If I Only Knew(13)

“If this happens . . .”

“It won’t,” Richard tries to reassure me. “Right now, we need to go before the judge because the client is appealing. Like I said, I know things that I’m sure my client wants protected.”

“Murderer,” I correct.

Richard looks at me with confusion.

“When you call someone a client, or the suspect, you humanize him. He’s not a human to me. He’s a monster. We’re not just guessing this guy did it, Richard. He walked into your law firm, saw my husband at his desk, shot him, and walked out. It was on camera. We saw his face. He’s not a client, he’s a murderer. Calling him anything less than that is an insult to me, my husband, and our children.”

I’m not a heartless person. I’ve tried my entire life to see the good in others and be forgiving. There are some things that no one can forgive.

“I’m sorry, Danni, I really am. This is . . . murky water for the firm.”

Once again, I’m reminded of the things I hated about Peter’s job. In my world, there’s a right and wrong. Those who do wrong should be punished, but Peter’s job was to take the facts and create illusions and holes in the case.

I can’t even count how many times he and Heather went to war at a dinner or cookout.

“I guess for you it is.” I rub my forehead. “I’m not sure what to say at this point.”

“I promise, none of us want to defend him. No one in my office is willing to fight for him, but we’re not the ones who get to make the call. If the judge believes we run the risk of a mistrial in his other case, we could be forced to stay on as his council, I just don’t think we hit that point where that’s possible.”

I know he feels it won’t happen, and I can only hope a judge has mercy, but I’ve seen stranger shit happen in court.

We don’t know what the outcome will be, but the trial will happen soon, that much is true. I’ll have to face him again, hear details, and find a way through a new round of grief. As if this last one hasn’t been brutal enough.





Chapter Six





Danielle





“So, is he hot in person?” Kristin asks as our kids play in backyard.

“Is who hot?”

She rolls her eyes. “Umm, your new assistant.”

“Why are you asking me this?”

“Because you’re avoiding talking about it.” She looks at me over her wine glass.

“I am not.”

Okay, I am a little, because there’s nothing to say. He’s Callum’s brother, my assistant, and . . . I’m in mourning. Guys aren’t hot to me right now.

The only thing I find hot right now is a bubble bath with wine and candles where no children pop their heads in to ask if they can have milk. Or a night without Ava and Parker fighting, that would be hot as hell. But my assistant?

Sure, he’s good looking, has thick arms, and a voice that’s silky and smooth, but he’s not hot. He’s a guy. One that I’ve heard is a player with entitlement issues. No thank you, I already have a sixteen-year-old.

“If you’re not avoiding it, then spill. Is he hot or not?”

I huff. Lying to Kristin is foreign to me. I don’t know that I’ve ever felt like I needed to, but I don’t want to talk about this. “Can we change the subject? The way he looks is irrelevant.”

“After you tell me if he’s hot.” She raises her brows in a challenge.

“What does it matter? He’s Nicole’s brother-in-law, my employee, and was a pain in the ass for the whole two hours I dealt with him.”

Kristin puts her wine glass down and leans forward. “Not the question I asked, Danni. I asked if he was good looking, which by the way your cheeks have turned bright red, the answer is yes.”

“You’re a dick.”

She leans back with a smirk. “You just hate that I’m right. I’ve seen pictures, we all know he’s freaking ridiculously sexy.”

Kristin is my person. She’s the one who I would bury a body for, not that I wouldn’t for Nicole and Heather, but Kristin gets me on a whole other level. We were pregnant at the same time, we were each other’s maid of honor because my sister is a complete ass, and we know pretty much everything about one another.

There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do for her.

However, right now I’d like to slap her.

She takes a drink and stares at me. When I don’t answer, she continues on. “So much so that I’m shocked Nicole didn’t swindle Callum into some three-way with Milo. Could you imagine her with the two of them?”

“Oh my God!” I groan, trying to cover my ears. “Please stop talking. Callum is my boss and Milo is my . . . assistant . . . until he quits. I don’t need visions of them in bed with Nicole.”

Kristin giggles. “Fine, fine, so tell me about him.”

I have no idea why she’s pushing me. “Is Noah coming home soon?”

“Why?” she asks.

Her boyfriend is doing reshoots this week for the movie he just finished. He’s been very in demand since his last movie won a ton of awards. It’s great to see him happy and able to be more selective about what roles he takes. Noah is truly a wonderful man. He takes care of Kristin in a way she’s never had before. Her ex-husband is the shit on my shoes, but Noah showed a love worthy of her.