Landon returned to her own office and gathered her notes, but she was in no hurry to meet with Carly, at least not until she got her anger under control. They were supposed to be working on this case together. Where did Carly get off thinking she could march into Jane’s office and propose a crazy stunt like having Trevor testify before the grand jury? And why hadn’t Jane dismissed the idea out of hand? It wouldn’t matter if Trevor were Prince Charming; letting a target of an investigation go into an adversarial proceeding on his own was professional suicide.
Landon looked at her phone to check the time and spotted a text from Ian. Come to the restaurant for dinner. My treat. It was almost six. Sushi at lunch had been really tasty, but she’d need something more substantial soon to keep from going all hangry on Carly, and she’d be much more persuasive if she kept her cool. Carly didn’t have as much litigation experience. She simply needed to take Carly through the reasons why her idea, though creative, wasn’t appropriate when the stakes were this high. The damage to Trevor’s reputation had already been done with the arrest, and the only way to truly clear his name now was a not guilty from twelve of his peers. Landon took a deep breath, confident now she would be able to convince Carly her idea was ill-advised, and bonus—she was going to do it over food. Good food.
When she arrived at Carly’s doorway, she had her head down, reading through a file. Landon started to knock, but instead spent a moment observing her at work. Carly’s face was bunched up in a pensive frown as she skimmed whatever she was reading on her iPad. Her hair, normally pinned back, was showing signs of the wear of the day, and wispy strands fell around her shoulder, careless and out of place, completely at odds with the buttoned-up image Carly generally projected. Landon wanted to brush those strands with the back of her hand and feel Carly’s skin against her palm.
“Are you going to stand there all night or get in here and start working?” Carly didn’t glance up as she asked the question.
“Are those my only two options?”
Carly tilted her head and locked her in a steady gaze. “You have something else in mind?”
“I’m starving. Let’s have a working dinner. I know a good restaurant that isn’t far from here, and there are plenty of quiet spots in the back where we can work and eat.” Landon grinned. “I promise I’m much easier to convince when I’ve been fed.”
“I don’t know that I’ve ever met a woman who loves food as much as you do.”
Landon wasn’t sure how to take the remark. Carly’s tone wasn’t sarcastic or otherwise hurtful. It was more like she was curious, and Landon wanted to satisfy her curiosity. “I’ve never been one for hiding my likes and dislikes.”
“And you like food.”
“Immensely, but to my credit, I have wonderful taste.”
“We’re still talking about food?”
Landon paused before answering, unable to read the expression on Carly’s face. Was Carly flirting? Should she take the bait? Remembering her resolution to keep things businesslike, Landon simply replied, “Sure.” She looked down the hall. “Everyone else is gone. It’s not like you’re going to get extra credit for working late. Come on, I’ll drive.”
Carly hung back. “Give me the address, and I’ll meet you there.”
“Are you planning to bail on me? I’m going to show up at the restaurant and wind up sitting on my ass waiting for you to show up while you’re home in your pajamas, sipping a glass of red and getting a head start on Jane’s assignment.” Landon saw Carly’s eyes twitch and she pointed. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
“Maybe.” Carly sighed. “Or maybe I just want to have my own wheels.”
“So you don’t get trapped.”
“More like so I have options.”
Landon nodded. She could respect the need to have options. “Fair enough. How about this? We set a time now and check in at the halfway point. If you decide you want to leave earlier, I’ll call you an Uber, and I’ll even pay for it.” She wasn’t sure why it was so important to her that Carly ride with her to the restaurant. Maybe it was because she really did believe that left to her own devices, Carly would make some excuse and ditch their date. Date. Wrong word. Completely wrong. And if it wasn’t a date, then pressuring Carly to ride with her was just weird. Let her take her own car. Quit being a stalker.
“Okay,” Carly said.
“What?”
“I’ll ride with you.”
“Great. Okay then.” Landon jingled her keys like a super nerd. “Let’s go.”
Ian’s restaurant was downtown in the area near the Klyde Warren Park. A few years ago, a few rich people in the city had raised a bunch of money and convinced the city it would vastly improve tourism and overall quality of life to have more parks in downtown Dallas. With limited options for suitable venues, city engineers had come up with the idea of changing an overpass to an underpass and turning the over part into the biggest park in the area, and since most of the money came from private funds, the city leapt on board with the idea. Now cars roared, unseen, through the underground tunnel while food trucks and yoga classes occupied the space above. Ian’s restaurant was one of several that had existed in Dallas before the change, but he’d moved to a funky new space along the edge of the park when it opened to take advantage of the boon. Landon had been to the site when the building was in the early stages, but hadn’t been back since he’d opened his doors.
