Page 20 of Sweet (Chicago Underground 7)
“I want to tell him, Rose. He should know, and we shouldn’t have to sneak around.”
For a stolen moment, I was struck by his earnestness. The stereotype made lawyers seem sneaky, but he was the most honest person I knew.
“We’re really going to do this.” I repeated my earlier question with conviction.
He grinned, flicking a quick look at our disheveled state. “I hate to be the one to tell you this, but we already are.”
I pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “Okay, but when we do tell him, we should probably not be half-dressed after having sex in his office.”
“Good point taken,” he said, sliding into action.
We scrambled to find our clothes. Luckily, our earlier haste worked in our favor. We grabbed the puddles of fabric nearby and were presentable by the time Philip strolled in with a mug of steaming coffee.
He paused on entry, and I was sure he had it all figured out. Drew’s hair was all rumpled and sticking up in back, a victim of my roaming, clenching hands. I was fidgeting in the corner, having completely forgotten how to stand still. I was sure my guilt must be written all over my face. Meanwhile, Drew’s expression was faintly challenging.
Seemingly oblivious, Philip sat down across from Drew. “So, how far did you get?”
“Not far at all, actually,” Drew said smoothly. “Something came up.”
Did the man have a death wish?
“Really?” Philip asked. “What was that?”
“Me,” I blurted out, desperate to turn the conversation away from Drew and me and our mutual distraction.
Both men turned to me with expressions of surprise.
“I was asking for his help with…with legal structures for small businesses.”
They stared. I took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, Philip, but I wasn’t sure how you would react. I want to open my own dance studio. It’s been a dream of mine for a long time, and I’ve found the perfect place to lease.”
“A dance studio.”
“And the bright side is I won’t dance professionally anymore, which I know you’ve been asking me about.”
Philip turned to Drew. “She told you about this, and you didn’t say anything?”
“Well, it’s all rather recent,” Drew said carefully. “We’ve been discussing the ramifications of her branching out.”
I took it back: the man could be sneaky.
Philip turned back to me. “I don’t understand why you didn’t tell me. I would have supported you opening a studio, especially if it meant you didn’t hurt your knees as much.”
“Right. Well…I’ve also been thinking it’s time for me to move out.”
He scowled. “I don’t see why that’s necessary.”
“I know you don’t.” I sighed. “Should I even point out that Colin was living on his own when he was seventeen?”
“No. I didn’t agree with that either, but it’s totally different besides.”
“Because I’m a woman.”
“Because you’re my sister, and I have a lot of enemies.”
I softened, knowing he was only trying to protect me. That was what he’d told Drew all those years ago, and I knew he still thought that way, that his job was to keep his family safe at all costs. “I’ll be careful, Philip. But I can’t stay here forever. You know I can’t.”
