Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 66929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
“I’m not settling,” Etienne finally entered the conversation. “She’s done enough to piss me off that I’m not going to just let this get swept under the rug.”
“Good,” Birdie said. “I don’t think that you should. I can get this letter sent out today. She put her own contact information in place of the usual lawyer’s information. I’ll contact her and get back to you on what she says. As for your dilemma, Matilda, I’ll get started on that tomorrow when I get to my office.”
I smiled. “I appreciate you working with us on a Sunday. I know that’s not normal for you.”
“My uncle.” She smiled. “The one that you spoke with in Louisiana. He suggested that this would be an interesting case I could sink my teeth into. I don’t usually take all that many clients anymore.”
My brows rose. “You’re quite young not to be taking any more clients.”
She grinned. “I get that a lot. Honestly, I have a genius-level IQ, I hop around from job to job, get a degree, work with it a little bit, then move on to the next. But I still do what I want to do when I find something interesting. I do tend to go back to the lawyer-thing, though. I lost a case when I was first starting out, and that sort of burned a hole in my gut. Makes me want to fix all the bad stuff that happens to good people, since I couldn’t do it for my first client.” She grimaced. “I’m currently in school for my engineering degree, but I work as a lawyer part time.”
“I’d love to hear how you accomplished all of this at such a young age,” I admitted. “You look like you’d be a fun person to get to know.”
“I was thirteen when I graduated from high school,” she answered my unspoken question. “There’s lots of time to get stuff done when you can practically test out of a lot of classes. I’ll get back to you if I hear a response.”
Then she hung up.
Etienne chuckled as I closed the laptop lid down. “She sounds interesting.”
“She was very blunt and matter of fact, too,” I said. “She wasn’t really tooting her own horn, even though it sounds like she could’ve. Easily.”
He picked up his empty plate from earlier and dumped it all into the sink.
I got up with my own and reached to turn on the faucet when he caught my hand. “Nope. Not today. We’ll do all that tomorrow.”
“Then what are we doing today?” I teased.
He pulled me in close and was about to show me what we were going to do when the doorbell rang.
“If that’s another fuckin’ person serving me…” he growled.
I was let go, and he was heading toward the door in the next moment.
When he got to the door, it was to find my dad on the other side, with my big sister.
I frowned.
“What are you doing here?” I asked curiously.
Sadie smiled as she held out her hand to Etienne.
“Sadie Deveraux,” she introduced herself. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”
I walked toward the door cautiously, wondering what the hell I was about to hear now.
It wasn’t that I didn’t like Sadie. It was just that I so rarely saw her. She was always busy.
At ten years older than me, she’d been practically out of the house when I’d come around after my mother passed away. After graduation, she’d gone to college. Then to medical school. Then to working at the hospital.
Hell, I rarely saw her, so how would I get to know her?
“Etienne.” Etienne shook her hand and opened the door wide.
Sadie and my father crossed over the threshold, and I stood back warily, wondering why they were there.
Dad didn’t waste time saying anything.
“We heard about the lawsuit your mother filed,” Dad said when he saw the look on my face. “We know that she’s a little much, but we’re hoping that you allow us to talk her down from the lawsuit instead of doing anything too hasty.”
“Like what?” I asked. “Countersuing?”
He winced. “That, yes. You know it’ll only stoke the embers.”
I knew it would. But it’s not like she was giving me any options here.
“Then get her under control,” I suggested. “Because I’ve done that whole ‘sit back and hope that things get resolved’ thing for the last few years. Let’s just say I know that it won’t work out.”
“I know,” Dad sighed.
“And why are you here?” I wondered, looking at my sister.
“I’m here because I was forced to take two weeks off of work, and Dad said he was coming, and I hadn’t seen you in a while,” she shrugged. “Not for any other reason.”
“Oh.” I paused. “Okay.”
That was unexpected.
What did I say to that?
“So. Your fiancé?” Sadie looked from me to Etienne and back.
Chuckling, he walked to the refrigerator and opened it. “I have beer, mini water bottles, and a juice box.”