When they pulled up in front of the Salt Block, Carly shifted in her seat. “What’s wrong?” Landon asked.
“This place is kind of fancy-pants.”
“True, but one can’t live solely on sandwiches one brings from home.”
“Oh, so now you’re spying on me at the office.”
Landon considered carefully before responding. Spying wasn’t the word she would’ve used, but it was probably appropriate. She had wandered by Carly’s office a few times during the day, more out of a desire to chitchat about the case than as a voyeur, but every time she’d wandered by, a voice inside said she had an ulterior motive and she kept walking. “Spying isn’t exactly what I was up to, but I did figure if we’re going to work on this case together, we might need to talk at some point.”
Carly nodded. “Got it. I’m used to working on my own.”
“I gather that. Look, how about we take tonight to see if we can find some common ground?”
“Yeah, okay.”
Not the enthusiasm she’d been looking for, but Landon figured Carly’s agreement was a step in the right direction. She handed the keys to the valet and led Carly into the restaurant. Ian, decked out in a chef coat emblazoned with the restaurant’s logo, was waiting at the bar. With a quick nod to Landon, he held out his arms and embraced Carly.
“Thanks for coming! I was hoping you could make it.”
Carly returned the hug, but when she turned back around, she was frowning at Landon. “I have a feeling I’ve been led astray.”
“Only slightly,” Landon confessed. “Ian’s been wanting me to come by and try out his new menu, and he asked me to bring someone who doesn’t have to say they like his food just because they’re related to him. And he has a nice, quiet table in the back where we can work.” She lifted her shoulders. “What can I say? I like to multitask. Are you mad?” she asked, hoping she wasn’t.
Carly looked at Ian who wore a hopeful expression. “No, I’m not mad. In fact, now that I smell food, I’m starving.”
“Perfect,” Ian said. He pointed at a waiter coming toward them. “This is Beckett. He’ll take you back to the private dining room and hook you up with whatever you want to drink. Settle in, and we’ll have the first course ready for you shortly.” He gave Carly’s arm a squeeze. “Any food allergies or things you absolutely hate?”
To Landon’s surprise, Carly shook her head. She wasn’t sure why, but she expected that someone who brought her own sandwiches to lunch every day probably had some very specific preferences.
Beckett led them to an intimate private dining room designed to seat about a dozen guests. “We’ve got a legit Sazerac on special tonight.”
“We’ll take two,” Landon said before Carly could respond. A couple of drinks would go a long way toward breaking the ice between them. When Beckett left, she noticed Carly glancing around. “Looking for an escape route?”
“Do you do that with everyone or just me?”
“Do what?” Landon was genuinely confused.
“Observe my every move.”
“Ah.” Did she? Landon had become a careful observer at a young age, gauging her father’s moods in relation to what she wanted and needed at the time, but her close observation of Carly was about something else altogether. “Maybe I’m just trying to figure you out.”
“You make me sound like a puzzle. What you see is what you get.” Carly offered a guarded smile as she delivered the cliché.
“Would you like me to tell you what I see?” Landon asked.
“Wouldn’t you rather get started on work before the food arrives? Besides, I promise that I’m not nearly as mysterious as you seem to think.”
“Who said anything about mysterious? Intriguing maybe.”
“And what exactly do you find so intriguing?”
Beckett burst through the door with a tray in one hand. He made a production of describing how the Sazeracs were made, and that the special ingredient consisted of bitters made personally by Ian. By the time he was finished, he sounded like he’d spent the day studying bartender.com, and it took all of Landon’s patience not to shoo him out the door. When he finally left, Carly took a sip of her drink and placed a hand over her heart.
“I think I might be in love with your brother.”
* * *
Carly took another sip of her drink and tilted the glass toward Landon. “Aren’t you going to try it?”
“Ian’s single. If you’re interested, I could put in a good word for you.”
Carly set her glass down and eyed Landon, trying to figure out if she was kidding. “Did you bring me here with some ulterior motive?”
Landon squirmed under her gaze. “What are you talking about?”
