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“What do you do for fun?”
“I work a lot.” Embarrassed, she stood and started walking around the room. Pacing like she was caught in a trap. “Sometimes I read.”
“Fairy tales?”
That surprised a small laugh from her. “Sometimes. I do love the happier ones. Romance and cozy mysteries if I’m not reading briefs or final testaments.”
“What about family? You mentioned three brothers.”
“They’re wonderful unless they’re being terrible,” she said with a grin. “Always looking out for me.”
“What about your parents?” Too late, he remembered what she had said about her mother. “Disregard that.”
“It’s okay.” She smiled at him, a truly kind smile meant to reassure. “It happened so fast.”
“Were you able to be with her?”
“I was in Chicago at school. I didn’t make it back in time.”
She swallowed hard, grief evident in every subtle gesture, every slight movement of her body. Never before had he been so in tune with someone, read every single one of their emotions. Grief, regret, a lingering sadness. It all echoed his own. Everything he never allowed himself to feel, never allowed another soul to see.
“But you came back to England?”
“I did. My parents were very proud of me getting the internship. When my mom heard about the job offer, my chance to live abroad...” She looked back at him and smiled. “I don’t think I ever saw her so excited.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Were you excited?”
She blinked, as if she’d never been asked such a question before. Irritation flickered inside him. She spoke about her family in glowing terms. But what kind of family relentlessly foisted their own dreams on their children? His parents had made it clear that his path forward would be his own. His father had told him multiple times that, while he enjoyed the idea of his son taking over as he had done for his father, it was always Griffith’s choice.
“I mean, yes. Not many people make it out of the small town I grew up in, let alone all the way to London.”
“What about your work? Did your parents push you into that, too?”
She scowled. “They encouraged me to get a degree and move out. Take advantage of opportunities they didn’t have.”
He dialed back his frustration. If it didn’t upset Rosalind, it shouldn’t upset him. Only it did. It bothered him that everything she’d worked for, everything she should be proud of, came second to her parents’ happiness.
“And you chose law.”
“I took a career exploration course my first year in college. I enjoyed the legal unit we did and excelled at math, reading legal documents. A professor recommended I look into estate planning.” She smiled. “And here I am. I like helping people, and the stories they bring into my office. They’re interesting. Helping them navigate that stage of life, and giving them peace of mind to enjoy the rest of their days. Never something I saw myself going into when I was younger, but I really love it.”
“And you like working for Nettleton & Thompson?”
There it was. That same flicker of emotion he’d witnessed down in his office when he’d lashed out at her.
“I do.”
“But?”
“Sometimes the prestige... I’m just not always sure that Nettleton & Thompson is the place I’m meant to be.”
“Then why continue with it?”
“Wanting to see it through. I promised my parents I would.” Her fingers traced a circle on the surface of the table. “Maybe I’ll do something else later. Open my own firm.”
