More Than Friends (19 page)

She laughed. “Good luck with that.”

“Thanks.” Sarah put her phone away, then shifted her case notes into her other arm. “I hope we’ll get you on the stand today, but it might not be until tomorrow or the next day. I have a feeling getting a jury may be a chore. Once we get started, you guys can go down to the DA lounge and I’ll send someone for you.”

She didn’t look forward to a day watching television in the lounge with the other guys. “I thought he would plead.”

“I heard your father advised him to. But he refused.”

Though she and her father purposely avoided talking about his cases, she wasn’t surprised to hear he’d advised his client to plead. Between the 9-1-1 call and his self-inflicted wound, Evelyn couldn’t imagine any defense that didn’t involve mental illness. Even without his confession, the evidence recovered from the scene should be sufficient to obtain a conviction. Charles W. Fisher might be the most successful criminal-defense attorney in town, but even he couldn’t pull out a not-guilty verdict on this one.

*

“Are we going to be down here all day?” A young officer shifted in his chair. He hooked his hand inside the top of his Kevlar vest and pulled it down. The damn things had a tendency to ride up.

“Probably. It’s a media circus up there. Wales will want to get everything right.” Evelyn slouched on a small sofa perpendicular to him. A detective occupied the only other chair in the small room. They all faced a plasma television on a nondescript cabinet. The hosts of the morning talk show on the screen were artificially perky—the man had too much hair product and the woman’s voice was just plain annoying.

“It’s all politics, kid. This nut job is either going to jail or a psychiatric hospital, but either way, he’ll never see freedom again. This trial is about the lawyers.” The veteran detective pulled his gaze from the screen and glanced across the room at the officer. “Wales wants to move up in the DA office and Fisher,” now he looked at Evelyn with no apology in his expression, “well, he likes to win.”

She held his gaze but didn’t respond. This detective wasn’t the first to voice his opinion of her father, and she’d learned early on not to address such talk. Even though she felt able to be objective, her words were usually taken as those of a blindly loyal daughter.

“I need a smoke.” The detective stood, banging his shins on the coffee table as he tried to get to the door.

“Me, too.” The young officer followed, tossing an unnecessary apologetic glance at her.

She was still glaring at the doorway when Kendall appeared in it.

“Hey. What did I do?”

“It’s not you.”

“Good.” Kendall dropped onto the sofa beside her and tapped two fingers against her knee. “I think we’re in for a long day. I heard they’re having trouble picking a jury.”

“How do you get away with showing up late? Last time I did that, Sarge knew before I could even get off the stand.”

“The girls in Case Prep like me.”

She shook her head. “Of course they do. You still got it, huh? Tell me what you say to them.”

“Sorry, babe. But now that we’re both single, you’re the competition.” Kendall grinned. Ironically, Kendall had been trying to set her up for years, and now that she was actually excited about a new relationship, she couldn’t share it with Kendall.

“Single? What happened to Tiffany?”

“Over.”

She looked at Kendall in disbelief. “You made me tell Melanie.”

“Yeah, sorry. Things were going pretty good. Then last night she tells me she’s getting back together with her ex.”

“I’m sorry.”

Kendall shrugged. “Apparently, they’ve been on again, off again for years, but they always go back to each other.”

“Didn’t you do any background on her before you tried to fix me up with her?”

“Please, I’ve hooked you up with every respectable woman I know. These days I only need to hear
lesbian
before I get the digits for you.”

“I thought your standards for me had been dropping. I just didn’t realize how bad it had gotten. You’re officially fired. No more setups.” She shoved against Kendall’s shoulder. “So, other than your active social life, how are you?”

“I’m good.” Kendall answered quickly, then seemed to consider her answer further. “Yeah, I’m okay. If you had asked me six months ago, I couldn’t have guessed Melanie and I would be where we are. I miss our life, Evelyn.”

She hadn’t said she missed Melanie or that she still loved her. Evelyn’s guilt kept her silent. She couldn’t grill Kendall about what she truly meant without feeling like she did so for her own gain.

