Page 10 of Soaring Free
Susan opens a glass door and waits for me to enter the modern conference room with glass walls. My eyes sweep the space as a gorgeous brunette enters through a door on the other side of the room. Philippa Lawrence was highly recommended by the head of one of Jack’s legal teams in New York, and my personal reasons for choosing her are the perfect cherry on top. It was an added bonus when Daphne informed Jack that Ms. Lawrence is known for being foolishly underestimated because of her disposition and grace, but she is actually cunning, strategic, and at times, downright vicious. She sounds like my kind of girl.
“Ms. Callahan-Williams, it’s so nice to meet you.” She extends her hand in greeting. Mrs. Lawrence is prepared for a brisk winter day in her bespoke blush linen suit. As we shake hands, I can’t help but notice her magenta high heels that are a fun and unexpected surprise.
“The pleasure is mine, Mrs. Lawrence. I have a feeling, based on the nature of our meeting, it’s only appropriate that you please call me Savannah.” I smile as though it’s a joke, but it’s really not. My attorney will be privy to all of my dirty laundry.
“Absolutely, but only if you agree to call me Pippa.” Her smile is kind and reaches her eyes. I don’t know that I need to like my attorney if they were the right person for the job, but it will make this uncomfortable process a little easier to bare if I do.
I nod in agreement. “Sounds great.”
“Please.” She gestures to a chair at the conference table as we both take a seat. “I see Susan already got you a water, but can we get you anything else before we get started?”
I smile as I doubt she has access to a time machine. “No, thank you. I appreciate you taking this meeting on such short notice.”
“I have to be honest, Savannah, when I got the call last night from my dear friend from law school, I was more than intrigued. Do you currently have legal representation in your divorce?” Pippa leans in slightly to put her elbow on the table and rests her chin on her knuckles.
“I kind of did.” She tilts her head and arches an eyebrow. “My husband—soon to be ex-husband, sorry—is a partner at Brown,Lewis, and Williams. The initial plan was for us to use a mediator through his firm. At the time, we both agreed that we wanted this process to be as painless as possible, and ultimately, as easy as possible on our daughters.”
“And that agreement has since changed?”
“That would be more than fair to say. He decided to manipulate the process, and when I received his most recent settlement offer, the amount of bullshit in it would make a hog farmer blush.”
Pippa throws her head back and her laughter bounces off the glass walls. “Oh, Savannah, I think you and I are going to get along just fine, and dare I say, we may even have some fun together.” She winks at me and my body relaxes a little more. I need a good attorney but it’s always nice to find someone that could become a friend as well.
I start telling Pippa about the history of my relationship with Shane and how it all fell apart last month when I found the paperwork for the penthouse. Pippa mentions something about asset manipulation as she taps her pen on the table. “You know, you just reminded me of a case from a few years ago. Do you mind if I run to my office really quick and have my assistant pull something? I’ll be just a moment.” I nod as she steps out through the same door she came in and allow myself to take the first deep breath I’ve had all morning.
I’m lost in my thoughts until a brisk knock on the door behind me brings me back to the present. My eyes dart to the door, and the butterflies in my stomach take flight as icy cobalt eyes roam over my body and his small smile grows into a wide grin with perfect dimples. We’ve never been formally introduced but I know who he is immediately. I’ve been hearing about him for years, and always thought he was good-looking—from a distance, of course. As he walks into the room, I fully understand why my husband always felt threatened by his imposing presence. He is an Adonis among mortals, and more importantly, the deciding factor of why I chose this law firm.
“Hello, Ms. Callahan-Williams, it’s nice to officially meet you. I apologize for the intrusion, but I couldn’t help myself.” He strides into the room and extends his hand as I stand to greet him.
“Hello, Mr. Smith-Harrington, trust me, the pleasure is all mine.”
Chapter seven
Fuck me. I knew Shane Williams had a beautiful wife, but I wasn’t expecting her to be absolutely exquisite. It’s not possible to live in Forrest Falls and not know who the Callahans are, but Shane never allowed any social interaction to occur if we happened to be at the same gathering, which is almost impressive, except I’m never impressed by that asshole. I refuse to be impressed by trash.
