Wrangling with the Laywer (11 page)

They stopped at a diner close to the town to get coffee. Gabe spent at least five minutes trying to get a complaining Alice into her fleecy jacket after Harper had pointed out how cold it was. Harper and Finn seemed to be ready to go within seconds; he wondered how she did it.  Eventually Harper took Alice with her to the bathroom and Gabe spent a few stress-free minutes sitting at a booth with Finn, watching the start of snow appear outside the windows.

“It’ll be Christmas soon,” Finn informed him, with the air of someone who knew these things.

Gabe smiled and sat back to consider this. “In a couple of months, yes. It’s Thanksgiving next month.”

“I might get a bike this year.”

The kid was no stranger to getting to the point, Gabe decided. He respected that. “Might?”

Finn shrugged. “I gotta clean my room. Eat
yucky vegetables.”

“All that for a bike... sounds like a sweet deal to me.”

“I dunno.”

He bit back a laugh. “I guess you take what you can get, right?”

“Yeah...I guess so.”

Harper
arrived back with an upset-looking Alice. Before Gabe could get up, Harper shook her head in warning and set them down. They ordered, and the kids wandered over to the supervised play area.

“What’s going on?”

Harper turned to him, her expression soft. “She was just a bit upset in the bathroom. She asked about her mom.”

Gabe felt like he aged ten years every time he remembered this. He turned to watch his daughter’s blonde head bent intently over a block puzzle on a table nearby. His chest ached, as if a vice were widening slowly inside, threatening to burst him open. He pushed back against the painful sensation.

“She’s okay,” Harper reassured. “I told her we’d be at her grandparents’ soon.”

Nodding, he tapped his fingers on the table. He took his coffee gratefully when it arrived. Chancing a glance at
Harper, he narrowed his eyes on her even expression. She must be wondering what kind of circus he’d thrown her into. She probably had a million things to take care of this weekend, but here she was, sitting in some tatty diner in the Hamptons trying desperately to comfort a kid who’d effectively just lost her mother. What kind of person did that? Just dropped everything for someone she didn’t know because it was a good thing to do? He wanted to thank her, but the words would seem so... useless. He didn’t know what to say to her; he needed her here, but he didn’t want to need her. If he was honest, he resented the whole situation. He wanted to be back in New York, going about his usual business.

He sighed harshly; he wanted to be back in New York worrying about how he was going to seduce her. God, he was beyond hope.

Harper
sipped her coffee quietly. She could feel the waves of tension coming off Gabe, crashing against the atmosphere. He seemed incredibly angry suddenly. She couldn’t tell if he was upset because Alice had ruined the otherwise calm morning, or if he was feeling ineffectual against her pain. Harper wanted to believe it was the latter, but he was so rigid and hard to read, it was impossible to tell. This was the man who’d made a living out of manipulating people to accommodate his ends, and so she could only imagine how utterly confused he was by the wayward emotions of his daughter. Not that Harper wanted to make excuses for him... she blew air out from her mouth, looking around the warm and busy room. Families enjoyed lunch together; friends were gossiping in the aisles, children running to and fro. The windows were steaming up; it was the soggy, noisy imperfection of life all around them. She kind of wished Gabe would just try to loosen up and go with it.

They only stayed a few minutes more, and within another twenty they were on the coast. The sea stretched ahead and merged with the stormy horizon in a grey mist. Waves frothed and frilled against the sand, which seemed brilliantly white, whipped up in barrels of frenzy by the wind. A rickety wooden fence, sticking out of the ground like old, rotten teeth, shook precariously as they followed the sand-covered road towards a large house. Sitting on the bluff, it was a classic structure typical to the area, dark brown with white trim. It was also very large and very well-placed. There were only a couple of other houses that she’d seen in distant view during the journey, neither of which would enjoy the undisturbed view of the Atlantic that Gabe’s parents’ house did. She’d expected them to be wealthy, but she hadn’t expected this.

