Love Proof (Laws of Attraction)

Forty-three

Once she realized the discussion was going to need more than a few minutes, Sarah made a quick phone call to her mother.

“Hi. I just didn’t want you to worry. Joe and I still have some things to go over. Sorry I left you with the cookies.”

“It’s fine,” her mother said. “I’m almost done. Everything okay?”

“Everything’s great,” Sarah said, giving her new fiancé a gentle nudge with her knee. “We’ll be back soon.”

“So he really is coming to dinner.”

“Yeah, Mom. But it’ll be okay—I promise. Joe’s a nice guy. I think you and Dad will really like him.”

Sarah’s mother scoffed. Sarah twisted away with her phone, hoping Joe hadn’t heard that. But by the amused look he gave her, she knew he had.

“So the chocolates weren’t enough?” he asked when she hung up.

“Good start, though. Truffles make a good impression. Okay, so back to it. You got the call.”

“Yesterday. Message when I landed.”

“Offering you a job.”

She would have sounded more excited, but from Joe’s attitude, she knew there had to be a catch.

“More than a job,” Joe said. “A ‘business opportunity.’”

Sarah lifted herself higher on Joe’s chest so she could look him in the eye. “What kind of opportunity?”

Joe pulled up the blanket to cover her shoulders again. “It’s the Rawlins firm. They’re expanding. They have enough business in a few other states now, so they want to start opening up satellite offices. They’re offering me the one in Texas.”

“Texas?” She didn’t have anything against the state, but it wasn’t California.

“Build everything from the ground up,” Joe said. “Find space to rent, hire the staff, bring in any attorneys I want. They’d feed me some files to begin with, but then I’d grow the firm on my own. With you, Sarah—I’d want you to be my partner.”

She took a moment to let that sink in. “And they’re okay with that?”

“We were all talking theoretically—you know how it is, nobody wants to act like it’s a done deal. But I told them you’re the best attorney I know, and I’d want you right there with me.”

“And they . . . know about us?”

“Theoretically,” Joe said. “I couldn’t tell them you were going to be my wife—I know how much you hate it when I act like you’re a sure thing.”

This time Sarah wasn’t so gentle with the knee into his thigh.

“Husbands and wives work together in law firms all the time,” Joe pointed out. “Boyfriends and girlfriends, boyfriends and boyfriends, girlfriends and girlfriends—”

“I get it.”

“And we’d always be on the same side,” he reminded her, “so no conflict of interest.”

“But really, Joe? Texas?”

“It would be ours,” he said. “A fresh start. Get out of this place and go build something new.”

Sarah drummed her fingers against his chest. “When do you have to let them know?”

“End of the year.”

“That’s next week.”

“I know,” Joe said. “They were already considering someone else. I’m a late entry. But they said it’s mine now, if I want it. That’s why I came out here today instead of waiting till you got home. I wanted to give you as much time as possible to think about it.”

Sarah blew out a breath. “I don’t know . . . ”

“Think it over,” Joe said. “Obviously I’m not making a move without you.”

Sarah lifted her head and looked at him. “Were you going to propose to me anyway?”

Joe smiled and wrapped his arms around her more tightly. “What do you think?”

“So what was your original strategy?” Sarah asked. “Flash mob? Proposal on the score board at halftime?”

“Get you a ring, for one thing,” he said. “Probably take you with me to pick it out.”

“Oh, yeah? Where?”

“Our place,” Joe said.

Sarah studied him for a moment before cracking a smile.

“Walmart?”

“Of course,” Joe said. “Where else?”

***

Sarah held tightly to Joe’s hand as the two of them walked back into her parents’ house.

That got a raised eyebrow from her father, but no other comment. Then Sarah’s mother came into the living room.

She stared at their clasped hands for a moment, then lifted her gaze to her daughter’s face. And then much to Sarah’s surprise, she smiled. “You don’t say.”

Sarah tilted her head and squinted at her, not really sure her mother understood.

But when Mrs. Henley set her hands on her hips and turned to her husband and said, “What do you think about that, Gene?” Sarah knew her mother hadn’t missed a thing.

Although her father still needed to catch up.

“You kids together now or something?” he asked.

“It’s a long story,” Sarah said on a sigh. “But yes. In fact, Joe’s just asked me to marry him.”

Sarah’s mother let out a yelp of glee or surprise, Sarah wasn’t sure which. Then she hurried across the room to fold Joe in her sturdy embrace.

“You were a stupid, stupid man,” she scolded him, holding his face now between her hands and looking him in the eye. “But I’m glad to see you came to your senses. Our Sarah’s a prize, isn’t she?”

“Yes, ma’am, I was,” Joe said, “and yes, ma’am, she is.”

Sarah offered him a sly smile to let him know he was doing well.

Sarah’s father rose from the couch and shook Joe’s hand. Then got to the most important issue. “You a football fan?”

Sarah and her mother rolled their eyes at each other.

“You bet,” Joe said.

“Then if we’re done here for now . . . ” Sarah’s father said.

“Go right ahead, Dad.” Sarah whispered to Joe, “He likes the Jets.”

“That game’s already over,” Sarah’s father said. “Don’t worry, Joe and I’ll get along fine.”

Sarah followed her mother back into the kitchen. Where she had a feeling she knew what was coming.

Her mother pointed a stern finger at the kitchen table. “You sit right down there, young lady, and don’t you leave out a thing.”