out a whistle, making her turn and send him a kiss through the air.
When he turned back to look at Avery, he laughed. Her mouth was hanging open as her eyes whipped back and forth from him to her mother. She wasn’t doing so well at keeping that steel composure she was so damn good at in the courtroom.
“What are you eating?” he asked as if they were two ordinary people having a normal conversation. He decided right then and there he wasn’t bringing up the case — not yet. He wanted to figure this woman out first. Then he was going to pounce.
“I’m not eating! At least not with you. And what in the hell was that? If you’re some gigolo, just know that my mother doesn’t have money.”
His grin never faltered. Setting up his words specifically to get a reaction, Carl said, “Oh, I’m no gigolo. I have my own money, little girl. I look for quality in my partners.”
“I’m not a little girl,” she said, her voice agitated. “I’m a successful businesswoman.” She lifted her chin in a haughty expression as she seemed to remember who she was. It was fascinating to watch how instantly she pulled herself together.
“Oh, really, what do you do?”
She opened her mouth, shut it again, then shifted. “It’s none of your business. I have zero desire to get to know you or tell you about myself.”
Her mother returned with menus, which Carl didn’t glance at. He enjoyed switching his gaze between mother and daughter much more than gazing at a menu that was nearly the same in every bar. “I’ll have a bacon cheeseburger, cheese fries, and another double rum and coke.”
“You have good taste,” Bobbi said. “And you, dear?” she asked her daughter.
Carl felt as if he’d won a gold medal when she sighed, giving up, at least for now. “I’ll have the fish and chips,” she mumbled. “Extra tartar and cocktail sauce, and thousand island for my fries, and another drink please.”
“Sure thing, darlings. I’ll put you at the front of the line since this is a family place,” Bobbi said. “And since you’re so dang edible,” she added to Carl.
“I do like to nibble,” Carl said with a bite in the air that led to another disgusted sigh out of Avery. Both Bobbi and Carl laughed. Then Bobbi sashayed away again. She truly was a gem.
“Are you just kidding around, or are you really trying to pick up my mother?” Avery asked.
Damn, Carl was enjoying his night. He’d been so angry with this woman for weeks, and now he was finding himself truly enjoying her company. Something was wrong with that — but he wasn’t a man to fight his instincts, and right now, they were telling him to find out all he could about this woman.
“I like your mom. She’s pretty fantastic,” he said, meaning it.
“That didn’t answer my question.”
“Then I guess there are some things you just don’t get to know,” he told her, leaning back again, making himself comfortable.
“Why did you sit with me?” she asked.
“Because I wanted to,” he told her.
“Do you always sit with random strangers without an invite?”
He thought for a moment. “Not always, but when I feel the need, I go where I want,” he answered honestly.
“And what if you’re not wanted?” He could see why she was such a great attorney. She wasn’t one to back down, nor ask a question in a multitude of ways. He liked it.
“I can tell when I’m truly not wanted. That doesn’t happen very often,” he said with a shrug.
“Here you two go. Enjoy,” Bobbi said as she placed their drinks in front of them. “Be right back with the food.”
She was gone and back again in a flash. Carl didn’t ask how the food had been made so quickly but figured his cheeseburger was lifted from another order, and Avery probably ordered the same thing each time she came in, so it was started as soon as she stepped inside. His mouth watered at the sight and smell of the food Bobbi sat in front of them. He picked up a fry that wasn’t covered in cheese, reached over, dipped it in her large container of thousand island, then took a bite. She gawked at his audacity.
“Delicious,” he said, licking his lips. Her hooded eyes gazing at his mouth didn’t go unnoticed. That made him realize he hadn’t been with a woman in a while. He wondered why. It wasn’t as if he didn’t