“It’s impressive.” She widened her eyes on him as they pulled to a stop in the gravel driveway. “Did you grow up here?”

He shook his head, smiling. “No.
My parents have apartment in the city where they brought up me and my sister. They only moved out here permanently after my mother was elected.”

“Did you spend summers out here?” When he nodded, she looked around again, trying to imagine how wonderful this secluded little paradise would be in the heat. She imagined summer romances, tennis on the lawn, and a life free of care. No wonder he was so perturbed by Alice.

Could she blame a man used to perfection for smarting in the ugly face of normal life?

“Come on. Let’s get inside and meet the folks.”

Gabe carried Alice inside while Harper followed cautiously behind, Finn holding on to her hand tightly. She winked down at him as they entered the stately hallway. He didn’t need to know that she was overwhelmed by the sheer size and width of the balcony across the first floor, or the intricate detail in the decorative marble floor.

“Oh, darling, you made it!”

The low sound of a well-bred voice resounded through the hallway. Coming from what looked like the doorway to a large kitchen in the back, a slim woman probably in her mid-sixties appeared in the foyer. Dressed casually, her well-tailored slacks, sweater and pearls just screamed old money. Harper had met and charmed many a family like this during her school days; she had no qualms about doing so today. She knew she was bright and intelligent and had no agenda as far as their son’s money was concerned. There was no reason for them to dislike her.

Nonetheless she picked Finn up and held
his sturdy, warm body next to her.

“Mom, this is
Harper Green and her son Finn.” Gabe turned to her after he had kissed his mother’s cheek. His hand rested lightly at the base of Harper’s back. “Harper, my mother, Vivien Stahl.”

Harper
shook the woman’s hand. She was very well-preserved, with glowing skin and a great figure. She had her son’s blonde good looks but translucent blue eyes that seemed to miss nothing. “It’s so nice of you to invite us this weekend,” Harper told her sincerely. “The house is absolutely beautiful.”

“We couldn’t be happier you’re here. I can’t remember the last time my son invited someone civilised to stay.” Her tone was teasing but Gabe’s dry look told her this was probably a sore topic with his mother. “And this boy...” Vivien touched a manicured hand to Finn’s cheek. “Aren’t you a handsome little thing? You’re just adorable. I think we’re going to good friends, you and I.”

Finn, unusually shy, smiled at her and then wriggled in Harper’s arms to be let down.

“Why don’t you get the kids settled in their room,” Vivien urged. “Gabe told me they want to share.” One of her shapely brows lifted. “I presumed the adults were happy with separate rooms, but if that’s not the case-”

“Gabe’s my lawyer,” Harper cut in, feeling her heart begin to thud in her chest. “Well, not exactly, but we’re...”

“We’re not sleeping together, mother,” Gabe filled in laconically.

“Okay. Then I’ve chosen the perfect rooms for you.” Vivien was unflustered. “Harper, I’ve put you in the yellow room facing the sea. It’s Jayne’s room when she’s here, but I hate to see it empty when it’s such a happy room.”

“
Jayne’s my younger sister,” Gabe told her as they took the sweeping staircase.

“I’ve put Gabe next door, and the kids are in the room opposite. So you’re both nearby if there are any nocturnal upsets.” The emphasis Vivien placed on the final phrase suggested she fully expected there to be issues.
Harper had noticed that Alice lagged behind, clasping her father’s hand passively. Vivien seemed so charming that the dynamic between the grandmother and granddaughter seemed totally at odds with what Harper would have expected.

They had lunch in the conservatory. Gabe’s father was a tall, handsome man, dark, and with the same smiling eyes as his son. Like his wife he was well-spoken, charming and obviously missed nothing. Vivien had attended Brown and she was thrilled to discuss her alma mater in great detail. They talked about the patent case for a while and both showed genuine interest in
Harper’s career. She was in the middle of explaining to them how she had started up her first studio when Alice started crying.