But this woman? She is extremely impressive.
When I arrived at the office after dropping Gigi off at school, Susan grinned like the cat that got the canary. I knew whoever Pippa was meeting with was going to be good, but I was not at all expecting it to be the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen. She also happens to have an incredibly sexy voice; it’s velvety smooth and just a slightly deeper tone than one would expect. Savannah Callahan-Williams is definitely in a class of her own.
Savannah has her long blonde hair loosely pulled back, with a few pieces framing her face. Her dark navy dress with a deep scoop neckline showcases her ample cleavage and wraps around her body, hugging her curves—lucky dress. As she stands to shake my hand, I’m forced to draw on every ounce of self-control to not physically react to her. She has an hourglass figure that would give Jessica Rabbit a run for her money, and what boy didn’t think that cartoon was a wet dream? But the difference between Savannah and Jessica, is that each and every curve of her body is the real deal. I imagine having her children only helped contribute to make her body the beautiful curvy work of art that it is today.
Her dainty oval face has delicate features, but my attention is immediately drawn to the prettiest pair of pale cornflower-blue eyes I have ever seen in my life. As I step closer to shake her hand, I notice small flecks of gold sparkle amidst the sea of blue in her eyes and the darker shade the pale blue fades to. At six-foot-two, I peer down at her as she glances up at me, never breaking eye contact. Even in her high heels, she’s still five or six inches shorter than me. Her moves are graceful, and her long neck holds her head high.Huh, I don’t think I’ve ever been attracted to a neck before, but I wouldn’t mind licking hers.
She is breathtaking, what fool would ever let this woman go? My sister wasn’t lying when she said her appointment would be good; if anything, she undersold how happy I am to see this gorgeous goddess in one of our conference rooms.
The fact she is divorcing the biggest asshole I love to hate? Even better.
“Ah, Theo! I see you invited yourself to this meeting, just as I suspected you would.” My sister startles me and snaps me back to reality. “Savannah, this is my brother and another attorney with Smith and Harrington, although Theo, you don’t usually get involved with family law cases.” Pippa is grinning, and her mischievous eyes dance with delight. She is obviously highly amused by my dumbstruck reaction to Savannah’s beauty. I’m a bit surprised by how strong of a reaction I’m having to her as well, but I school my features to keep things professional.
“Well, you know me, Pippa, I like to keep things interesting, and due to the nature of the parties involved, I thought it could be fun to see if I can help in any way.” I turn to address Savannah directly. “But of course, only if you’re comfortable with my involvement. It could be fun though, I’m sure you know Shane’s feelings toward me.” I raise an eyebrow because she must know that Shane hates me—a mutual feeling at this point in our lives.
If I weren’t observing her so intently, I may have missed the way she stiffened slightly at the mention of her soon-to-be ex-husband’s name. She subtly rolls her shoulders back, as though preparing for battle.
“I have to be honest, I’m well-versed in his feelings about you and this firm, Mr. Smith-Harrington. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t a deciding factor in reaching out to your firm first. I have other options for representation, of course, but when Shane decided to make this personal, I wanted to go for the nuclear option of making this as personal, painful, and expensive as possible for him.” Pippa’s giggle startles me.Why do I keep forgetting my own sister is in the room with us?
“Oh, Savannah, I am going to really enjoy working with you. Please, pretty please cancel any other meetings you may have scheduled with other firms. We will do whatever you need us to do in order for you to feel confident that we are the right team to have your back.” Pippa sets some folders down on the conference room table and clasps her hands together in a pleading gesture as Savannah smiles at both of us. “And I promise we will do whatever we can to provide you with the very best representation possible.”
I clear my throat before chiming in, “If you don’t mind, may I ask how you two connected? Pippa’s schedule is usually set months in advance, and I didn’t know anything about this meeting until this morning.”
