“Because I was completely serious,” she said, secretly pleased that she’d coaxed even a little laugh from him. He needed laughter as much—if not more—than he needed physical release.
“I came here today to have lunch with you. I wasn’t expecting anything else.”
“Neither was I,” she said. “And—in case you get the wrong idea—sex isn’t something I indulge in very often. In fact, I haven’t indulged in quite a while. But the offer still stands.”
“You don’t know how much I want to take you up on it,” he almost groaned. “But I think we’d better eat our sandwiches today. I have to be back at the office for a one-thirty meeting.”
“Cola or iced tea?” she asked without a pause.
He blinked, then mentally caught up. “Uh, cola’s fine.”
Dropping her hands to her side, she moved toward the refrigerator. No way would she let him see the extent of her disappointment—or the faint relief that they hadn’t yet complicated their relationship to a point where her life would never quite be the same.
“BOY, you’ve been growling like a coon dog with a thorn in its paw all afternoon. What in blazes is the matter with you?”
Trevor looked over the rim of his reading glasses with a repressive frown. “You can drop the simple-country-lawyer routine, Dad. It’s just us here now, and I’m not going to fall for it.”
Sitting on the other side of Trevor’s desk, his feet propped up and crossed at the ankles, Caleb chuckled. “Even a simple country lawyer could tell that you’re in a lousy mood. What’s wrong?”
Trevor removed the glasses and set them aside. “Nothing.”
Caleb looked blatantly disbelieving.
“Okay,” Trevor conceded. “This Foster case is a major headache. I hate seeing a marriage end this unpleasantly, especially when there are kids caught in the middle.”
Amusement fading, Caleb nodded. “It has gotten ugly, hasn’t it? You’d think Clark and Valerie would make an effort to keep the boys from hearing some of their crap. But when they start fighting, they don’t seem to care who hears them.”
“I couldn’t believe Valerie brought the younger boy with her for that confrontation this afternoon.” Trevor’s voice was hard as he thought about his client’s irresponsible action. “He might be only four, but the kid isn’t deaf or stupid. He heard the things his parents were saying to each other. After a few minutes, I asked Marie to come take the boy to her office. She kept him busy drawing pictures and making copies of them on the copier.”
“I bet you had a few things to say to your client when the boy was out of hearing.”
“Actually, I did. And to give him credit, Clark’s attorney agreed with every word I said.”
“Bill Walker, isn’t it? I know you haven’t met him under ideal circumstances, but he’s a good man. I’ve faced him several times in court, but I’ve always respected him, even when I disagreed with him.”
“He seemed all right, even if he and Clark are being unreasonable about several issues in the divorce.”
“He’s just doing his best for his client, son, the way you will for yours. Divorces aren’t pretty, and getting involved in them is never fun. Many a time I’ve left meetings like the one you had this afternoon feeling as if I needed a shower. But you should know by now that divorces and bankruptcies are a big part of small-town practic
e. It can’t all be writing wills and working up small-business contracts.”
“I knew what I was getting into. This afternoon was just particularly unpleasant.”
“So you haven’t changed your mind about taking over the practice when I retire in a couple of years? You still want to spend the rest of your career doing this?”
“As opposed to going back to Washington, you mean? Trust me, Dad, that catfight this afternoon didn’t hold a candle to what goes on in D.C. I haven’t changed my mind. I just don’t like seeing kids get hurt.”
“I know. So you keep doing all you can to protect them.”
“I’ll try.”
Studying his son over steepled fingers, Caleb asked, “Anything else bothering you?”
“No, that’s pretty much it.” Trevor looked at the papers on his desk as he spoke, hoping his father would take his words at face value.
Known for his tact—as opposed to his wife, who was notorious for her lack of it—Caleb didn’t push, except to ask, “Anything else you want to talk about?”
“Not just now.”