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Shane cocked an eyebrow, glancing at his brother before turning his attention back on Fin. “Anything, Fin. Just name it.”
“Avarie will kill me if she found out I came to you, but I want you to take her under your wing. Keep a close eye on her and make sure she feels welcome. Shane, I think you two would get along quite well—”
Trevor coughed, slightly choking on his drink. Shane glared at his brother who tried to hide his laugh behind another cough. He took a sip of his drink as if to clear his throat.
“Of course we will. We’ll make sure she feels welcome and will roll out the red carpet for her,” Shane declared. He avoided Trevor’s knowing look.
Their food arrived just in time, a brilliant distraction.
Shane hid his smirk while Fin and Trevor chatted on the side. Fin had basically given him the green light to work extremely closely with his daughter. The counselor just didn’t realize how cozy Shane and Avarie had already gotten.
Monday arrived in a blink of an eye. Avarie had a schedule full of meetings, and she hadn’t heard from Shane. She was sure he was just as busy as she was. Between counseling the legal team at King Steele Industries, she was trying to accommodate her other clients.
As the new partner in the firm, she was still absorbing some of her father’s former clients that he felt would warrant a partner to assume. Some of his other, less important clients would be distributed to the junior staff. Ever since he’d announced his partial retirement, he actually came into the office less. Avarie was so proud of her father and that he was going to step back and enjoy everything he’d worked so hard for.
“Ms. Ingram?” Jasmine’s voice floated through the air from the intercom.
“Yes, Jasmine?” she replied, finishing up the letter she was typing.
“Your next appointment, Mr. Sampson, called and stated he needed to cancel.”
Avarie glanced at her watch and sighed. Last-minute cancellations were an inconvenience for her. She’d already prepped for his appointment. Thomas Sampson’s business was being sued for breach of contract. This appointment was to draft an offer to try to settle without going to court.
“Please call and let Mr. Sampson know that I will charge him for one hour of my time as a cancellation fee,” she responded. She kicked off her heels and stretched. Her time was precious, and she ensured that her cancellation policy was upheld.
“Yes, Ms. Ingram.”
Avarie pulled up her schedule on her computer. She was to report over to King Steele Industries after the now vacant appointment. She bit her lip and wondered if she should call Shane. He hadn’t even texted or called her, and she was beginning to wonder what had happened with her father.
There had been no angry phone call from her father, so Shane must have abided her wishes. She didn’t know how she was going to tell her father she had crossed the line and slept with a client.
Pulling up her big girl panties, she grabbed her cell phone and dialed her father.
“Hello, pumpkin,” his baritone voice came through the line.
No matter how old she was, his nickname always took her back to her childhood. Their family was close, and she loved her father fiercely.
“Hey, Daddy,” she greeted him, a small smile on her lips. “How was your weekend?” she asked, wanting to know about the brunch with him and the King brothers.
“Oh, it was fine. Same ol’ except there was no working for me. How was yours?”
She bit back a retort. She wanted to admit to him that she knew of his brunch on Saturday but then she’d have to explain how she knew about it.
“It was relaxing.” She was anxious to know what they had discussed but she’d wait and speak to Shane. She changed the subject to the real reason she’d called him. “I was wondering if you and Mom were free tonight.”
“I’m sure we can always make room for you.” Her father chuckled.
She rolled her eyes, knowing he was fully enjoying his time he now got to spend with her mother. Finton and Arleen Ingram were two peas in a pod. They had both worked hard their entire lives, and now the second chapter of their life was ahead of them, they were enjoying it together.
She sighed, wishing to have what they had. Her gut was telling her she had met the one person she could have that with.
Shane.
Her heart raced with just the thought of his intense eyes and the feel of his hands on her.
“I just want to spend some time with ya’ll before you go on your trip.” She remembered her parents had booked a two-week Mediterranean cruise and would be leaving soon.
“Let me ask your mother. Hold on, dear.” His voice became muffled while he spoke to her mother.
She waited patiently for them to check their calendar. She leaned back in her chair, hearing her parents laugh. A silly smile appeared on her lips as she listened to their banter.
“Your mother asked how is Thursday night looking for you? She said she’d even cook. Tonight, we are to go play bridge with the Sullivans.”
Avarie glanced down at her calendar, and she was free that night.
“That would be perfect. I’ll see you then. Love you two!”
They ended the call, and Avarie let out a deep sigh. She’d use that dinner date to speak to her father about her and Shane’s budding relationship.