Gabe stood up and crossed to his daughter’s side, picking her up quickly and taking her from the room. By the way Vivien and Tom continued to watch
Harper expectantly, she sensed they wanted her to ignore the proceedings. Finn was agitated now, though, and began squirming in his seat. So Harper sat back and lifted him on to her lap while she continued her story. She was a little shocked by how quickly Gabe had left the room with his daughter; she wondered if Finn’s constant queries and interruptions were being only politely tolerated.

By the time Gabe came back into the room, Alice was better. She was wearing a new dress and tights.
Harper glanced at Gabe and had a sinking sensation that she knew what had happened, but she followed the conventions of the household and accepted a sherry, continuing the conversation brightly.

Vivien took the children to the back garden to play in the snow for a while after lunch, while Tom retreated to his study with a cigar.
Harper and Gabe collapsed on the large, overstuffed sofa in the den together. The stress of maintaining a bright facade all afternoon had formed a kind silent camaraderie between them; their legs touched carelessly but Harper was too relieved to be alone with him to be bothered by it.

Gabe laid his head back, looking up at her with pained bemusement. “Alice wet herself at the table.” It was like the words just fell from him, as if they had been poised on his tongue all afternoon ready to escape.

Harper bit her lip. “I thought she had. I noticed she was wearing her other dress when you came back down.”

“Those dining chairs were just recovered.” He rubbed a hand over his face.

Harper couldn’t help herself; she lifted her fingers and brushed a wayward strand hair back from his forehead. It was the first time she’d touched him, or so it felt; her hand lingered against the heat his skin for a moment before lightly threading through his hair. His gaze turned on her, serious now.

She swallowed. “I wet myself when I seven, in a confessional box in church.”

The charge of the moment was immediately dissipated. Gabe’s expression creased in humour before he burst out laughing.

“I was with my Dad. He was absolutely mortified. The priest handed him a mop and bucket and he had to clean out the box before we left.”

Gabe’s body bent in the middle with laughter.

“I had this whole complex for years afterwards about going to confession.” She allowed a guilty smile to surface. “My Dad never made a big deal out of it to me, but I knew he was mortified at the time. My Mum just laughed, I think.”

“Can you remember why?”

She laughed. “I just needed to go. My dad rushed me out of the house because we were late, and I didn’t want to make a fuss, I guess. Then there was a long queue, and I couldn’t hold it in...” She shrugged. “Alice was probably doing the same. She probably didn’t want to make us late for lunch. And she’s only four, remember.”

“I think my parents would have disowned me if I’d wet myself in a church when I seven.”

She laughed. “Oddly enough, I feel faintly liberated by confessing this to you.”

“You want me to give you penance for your sins?”

She laughed even more.

“I don’t know...” Gabe leaned back again once the amusement had settled, his head almost resting against her shoulder. “I guess Alice is doing fine, considering.” He exhaled slowly. “My parents were pretty strict with our behaviour, so I suppose she has a lot of expectation on her.”

“If you have two kids wetting their pants at the table it wouldn’t matter so much, believe me.” She cast a smile at him. “Dinner at Megan’s can be an absolute rollercoaster ride. Kids really are little animals.”

“Can we maybe not talk about kids wetting themselves anymore?”

“Okay.” She turned her head straight, looking out at the three figures in the garden.

Gabe turned to look at her; she felt his profile disturb the surface of her hair. He was closer than she’d realised while they were joking around. Suddenly she was aware of the silence in the room as if it were a tangible thing, thick and enveloping. The ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner of the room was onerous. A log shifted in the fire, sending sparks up into the echoing chimney. Her skin became sensitised for no reason; she felt his presence next to her with each tiny follicle, as though her senses were searching him out.

“I’ve been trying to...”
His words brushed against her hair, causing a million daggers of pleasure to penetrate across her scalp and down her body. “... find a way to thank you for all of this.”