“What do you mean?”
“Well, that Midge sent you over to the jail when I got called in for questioning,” he returns. “She knew you’d intrigue me and the only way she’d know that was by knowing you. And Midge doesn’t know most of those attorneys in her firm. She’s too reclusive, so that must have been your dad talking about you all the time or something.”
That does make sense. “I suppose,” I hedge. But it is hard to accept that Midge would do something like that for me. I mean… I was a nobody in her firm.
And as if thinking about her causes her to materialize, I see her walking across the cafeteria right for me, and my belly flips with nervousness. “Oh shit,” I whisper into the phone. “Midge is coming this way. I gotta go.”
Evan laughs into the phone. “Relax, babe. She’s a pussy cat.”
Uh, no. A tigress with very sharp claws, but I don’t say that to him. Instead, I mutter, “Talk later” before I hang up on him.
Midge’s eyes are knowing when she slips into the booth across from me, setting a cup of coffee down before her. “Talking to Evan?”
“Um… yeah,” I say vaguely, because as far as I know… Midge doesn’t know anything about Evan and me.
“I can see how much you miss him,” she says offhandedly, and I realize… clearly she does know something.
“We get along very well,” I say elusively.
“You care for him very much,” she counters with a raised eyebrow.
With a huff, I say, “Fine. I care about him a lot.”
“As he does you,” she says, and my belly now flutters with happiness.
“He told you about us?” I ask her hesitantly.
She gives a shake of her head. “No. But I recognized that look on your face just now, because it seems I have that same look when I think about your father. And when I talked to Evan yesterday to let him know about your father… well, the worry in his voice for you was a dead giveaway.”
“Oh,” I say softly, thinking she’s able to understand quite a bit just from a brief glance at me and Evan’s tone of voice to her.
“Do you have any questions?” she asks abruptly, and I jerk in surprise.
“Sorry?” I ask.
“About me and your dad,” she provides. “I care about him a great deal.”
“Um…” I hesitate, because this is Midge Payne. My boss. And I am not entitled to knowledge of her love life. But then I also think this is my dad who lost his wife a year ago and is probably incredibly lonely. I’ve heard all the rumors about Midge floating around the firm that she’s cold hearted and sleeps with all the younger interns in the office because she’s only about the sex. “Actually… you’ve never married. Evan told me that. And well, I’m afraid you might hurt my dad. It’s my understanding you’ve never… um… well, you’ve never—”
“—been in love since my first one died?” she provides helpfully.
“Yes, exactly,” I murmur.
Midge places her forearms on the table and leans closer to me. “Not once in the decades since I’ve owned this law firm have I ever gone out of my way to help one of my associate attorneys. I believe they should earn every bit of advancement they get, and they need to struggle and claw and scrape just the way I did.”
I nod, because this is a known fact about Midge Payne.
“And yet,” she says softly. “I see and hear and feel how much your father loves you and wants you to be happy. And I also could see, hear, and feel how much he was worried that perhaps you weren’t. That while you are clearly a very special woman, you seemed a little lost in life. So I took it upon myself to give you a nudge. I sent you to that jail, hoping you would see you have a lot in you. I also sent you to that jail because I know my nephew and he is one of the most amazing, talented, humble, and loving men I’ve had the privilege of knowing, and I thought he deserved something special too. I played matchmaker, and I also played concerned senior partner for one of my associate attorneys. And I did all of that, not really for you, but for your father. So you see, Emma… I care about your dad a great deal. I’d even go so far as to say I might have found love again.”
My entire being is reeling from her revelations, and I can only stare stupidly at her with my jaw hanging low in complete and utter shock she’d share that with me.
Midge gives a little sniff of disapproval and says imperiously, “Honestly, Emma… close your mouth before something flies into it.”
My mouth snaps shut.
Midge gives me a mischievous smile.
And for the first time since I came to work for the all-powerful Midge Payne… I don’t feel intimidated by her.
So I give her a hesitant smile back.
CHAPTER 21
Evan