Page 82 of Objection to Love

He fisted his hands on his desk, staring down at it.

Mom wasn’t trying to replace his dad. Logically, he knew this… but something in his chest was working really hard to convince him otherwise.

Closing his eyes for a minute, he grabbed his bag and keys and made for the door. In his truck, he shot a text to Em then turned toward the mountains. There was a change of clothes in the back seat—maybe a good trail run would clear his mind.

Chapter 28

Em

Emglancedatherphone. Texts were waiting from both her parents, April, and Garrett. But she couldn’t muster the energy to look at any of them. Instead, she focused on the time. 10:07. There was nothing else she could do here that she couldn’t do at home.

Numbly, she packed up her things and escaped the office to her car. The drive home was a blur of recollection. The day’s events seemed to play in front of her eyes despite her wanting them to disappear completely.

She pulled into her driveway and got out. Halfway up her walk, she noticed a light on in Garrett’s house. She turned toward it almost subconsciously, and at that exact moment, the porch light flipped on, and he stepped out the front door.

“Is your phone still working?” he asked.

She nodded.

He sighed, sticking hands in his pockets. “Two calls and four texts, Em.”

“I know. I’m sorry I didn’t answer.”

His eyes peered at her in the disappearing light. “I know you had a busy day, but… I was about to call the cops. Part of me wondered if that murderer got to you.”

She grimaced. “With how well I did my job, he may be out of jail in a matter of years to do just that.”

His hands came out of his pockets, and he stepped off the porch. “That bad?”

She nodded.

“I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “I’m better than this. I don’t know what happened.”

He came close enough to wrap his arms around her. “Come inside. Tell me about it.”

She nodded into his shoulder. “Okay.”

His arm stayed around her while they walked up the steps and into the house.

“What happened?” he asked once she was settled on his couch and he’d brought her over some leftover pizza. She’d been eating a lot of pizza lately.

She shook her head. “My case is airtight, but the opening statement just went terribly. I couldn’t get my thoughts together, and I looked like a rookie—not the primary. It was humiliating, not to mention bad for the case. And then I found out the insurance rep I called as a witness was not the actual rep who set up Mrs. Clayton’s insurance policy. The previous rep apparently left the company a month after the policy was opened. The current representative was able to testify to the legality of the policy, which may be enough, but it was still another embarrassing hit.”

“It’s not over yet though, is it?”

“No,” she said. “Thankfully not. The trial will probably last all week. I doubt a verdict will be made until Friday. If then.” She closed her eyes briefly and then shook her head. “But let’s not talk about it anymore. How was your day? You had some sort of review?”

He leaned into the couch beside her and rested his arm across the back, barely touching her shoulders. She leaned into him.

“Yeah, whenever we near the end of a project, someone from corporate comes down to check the progress. Catch any mistakes.”

“You make mistakes?” she teased halfheartedly.

“Not me. But other contractors have been known to.” He winked down at her, and her mood lifted. Amazing what a little dose of Garrett could do. But could those doses be about to end? Now was as good a time as any to bring the dreaded subject back up.

“Any idea what you’ll be doing when this project is done?”

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