Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 99604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 498(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 498(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Donna gave her a look sharp enough to slice steel. “You dance with him, then.”
Cormac chuckled, undeterred. “Don’t worry. I’ll lead.”
“I’m fine, thank you,” Donna said firmly.
I couldn’t help it. “I kind of want to see them dance,” I murmured.
“Anna,” Donna warned without looking at me.
“Right,” I said quickly, dumping more nachos onto my plate. Fair enough. I’d hate it if they pushed me toward someone I wasn’t interested in, even if the someone was as intriguing as this guy.
Cormac turned back to us. “If you won’t dance,” he said, “perhaps you can help me with something else.”
Donna raised a brow. “Such as?”
“I’d like to hire you.” He hooked his thumbs into his jeans pockets.
Her eyes narrowed just slightly, her tone edged with polite challenge. “To do what, exactly?”
He met her gaze evenly. “I’m looking for a place. A lake cabin. Somewhere quiet to stay when I’m not working.”
“Oh, really?” Donna asked, her realtor instincts kicking in, but her smile carried a hint of amusement. “You’re planning to settle down and stop flitting with the wind?”
“I never flit.” His grin deepened, slow and wicked. This time, smiling at Donna, that single dimple appeared again. “I’d like to land maybe just long enough to enjoy the view.”
Donna smiled, professional mode fully engaged. “Then make an appointment and come by my office tomorrow. We’ll see what we can find.”
“That would be lovely.” There was laughter in his voice—low, teasing—and when he gave a small bow, it was far too charming for a simple thank-you. It was way sexier than the bow Backleboff had given to Nana earlier.
“Have a nice night, ladies.” Cormac turned, melted into the crowd, and was gone before I could track where he went.
“Did you see him come in?” I asked, still half watching the door.
“Nope,” Tessa said, munching happily on a nacho. “He just sort of appeared out of nowhere.”
Donna watched him disappear, her brow slightly furrowed.
“He’s kind of cute,” I said.
She glanced at me. “There’s something off about him.”
“Yeah, I know,” I admitted. That was what made him so interesting.
We ate the bar food, and the conversation turned to the robbery at Nana’s shop. “I just can’t figure it out.” My brain reeled with information that wasn’t helping. “This whole thing is too bizarre.”
Donna rubbed her temple. “Explain the two different cases with Nana. It’s confusing.”
“It’s pretty straightforward.” I sat back. “Gloria has sued her civilly for monetary damages, and she’s also pushing for a criminal charge from the state. So there’ll be both a criminal and a civil case against her.”
Tessa gulped, eyes widening. “That’s not good. That’ll totally wreck her state of mind. Nana can’t really go to jail, can she?”
“I can’t imagine it,” I said honestly. “It’s just bad timing. The two cases are hitting at once. Usually, the criminal one goes first, and if the defendant’s found guilty, the victim sues civilly for money. A conviction makes it easier to get damages.”
“Well, that makes sense,” Donna said slowly. “But Gloria wants to really mess with her, so I can see her being too impatient to wait for the criminal trial to conclude. But you’re going to get Nana out of it before that happens, right?”
My stomach cramped. “I’m sure going to try. I don’t think they have enough evidence for a criminal case. The burden of proof’s too high. The civil one could be trickier, but don’t worry. I’m on it.”
Tessa gave me a small smile, though the tension in her shoulders didn’t ease.
I hesitated, then decided I needed to get it out. “I should probably tell you two, because I need to tell someone. Pauley’s been working for Nonna.”
“What?” Donna’s voice shot up, drawing a glance from a nearby table. “You’re kidding. That’s a disaster waiting to happen.”
“Well,” I said quickly, “he promised he’s not hacking anything illegal.”
“Wait,” Tessa said, frowning. “Did you guys not know he could hack?”
I blinked. “No. I knew he was good with computers, but I didn’t know that.”
Tessa shrugged. “He’s helped me out tons of times. You know that.”
“Yeah, but that was setting up your Wi-Fi,” I said.
Donna snorted. “Same here. He hooked up my TV and fixed my laptop once, but hacking? That’s new.”
“I didn’t even know he could get out of the Matrix,” I muttered, and Tessa laughed hard enough to make the people at the next table look over.
Donna grinned. “For a lawyer who lives and dies by high-tech evidence, you’re a little behind.”
“Hey,” I said dryly, “I know the law, not the code.”
Donna smirked. “Fair. I’ll stick to selling houses. I’m better with people.” She wasn’t wrong. Donna could talk a banker into a full remodel loan in under an hour.
I turned to Tessa. “Enough about the cases and hacking. Let’s talk wedding again. It’s a much nicer topic. So what white flowers does Nick like?”