Page 74 of Trials of a One Night Stand
As people continue to stare, I realize no one’s buying the food poisoning option. Yes, I really fucked this up for Jayne. Probably myself too, but surprisingly or maybe not so much now, I’m more worried about her.
Jayne tosses the paper towels into the garbage can. “Lucas, would you mind giving me a minute, and then we can meet in one of the rooms to discuss…today?”
“Not a problem, Jayne.” Matthews practically gloats, and he shoots me a smug smile he shouldn’t have after Dr. Waxx’s disastrous performance on the stand. I hate to think Matthews is acting this way because of my slip about Jayne’s pregnancy.
Fuck. My temper spirals.
I just need one minute alone with the jerk to teach him a lesson or three. But I’ve said too much already. I return to the table where Cliff’s waiting for me.
His briefcase is packed. “Got a minute?”
My guess is he heard what I said to Jayne. “I planned to be here all day.”
“This won’t take that long.” Cliff grabs his briefcase off the table. “Follow me.”
We end up at a small diner close to the courthouse. I’d never noticed it before, but I haven’t really hung out down here the way he does.
“They have great sandwiches,” Cliff says.
We both order, and our food is on our table fast.
“They’ve got a reputation for fast service since they’re used to people coming from the courthouse.”
I take a bite of my Rueben sandwich and wipe my mouth. The sauerkraut is perfect. “This is good.”
“Told ya so.” Cliff takes a swig of iced tea. “Why don’t you tell me how long you’ve been fucking Everton? Are you the baby’s father?”
I hate how he implies what’s between Jayne and me is just sex. Okay, it started out that way, but things have changed. They may not have been together long, but that didn't mean what they had together was any less serious—less real. “You didn’t even let me finish eating before interrogating me. That means you’re buying.”
“Talk to me, Nate.” Cliff’s eyes narrow. “This is important, not only to you, but also to your company.”
“I know.” I take a swig of blueberry lemonade. “I met Jayne the night before she was assigned to the case. We didn’t exchange last names or what we did for a living or even our numbers.”
“A one-night stand. I hope you got yourself checked out afterward.”
“Don’t push it, Cliff. She’s not that kind of woman.”
“I know. Aren’t I the one who said she needed to get laid? Though I didn’t think it was you who’d do the laying.”
I shake my head and take another bite of the sandwich.
“So the bun in the oven?” he asks.
“It was from that first night.”
“Hope you bought a lottery ticket, though with your wealth, you don’t need to win.” Cliff leans back in his chair. “You said first night?”
“After the preliminary hearing, I went to her room. Then when she got sick during the deposition, I drove her to her hotel, and she took a pregnancy test.”
“Are you sure it’s yours?”
“Yes.”
“Paternity tests can be done in utero.”
“The baby’s mine.” My tone is harsh, but I don’t like what he’s implying about Jayne.
He holds up his hands. “Just looking out for your best interests.” Cliff goes back to eating.
