Love at Last (Last Frontier Lodge #2) (19 page)

She jumped when someone knocked on her window. She turned to find Ginger waving at her on the other side of the window, her breath billowing in the cold air. Delia hit the button and her window whirred down.

“Let’s get coffee,” Ginger said by way of greeting.

“I should probably go to work.”

Ginger arched a brow. “Seriously? You don’t need to go to work this early. Marley said you’ve been working yourself to death and hardly talk to anyone.”

Delia chewed her lip and sighed. “Okay, okay. Let’s get coffee. Misty Mountain?”

“Of course! If it were summer, I’d say Red Truck Coffee, but that’s a no go in the winter. Meet you there in a few.” Ginger whirled away and jogged across the street to her car.

A few minutes later, Delia walked into Misty Mountain. Ginger was waiting for her just inside the door. She hooked her hand through Delia’s elbow. “Coffee’s on me.”

The tight feeling started to ease in Delia’s chest as they waited in line. Misty Mountain was bustling with the soft hum of conversation. The scent of fresh baked goods drifted through the café. She glanced around, her eyes coasting over familiar faces. The sharp ache in her heart from Garrett’s absence softened slightly.

Moments later, they sat down with coffees and pastries. Ginger took a sip of coffee and gave her an assessing look. “So, how’s the long-distance thing going?”

“What do you mean?”

Ginger rolled her eyes. “Oh my God, don’t be ridiculous. Here, let me spell it out. You and Garrett are in a relationship, even if you don’t want to say it out loud. According to Marley, Garrett is only down in Seattle long enough to sort out his practice and then he’ll be back. As far as I’m concerned, you hit the jackpot. He’s sexy as hell, rich, and heads over heels in love with you from everything I’ve heard. Meanwhile, you’re running scared.”

Delia’s stomach felt hollow, as if she was falling. “I’m not…”

“Yes, you are. I don’t blame you. You’ve been doing this alone for so long, I imagine it’s pretty hard to think about believing in someone else. Of all people, you know I understand. But it sounds like Garrett is the real deal, even if he didn’t fit what you had in mind.” Ginger’s voice softened and she reached across the table to give Delia’s hand a squeeze.

Delia took a sip of coffee and traced the edge of the table. Ginger would certainly understand why it might be difficult to trust. She’d married her college sweetheart only to have him stay rather busy with his wandering eye. Ginger’s warm, sunny and trusting disposition had absorbed the blow of a bitter divorce. In the years since, she’d yet to take the plunge into the dating pool. That didn’t stop her from sharing her opinions about the love lives of her friends. She was overprotective to a fault, so if she was encouraging Delia to be open to the possibilities Garrett represented, then Delia might want to sit up and take notice. If her relentlessly hopeful heart could be heard over the din of the spinning tracks of worry in her mind, maybe she could consider it.

“He definitely wasn’t what I imagined. Not that I’m complaining, but that’s part of the problem. He could have his pick of women. He’s a wealthy corporate lawyer. How the hell did I end up with him? Why would he want me?”

“If you focus on the surface of his life, you’re going to drive yourself crazy. So what if he’s a corporate lawyer? Gage is his brother, and Gage is an awesome guy. Why wouldn’t his brother be halfway decent too? And stop acting like you’re not worth Garrett’s attention. You’re gorgeous. You’re just a busy, single mom who forgot how cute you were. Working yourself to the bone doesn’t help.”

Delia took a gulp of coffee and glanced out the window before turning back to meet Ginger’s gaze. “Maybe you have a point. I just don’t know how this is going to work out. He’s down in Seattle doing his lawyer thing. He says he’ll be back, but I don’t know when. What if…”

Ginger cut her off. “Don’t start with the ‘what ifs.’ You’ll drive yourself completely insane. I’m not saying there’s a guarantee you and Garrett will work out, but how about you try to stop manufacturing things in your head that haven’t even happened? What’s happening now?”

“Well, he calls me…”

“How often?”

“In the morning and at night.”

“He calls you not once, but twice a day, and you’re freaking out. Do you know how many women would pay good money to have someone call even just once a day?” Ginger was incredulous. She sat back and crossed her arms, glaring at Delia.

“Ginger, it’s not that simple. Don’t get me wrong, I think I’m freaking out because I still can’t quite believe it.”

