Page 120 of A Legal Affair
“Damn shame. She’s a baddie.”
“She is.”
Encouraged by the admission, Evander gave him the full-court press. “Her looks aren’t all she’s got going for her. She’s smart, educated, well-traveled. She enjoys reading and knows how to have a good time. And as a senior executive at Valero, she makes good money, so you don’t have to worry about her coming after yours.”
Caleb didn’t respond, unswayed by anything Evander had said.
“Nette says she asked you out for coffee and you turned her down.”
“You know I don’t do rebound relationships,” Caleb grumbled darkly.Besides, the last woman who asked me out for coffee ripped my fucking heart to shreds.
Evander sighed heavily. “Look, man, I get it. You need more time. After what you just went through, dating is the last thing on your mind right now. I mean, hell, you already had a shit-ton of trust issues. This whole mess with Daniela just set you back?—”
“What did I say?” Caleb growled warningly. “Enough.”
Evander snapped his mouth shut. After several long moments, he scrubbed a weary hand over his face and directed his next words to the gloomy night sky. “Last thing I’ll say is?—”
Caleb shot him a death glare.
“—don’t let one manipulative woman turn you into even more of a jaded bastard than you already were. Don’t give her that much power over you.”
Caleb’s grip tightened around the neck of his beer bottle. “She doesn’t have any power over me. Not anymore.”
Evander gave him a knowing look. “I’ll believe that when you finally delete her message and block her number. Until then…” Letting his voice trail off, he shook his head and clapped Caleb on the shoulder. “Come join the party when you’re ready to move on.”
With that he went back inside the house, leaving Caleb to his anger and misery as Daniela’s words burned a hole through the charred remains of his heart.
You made me believe in true love, and now I’ll have to learn to live without it.
36
In the days and weeks following the breakup, Daniela coped with her heartache in the only way she knew how: by throwing herself into work and a flurry of other activities that would keep her mind off what she’d had, and lost.
She put in longer hours at the office and took on more cases; she even managed to drum up more business for the agency by hanging out at the courthouse and passing out business cards to attorneys, who often hired private investigators to track down the information they needed to prosecute or defend personal injury, civil liability and child custody cases. Although much of the work kept her chained to her desk as she pored through mountains of public documents and scoured the internet for research, Daniela didn’t mind the monotony. After the way herlastundercover assignment had ended, she no longer craved the drama and excitement of a big case.
She’d had more than enough drama to last her a lifetime.
The day after her agonizing showdown with Caleb, Hoyt Philbin stopped by Roarke Investigations to inform Daniela and her brothers that their services were no longer required. As he explained to them, he’d changed his mind about investigatingCrandall Thorne, and he didn’t want them to waste another second on such a “futile endeavor.”
Although he spoke as if he’d reached the decision all by himself, Daniela and her brothers knew he’d had a little help—namely in the form of Crandall’s threat to go to the media about the former mayor’s shady business dealings while in office. Apparently, two of Philbin’s major campaign contributors during the last election had been high-ranking members of the Mexican mafia, a fact that had been concealed from the public and would remain as such, unless Crandall decided otherwise.
After what she’d learned about the former mayor, Daniela took extreme pleasure in knowing that Crandall having the upper hand would keep Philbin in line, once and for all.
Had Caleb not left the manila folder at her house, which included the incriminating evidence about Philbin, Daniela and her brothers might never have discovered just how unscrupulous the man was.
After reading and rereading the private investigator’s full report on Philbin, she’d calmly packaged everything up and mailed the folder back to Crandall—not Caleb—because the mere thought of writing Caleb’s name on an envelope had caused her too much pain. She’d included a short handwritten note humbly apologizing for her duplicity and told Crandall she hoped he’d be able to forgive her someday. She expected her apology to generate the same response as the text she’d sent his son: stone cold silence.
She wasn’t wrong.
Days merged into weeks that passed in a blur of long days at the office and sleepless nights at home. Although Daniela was often exhausted by the time she returned to her house late at night, once her head hit the pillow, she found it difficult, if not impossible, to fall asleep right away. Visions of Caleb hauntedher, tormenting her with memories of their all-too-brief time together.
She remembered Caleb seated across from her at the library, in all his intimidating glory, trying hard not to grin when she told him about herLegally Blondepower suit.
She remembered Caleb, dark eyes gleaming as they enjoyed a laugh over coffee and ice cream.
Caleb, dragging her into a supply closet and kissing her with such unrestrained hunger her bones dissolved to liquid.
Caleb, holding her in his arms and humming a romantic tune as they slow danced on the terrace after watching the sunset.
