Winning the Veteran's Heart by Cheryl Harper

Author:Cheryl Harper
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-05-12T18:53:21+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

LAUREN FACED THE door of Peter’s parents’ house for too long as the nerve she’d slowly built up on the drive to suburban Miami Gardens quickly drained away. All the things she’d told herself had been true. They wanted a good lawyer; she was the best public defender in the office. Peter trusted her because he knew what she was capable of; his family would trust her, too. Defending Davey would come as second nature. The muscle memory would kick in and she’d do everything she could.

Every bit of it was true.

But the building pressure to pull out a win so that faith was deserved was taking her right back to her breaking point in Blake Bennings’s office.

Then there was the kiss she’d successfully avoided talking about during the silent drive home from Gourmet Gator. At some point, she would need to address it, but she hadn’t come up with any coherent thoughts so far.

Peter might have been using charm and flirtation to win her over, but now that she’d agreed to take the case, it was harder to find a good reason for anything more than their usual banter. Friends bantered. They bantered. Friends did not kiss, so chalking that up to an impulse made sense, even if Gourmet Gator didn’t count as a romantic atmosphere.

Standing in front of the door wasn’t solving anything, but if she knocked, she’d be face-to-face with Peter again, and her tongue was ready to tie itself in knots already.

“Listen, if you want to leave, I’ll go with you. I know a place that serves excellent martinis and it’s always happy hour for ladies,” murmured a woman who had stepped up beside Lauren while she was staring at the doorbell. “And if we’re going drinking, let’s introduce ourselves. Nicole Kim.” She held out her hand. A streak of yellow paint covered one of her knuckles. “That paint is dry. Don’t worry.”

Lauren inhaled slowly as she shook Nicole’s hand. “I can’t leave, but I will never betray your presence if you need to escape. You can trust me. I’m a lawyer. Lauren Duncan.”

Nicole nodded. “I figured you must be Lauren. We’re all glad you’re here. Peter has done an excellent job of talking you up. I expect part of that is to reassure Davey, but he said he’d find the best and he always comes through. As my mother says, ‘thank heavens for Peter.’”

Lauren ran her hand through her hair. She’d gone for business casual since they were nowhere near a courtroom, but she was suddenly wishing she could pull off adorable buns on either side of her head like Nicole. Her jeans were dappled with paint, too, but it seemed more like a choice than an accident.

“I was about to ring the doorbell.” Lauren smiled as Nicole raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“Door’s open. It always is. No matter how many times I or even the Chosen One tell them to lock it, they never do,” Nicole said as she pointed at the knob. “The Chosen One is my nickname for Peter.

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