“Sounds like you’ve thought this through.”
“Truthfully, I haven’t. But talking this out is as good a means as any for finding flaws.”
“What if we don’t get along all that well? I’d call that a major flaw.”
He glanced down at their hands, still intertwined. His thumb created circles on her soft skin. “After what just happened, I’d have to dispute that statement, counselor.” He reached out and brushed a strand of hair off her cheek. He let the slight tremor that shook her pass without comment.
“Do you make it a practice to mix business with pleasure?” she asked, slowly removing her hand from his.
He chuckled aloud. “No, but I am glad to know you’d label that kiss pleasure.”
She groaned.
“Look, Chelsie, I work out of the house. I’m always around for Alix. This way, you would be too.”
“Low, counselor. Even for you.” She jumped out of the chair, nearly knocking him over in the process. “I’m not that child’s mother. Installing me in this house as if I were is unfair to her.”
“And to you?” he asked in a low voice.
She didn’t answer.
He stood, ignoring the cramping in his legs from remaining in a crouched position for so long. When he turned, she stood facing the fireplace. He reached out a hand to grasp her upper arm. “Turn around and look at me.”
She pivoted slowly, her reluctance evident in her stiffened muscles and the way she kept a definite distance between them.
He met her solemn brown eyes with a serious stare of his own. “I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you or your relationship with Alix.”
She sighed. Her muscles relaxed enough so that he felt sure she was listening. He released his hold, but she didn’t move away.
“I know that.”
He regretted pushing for an answer without giving her time to think. Before she could say no, he rushed on. “I’ll admit things between us are strained. But I’m also willing to admit something’s brewing.”
“Okay.”
“It has to be easier to share ideas with someone than talking to the walls.”
“Okay.”
“And you’ve got the experience dealing with real people. Mine is with institutional clients. I could learn from you.”
She tried unsuccessfully to suppress a grin. “Cut the humble act. From what I’ve heard around family court, you talk circles around the most seasoned pros. So you can dispense with the I-need-you routine.”
“How about a plain I want you?”
Heat rose to her face, causing a pink flush to tinge her cheeks. But instead of backing off, her soft hands grasped his chin and turned him to face her. “I said okay. If you’d stop rambling long enough to hear me, you’d realize I gave in a long time ago.” She laughed. “And to think you called me long-winded.”
He relaxed, though he wasn’t foolish enough to think all his problems had been solved. An uphill battle awaited him. His own roller-coaster emotions were not going to be easy to deal with. Neither, he suspected, was his new partner. “You won’t be sorry,” he said.
“That, counselor, remains to be seen.” She grasped his outstretched hand. As her satiny skin brushed his calloused fingers, more than a business handshake passed between them. And he had the sinking feeling she’d be proven right.
SIX
“Did you weight these damned things with rocks?” Ryan dropped the large box onto the floor with a grunt.
Chelsie laughed. “You should have seen me in law school. My book bag outweighed me.”
“That I can believe. Is that the last of them?”
“Yes, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the help.” She glanced at Ryan, wondering what kind of man Griff would choose as his closest friend. Dark hair ended the similarities between the men. Ryan had harder planes and angles to his face than Griff, but his loyalty to those he cared for appeared to run just as deep.
“Anytime. Griff always volunteers me for the jobs he can’t handle.”
“I was wondering…”
“Excuse me.” The sound of another voice in the room startled her and ended her chance to learn more about the Stuart family. Just as well, she thought. Curiosity could only lead to more intimate knowledge and even stronger feelings.
She turned to see Griff watching them, a scowl etching his handsome face. Though he’d offered to help her move things from her office, Alix had come down with a cold and he didn’t want to leave her. Ryan had shown up in his place.
“Like I said, he’s the brains, I’m the muscle,” Ryan said.
“I did go to law school, remember? I know what those books weigh. And,” Griff said, looking his friend over, “you could use the workout.”
Chelsie tried and failed to suppress a grin. “Oh, shut up, both of you.” She shook her head. “Men.”
“I’m out of here. Next time another job’s too much for you, remember to call me.” Ryan bounded down the stairs.
“He’s a good friend,” Chelsie said as she pushed up her sleeves so she could begin the arduous task of unpacking.
“Like a brother.” Griff leaned against the wall and stared into the empty room. Chelsie winced at the word brother. But Griff seemed lost in thought, so she doubted he’d even noticed. “Ryan grew up next door to us. We’ve always been close. Even when Jared was alive, it was always the three of us.”
She nodded. She and her sister had grown up much the same way. With two fairly disinterested parents, they’d had no one to rely on but each other. Maybe that was what made the break in their relationship so difficult to bear. Chelsie had looked out for her sister in her own way, but phone calls and occasional lunches were pathetic in retrospect and provided little consolation now. In seeking to protect herself from further loss, Chelsie had deprived herself of even more.
With such a close bond between the brothers, Griff’s feelings of loss had to surpass her own.
“The day my mother ran off, Ryan told my Dad that we’d take care of Jared,” Griff said at last.
Chelsie held her surprise in check. If she disturbed his train of thought, he might not reveal any more. Despite her earlier admonitions to herself about satisfying her curiosity, she wanted to know this man in all the ways that counted.
When he remained silent, she spoke softly. “How old were you?” she asked.
“Twelve.”