Page 75 of She’ll Steal Your Heart
“Believe it. If a future employer does a background check on you, they could still see that these charges were filed, but since you weren’t convicted, you should have a much easier time going forward.”
“Good.” Lauren stepped back, tucking her hair behind her ears. “I think it’s going to take some time to really sink in, but I feel like that cliché about a weight being lifted. This had been looming over me for so long, and I couldn’t really let myself make plans for the future until it was behind me. I didn’t want to commit to a publication date for my book or get too serious with you…just in case.”
“Now you can.” Mia leaned in to press her lips against Lauren’s. “And for the record, I am wholeheartedly in support of both of those things.”
Lauren’s lips curved, and her eyes sparkled. Shedidlook like a weight had been lifted. There was something about her, a lightness, a radiance that hadn’t been there before, and it thrilled Mia to see it.
“You’re working at the market this afternoon, right?”
Lauren nodded. “I’m off at six.”
“Come over after? We can grab something for dinner…maybe some champagne too. We ought to celebrate your freedom.”
Lauren’s smile was luminous. “Yes to all of that.”
“Perfect.”
“Also…” Lauren’s brown eyes met hers. “Mia, you need to be a lawyer again.”
“What?” She straightened, feeling suddenly off balance.
“You came alive in there,” Lauren said. “I’ve never seen you like that before.”
“I…” She pressed her lips together in frustration because she knew exactly what Lauren meant. She felt it too, but she’d stuffed that uncomfortable realization into the back of her mind because she wasn’t a lawyer anymore. She owned a cat café. She couldn’t just give that up, even if—for a moment in that courtroom—she’d wanted to.
“Maybe you could give yourself an extra day off from the café and volunteer somewhere orsomething,” Lauren said, her voice earnest. “I’ve noticed lately that you don’t seem entirely happy at work, and I think this might be why.”
Mia’s fists clenched, her entire body bristling against the truth of Lauren’s words. She’d been fighting this knowledge for a while now. It was the reason she’d been so unsettled after Kristin’s visit. Seeing her ex-wife had been less upsetting than the yearning she’d felt when Kristin shared tales from the courtroom, the realization of how much Mia missed it.
“Just think about it,” Lauren said. “You were really something in there.”
Mia shook her head. “There’s not much to think about. I’m not going to close the café.”
“I’m sure you can find a solution if you put your mind to it.” Lauren took Mia’s fists in her hands and carefully unfurled her fingers, then leaned in for a kiss. “I have faith in you.”
“Hm,” Mia said noncommittally.
“In the meantime, thank you again for everything this morning. Having you there made it so much less scary, and honestly, the ADA might not have been as nice if you hadn’t been there, looking so fierce and competent and amazing. I just…really appreciate it.”
“It was my absolute pleasure,” Mia told her. That much she was sure of.
“I’ll see you later for dinner.”
“Yes, you will.”
They parted ways on the courthouse steps. Mia wasn’t working at the café until later, and she made the split-second decision to go home and change for the gym. She needed to burn off some of her frustration before she saw Lauren again tonight.
* * *
After work that evening,Lauren went home for a quick shower to rinse off the stress of the day. On her way to Mia’s, she stopped for takeout from the Thai restaurant on the corner and then she stopped in the café for Mia herself, who was just closing up for the night.
As they climbed the steps to Mia’s apartment together, Lauren reached for her keys to open the door for her. She felt as much at home at Mia’s as she did at her own apartment, and when had that ever been the case for her before? She’d rarely felt at home anywhere in her life, let alone in two places at once.
“I feel like taking on the world,” Lauren said as she set the bag of takeout on the table. “It hadn’t really sunk in when we talked outside the courthouse earlier. I was still in shock, and now I feel so overwhelmingly relieved. I feel like a whole new woman.”
“I’m glad.” Mia stooped to pet Lola as she strutted toward her, meowing her greetings.
“Sorry if I overstepped earlier about your career.” It had been weighing on her since, although she stood by what she’d said. Mia came alive in a courtroom. She oozed confidence and competence, but she’d chosen to give up that life, and maybe Lauren shouldn’t have pressed her about it.
