44
The following night, Laurie caught sight of Alex through the front windows of Marea. He looked relaxed and confident standing next to the hostess desk. It had only been four days since she’d seen him, but somehow she had forgotten how handsome he was.
His blue-green eyes lit up behind his black-rimmed glasses when she walked into the restaurant. “There she is!” He pulled her into a tight embrace, and she realized how much she had missed him.
Once she and Alex were settled in at their favorite table, she asked him if the new judge orientation had gone well. Almost all of their phone time while he was in D.C. had been spent mulling over the assault at the piano bar. She had made him promise that there would be no mention of it tonight.
“I learned more than I expected. I know a criminal case backwards and forwards, but there was some helpful material about handling large-scale civil suits and class actions. Now I just have the rest of the week to get my chambers in order before the chief judge starts giving me case assignments next week.”
He sounded surprisingly anxious about the prospect, but she knew he was more than competent to handle the work. His nervousness was a sign that he was humbled by his new responsibilities.
“You probably never thought your chief judge would pull a babysitting stint for your future stepson before she even assigned you a case.”
He smiled at the thought of Judge Russell on a date with Leo. “I noticed a spark between them at the induction. She’s normally quite the social butterfly at those types of events, but it seemed as if she only wanted to talk to your father.”
“Just think,” Laurie said, “if things ever get serious between Dad and Judge Russell, she could end up as my stepmother, which would make her your . . . stepmother-in-law? Is that a conflict of interest?”
He seemed to entertain the question and then shook his head in confusion. “I have absolutely no idea. You think it could actually get that serious?”
“Who knows, but after all his nudging about my relationship with you, it’s going to be so much fun with the tables turned.”
His tone grew more somber. “Seriously, are you okay if he does get involved with someone else?”
“Of course.” Laurie’s mother, Eileen, had passed away before Timmy was born. She always liked to tell people that she had married the first boy she ever kissed. Laurie’s mother and father were the kind of couple that held hands whenever they were beside each other, without even thinking about it. “I know he’s happy being Dad and Granddaddy, but it’s time. I don’t want him to be alone forever. He’s seeing her again on Friday night, so . . . we’ll see. For now, it’s just a couple of dinner dates. I’m glad he’s having fun.”
“Speaking of dinner dates, guess who invited me to dinner to celebrate my confirmation to the bench?”
“Should I be jealous?” she said, arching her brow.
“Definitely not. It’s Carl Newman,” he said, lowering his voice.
She had no idea what rules governed a judge’s communications with former clients, but that particular client was so despised in New York City his acquittal had threatened to derail Alex’s appointment to the bench. “You’re not going, are you?”
“Oh no, not in a million years. It wouldn’t be appropriate. And, to be honest, he is one of the very few clients I actually wish had been convicted.”
“Except he had too good of a lawyer,” she said.
“Don’t blame me. Blame the investigators and maybe the jury.”
“You know what I think?” she asked.
“What?”
“They were distracted by your good looks and infectious charm.”
He laughed and shook his head. “I need to leave town more often.” He reached for her hand without even thinking about it.