Barefoot Bay: Hold On To Forever (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read Online Free PDF Page B

think what you do is shit,” she said softly. “Is that why you became a personal injury attorney? Because of what happened to your mother? To make things right for people?”
    “Among other things. Mostly in the beginning, though, it was because I wanted to be just like my dad. I wanted to make him proud of me, which probably sounds like a cliché, but he’s the best man I know.”
    She nodded, like she understood where he was coming from.
    It occurred to him that he’d never told anyone that. So why her? Yeah, he wanted to sleep with her, but he’d slept with a lot of women without getting anywhere near this personal.
    And then it hit him. He’d told her because in a lot of ways, she was just like him.
    “Is that why you kept up the PR firm after your father died?” he asked. “Because you wanted to follow in his footsteps?”
    “Something like that.” She glanced down at her watch. “It’s getting late. I better go inside.”
    He’d hit a nerve that he’d like to explore further, but now wasn’t the time. “Wait. I haven’t had a chance to ask what you think about Nicki and Mitch.”
    “About what? This sudden wedding? Or the big announcement?”
    He forced himself to be patient. He’d start with the wedding then work his way over to the big stuff. “I like Nicki a lot. She’s got a good head on her shoulders. So, while I think they’d be better off waiting to get married, I don’t think Mitch is going to be able to do better than her, so I’m on board. How about you?”
    She swirled her index finger around the rim of the glass. A nervous gesture? Or a stalling technique? It was difficult to tell. As a litigator, he was an expert at reading physical cues. His clients’ cases often depended on it. Up to just a few minutes ago, he thought he’d had her pegged. But he’d totally misread her once before. He wondered what she’d be like on a jury. Most likely, she’d be a trial attorney’s nightmare.
    “I admit,” she said. “I wish they’d wait a few more years. They’re only twenty-two. Babies, really.”
    “What were you doing at twenty-two?”
    “Trying to impress my father with my creative advertising skills.” She frowned, like she hadn’t meant to say that. “How about you?”
    “Starting my first year at Harvard Law.”
    “Now who’s trying to impress who here?”
    She was right. It sounded like he was bragging, but he’d always been an overachiever. At twenty-two he’d started law school and at twenty-five he’d joined his parents’ firm. By the time he was twenty-eight he was billing more hours than any other attorney in the central Miami office. The next year he’d made partner, and a year after that, he’d been named managing partner. Almost unheard of for someone so young. But it wasn’t nepotism that had gotten him the job. He’d worked damned hard for everything he had. And now, he was just…damned tired.
    “What do you think about them postponing law school?” Felicity asked.
    Jackpot . He took a long slow sip of his drink, and tried not to sound desperate. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
    “I agree.”
    This seemed almost too good to be true. But then, why shouldn’t she want her sister to stick to the plan? Maybe he’d been overthinking this. Logic dictated that she’d be his staunchest ally. Maybe this was going to be a simple slam dunk. “So we’re on the same page?”
    “It depends on what you mean by that.”
    “It means I love my brother and I don’t want him to make a mistake that he might later regret.” He had to keep telling himself that. Otherwise, he was just a selfish prick only looking out for his own best interests.
    “I know they think they have the world at their feet, and I mean, they kind of do, but I agree, it’s a big mistake. More so for my sister than for your brother.”
    “Care to explain that?”
    “Look, I’m not trying to be all fem-bot here, but you have to admit it’s still harder for a woman than for