Prologue
Beau
I stared out the window in my office at the Miami skyline while I half listened to Stanley Butler, my accountant, as he rattled off numbers for our upcoming budget meeting. He was leaving on his honeymoon in two days and wanted to make sure I had everything I needed.
He usually worked out of one of our smaller offices closer to the small town of Fentonville, where his new family lived. So when he came to the headquarters, it was usually for important business.
Yet I wasn’t paying much attention. I’d been feeling restless lately, less interested in work. Which was shocking, considering I’d been a workaholic since I had my first job at fourteen. My dedication and hard work were how, at thirty-eight, I had an established law firm with a highly coveted clientele and was a very rich man.
I’d begun to wonder if I should have been more interested in dating. I hadn’t thought about having a family before, so I wasn’t sure what had prompted me to consider it recently. I still wasn’t sure if it was truly something I wanted. At almost forty years old, I was set in my ways and comfortable with my life. I wasn’t a fan of change or anything that upset the careful balance of my life.
“Well, I think that’s everything,” Stanley said as he stood from his chair, drawing my full attention. “I’ll be back in two weeks. But if you need anything while I’m gone, my stepdaughter, Magnolia, will have my contact information.”
I frowned. “You’re going on your honeymoon, Butler. I doubt your new wife would be very happy to share you with me or anyone else. Focus on your wife and have a great time.”
Stanley grinned—a look I’d never seen on him until he met his fiancée. Stanley had always been on the stodgy side, conservative and rather boring. Since meeting “Bunny,” as he called her, he’d seemed lighter, more relaxed…happy. “You’re right,” he agreed with a nod.
“I’m sorry I won’t be able to attend the wedding,” I said regretfully. I had a business trip with a client in the middle of a messy lawsuit who needed hand-holding.
Stanley waved off my concern. “We completely understand.” Then he approached my desk and leaned over to shake my hand before leaving my office with a spring in his step.
A small smile curved my lips as I shook my head. He really had become a sap. Did I want to be a love-sick fool too? No woman is worth that.
I turned my chair to face the darkening sky once more, but a knock on my door had me swiveling around again.
“Come in,” I grunted when I spotted Ellis Ford, one of my senior partners, standing there with a couple of thick black folders with the firm's logo printed on the front. “Have a seat.” I gestured to one of the tufted leather and wood chairs facing my desk. Once he was situated, I rested my elbows on my desk, steepling my fingers. “What can I do for you, Ellis?”
“I have a favor to ask.”
Ellis was my top attorney—almost as good as me and worked just as hard. He’d more than earned a favor, even with the large bonus I added to his salary every year. “Name it.”
“My daughter, Isabella, is a senior in high school and in her last semester. She has to complete an internship to graduate, and the one she’d lined up just fell through.”
I had a sinking feeling I knew what he was about to ask.
“I was hoping she could fulfill the requirement by working here a few days a week until the end of the semester.”
It took a lot of effort, but I managed not to let my annoyance bleed into my expression and kept it neutral. The last thing I needed was a kid running around underfoot here. Disrupting everything.
I wasn’t exactly a kid person—another reason I wasn’t seriously considering settling down. Not that I’d had much experience with children. I had no siblings, and neither had my parents.
However, Ellis was worth the trouble. I’d just make sure his daughter stayed out of my way.
“Sure,” I intoned.
Ellis smiled. “Great. Thank you. She’ll start in a month.”
I nodded, keeping my mouth shut so I didn’t change my mind and blurt it out.
“She’s smart, a straight A student. She’s also very detail-oriented and a fast learner. I was thinking we could assign her to a junior associate. Someone who could help her learn some paralegal work.”
Excellent idea. “She can work with Kevin.” He was young and wet behind the ears, but he’d been top of his class at Harvard, was determined to rise in the ranks, and worked his ass off. He’d have more time to show her the ropes and get some help preparing for his big case coming up in three months.
“Perfect,” Ellis said as he relaxed back in his chair. “I’ll let him know. Izzy only has a full class load on Tuesday and Thursday, with morning classes on Monday and Wednesday. So she’ll be here by eleven on her half days, then back for a full day on Fridays.”
I shrugged. “Whatever she needs. Kevin will be ecstatic for the help. He’s been asking me, but we’re short on admins and paralegals.”
Ellis smirked and shot me a knowing look. “You won’t even know she’s here.”