gazed at his attaché case. "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere?"
"Court in forty-five minutes. But we have till then."
"It's a deal."
At the coffee shop, Bill went up to the counter for lattes and biscottis, and then joined Ardin
at the corner table.
She smiled up at him. "Now this is what I call service."
"And the reason Vivie married me. She claims I'm the only truly liberated man she's ever
met."
"You're lucky to have her."
A grin lit up his face. "Don't I know it." He winked. "I hear tell that you, Brett, and Leonie
were dining out last night like one happy family."
Ardin's heart began to race. "Brett just happened to ask me--"
Bill held up two ham-sized palms. "No explanations required. But I will say he's a hell of a
nice guy. I hope he wins his case and adopts that precious little girl."
Ardin gulped. "Bill, I want to adopt Leonie."
"You?"
His stare of incredulity wounded her. "Yes, me. Why? Don't you think I'll make a good
mother?"
"No. I mean, I'm sure you would--will."
"Suziette did name me successor guardian," she reminded him. "And Aunt Julia can't care
for her. Not now."
"True. It's just so sudden. Don't tell me you want to take Leonie to live in Manhattan."
"I do."
"Which further complicates the situation. Don't forget, an attorney will be named to
represent Leonie's best interests."
Ardin felt a chill in the pit of her stomach. "Right. I haven't given it much thought."
"Not me, of course. I'd recuse myself because Leonie and Michelle are best friends."
A battle lay before her, and Bill was telling her, as politely as possible, that he wouldn't be
taking her side. Ardin sighed. Winning custody of Leonie wasn't going to be as easy as she'd
imagined.
Bill steepled his long fingers and leaned toward her across the tiny table. "By the way, what
inspired you to visit Rabe voluntarily?"
"Oh, that. Last night I found a notebook Suziette had hidden in her old room. Good officer of
the court that I am, I took it directly to the police."
"What kind of notebook?" His sharp tone gave her an inkling of the formidable legal
opponent her old school friend could be.
"Suziette's high school record of dirty deeds. I found you under CQ."
Bill cocked his head. "CQ?"
She explained Suziette's code and did her best to keep her tone light as she said, "By the
way, did Suziette have a fling with Corey in high school?"
Bill winced. "Now you're taking me back to some painful memories."
"How so?"
He eyed her speculatively. "So you'll understand, first I have to explain a few things about
your cousin."
Ardin held up her hands. "Spare me the graphic details."
Bill chuckled. "You're totally missing the point, Ardin. Suziette was a butterfly. She
flitted from guy to guy. We all knew that. But while she was yours, you felt like the
sun shone on you and only you. Suziette had the power to make you feel privileged. The
chosen one."
Ardin bit her lip. "So it wasn't just the sex."
"Oh, that, too. Those three weeks I walked on air, thrilled out of my skull that Suziette was
conferring her special charms on me alone. And then I found out--"
"That you were sharing them with Corey," she finished for him.
"Exactly." He sprawled back in his chair. "I went running to her house to have it out with
her, saw them in a clinch through the living room window, and went home to bawl my eyes
out."
"How long do you think their fling lasted?"
"I get the feeling they had a fight that night, because two days later she was back with
Randy Tarkman, and he wouldn't put up with any competition."
Ardin waited for Bill to return to the here-and-now. "Do you think Corey killed
Suziette?"
He shrugged. "I couldn't say, but Suziette had a way of remaining friends with her former
boyfriends." He made a mocking bow. "Case in point."
Ardin considered the expensive bracelet her cousin had charged, the loan she'd made to
Dimitri. "That was then. Before she'd learned how to trade her charms for hard cash."
Bill looked amused. "Suziette would
"Court in forty-five minutes. But we have till then."
"It's a deal."
At the coffee shop, Bill went up to the counter for lattes and biscottis, and then joined Ardin
at the corner table.
She smiled up at him. "Now this is what I call service."
"And the reason Vivie married me. She claims I'm the only truly liberated man she's ever
met."
"You're lucky to have her."
A grin lit up his face. "Don't I know it." He winked. "I hear tell that you, Brett, and Leonie
were dining out last night like one happy family."
Ardin's heart began to race. "Brett just happened to ask me--"
Bill held up two ham-sized palms. "No explanations required. But I will say he's a hell of a
nice guy. I hope he wins his case and adopts that precious little girl."
Ardin gulped. "Bill, I want to adopt Leonie."
"You?"
His stare of incredulity wounded her. "Yes, me. Why? Don't you think I'll make a good
mother?"
"No. I mean, I'm sure you would--will."
"Suziette did name me successor guardian," she reminded him. "And Aunt Julia can't care
for her. Not now."
"True. It's just so sudden. Don't tell me you want to take Leonie to live in Manhattan."
"I do."
"Which further complicates the situation. Don't forget, an attorney will be named to
represent Leonie's best interests."
Ardin felt a chill in the pit of her stomach. "Right. I haven't given it much thought."
"Not me, of course. I'd recuse myself because Leonie and Michelle are best friends."
A battle lay before her, and Bill was telling her, as politely as possible, that he wouldn't be
taking her side. Ardin sighed. Winning custody of Leonie wasn't going to be as easy as she'd
imagined.
Bill steepled his long fingers and leaned toward her across the tiny table. "By the way, what
inspired you to visit Rabe voluntarily?"
"Oh, that. Last night I found a notebook Suziette had hidden in her old room. Good officer of
the court that I am, I took it directly to the police."
"What kind of notebook?" His sharp tone gave her an inkling of the formidable legal
opponent her old school friend could be.
"Suziette's high school record of dirty deeds. I found you under CQ."
Bill cocked his head. "CQ?"
She explained Suziette's code and did her best to keep her tone light as she said, "By the
way, did Suziette have a fling with Corey in high school?"
Bill winced. "Now you're taking me back to some painful memories."
"How so?"
He eyed her speculatively. "So you'll understand, first I have to explain a few things about
your cousin."
Ardin held up her hands. "Spare me the graphic details."
Bill chuckled. "You're totally missing the point, Ardin. Suziette was a butterfly. She
flitted from guy to guy. We all knew that. But while she was yours, you felt like the
sun shone on you and only you. Suziette had the power to make you feel privileged. The
chosen one."
Ardin bit her lip. "So it wasn't just the sex."
"Oh, that, too. Those three weeks I walked on air, thrilled out of my skull that Suziette was
conferring her special charms on me alone. And then I found out--"
"That you were sharing them with Corey," she finished for him.
"Exactly." He sprawled back in his chair. "I went running to her house to have it out with
her, saw them in a clinch through the living room window, and went home to bawl my eyes
out."
"How long do you think their fling lasted?"
"I get the feeling they had a fight that night, because two days later she was back with
Randy Tarkman, and he wouldn't put up with any competition."
Ardin waited for Bill to return to the here-and-now. "Do you think Corey killed
Suziette?"
He shrugged. "I couldn't say, but Suziette had a way of remaining friends with her former
boyfriends." He made a mocking bow. "Case in point."
Ardin considered the expensive bracelet her cousin had charged, the loan she'd made to
Dimitri. "That was then. Before she'd learned how to trade her charms for hard cash."
Bill looked amused. "Suziette would
Similar Books
