Chapter 83

Chapter 83

At lunch the next day, I met Noah at Miranda’s Brew, hoping that the cozier, more intimate environment might take some of the sting off of what I had to tell him. At the very least, it might discourage him from making a scene.

We sat at one of the small tables so that we could face each other. Our coffee and sandwiches sat between us. He had gotten an espresso and a pastrami sandwich; I had ordered a tall mocha and a turkey sandwich.

Noah leaned forward in his chair, tapping his fingers on the tabletop. nervously. His eyes would move about the room, stopping briefly on me, only to quickly move to another spot in the room again. He knew that whatever reason I had to meet with him wasn’t good.

“So, Noah, how’s work?” I asked, wanting to ease into the conversation.

“It’s fine.”

Noah sighed and shook his head.

“Look, Crystal, I’d really rather not beat around the bush. Why did you ask me to meet you here? We just saw each other yesterday, and you made it pretty clear to me that you didn’t think that we should see each other socially until everything with Bob is straightened out.”

I winced. Of course, he remembered that.

“I didn’t mean that we couldn’t see each other as friends. I just meant that we couldn’t be in a relationship.”

He nodded, but he obviously wasn’t convinced.

“But…speaking of the case,” I continued, “I was thinking…maybe it would be in everyone’s best interest if I used one of your colleagues to pick up where you’ve left off.”

Noah’s brows furrowed. He sat up straighter in his chair, and he abandoned his espresso.

“What are saying?”

I’m saying…maybe I should take the case to one of your colleagues now, if you can recommend someone good.”

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Chapter 83

He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly. He rubbed his hand across his jaw and looked away momentarily. I tried to grab his free hand, but he retracted it immediately.

“It would be a terrible idea to bring someone new onto the case at this point,” he said. His voice sounded strained, as though he were trying to hold in a tremendous amount of emotion. “They won’t have the understanding of it that I do.”

“They could have a new perspective on the information, though, something that you haven’t thought of or can’t see because you’re too close to the case.”

“Do you think that I’m too close to the case?” He flicked his eyes toward me. “Do you think that I’m too close to you?”

I shook my head quickly.

“No. I just think that you might have spent too much time on the case already. It might have caused you to miss something.”

“Do you think that I missed something.”

I shrugged and took a drink of my mocha.

“I don’t know. It’s possible.”

He stared at me for a moment, as though deep in thought, and drank his espresso.

“Did Andrew put you up to this?”

I gawked at him. Was it that obvious? Thinking back, the timing of wanting to meet him to switch lawyers so soon after he saw me in my robe with Andrew in his pajamas was probably not the best, but did he really think that Andrew was that jealous–or controlling?

I took another drink from my mocha before replying.

“No. I told you, I just think that a fresh pair of eyes will be able to help us advance more quickly with the case.”

He eyed me suspiciously, then leaned over the table towards me.

“If he is forcing you to do this-”

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Chapter 83

“He is not forcing me to do anything.” I snapped. “He is a perfect gentleman, and he would never make me do anything against my will.”

Noah stared into my eyes, gauging the truth of my words, before leaning back his chair, defeated.

“Be gentle,” Susan urged me. “He cares about you.”

“I know,” I replied, “but I don’t want anyone thinking that Andrew is a bad man. He’s not.”

“He will not give

I sighed.

“I know.”

ID on you.

Noah looked into his cup before throwing back the rest of his espresso.

“If you insist on getting a new lawyer, I have a few names that I can throw out there,” he said, his voice drained of all emotion. “However, I must insist that you reconsider. It would be in the best interest of your case.”

I was desperate, at this point. I didn’t want to hurt Noah, but I had to get him. to understand that we could not work together anymore.

“Look, I am worried that we are still too emotionally involved for you to pursue this case properly. It could be clouding your judgment.”

“It seems that you are emotionally involved with someone else at the

moment.”

I cringed. There it was, the crux of the entire problem. Noah thought that he had lost me to Andrew.

“Noah, I-

H

“I saw how the two of you were yesterday, how he put his arm around your shoulder. Do you think that I’m blind?”

He glared at me.

“I thought that you didn’t want to be involved with anyone until this case was resolved.”

Chapter 8

“He is not forcing me to do anything,” I snapped. “He is a perfect gentleman, and he would never make me do anything against my will.”

Noah stared into my eyes, gauging the truth of my words, before leaning back his chair, defeated.

“Be gentle,” Susan urged me. “He cares about you.”

“I know,” I replied, “but I don’t want anyone thinking that Andrew is a bad man. He’s not.”

“He will not give up on you.”

I sighed.

“I know.”

Noah looked into his cup before throwing back the rest of his espresso.

“If you insist on getting a new lawyer, I have a few names that I can throw out there,” he said, his voice drained of all emotion. “However, I must insist that you reconsider. It would be in the best interest of your case.”

I was desperate, at this point. I didn’t want to hurt Noah, but I had to get him to understand that we could not work together anymore:

“Look, I am worried that we are still too emotionally involved for you to pursue this case properly. It could be clouding your judgment.”

“It seems that you are emotionally involved with someone else at the moment.”

I cringed. There it was, the crux of the entire problem. Noah thought that he had lost me to Andrew.

“Noah, I-”

“I saw how the two of you were yesterday, how he put his arm around your shoulder. Do you think that I’m blind?”

He glared at me.

“I thought that you didn’t want to be involved with anyone until this case was resolved.”

Chapter 53

I stared down at my hands.

“It’s…complicated.”

“I’m sure it is. Just like how you and I are….were complicated.”

“Noah-”

“And now you want to take this case away from me. This case that I’m doing for you pro bono.”

Those lines were pretty easy to read between, and I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t thought about this issue before. Noah was doing this case for me for free. Would another lawyer do me such a nicety, and how much would it cost me if they didn’t?

I had no choice. I had to stick with Noah–if he wanted to stick with me.

I placed my hand on his knee. He looked up at me, his brow arched.

“You’re right,” I said. “It’s not fair of me, none of it. I should have been more direct with you before, and I shouldn’t be trying to take this case away from you now.”

“And Andrew?”

I moved my chair closer to Noah’s, so that my legs brushed his..

“My situation with Andrew is, as I said, very complicated,” I explained, slowly. “I don’t know if we’re going to last, but for now, I’m having fun. Can’t I at least have that?”

Noah scratched his chin, then nodded.

“Will he have a problem with us working together?”

He certainly was a dog with a bone.

“You let me handle Andrew.”

His face turned sour–perhaps imagining how I would “handle” Andrew–but nodded again.

“Now,” I said, patting his knee, “why don’t you go get a refill, and we can spend the rest of our lunches talking about something more pleasant? Maybe we’ll

actually get in a bite to eat before we have to go back to work.”

Noah chuckled, but it was half–hearted.

“All right. I’ll be right back.”

As I watched Noah walk back to the counter, I wondered how I would. handle Andrew if he ever found out that I broke my promise. It was not a pleasant thought.