Kendall leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “I hate being single. Sometimes, when I fixed you up, I thought how it must be exciting to meet new people. But going home alone just sucks.”

“It’s not that bad.” Was she a hypocrite? She already looked forward to the next time she’d see Melanie. But she had plenty of years of being single herself to draw from. “Take the time to be comfortable with yourself. Do something you’ve always wanted to do.”

“Like mountain biking?” Kendall said, laughing.

“Maybe not. But something just for you.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I can do anything I want to without checking in with anyone or considering what someone else wants.” Sarcasm dripped from Kendall’s words. “Please, don’t talk to me about personal growth right now, okay?”

She nodded and pushed back farther into the sofa. Guilt gnawing at her stomach, she couldn’t think of a thing to say that wouldn’t make her feel worse. So they watched the stupid talk show in silence.

*

Evelyn didn’t wait for the light to change before she crossed the street. She strolled along the side of city hall toward the parking garage. She’d been released from court just in time to check in for her shift. If she had even thirty minutes more, she would have asked Melanie to meet up with her. Instead, she’d settle for a phone call.

As much as she wished for more, hearing Melanie answer, her voice soft and wonderfully intimate, made her day better.

“Hey, I only have a few minutes between court and my regular shift, but I wanted to hear your voice,” she said. Despite a lingering shadow from spending the day with Kendall, she couldn’t stop the smile pulling across her face.

“It’s good to talk to you. I might be able to get away from the site around lunchtime tomorrow. Will you be free?”

“Probably not. I think I’ll be in court.” She would be incredibly busy this week, but perhaps a little space would be good for them. She had to figure out if there was a way to remain loyal to Kendall while still exploring whatever was happening with Melanie.

“Okay.”

Evelyn didn’t want to be the one to put that disappointed tone in Melanie’s voice. “If something changes, can I call you?”

“Sure.”

“I’m sorry. I want to see you, but by the time I get off tonight I won’t be worth a damn.”

“I need to be at the site for an early delivery, so I’ll probably be asleep by the time you get done anyway. How’s the trial going?”

“Slowly. As expected. I should get on the stand tomorrow, but I’ll have to be available on the off chance the defense wants to recall me later this week.”

“Do you think he will?” Melanie’s choice of pronoun forced her to remember that they were talking about her father.

“I can’t imagine why. But I wouldn’t put anything past him.”

They talked for a few more minutes about their hectic schedules for the coming week. When Melanie invited her for a late dinner after work Friday night, she couldn’t refuse. Between now and then she’d have to get a better grasp on her intentions. She didn’t want to lose Kendall’s friendship. But the idea of forcing herself to ignore her feelings for Melanie left her feeling sad and lonely.

Melanie offered to come to her house and cook dinner for her, saying that she could have it finished and ready when she got home from work. She understood the hesitance in Melanie’s tone as she voiced the offer. They already had keys to each other’s homes, in case of emergency, but the new facet to their relationship added more intimacy to Melanie letting herself in and waiting for her to come home. She agreed to dinner, letting Melanie know how much she appreciated the gesture. And, despite her uncertainty about the future, she hung up feeling optimistic and hoping the next couple of days passed quickly.

*

“Hello,” Evelyn called as she walked through her own front door late Friday night.

“In the kitchen.”

Had Melanie not replied, she could have simply followed the delicious aroma that tantalized her as soon as she entered the house.

She paused at the threshold of the kitchen, taking in the domestic scene before her. Melanie had dug out the only apron she owned—the one with T
HE
C
OOK IS
S
MOKIN
’ printed across the front. Underneath, she wore a soft peach T-shirt, and her navy athletic shorts peeked out under the hem of the apron. Evelyn allowed herself a moment to admire the graceful curves of her high cheekbones and to imagine pressing her lips to the hollow just beneath the elegant line of her jaw. Melanie looked amazing in her kitchen.

“Don’t just stand there. Go put on something more comfortable than that uniform and get back in here. I’m starving and dinner is almost ready.”