“Your brother seems like a really nice guy, and based on the food I sampled at his place, I’m sure he’ll make someone an excellent date, but I’m not in the market.”
“Is it because he’s…”
“A chef?” Carly filled in the words, certain they weren’t even close to what Landon was about to say, and then she laughed with Landon, enjoying the release that came with their hearty laughter. “If I was interested in dating anyone, which I’m not, your brother is not my type, you know, because he’s a guy.”
Landon nodded. “Cool. You’re into girls.”
“When I’m into anyone, which I’m not right now, I am into girls, correct.”
“Duly noted.”
“That was super nerdy.”
“I’m aware.” Landon lifted her drink and motioned for Carly to do the same. “Let’s toast to nerdy lesbians everywhere.” She tilted her glass and clinked it with Carly’s. “Now that we’ve identified we have something in common, shall we get to work?”
Carly heard a trace of reluctance behind Landon’s words, and she wanted to recapture the playful banter. “We should probably wait until we’ve eaten at least one course. I can’t be responsible for my mood when I’m starving.”
“Fair enough. Care to share any other personal insights that might help me get to know you better?”
Loaded question and one Carly didn’t want to answer. She’d done well so far, getting Landon to do the bulk of the sharing, but Landon didn’t strike her as the kind of person who would let that go on for long, which was why she probably shouldn’t have agreed to this dinner in the first place. Walls were easier to keep in place when they were at the office, where their roles were clear.
Ian brought the first course in himself, crispy polenta squares with braised pork belly, and they looked delicious. Carly suppressed a smile about their conversation, while Ian talked about incorporating new versions of comfort food into his fall menu, and how he’d braised the pork belly in a bourbon reduction to enhance the flavor. When he left the room, it was like the air had been sucked away, and she and Landon were left in awkward silence. Landon reached for a square and chewed slowly, offering no comment. The silence made Carly realize how much she really enjoyed Landon’s running commentary and constant questions. “I’ll tell you something if you tell me something.”
Landon grinned. “You first.”
“I loved law school.”
“Do we get to ask follow-up questions, because I’m going to need to ask follow-up questions.”
Carly sighed. “I should’ve known. Yes, you can ask one question.”
“Hmm, let me see. I assume you didn’t love other schooling because you mentioned law school specifically instead of saying ‘I love school.’”
“Is there a question in there, counselor?”
“I’m getting there.” Landon picked up another square and munched. “Okay, here it is. Why law school as opposed to undergraduate school?”
“Because it was the only school I attended where being the smartest person in the room was a good thing. A thing that was rewarded.” Carly prayed Landon didn’t ask more, but knew she would.
Landon nodded. “I get that. I mean, I wasn’t that person, but the smartest people in law school were rock stars. In undergrad, we mostly just made fun of those folks.”
“Oh, so you were one of those.” Carly bit her lip, but it was too late.
“‘One of those’?”
“You know what I mean. The popular kids who trade on social currency instead of smarts and make fun of the rest of us.”
“Wow. Assume much. You don’t know a thing about me and my experience.”
Carly thought she did, but Landon was right. Everything she thought she knew was an assumption. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Maybe we should just get to work and dispense with the small talk because clearly I suck at it.”
“Well, this wasn’t exactly small talk, but I am enjoying getting to know you better.”
“Is that so?”
Landon crossed her heart. “Absolutely. You’re kind of a mystery around the office. You keep to yourself a lot. Everyone says so.”
Carly’s first reaction was to demand who’d been talking about her, but she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to know. “I work hard, which doesn’t leave a lot of time for socializing.”
“I work hard too.”
Landon’s tone was defensive, and Carly’s first instinct was to tell her to suck it up, but then she remembered Landon’s encounter with her father at the Cowboys game. Landon had probably spent her whole life defending her choices to her well-respected, dominating father. Carly decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. “I guess you’re used to people thinking you have it made because of your family name.”
“I don’t know that I ever get used to it. It was better in Austin. Totally different scene there, and big business isn’t revered the same as it is here. I could actually go to a party and have no one there assume I was an heiress to an empire.”
“Is that why you moved to Austin?”
Landon reached for another square, a move Carly now recognized as a stall tactic. People had worse food habits, she supposed. She reached for one too, figuring she could wait Landon out because she really wanted to know the rest of the story.
