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“Colson.”

He turned when he heard his name, saw Judge Conway standing there grinning in her black robe. She was Judge Conway here.

“Hi,” he said. “Not in the courtroom?”

“Taking a thirty-minute recess and going back to my office. Why don’t we walk together?”

As if he’d tell her no. Not the judge. Nor his girlfriend’s mother.

“Just waiting to get a warrant signed. My partner is in the chambers now. Judge Black is on the phone.”

“He could be a while. That man likes to talk.”

“So I’ve learned before.”

“And maybe you thought you’d see if my daughter was in her office,” Marjorie said. “Which she is. We can walk down together.”

Again, not going to say no.

They got outside of Marly’s office, didn’t need to wait to ask if he could see the woman taking up way too much of his mind as her mother marched right by and opened the door.

Marly lifted her head, glasses on her face, then pushed them up on top of her head.

Guess they were reading glasses since he’d never seen them other than that one picture.

“Mom,” she said.

“Look who I saw wandering the halls. Thought I’d sneak him in for a minute.”

Just as quickly Marjorie shut the door and left.

“Why are you wandering the halls?” she asked, standing and moving toward him in a sexy black dress with a thick white band around her waist.

“Waiting for a warrant. Got about thirty minutes before the judge is available.”

“And you wanted to see me,” she said, looping her arms around his neck.

Giving him what he needed.

“Yeah.” He laid a light kiss on her lips.

“What’s wrong?” she said leaning back. “You seem troubled.”

There was no hiding what he felt from her.

She’d seen it once before in their life.

Decades ago. When he didn’t even know what he was thinking or feeling, she did.

“I got called into the chief’s office for a conversation earlier today.”

“Oh,” she said, moving out of his arms and holding her hand out for him to take a seat on the couch off to the side. She sat next to him. “I highly doubt you’re in trouble, so that must mean the mayor finally made his way there.”

“Right on the first try.”

She smiled and patted his leg. “Welcome to my world. Or not. Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine. We’ve talked about this already.”