Page 78 of Trials of a One Night Stand
An hour later, I ring the doorbell at Roddy and Mano’s house. Behind my back, I hide a beautiful bouquet of colorful wildflowers. Each bloom is different yet beautiful. They reminded me of Jayne and the different sides I’ve seen of her since we met.
“Hey,” she says as she opens the door. She’s wearing a soft gray sweater and tight yoga pants. Her hair is up in a high ponytail. Another look of hers, and one that I love immediately.
“You’re so beautiful.” I lean in and kiss her softly. She doesn’t pull away, and I take that as a win. I’m just glad she lets me touch her because I don’t want to spend a day without getting to do so. She consumes my every thought, and I haven’t felt like that for a long time. Which makes me wonder about the time I spent with Zelda. We’re certainly better as friends, and I’m thankful we still have that after so many challenges thrown our way.
I bring the bouquet in front of me. “For you.”
“Flowers!” She takes them and sniffs the fragrance. “Thank you.”
That’s step one—I need to thank Zelda for telling me to bring flowers. I honestly would have come over here empty-handed. Now for what I need to do next.
“I’m sorry.” The words rush from my mouth. “I didn’t like Matthews touching you and acting like he was supposed to take care of you. I let my jealousy and anger get the best of me.”
“I understand.”
“Have you had to deal with the fallout yet?” I’m too nervous to ask if she still has a job.
Jayne grabs my hand and leads me to the couch. “I have a meeting in the morning with my boss. I’ll find out then.”
Fuck. That doesn’t sound good. “Do you think he’ll fire you?”
She shrugs. “I’m trying not to think about it, but I need to tell Judge Grierson about us.”
My body stiffens. “No, you can’t do that.”
“Please don’t fight me on this,” she says. “Lucas said I need to do that too. He’s right. There are rules for a reason.”
“She’ll throw you off the case.”
“I know. He wants her to declare a mistrial.”
I take a deep breath. “You’ll damage your career.”
“Possibly.” Her voice cracks.
My heart thuds so loudly that I’m sure Jayne can hear it beating. “See what your boss says first, please.”
“Okay.”
That was easier than I thought it would be. I cup her face and kiss her lightly. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
“Sounds serious.”
Is it? Given only a handful of people know the truth, it probably is. I reach into my pocket and pull out my wallet. I take out a five-dollar bill and hand it to Jayne.
She takes it. “What’s this for?”
“I’m paying for your legal services.”
Jayne frowns and opens her mouth to speak, but I beat her to it.
“You’re now my lawyer so we have attorney-client privileges. That means what I’m about to tell you goes no further.”
She pushes the bill toward me, but I place my arms behind my back.
“I want you to keep it. I’m your client for tonight. What I’m going to tell you isn’t about Sugar Valley. It’s about Orchid and Zentello.”
“Okay, so tell me, but I don’t know why you feel the need.” She twists her fingers together, clearly agitated. Her left ring finger is bare. I need to remedy that.
