is what I did.
Finally, he leaned forward, putting a faux-paternal “concerned” expression on his face. “You know, Miss York, Firefly is a small town. I understand that you’re used to the big city, but let me give you a piece of advice. People round here don’t like outsiders coming in poking their nose where it doesn’t belong. We like to live in the present and focus on the future. The past is behind us for a reason. Sometimes it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie.”
Sleeping dogs lie? That’s the same thing Chief Dawson had said to Billy this morning at the police station. Suddenly, this impromptu check-in made perfect sense. This had nothing to do with my work or seeing Billy. Abernathy had heard about me going to the police station and he didn’t like it.