Ginger’s glare faded and she grinned softly. “Maybe I’m being a teensy bit too hard on you. Since I haven’t been lucky in love, I get a little crazy if I think my friends are letting a good thing pass them by.”

Chapter 21

“What the hell do you mean we should consider settling? This is bullshit. I want to talk to Garrett. Now!”

Garrett stood by Elaine’s desk outside the conference room. Olivia was in there getting a taste of Carlton’s behavior. Garrett shook his head slowly. The door flew open and slammed against the wall. Carlton stomped, literally stomped, to Garrett’s side. “Did you hear that? This won’t work. I need…”

Garrett took a step back and buttoned his suit jacket. “Carlton, Ms. Brooks is a damn good attorney. You should appreciate the fact she’s willing to tell you the truth. You can’t fight everyone and certainly not just because they happened to purchase health insurance from your company and had the gall to use it.”

Olivia walked out of the conference room. She was a younger version of Elaine at a glance—navy suit, sleek hair cropped close to her head, and brown eyes. She appeared entirely unruffled by Carlton’s outburst. She caught Garrett’s eye with a barely perceptible smile. He nodded as she continued to her office, ignoring Carlton completely.

Carlton cleared his throat, and Garrett turned back to him. “If you’re back to work, why can’t you handle my cases?” Carlton asked, his tone bullish.

“Because I don’t plan to continue corporate work. I’m scaling back my practice here and will be relocating to Alaska sometime soon.”

Carlton’s mouth dropped before he snapped it shut. “Are you crazy? You’re leaving a lot of money on the table. Why would you walk away from corporate work?”

Garrett stared at Carlton for a few beats and abruptly decided he had nothing to lose by being honest. “Because I’ve had my fill. I’d like to do more work that matters.”

Carlton sputtered, his face turning red. He started yammering on about why various cases mattered. Garrett lost patience quickly.

“My decision’s been made. Like I told you, you’re welcome to take your business elsewhere, but Ms. Brooks is an excellent attorney. You’re lucky to have her.”

At that, Garrett turned away and strode into his office. He checked the urge to slam the door and closed it slowly. He sat down at his desk and spun around in his chair to look out the window. His office was in a high-rise building in downtown Seattle. Puget Sound was visible in the distance. The sky was slate gray and a soft mist fell.

He missed Delia—every day. Phone calls and texts weren’t enough. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Delia didn’t quite believe he’d return to Diamond Creek. Meanwhile, he was up to his ears in work here. Winding down his corporate work was, well, work. He was finding it hard to focus on anything new because he wanted to be able to close this chapter of his life.

Restless, he stood abruptly and grabbed his raincoat. Once outside, he threaded through the other pedestrians on his way to Becca’s office. Her office was only a few blocks away from his, but it felt like an entirely different world. It was crowded and noisy in the waiting room. When he finally made it through the crowd to the back, he found Becca in her office glaring at Aidan McNamara.

Aidan was an old friend of Gage’s and a former Navy SEAL colleague. He ran a private security firm in Seattle and occasionally crossed paths with them in his work. Becca stood in front of him, hands on her hips, her blue eyes snapping and her mouth twisted with a frown.

“Just because you think I need to pay better attention to security doesn’t give you the right to show up here unannounced.”

Aidan towered over Becca. He towered over most everyone, to be honest. He crossed his arms and eyed her. “You may not like it, but Gage would never let me forget it if I didn’t check on you after hearing something like this. The woman you’re representing is involved with a dangerous man. You need to consider some safety measures…”

Becca threw her hands up. “I specialize in cases involving domestic violence. Almost every case I handle involves a dangerous man!”

Becca hadn’t noticed Garrett yet, but Aidan had. He nodded in Garrett’s direction.

Garrett looked between them. “Becca, what the hell is going on?”

Becca turned to him, her eyes flashing with annoyance. “My job is going on. That’s all this is. I don’t know why…” she paused and waved a hand toward Aidan “…Aidan thinks he needs to help me.”

Aidan turned to Garrett. “A buddy of mine who does some security for the courthouse gave me a heads up that the perp on one of Becca’s cases is a special kind of crazy. I stopped by to give Becca a heads up.” Aidan shifted his gaze to Becca. Contrary to what you think, I was only trying to help.”

Becca turned away and sat down at her desk. Her gaze bounced to Garrett. “What brings you here?”

