Suddenly One Summer (FBI/US Attorney #6)(67)

Victoria set it down on one of the fold-out tables. “Not a casserole. Moros y Cristianos,” she said with a flourish.

He blinked. No clue.

“Cuban rice and beans,” she explained.

He lifted up the lid and peeked. “Smells delicious. You actually made this?” He grinned when she gave him a dirty look—so much fun, pushing her buttons—and then he turned to her two friends. “I’m Ford.” He held out his hand to the woman he hadn’t met previously—Audrey, he learned—then shook Rachel’s hand in hello. “And I apologize in advance for everything my friends Charlie and Tucker might say today.”

“Speak of the devils and they shall appear,” Tucker said grandiosely from behind him.

“Starting with that,” Ford said.

After introducing themselves, Charlie and Tucker offered to show Victoria’s friends around the place and get them some drinks. As the four of them walked off, Victoria leaned in toward Ford. “Don’t worry—Audrey and Rachel will slap them around if they get out of line.”

He looked down at her. “I think Charlie and Tuck would like that. A lot.”

Victoria laughed just as Ford spotted Brooke heading over. He put his hand on the small of Victoria’s back, whispering teasingly in her ear. “That would be the blonde from my cavalcade coming this way.”

“Where’s Cade?” he asked as Brooke approached.

“Tucker talked him into manning the grill for a while.” She smiled and introduced herself to Victoria. “I hear you’re a divorce lawyer.”

Victoria looked at Ford. “Why is that the first thing everyone says? What are you telling people about me?”

“She met my mom earlier today,” he explained to Brooke.

Brooke looked thrilled to hear this. “You met Maria? Isn’t she great?”

“Oh, just briefly, out front on the sidewalk.” Victoria was quick to clarify. “It wasn’t like an arranged thing.” She smiled. “So, Ford mentioned that you’re a lawyer, too.”

And with that, she and Brooke were off to the races.

They did their lawyer thing, the two of them talking about This Funny Case and That Crazy Thing That Happened in Court with Judge So-and-So, and as it so happened, the two of them had a mutual acquaintance, some law school friend of Brooke’s who worked at Victoria’s old law firm.

Wanting to say hello to a group of new arrivals, Ford excused himself from the conversation. As he headed across the terrace, he glanced back and saw both women laughing as Victoria told some story.

First Nicole had called her a “saint.” Then his mom had described her as “lovely” and had given her a big hug. Now Brooke was hitting it off with her, too.

He sure hoped the women in his life weren’t getting the wrong idea about him and Victoria. Sure, the two of them had fun together, good conversation, and sex that rocked his world. But at the end of the day, he was the relationship layover guy and she was Victoria Slade. She had frozen eggs on standby and had made the decision, long before him, to stay out of the “happily-ever-after rat race.”

So if anyone was getting any bright ideas that this could be turning into anything serious, well . . . that would be foolish.

He paused, an odd feeling in his gut as he watched Brooke and Victoria walk over to the food table, still talking animatedly.

Yep, really foolish.

* * *

AFTER SEEING THE last guests out the door, Ford walked back to the terrace. Victoria leaned against the ledge, the sky behind her a striking mix of purple, orange, and gold as the sun set.

“No Nicole today?” she asked.

He rested against the ledge next to her. “She couldn’t make it work with their schedule. She and Zoe do this single moms’ playgroup on Saturday afternoons. But speaking of my sister . . . I heard you called Peter Sutter at work yesterday.”

“I did.”

Ford frowned. “You’re not going to tell him about Nicole and Zoe over the phone, are you? I assume you plan to meet him in person?”

Victoria shrugged. “I don’t know. It depends on how the conversation goes. Why?”

“Because I want to be there when you tell him.”

She laughed, as if this was the funniest thing, and then cocked her head. “Wait. You’re not actually serious, are you?”

Hell yes, he was serious. “I don’t see why I shouldn’t go—your conversations with Sutter aren’t privileged. Just consider me there as Nicole’s representative.”

“No, I will be there as Nicole’s representative.”

He moved closer, a little frustrated that she was pushing back on this. “I’m going to this meeting, Victoria. I found the guy, and I think that earned me the right to be there when he learns about Nicole and Zoe.”

“Why? So you can scowl and throw scary, no-one-messes-with-my-sister glares at him?”

That may have been part of the plan, yes. “I want to see how he reacts. Nicole is freaking out that this will make her a home wrecker, and I want to be there in case the * starts talking smack about her or tries laying the blame on her for getting pregnant.”

“Granted, I’m a cynic when it comes to these things. But I think there’s a decent chance that’s exactly how he’ll respond.”