Paper Castles by Terri Lee

Author:Terri Lee [Lee, Terri]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Capricorn Publishing House
Published: 2016-07-13T21:00:00+00:00

THE FIRST time Phil Hannigan came to dinner Neenie looked him over, from sideburns to trouser cuffs and gave a noncommittal harrumph. “Are you the fancy lawyer who’s gonna save my Baby Girl?”

Phil grinned. “I don’t know about fancy, but I’ll do my best.”

“You better.”

Little by little, Phil wormed his way through the barrier of Neenie’s folded arms. When she gave him the nickname City Boy, it was acceptance into the inner circle. When she offered to feed him, that was respect. According to Neenie, in order for Savannah to have proper representation, Phil needed to be properly fed.

“A man isn’t meant to live on a diet of restaurant food. He can’t do a good job if his stomach is out of whack. He needs a home-cooked meal. Plain and simple.”

And he got one. Whenever the kids were off to their grandparents, or staying with friends. Which was quite often lately.

Neenie piled second helpings on Phil’s plate as if he were a growing boy, introducing him to all the southern staples. The first time he tried the creamy goodness of shrimp and grits, he closed his eyes, a slow, sensual grin spreading across his face. Savannah watched him unfold as his stomach filled up, talking easily about his life. Phil played football in high school and college. His brother turned his back on the family profession and embraced an even older family tradition: he owned an Irish pub called Hannigan’s in downtown Philly.

She learned one night that Phil liked to sail.

“In Philadelphia?” she asked.

“Sure. The Delaware River is fantastic for sailing. We have some pretty intense boat racing.”

“Really?” Savannah studied his hands. She’d liked his hands from the moment she met him. Strong. Masculine. Now she pictured them securing the rigging, wind whipping his hair. It was a sexy picture. “Are you any good?”

He gave a humble shrug and bit his lip. “I’m part of a team, but yeah, we’re good.”

These little personal things helped fill in the picture of Phillip Hannigan. Shades and shadows were added to the pencil sketch and he started coming to life with colors of his own. Price’s home office now served as Phil’s headquarters. Sometimes it gave Savannah a jolt to walk in the room and see Phil behind her husband’s desk, a mess of papers shoved to each side.

Once she came in to find Phil sitting in the leather swivel chair, his back to her. In his hands he held the family portrait that sat on Price’s desk. A snapshot of happier times, with four smiling faces looking into the camera, like a family in a magazine ad. No doubt he was trying to reconcile the picture in his hands with the photos of the murder scene. She turned away without a word and tiptoed out again.

They’d been working on her case for close to six weeks now, seeing each other almost daily. When he went back to Philadelphia for a day or two, she found she missed his solid comforting presence. She felt safe having him around.

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