Killer Career (32 page)

Somehow in the mad shuffle her wooden paperclip holder with her
friends, the loons, had disappeared. Its loss seemed a symbol of
everything she was giving up. Eyes bright with tears, she turned
away, only to be stopped by Dade’s hand on her wrist.

“Did you find your paper clip holder?”

“No, I don’t know where it went. I hope it turns up somewhere.”

“Did you check all of your desk drawers?”

“I emptied them yesterday.”

He switched the light back on. “Look again, just in case.”

She knew it was useless. Partially to appease Dade and also because
she hated to leave, she walked back with him to her desk. One last
time she’d open her desk drawer. She couldn’t help feeling sad at
the thought.

She slid it open. “It can’t be in here.”

“Sure about that?”

Just to make certain, she glanced down into the drawer, then did a
double take. He was right. There it was, nestled safely inside. The
small box was open as if to allow her to remove a paperclip, but that
wasn’t what sparkled back at her. Her heart pounded madly.

With shaky fingers she reached down inside the drawer. Dade’s hand
closed over hers. His look was tender and solemn.

“Can I do that for you?”

Biting her lip over a quavering smile, Julie numbly nodded.

He carefully placed the paperclip holder on top of her desk. Just as
carefully, he removed the ring. He bent down on one knee and looked
up at her. “I can’t let you leave me. I love you, Julie. I always
have, but I was too busy making money to realize it. Almost losing
you to Jensen showed me what a fool I was for getting my priorities
wrong. If you won’t be my law partner, will you consider being my
life partner? I know it’s a more demanding job, but I promise to
let you write whenever you feel like it.”

Her mind whirled as she gazed down at him. This couldn’t be
happening, but it was.

The dam broke. Laughing and crying at the same time, she managed to
get out, “Yes, yes, I’d be glad to accept your offer, Dade. I
love you, too.”

She couldn’t believe it. The best of her dreams had come true. Dade
loved her.

He slipped the diamond ring onto her trembling finger, gathered her
gently into his arms and kissed her.

When she could breathe again, she said, “I won’t spend every
minute writing.”

“I was counting on you to say that.”

* * *

As congratulations and goodbyes echoed in her ears, Julie passed
through the office’s reception area with Dade.

“Ready,” he asked.

She nodded, straightened her shoulders, and stepped out into the
hallway. She’d done it. She was free, but not of everything that
mattered. She still had Dade, the most important part of the
partnership. The realization made her heart glow.

Inside the elevator, he gave her a searching look. “Where should we
live? You hate elevators, so if you want, I could move in with you,
or we could pick out a house somewhere.”

“I’ve got a better idea. We can stay at your place during the
week and mine on weekends.”

“That would mean a lot of elevator riding. Sure you’re up to it?”

“It’s not a problem. I know my way around elevators now. They
don’t bother me like they used to.”

“What you did took guts.”

“It wasn’t a pleasant experience, but I couldn’t have done it
without you.”

“I wasn’t anywhere near.”

“True, but you were the one that kept me going. I had to make sure
you were all right. I’m kind of used to having you around, you
know.”

“That makes two of us,” he said, crushing her in his arms.

*****/////*****

Meet Morgan Mandel

 
Morgan
Mandel writes according to her mood.
At any given
time, you may find her blogging or writing a romance, mystery, or
even a book about her dog, Rascal, who lives up to her name.

Morgan’s
backlist includes
Girl of My Dreams
,
a romantic comedy about the misadventures of a reality show
contestant, and
Two Wrongs
,
a romantic suspense set in Chicago. Both books are still available in
print, e-book and kindle. Check Morgan’s website at
http://www.morganmandel.com
for order details, author links, writing tips and more.

Daily blog:
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com

You can also find her at any of her group blogs:
http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com
 
http://makeminemystery.blogspot.com
http://thebloodredpencil.blogspot.com

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/morganmandel.com

Morgan’s also on Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, her own
Ning network, Book Place, at
http://bookplace.ning.com
,
as well as a number of online sites and e-groups.

She’s
a past President of Chicago-North RWA, presently serves as Library
Liaison for MWMWA, and belongs to Sisters in Crime and EPIC. At one
time she freelanced as a feature article writer for the Daily Herald
newspaper.

In
the works is
Forever Young
,
a thriller about aging which should be of special interest to the
Boomer generation.