Page 5 of A Legal Affair
“Wanna grab a cup of coffee at Java’s?” she called to him in a smooth, lilting voice.
“Of course,” he responded, and Daniela’s heart sank.
He glanced down at her, his face an impassive mask that convinced her she’d only imagined that electrically charged moment back in the lecture hall. “My office hours are on the syllabus if you need to reach me. See you on Wednesday.”
“Okay.” As Daniela watched him saunter toward the West Indian beauty, she realized she didn’t have as much time as she’d thought to win over the sexy law professor.
She’d have to step up her game or pack up her toys and go home.
“How’d the first day of classes go?”
The question greeted Daniela as she entered the one-story bungalow she shared with her mother. Balancing a purse, a backpack and a large plastic bag filled with the remaining supplies she’d had to purchase for school, Daniela kicked the door shut and divested herself of her baggage before sinking gratefully into the nearest armchair.
Sanjuanita Roarke, curled up on a sofa slipcovered in persimmon suede, smiled at Daniela over the paperback novel she’d been reading. “That bad, huh?”
Daniela groaned, throwing her head back against the chair. “I am so freaking exhausted, Janie. Between Civil Procedure and Contracts, I have a shit-ton of reading to do—and this was just the first day.” She groaned again. “Don’t these people know I need to wash, condition and retwist my hair, which will take all damn night and then some?”
Her sister-in-law laughed, setting aside her romantasy novel to scrape her own dark hair into a ponytail. “No one ever said law school would be easy. In fact, no one in their right mind would claim such a thing.”
“Girl, you ain’t lying. I’ll probably wake up in a cold sweat tonight after having nightmares about appellate briefs, pleadings and torts.” Daniela frowned at the ceiling. “I must be insane to willingly put myself through this. After studying for the CPA exam, I swore I’d never subject my brain to that kind of torture again.”
Janie snorted. “What’re you talking about? You aced that exam, and Kenny says you hardly studied at all.”
“Your husband greatly exaggerates.” Daniela sat up and nudged off her wedge sandals, wiggling her freshly pedicured toes against the Persian rug she’d practically plundered from an antiques dealer. “How’s the patient doing?”
“Sleeping. Stayed awake long enough to take her meds and swallow a few spoonfuls of tortilla soup before it was lights-out again.”
“No more fever? Nausea?”
“Not since this morning. Dr. Molina says the best thing for her is to get some rest—that’s what her body’s craving, anyway.”
“I know,” murmured Daniela. “I wish there was some way to convince her to cut back on some of her extracurricular activities—like volunteering at the senior center or heading the women’s ministry at church.”
Janie grimaced, her thick brows furrowing together until they nearly touched. Her face was a soft oval characterized by high round cheeks, full lips and a dimple carved into her chin, which lent an impish charm to her beauty.
“You know your mother. She figures as long as she’s not earning a salary for what she’s doing, then technically she’s not violating the doctor’s orders not to work.”
Daniela scowled. “I’ve tried asking some of the church members to talk some sense into her, but everyone seems to think ‘doing the Lord’s work’ will only rejuvenate her. I’m sorely tempted to tell Pastor Wiggins that Mom and the organist are hooking up.Thatmight convince him to relieve Sister Roarke of her duties.”
Janie gasped. “You wouldn’t!”
“Wouldn’t I? I’m a desperate woman. Having my mother around for years to come is more important to me than preserving her reputation at church.”
“But she’snothaving an affair with the organist,” Janie pointed out, then frowned. “Is she?”
“Of course not.” Daniela winked. “She thinks Deacon Hubbard iswayhotter.”
Janie laughed and shook her head, dislodging a stubborn chunk of glossy hair from the scrunchie she wore. “Speaking ofhot men,” she said, reaching up to repair her ponytail, “how’d it go with Professor Thorne?”
Just hearing the man’s name made Daniela’s pulse skip several beats. “Well, we sorta got off to a rocky start when I showed up ten minutes late to class.” Grimacing, she told her sister-in-law about her ignominious arrival and Caleb Thorne’s smirking rebuke that’d sent a rumble of laughter around the lecture hall. “If I could’ve melted through the damn floor, I would have. To make matters worse, I think I came in the wrong entrance. The door was open but…ugh, I’m so confused. I probably should’ve done some recon before starting this assignment.”
Janie grinned sympathetically. “On the bright side, at least you got his attention.”
“Yeah, but somehow that’snotthe strategy I had in mind.”
“Whatisyour strategy?”
Daniela frowned, biting her bottom lip. “To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t know. I mean, I know Kenny and Noah spent weeks prepping me and giving me pointers on how to do undercover work, but none of that really prepared me for the real thing—the moment of truth, when I walked into that classroom and saw ‘the mark.’” She shook her head, lips curving ruefully. “In hindsight, I wish I’d known what Caleb Thorne looked like beforehand. My brothers had photos, of course, but I refused to see them. I know that sounds crazy and unorthodox, but I didn’t want to have preconceived notions about the man based solely on his appearance.”
