Page 4 of Booked on a Feeling

“What did Peter say?” Lizzy’s face was placid, but Jack could see the strain in the corner of her eyes and the line of her lips. He fought against the impulse to pull her into his arms again.She’s got this.

“He agreed that the trial should proceed as long as you’re sure you can handle it,” Katie said.

“I can handle it.” Lizzy’s expression hovered between confidence and arrogance.

There you are.He swiped his hand over his mouth to hide his smile.

Then she looked between him and her colleague. “Did I introduce you guys?”

“No, you were kind of busy being passed out and all,” he joked even though he still wasn’t over his shock of seeing her go down like that.

“Katie, this is my friend, Jack Park. And, Jack, this is my associate and second chair, Katie Douglas.”

“Nice to meet you, Katie.” He extended his hand to her.

“Same to you, Jack.” Her gaze lingered on his face as though she were getting her first good look at him and liking what she saw. Other than an objective appreciation of her attractiveness, he didn’t feel a similar interest. It probably had something to do with his dream girl standing right next to him. But he was flattered when Katie held his hand a second longer than necessary.

“Anyway.” Lizzy stood abruptly from her chair. “I should go get something to eat.”

“Definitely. I’ll take you to lunch,” he offered without hesitation. But he couldn’t help wondering if he’d detected a hint of jealousy in Lizzy’s demeanor.Ha! Keep on dreaming, buddy.She’d firmly relegated him to the friend zone twenty years ago. “Would you like to join us, Katie?”

“Thank you,” she said with a rueful smile. “But I’m just going to grab a sandwich at the cafeteria and work on some cross-examination questions. You still want them by this evening, right?”

“Yes. That would be great.” Lizzy picked up her purse, then hesitated. “Maybe I should join you at the cafeteria.”

“No,” he interjected, shooting her associate an apologeticglance. Lizzy turned wide eyes to him, and he shrugged. “I’m getting you out of here for a couple of hours.”

“I agree with Jack. You need a proper break,” Katie said, and waved her hand around the courtroom. “This will all be waiting for you when you come back.”

“Thanks, Katie.” He smiled at her. “It was nice meeting you.”

When Lizzy still looked unsure, Jack took a firm hold of her arm and tugged her toward the doors. She badly needed a break, and he wasn’t taking no for an answer. But once they were out in the hallway, she walked beside him without the insistence of his hand.

“I feel so awful,” she whispered.

“About us going out to lunch without Katie?” he teased, hoping to make her smile.

“That, too. I guess.” One side of her mouth quirked up, but only for a second. “But mostly about having a panic attack in front of the jury during my opening statement.”

“Yeah. I bet.” False words of comfort wouldn’t do her any good right now. What happened was a big deal, and he would feel awful, too. “But I think it’s what you do from this point forward that matters the most. It’ll be easy to stand before the jury after what happened and allow embarrassment and insecurity to rule you. They will probably expect that. But you should surprise them. Go up there with even more confidence and strength.”

“You’re right.” She pivoted mid-step and wrapped her arms around his neck. His eyes slid shut as he held her close, and he did his damnedest not to breathe in the scent of her hair. “Thank you, Jack.”

“For what?” He reluctantly dropped his arms to his sides when she stepped back.

“For being here,” she said simply, her eyes wide and vulnerable.

His heart stuttered in his chest. In moments like these, he was almost content with just being her friend—someone she valued and trusted. Almost.

“I’ll always be here for you,” he promised, letting his gaze roam her face. Then he reached out and hooked his pinkie around hers—a gesture as old as their friendship.

“And I’ll be here for you.” Her lips curved softly as she wrapped her pinkie around his. Her smile warmed him down to his toes, and they walked out of the courthouse with their fingers still linked.

“Is there somewhere we can walk to?” He wanted to hold on to her a bit longer.

The city air smelled stale and musky, and the streets were congested with honking cars and people walking too fast, but the early-summer sun felt good against his face, and he was happy to be with Lizzy.

“There’s a nice restaurant two blocks from here.” She tugged him down the sidewalk by his pinkie. “It’ll be my treat.”

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