Page 85 of Mr. Flirt

But I was under pressure.

And I didn’t want to lose him.

The last thought nudged a little worry of something under the surface.

I was starting to like him.

Things were about to get complicated.

I let out a sigh and opened my eyes as the door to my office swung open, and my assistant popped in to tell me my four o’clock was here.

“Thanks, Ann,” I said, standing and smoothing my skirt.

I followed Ann out of my office and went to the lobby of the spacious law firm, where a frail woman sat with a red nose and puffy eyes.

A perfect reminder of why I couldn’t let myself get wrapped up in Shep’s good looks, splendid personality, and body of an ancient warrior.

This was the aftermath of such good fortune.

“Leslie, it’s nice to meet you,” I said gently, reaching my hand out to shake hers. “I’m Lucy.”

She smiled as best she could and stood with her purse falling off her shoulder and a tissue falling to the floor.

“Sorry. I’m a mess.” Leslie bent down to pick up the used tissue before stuffing it back into her purse.

“You’ve been through a lot, and I hope to make things easier for you.”

We walked past the receptionist, who smiled kindly to my client and me as we made our way back to my office, where she walked in and sat on the chaise near the window rather than a seat across from my desk, which told me it was going to be a long session.

I gently shut the door and took a seat behind my desk.

“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice.”

I nodded, smiling. “I’m glad we had a cancellation.”

And I truly was. The husband I was representing in what was tipping into a nasty divorce decided to give his wife another chance in spite of her recent fling with a co-worker. I wasn’t sure how it would work out in the end, but if that was what his heart said to do, he had to follow it.

“My husband’s been lying to me. I should have known from the beginning.” She sniffled and dug her dirty tissue out of her purse. “He was always getting into it with the boys. It’s like he never grew up.”

I stood quickly and put a trash can next to her and a brand-new box of tissues in front of her.

“I’m not the first, huh?” Leslie’s eyes looked painful. They were so puffy.

Shaking my head, I frowned. “Unfortunately, no.”

She wagged her finger in the air as if she were talking to her guardian angel and not me. “There were red flags the very first time I met him.” She brought her eyes back to me. “And what did I do? I ignored them.”

My stomach knotted before turning queasy as my mind drifted to Shep. He lied about who he was without a second thought for people’s hearts, all in the name of a prank.

“Let’s start with what brought you in here today, and then we will start from the beginning.”

She nodded. “My husband drained our bank account, quit his job, and moved to Colorado.”

“Is he with someone else?”

“Besides our dog? No. Not that I know of, but the whole thing is beyond me.”

“Were you aware of problems in the marriage?” I asked.

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