“Came by to see if you wanted to grab some lunch.” He waited a beat, assessing her level of irritation. Becca was a brilliant prosecutor with the softest of hearts underneath her prickly exterior. If Aidan was concerned enough to stop by and check on Becca, there was probably reason to worry. But if there was one thing Garrett knew very well about his twin sister, it was that she responded to pressure by generally going in the opposite direction. He elected to gloss over the moment. He nodded in Aidan’s direction. “You could join us if you’d like.”

“Did I mention I could go yet?” Becca asked, her tone heavy with sarcasm.

Garrett shook his head with a grin. “No, but you need to eat and I’d bet money you didn’t bother with breakfast. Come on, let’s go grab something at the Thai place next door.”

Becca grumbled, but she stood and grabbed an umbrella and her purse. Aidan held the door as they passed through. The rain had picked up in the few minutes since Garrett had entered Becca’s office, so they dashed through the showers and into the restaurant. Once they were seated, Becca turned to Aidan.

“Have you heard Garrett’s news?”

Aidan shook his raincoat out and hung it on his chair before sitting down. “Heard from Gage you might be moving to Diamond Creek.”

Becca caught Garrett’s eyes. “Might?” she asked archly.

Garrett shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He was saved from having to answer immediately when a waiter arrived. After they ordered, Becca got right back on point.

“How does Delia feel about this ‘might be moving to Alaska’ situation?”

Garrett rolled his eyes. “Nothing’s changed. I’m just not sure when I’m going. I can’t walk away from my practice here, so I’m working on getting cases transferred and finishing up on a few. Once that’s taken care of and I’ve got my feet under me for the move, it’ll happen.”

Aidan angled his head and grinned. “First Gage and now you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like Gage, I figured you’d stay single forever. Next thing I know, you go for a visit to Diamond Creek and suddenly you’re in love.”

“Maybe you should take a trip there someday soon,” Garrett countered.

Aidan bit back a laugh, and Becca glared at him before turning back to Garrett with an arch of her brow.

Garrett rolled his shoulders, still experiencing a lingering ache from his fall on the mountain. While he missed Delia like crazy, every time the word ‘love’ came up, he got uncomfortable. He didn’t know what to make of it, so he ignored it.

“Delia’s not the only reason I’m moving. I’m just, I don’t know, burned out on corporate work here. Alaska’s a breath of fresh air, literally. I’ll be keeping a small footprint here with my practice though.”
Damn, you managed to sidestep that one. You can hardly stand to be without Delia, but if anyone points out what that might mean, you act like it’s no big deal.
He ignored his taunting mind.

Becca’s gaze bounced from him to Aidan. “Garrett hasn’t figured out yet that he might have to admit Delia means a lot to him.”

Aidan chuckled, while Garrett bristled and bit his tongue. Becca must have sensed his frustration because she let the topic drop, moving on to ask him about a few of the referrals she’d made to him. After they finished eating and stood to leave, Garrett’s curiosity was piqued when he saw Aidan’s gaze linger on Becca. When Aidan said goodbye at the door, Becca’s cheeks flushed. Garrett walked with Becca back to her office. Once they were in her office away from the bedlam in the waiting area, Becca turned to him.

“Don’t dance around this thing with Delia,” she said pointedly.

“Why do you think I’m dancing around something? I’m in the middle of uprooting my life and…”

“I know that. But every time someone points out the obvious, you go sideways and act like it’s nothing. I’m just saying if that’s how it looks from here that might be how it looks and sounds to Delia. The way you talk about it, you just need a change of pace and Delia happens to be there. I think it’s true you seriously need a change of pace, but if Delia means as much as to you as I’m guessing, you might want to make sure she doesn’t end up feeling like an afterthought.”

Garrett’s throat tightened. “Becca, how much more do I need to do for her to know how much she means to me?”

Becca’s eyes softened and she sat down at her desk with a sigh. “Trust me, I don’t doubt how much she means to you. I know you better than I’d like sometimes. You’re scared to death. It’s like you’re afraid to really commit even though you’re doing all the right things on the surface. You know I understand how scary it is to fall on your face when it comes to love. Did you forget my fiancée called off our wedding two days before it was supposed to happen? I’m bitter, but you’re not. All I’m saying is don’t be afraid to express yourself. You need to be able to make sure she knows how you feel.”