“I’m getting pretty hungry myself,” she said. In the quickly charging air between them, the words sounded more suggestive than she’d intended. But a rush of arousal followed her statement, and she would have forgotten about dinner in a second if Melanie made the smallest move.

Melanie only smiled and gestured toward the hallway leading to the bedroom.

“Do I have time for a shower?”

“A quick one.”

She winked. “I’ll just wash the important parts,” she said over her shoulder as she walked away.

*

By the time Evelyn returned to the kitchen, her hair still wet and shiny, Melanie had set two places at the oval table centered in the dinette area on the other side of the kitchen island. She’d left the homemade flatbread pizzas to cool on the countertop and poured them each a tall glass of sweet tea.

Evelyn leaned against the island and rubbed her right eye with her fist. When she lowered her hand, Melanie moved close to her and smoothed a finger over her adorably disheveled eyebrow.

“You look tired.” Melanie drew her into her arms and rested her hands on Evelyn’s hips, enjoying the way Evelyn leaned into her. “Do you want to do this another time?”

Evelyn shook her head. “Just a long week. I’m okay.”

“Clearly you’re not. Is it work?”

Evelyn drew her eyebrows together and remained silent so long that she debated prodding her again.

“This trial wore me out. I spent almost two whole days waiting to get on the stand, then worked my regular shift. I didn’t know I could get so tired from sitting around all day.”

“Sometimes inactivity can be as tiring as—”

“That’s not it.”

“Aside from the long hours, what was going on inside the courtroom that stressed you out?”

“This guy—the defendant—what he did to his wife was evil. And his kid saw the whole thing. The crime-scene photos alone would make any sane person sick.”

She didn’t ask for specifics. She didn’t want to hear them and Evelyn wouldn’t want to give them.

“Knowing that my dad was in there defending that monster…”

“I don’t know how he reconciles it either. But it’s his job.”

“I know. It’s nothing new. We haven’t been on the same page professionally in a long time. But in my mind, he’s always been a good man. He provided for his family, taught me right from wrong. He’s the exact opposite of this guy. So why was it so easy for him to defend him?”

“Do you know that it’s easy for him? Have you and he ever talked about it.”

“We have a hard time getting past how disappointed he is that I’m not just like him.” Evelyn shook her head and slipped away from her. “I thought you were starving. This pizza smells amazing. Let’s eat.” She took a pizza cutter from a nearby drawer.

“Why do you want so much for him to see things your way now?” Melanie asked as she took the plate Evelyn handed her.

“Why does my relationship with him matter so much to you?” Evelyn countered just as casually, though her voice carried a bit of an edge.

She shrugged and followed Evelyn to the table. “Maybe we’re getting to that age, but I’ve seen some of my friends lose a parent without warning.”

Evelyn shook her head and tried to move away, but Melanie put their plates on the table and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You can’t guilt me into—”

“I’m not. Not really.” She pulled out a chair and waited until Evelyn sat, and then she dropped into the one next to her. “My dad was sick for a long time before he passed. If only one good thing came out of that, it’s that I got a chance to connect with him in a way that I never had before.” Her throat grew tight with the effort of containing her sudden tears. “I’m not saying overlook everything. But maybe don’t hold on to old pain. He’s your father. You clearly love each other. Tell him how you feel. Honest communication now could keep you from having regrets someday. And, you never know, you just might build a relationship you can treasure in the present as much as you do the one you had in the past.”

Evelyn squeezed her hand. “Thank you. I’ll think about what you’ve said.”

Chapter Sixteen

“Dinner was great, thank you,” Evelyn said as they stood next to each other at the sink. Melanie washed a plate and handed it to Evelyn, who dried it. Evelyn took a half step to the side so that their shoulders would touch. Melanie’s warmth, even through their shirtsleeves, inspired a giddy feeling that still surprised her. Melanie excited her and made everything feel new, even though they’d been friends for years.

“I’m sorry you’ve had a rough week.” Melanie took the towel from her. “I’ll finish this. You go get comfortable and relax on the couch. I’ll join you in a minute.”