Absent in the Spring (The Shakespeare Sisters 3)

He led her over to the booth in the corner, where the table afforded a view of the VIP area, and the floor below. As soon as they approached he saw Grant and Jenn turn their heads to look at Lucy. They stood up to greet him, Grant shaking his hand as Jenn kissed him on the cheek. ‘Look at you,’ he said, glancing down to see her small, yet obvious bump. ‘You’ve grown since I last saw you.’

‘Shut up.’ Jenn slapped him on the arm. ‘Introduce us to your friend.’ She smiled at Lucy, who grinned right back.

‘Lucy,’ he said, taking her hand in his, ‘this is Grant and Jenn. My oldest friends.’ He was still smarting at her paying comment. ‘Grant and I grew up next door to each other in Miami.’

‘It’s a pleasure to meet you.’ Lucy shook first Jenn’s hand, and then Grant’s, before the four of them slid into the booth. Within moments, Elise brought over their drinks, popping the cork and pouring the frothing wine into tall, slender glasses.

‘So, Grant tells me you’re an attorney,’ Jenn said, taking a sip of her water. ‘That must be hard work.’

‘Says the researcher who works all the hours God sends,’ Grant said. ‘And I didn’t say she was an attorney. I said she was Lachlan’s attorney.’

Lucy glanced at Lachlan, looking uncomfortable at Grant’s response. Damn, he should have told him about her removing herself from his case. It just hadn’t crossed his mind.

Lucy clearly wasn’t impressed by his forgetfulness ‘He’s only one of my clients,’ she told Jenn. ‘And a very unimportant one, too.’ She raised an eyebrow at him, as if in challenge. He couldn’t help but grin.

Score one for the gorgeous attorney.

Jenn laughed. ‘Oh, I like you already.’ She tipped her head to the side. ‘Where’s that accent from? You sound British.’

‘I’m from London originally.’

‘But you’re living in New York now?’

‘She’s based in Edinburgh.’ Grant rolled his eyes. ‘Seriously, I told you at least twice.’

Jenn shrugged. ‘I’m pregnant. So sue me.’ She looked at Lucy. ‘Except don’t. I can’t afford it.’

‘I’m not sure you can be sued for being pregnant,’ Lucy said. She took a sip of her prosecco. ‘Well, I’ve never heard of it anyway.’

‘But you can get sued for inheriting a lordship, right?’ Jenn leaned closer to her. ‘Isn’t that what’s happening to Lachlan?’

Lucy glanced over at him questioningly. Yep, he really was bad at communicating with his friends. He smiled at her. ‘It’s okay. They know all the gory details.’

‘It’s not really what’s happening. He’s not being sued, exactly. They’re contesting his claim to the title and the lands.’

‘So if he loses, his brother gets it all?’ Jenn asked.

Lachlan leaned back in his seat, watching as the girls talked, their heads close together so they could hear each other above the ambient noise. He took a sip of his wine, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He hadn’t realised he cared about Jenn’s opinion so much, until she’d accepted Lucy with open arms.

But he did, he really did.

Lucy was laughing at something Jenn had said. Her eyes were crinkled at the edges, her pretty mouth open. Something about her expression made him want to bundle her up and sit her on his lap.

He was about to stand up and do it when Jenn leaned forward and whispered in Lucy’s ear. She nodded in response, then the two of them stood up.

‘Just going to the little girls’ room,’ Jenn told them.

‘Together?’ Grant asked. ‘What are you, fifteen?’

‘It’s a club,’ Jenn pointed out. ‘There’s safety in numbers. You never know what could happen when there’s this much testosterone and alcohol.’

‘It’s my club,’ Lachlan said. ‘I don’t let that happen here.’

‘Okay, so you’ve got us. We want to talk about you. Happy?’ Jenn rolled her eyes. ‘You guys really need to learn to translate girl speak.’

As Lucy passed him, Lachlan reached out for her hand, running his thumb in a circle around the inside of her wrist. ‘Hurry back.’

She blinked, as though she was looking into the sun, even though the light in the club was atmospheric at best.