Page 48 of Barristers & Bones

“It’s beautiful. The color reminds me of a pearlescent full moon.” Alexa stared at the gorgeous dress, looking a little stunned by its elegance. Then she studied my face and sighed. “You’re really not going to wear it?”

“He’s my mentor, it wouldn’t be right. There’s also this.” I held up the price tag so she could see it.

She choked. “This dress is more expensive than my car.”

I nodded and turned to her. “Why is he doing this? Most of the time, he’s cold and mean. He can’t stand me.”

Alexa shook her head. “I’m not sure who picked it out, but that dress doesn’t sayI can’t stand you.”

Later that evening, the doorbell let out its annoying flat buzz as I finished putting a few things in my jacket pocket.

I huffed out a nervous breath and turned to my tripod feline companion. “You going to miss me, Carl?” He yawned and went back to licking himself.

My stomach clenched, and I wondered how Roman would react. When I swung open the door, he stood in the doorway in an expensive, well-cut black suit, black shirt, and tie. He looked so good that I straightened and stared for a few seconds.

As he walked in, his eyes flicked past me, pausing on the couture dress and strappy shoes lying across the back of the couch. The man knew my sizes; I tried not to think about that.

He eyed me up and down and raised his eyebrow. “Why aren’t you wearing the dress?”

My back went up. “Did you decide to go with the funeral home aesthetic tonight? I bet Ezra would be happy to hire you.”

He arched an eyebrow as he took in my simple black pencil skirt and jacket. It was similar to what I usually wore at the office. “And you decided to go with the insurance office manager look.”

His comment stung, but I raised my chin. “A simple, off-the-rack suit works fine for an intern.”

He waved his hand. “Suit yourself. Are you ready?”

“Was that a pun? I can never tell. You’re not mad?”

He seemed to rein in his retort. “I did look forward to seeing you in that dress, but it appears you’re done throwing a tantrum about coming, so there’s that, at least.”

I rolled my eyes. “I never ‘threw a temper tantrum.’ Let me put it back in the garment bag, and you can return it.”

“Keep it, now let’s go.” He took my arm and started walking toward the door.

I tugged out of his grip. “There’s no way I’m keeping that dress.”

“Why?”

“The price tag is still on it, and I can’t take something like that from my mentor. It’s exquisite, but this isn’t a date and I’m not Cinderella. I don’t feel right keeping it.”

He shook his head and strode to the door. “We’ll argue about it later. I never understood the draw of that story when Cinderella would have been better off suing her stepmother for breach of fiduciary duties instead of getting tied up with Prince Charming.”

I followed him. “You’re kind of a legal nerd. You know that, right?”

“That’s an interesting observation, coming from you. Gideon is driving us tonight.” A sleek black suburban with tinted windows sat in the mortuary's circular driveway.

Gideon hopped out and opened the door for us, smiling at me. “Good evening, Luna. You look lovely, and I like the shoes.”

I smiled. My one concession had been a stylish pair of black pumps with ankle straps, and Gideon had noticed.

“Hi, Gideon. Thank you, and thanks for driving tonight.” I patted his arm and slid into the spacious backseat, the leather cool beneath my hands.

Gideon shut the door, and Roman’s cedar and spice scent filled the space, along with a momentary sense of intimacy, as he slid in after me. Tourists and locals walked along the Strip, dressed in everything from shorts and sandals to tuxedos and dresses, as they took in the bright lights and glitter. The venue for the charity event was one of the newer casino hotels on the Strip, built when an older one had been imploded several years ago. Gideon drove us around to the opulent front entrance, and my stomach knotted in excited dread as the vehicle stopped.

Roman turned to him. “I’ll text you about ten minutes before we need you to pick us up.”

“Very good. Ivan requested I stay close this evening.”

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