His underlying gallantry had nothing to do with male dominance, but was simply a manifestation of his good manners and consideration.
It hadn’t taken long for him to become her favorite lawyer to work with at Brandstrom and Norton.
She’d always known he was married, and it had never occurred to her that that might cause any problems. Unlike some of her other married colleagues, he did not flirt with women, not even in so-called harmless ways.
Jane had felt perfectly safe putting in late hours with him, and had never expected that the real danger didn’t lie with him, but with her.
She still couldn’t pinpoint the moment she’d fallen in love with him. Maybe it was when she’d seen how tenderly he’d interviewed a scared young mother fighting for custody of her child. But it might just as easily have been as Jane watched him shred the testimony of a prosecutor’s star witness who’d traded away the freedom of Matthew’s client.
Now, as she tried to focus on the case notes in front of her, she wondered if it truly was possible for the two of them to work together again.
She cleared her throat. “So what do you know about this guy?”
Matthew seemed surprised, then amused. “That’s how you want to handle this? Straight to the business at hand?”
“Do we have another choice?”
“You could tell me what’s been going on in your life over the past twelve months.”
Through various internal channels he would have heard about the professional stuff. “You mean my personal life?”
“Well…yeah.”
Her cheeks turned hot. She was blushing. How ridiculous was that? His interest meant little. Matthew probably felt a measure of responsibility for her happiness. Not that he ought to, but he was that sort of man. Probably he wanted reassurance that her life hadn’t fallen apart the way his had.
And of course it hadn’t.
You needed to have a personal life in order for it to fall apart. And she didn’t. She hadn’t had a serious romantic relationship in years. The last one had ended so badly it had taken her over a year to recover. And then, just when she’d been ready to start dating again, she’d realized she was falling for Matthew, a married man.
Ever since, work had been her only safe outlet.
But she couldn’t tell him that.
She struggled to think of something to say. “I joined a health club last September.”
He laughed. “That’s your news?”
“Hey, it was a big step for me.”
“Do you ever go?”
“To use the sauna and the hot tub,” she confessed.
“I joined a health club, too.”
“The Executive Club downstairs?”
“Yes.”
“I thought I saw you there the other day.” She’d gone to unwind in the sauna after a grueling day in court. As she’d headed for the change rooms, she’d noticed Matthew running laps, his face so tense she’d ached for him.
“We’ll have to meet for a workout sometime.”
She nodded, assuming they wouldn’t. “How are your brothers?”
“Nick’s still busting his butt, hoping for that promotion to detective. And Gavin’s living the small-town dream in New Hampshire, with his new wife, Allison, and his daughter, Tory.”
Though she’d never met anyone in Matthew’s family, Matthew talked about them a lot. She had a soft spot for Gavin, who had lost his daughter Samantha, Tory’s twin, in a terrible accident about two years ago. “I heard that Gavin remarried. That’s good.”
“Yeah, it is. Allison’s been great for him. And for Tory. Even Mom likes her.”
“And how’s your mom? Is she handling the changes in your life okay?”
“She’s not happy about the divorce. But since she sold the house and moved into a condominium for seniors, she’s doing a lot better. She’s made friends and isn’t so anxious anymore.”
Matthew gave her a speculative look tinged with sympathy. “How’s your dad? Have you visited him lately?”
“Two Christmases ago.” Back in the days when she and Matt had worked together often, she’d confessed how ambivalent she felt about her dad’s second marriage. She was glad he was happy, but his life was so full now he didn’t have much time left for her.
Oh, boo-hoo, Jane. You’re an adult. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. She straightened her back. “So. Are we all caught up now? Can we finally discuss our case?”
Matt laughed ruefully. “Back to business, huh?”
“You said you met Coach Keller at a party for your son’s soccer team. So you know him quite well then.”
“Not really. This is the first year he’s coached Derrick’s team. It’s a volunteer position.”
She flipped a page in the file Russell had left for them. “The notes say Wally Keller is new to Hartford.”
“That’s right. His family moved from Maine for the start of the school year.”
“We’ll have to find out why.” Any hint of scandal behind the relocation wouldn’t bode well.
“Yes. He told me he was transferred through the accounting company where he works, but of course we’ll need to check that.”
They went through a list of discussion points regarding their new client. He’d been married fifteen years, had a son Derrick’s age and a younger daughter. His work history was solid, and he had no priors.
“He sounds like your average upstanding citizen,” Jane concluded at the end of half an hour.
“Let’s hope appearances aren’t deceiving.”
When they left the conference room, it was almost noon. In the old days they would have gone to the deli downstairs for a quick sandwich.
But times were different.
They stood in the hallway looking awkwardly at each other, before Jane finally broke away to catch the elevator. She thought Matt was watching her, but when she glanced back, he was gone.
He was probably planning to eat lunch in his office. That was what he seemed to do most days.
Down in the lobby she picked up a chef’s salad at the deli. But as she sat at a small table for two and tried to eat, her stomach refused to cooperate. She set down the plastic fork and gave up the effort.
Her career meant everything to her, and it hung in the balance. Russell Fielding had been tactful, yet he’d made it clear that this past year had put a strain not only on her and Matt, but on their coworkers, too.
For twelve months she’d been resisting the truth, but now she faced it. If she couldn’t get past this thing for Matthew, she would have to find another job.
AFTER THE MEETING with Jane, Matthew ordered a sandwich to be delivered to his desk. Work had been his sanctuary in the past, he certainly needed the escape today. He opened the top file from a stack and stared at lines of type that blurred into illegible scratching.
How did Jane feel about working with him again? Was any part of her, however small, happy at the prospect?
He was divorced now, so it wouldn’t be the same as before. He wouldn’t have to hide his admiration…or fight his attraction.
Yeah, right. Who was he kidding? After all