When the phone had rung, the moment had slipped away. Just like that, she’d slammed the door on her emotions and blocked him out.
Declan hadn’t intentionally eavesdropped on the call but nevertheless, he’d heard part of the conversation. And he’d heard enough to confirm she had something serious going on in her life. A family scandal of some sort. His best guess was the caller was a sibling. Judging from the bits he’d picked up, it was a brother she had spoken to.
Knowing the phone call had ended, Declan considered feigning interest in the pizza. But one look at Zoe when she appeared in the doorway made him throw out the idea. He could see she was trying to act unaffected, but the worry in her eyes told the real truth. She was troubled.
“Everything okay?”
“Oh yeah,” she said, a little too quickly as she stepped inside the apartment and shut the sliding glass. “Just family drama.”
She gave him her back and set the phone on top of the television. He suspected the action was meant to give her a moment of reprieve from his probing gaze.
“Ready for pizza?” she asked, turning back to him, and eyeing the coffee table where the box sat. “It’s probably cold. I can heat it up.”
“It’s fine. Come sit down and eat with me.” Declan patted the couch beside him.
Zoe hesitated a minute and then moved forward sitting down on the floor across from him. “I’m messy. It’s safer for you to eat with some distance.”
Declan knew she simply wanted an excuse for putting distance between them. Yet, her need didn’t bother him. He sensed that she needed to feel in control, right now, and if that meant he needed to keep his hands to himself, so be it. As she took a bite of pizza, he reached for a slice and did the same. In silence, they ate, letting a full minute pass without words.
“How long have you been a reporter?” he asked, not only to make conversation but because he wanted to know about her.
She eyed him and put her pizza on her plate. “Why are you here?”
Her bluntness didn’t surprise him. He’d learned that she said what was on her mind. It hit him that it was this trait that was partly responsible for her appeal. In his line of business, everyone had unspoken agendas. Zoe didn’t hide what she wanted. “You thought you’d never see me again?”
“Well,” she said, “to be honest, I didn’t.”
“Is that what you wanted? To never see me again?”
She hesitated and then said, “It’s what I expected.”
He smiled. “That doesn’t answer the question.”
“You didn’t answer mine. Why are you here?”
“Since we’re being honest… I couldn’t stop thinking about you today.”
“Is that so?” she asked, tilting her head as if to study him. “You thought you’d return for a repeat of last night?”
He took in a breath and let it out. “I—” Her brow inched upward. “You what?”
“I think sharing pizza and conversation will do just fine.”
She laughed but without humor and then pulled her knees to her chest. “What’s so funny?” he asked.
“We are so not right for each other.” “That’s not how it seemed last night.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I’m not talking about sex.” “Who says I am?” he challenged.
“You don’t even know me,” she said.
“And you don’t know me, yet you judge me because of my job.” Her face registered shock. “That’s not true.”
He smiled. “Yes, it is. You even said so back at the bar. You know how attorneys are.”
“I just meant…” Her voice trailed off. “Yes?” he asked.
“Just eat the pizza,” she said, reaching for hers.
With a chuckle, Declan reached for his pizza. “We both like pizza. There’s one thing we share in common.”
“Everyone loves pizza,” she said, dismissing his words. “My mother doesn’t. She says it’s too fattening.”
“That doesn’t mean she doesn’t like it.” “She doesn’t eat it.”
“But does she like it?” she asked.
He laughed. “You should be the attorney. You have an answer for everything.” “Like you?” she asked accusation in her voice.
He gave her a probing look. She ignored him, opting to focus on a big bite of pizza. After several seconds, he decided this was important. He wasn’t going to let it drop. Her judging him as some sort of scum bothered him. “What is it about attorneys that bug you so much?”
She sat down her food and brushed her hands together. “Let’s see, where should I start? How about the way they twist the facts to win. After all, winning is everything, right?”
“It’s about justice, not winning,” he said but felt a pang of guilt with his words that made him add. “When a client is innocent you certainly want to win their case.”
She shoved her plate away. “You expect me to believe you only take cases where the client is innocent?”