He waved his good hand. “Nothing. I’m simply agreeing with you, Halton.”
“I call bullshit.”
He met my gaze. “So do I.”
“Okay, time to change the subject.”
He smirked, and I picked up my coffee in order not to reply.
Because he was right. There was more to Fiona than just a temporary fill-in for Rene. And she was more than a client. In the time I had known her, I discovered I enjoyed her company. Her humor and wit. I found her intelligent and quick. I looked forward to the time we shared at the start and end of every day. I liked her. I really liked her. So much so, I found excuses to spend more time with her.
Fiona slid a coffee and two sandwiches onto my desk and turned to leave.
“What are you doing? I asked, flipping closed the file I was perusing for an upcoming meeting.
“Going to my desk to eat lunch.”
“Rene and I eat lunch together whenever I’m in the office.” I indicated the chair in front of me. “Join me.”
She left, then returned with a sandwich obviously brought from home. She caught me eyeing it and rolled her eyes.
“Something wrong?”
“Nope. Nothing wrong with classic PB & J.”
“No doubt Rene’s lunches were a little more exotic.”
“Actually, he ate the same thing almost every day. Chicken noodle soup. Sally’s—his late wife’s—recipe. He makes a batch every weekend. On occasion, he shares.”
“He’s larger than life.”
“That he is.”
“He must miss her—his wife.”
I smiled as I chewed. “Sally loved clothes and style. She knew how to sew and liked to dabble in design. He liked to encourage her, and she always used him as her guinea pig for her ideas. He loved it—and her—and he has never stopped being ‘fashionable’ as he calls it, in her honor. I’m used to his eccentricities. I never know what he is going to walk in wearing.”
“And you wouldn’t change it for the world.”
I met her eyes. “No, I wouldn’t.”
“You’re very fond of him.”
“He is quite the character,” I admitted. “He runs this place and me.”
She grinned. “He runs them both well.”
I chuckled. “Don’t tell him that. His ego is big enough.”
She winked. “Your secret is safe with me.”
I lifted half of one of my thick ham and cheese sandwiches. “Interested in a trade?”
Fee looked dubious. “Really?”
“Yeah. I’m suddenly craving peanut butter. Give it up.”
We traded, and I got a strange sense of satisfaction watching her eat part of my lunch. She needed the protein and calories. I made a big deal of eating her little sandwich, humming and smacking my lips over the cheap peanut butter. It was worth eating, knowing I had, in some small way, cared for her.
She stood when she finished. “Thanks for the break.”
“My pleasure.”
She stopped in the doorway. “Rene told me you always eat at your desk alone, Halton.”
I grinned, unabashed at being caught. “Guilty as charged, but you are much prettier, and I’ve heard all his stories before.”
“You were being sweet.”
I snorted. Sweet was a word never used to describe me, but somehow, I liked knowing she thought about me that way.
“Keep that to yourself. I have a reputation to uphold.”
A flush stole over her cheeks, and her smile broke through. “I will.”
I winked. “Good job.”
She left me smiling and determined to repeat our lunch.
It was a conundrum. I wasn’t sure I had ever liked a woman before now. I wanted to get to know her even more. The conversation we’d had about her last name stuck with me. I was proud of her decision and the reasons behind it. She was stronger than she thought she was—wanting to move forward with her life. Eager to embrace the future. Listening to her talk about her parents—even briefly—brought forth an urge to tell her about my parents, which had shocked me. I never shared my past with anyone. But I wanted to share it with her. And I had no idea how to handle it.
“Anyway,” I said, setting down my empty cup and pushing my confusing thoughts aside. “I don’t want you to hurry back. Take some more time, then ease back in.”
“How is her case coming?”
“I’ve been waiting to see if he makes the first move, but nothing has happened. It’s been almost two weeks since she came to see me, and four since he kicked her out. I’m done waiting. Fee is ready, so I have the documents set to go. He’s going to be served on Wednesday. I’ll go over everything with her tomorrow. I’m going for half of everything, and I’m fighting to get the business agreement struck down. It was signed under duress.” I ran a hand over the back of my neck. “I think her entire marriage the past few years has been duress.” I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “He’s gonna fucking lose it when he sees she has hired me. It’s going to be interesting, to say the least.”
“He thought she’d roll over and take what he offered?”
“Without a doubt. He thought he had broken her and he had her exactly where he wanted. That she’d agree and walk away. The cocky bastard even offered to get her a lawyer. Promised her he would look after her,” I scoffed. “Look after himself, he meant.”
“I guess he didn’t know her as well as he thought.”
“No, he didn’t. She is way stronger than he gave her credit for. He weakened her, but he didn’t break her. And I’ll make sure she comes out even stronger.”
He picked up his cup with a knowing look. “I have no doubt.”
I ignored his hidden meaning.
Fee’s hand shook as she signed all the documents I gave her. I sat back, worried. I had taken my time, discussed every outcome with her, made sure she understood all the steps, and determined how to hit him to get the maximum benefit. Letting him drag it out had actually been beneficial for us. I made sure Fee was prepared, but now, I had my doubts. Maybe it was still too overwhelming for her.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this, Fee?”
Her gaze flitted around the room—one of her tells when she was nervous or upset. It amazed me how many things I knew about her simply from watching and listening over the past days. It had never happened to me until now.
“Fee?” I prompted.
“It makes me nervous wondering how he’ll react…” She swallowed, her voice shaking. "What he’ll do.”
Something in her voice made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. “Is there something you haven’t told me?” I asked.
She didn’t respond.
“Did he hit you, Fee?” I demanded, my hands curling into fists of rage.
“One time,” she whispered. “One day, it struck me that this was my life. Scott had come home, already angry when he walked in the door. He got angrier because I hadn’t picked up his suit at the cleaners. I forgot—I was busy and I forgot. He berated me, and for the first time, I got angry back. I told him I was tired of being his maid and his whipping boy—that I wanted out of our marriage.” She shut her eyes as she relived the memory. “He became enraged and grabbed me, shouting and yelling. He threatened me and told me he would never allow it. He screamed all sorts of obscenities at me and told me to forget that idea. He owned me, and he would be the one to decide if the marriage was over. He shook me so hard, I got dizzy. We were standing on the landing midway up the stairs. When he pushed me away, I fell.” She swallowed. “He insisted it was my fault.”