“I moved to Austin partly for anonymity, but mostly for a girl. She was going to UT Law School, so I chucked the offer from Harvard that my father had worked so hard to obtain and headed down south.”
“Really?”
“You sound surprised. Haven’t you ever done anything impulsive because you thought you were in love?”
Carly was surprised, though she wasn’t sure why. And as for Landon’s question, she couldn’t recall an instance where she would have sacrificed a significant opportunity for a personal relationship, a fact about which she’d once been proud, but now felt some shame in admitting to Landon. She replayed Landon’s words because you thought you were in love and found a way to dodge the question. “So, this love wasn’t the real thing?”
Landon placed her hand under her chin and appeared to consider her answer carefully. “I thought so at the time, but looking back, it was more about an escape route than a path toward something lasting. Apparently, she thought so too, since she wound up moving to Chicago after our first year. Turns out my father pressured the admissions committee at Northwestern to recruit her for their new human rights clinic, which he paid for with a generous endowment. His way of proving everything has a price.”
“Did she know he was behind the move?”
“Yep. She said she couldn’t pass up the opportunity, even if it was his way of trying to tear us apart. She even promised we could make it work, but once she left, I never heard from her again.”
“That’s rough,” Carly said because it seemed like the kind of thing people said in these situations, but what she was really thinking was that Landon probably did better in school without the distraction of a girlfriend, especially one that didn’t have a sense of loyalty. Thankfully, Ian entered the room again before Landon could turn the conversation back around to her.
He set down two loaded plates and described the food in glowing terms. “What’s the verdict on the first course? Too much on the bourbon or just right?”
“Just right,” Carly said. “I don’t think I’ve ever had food this good.”
“She doesn’t get out much,” Landon said with a grin.
Carly started to protest that Landon couldn’t possibly know that, but as she watched Ian play slap Landon, she realized Landon’s playful banter was vastly different than being made fun of—a pleasant distinction. “Food like this definitely inspires me to get out more. Maybe if I can get Landon to do her fair share of the work, I could find the time.”
Landon leaned back and narrowed her eyes. “Touché.”
Ian raised his hands in the air. “Not to worry. I’m out of your hair. Beckett will be back in to check on you. By the way, is Beckett the most hipster name you’ve ever heard? I mean it can’t be his real name because how would his parents have known that one day he and his skinny jeans and love of all things artisanal would merit such a moniker? Like oracles of the hipster generation.” He shook his head and started to back away. “I’m gone. Enjoy!”
When he cleared the door, Carly stabbed her fork into the pan-fried Gulf snapper and tasted it. “Every time I think I’ve tasted the most amazing food ever, he tops it. What is it with your brother?”
“I know, right?” Landon cocked her head. “You sure you don’t want to date him?”
“I don’t want to date anyone.” She saw the question in Landon’s eyes and plowed on. “Not right now anyway. Not with this case and the partnership at stake.” She stopped abruptly, feeling like she’d over-shared, but Landon’s own openness left her feeling she had to qualify her definite no dating remark.
Landon merely nodded and pointed at the rémoulade. “Did you try this? It’s amazing.”
Carly dipped her fork in the sauce and brought it to her lips. “Delicious,” she murmured. Everything about being with Landon heightened her senses, which made her feel excited and fearful at the same time. She turned to her usual solution when the personal became uncomfortable. “At some point don’t you think we should talk about the case?”
“I suppose. I mean, I’ve resisted the urge to tell you again how crackpot I think your idea of having Trevor testify in front of the grand jury is, but if you really want to ruin this fabulous meal by having me say it again, I’m happy to oblige.”
“How do you do that?”
“What?”
“Back at the office you were pissed off, but now you’re smiling and sharing a wonderful meal with me like we’re old friends, and when I bring up the case again, you actually sound like you’re teasing me.”
“It’s not personal. The case, I mean. We can disagree about something at the office, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends, right?”
Intellectually speaking, Landon was right, but Carly wasn’t accustomed to marking the difference between personal and professional in such bold terms. Still, she could sense that saying so would make Landon give her that funny look again, so she merely nodded and dove back into where she felt most comfortable. “I’ve spent a lot of time with Trevor. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know much about football, but I do know that a large measure of his success isn’t his pure skill. It’s his ability to influence the people around him to be better than they think they can be. He’s not just charming, he’s influential. Think about it. People in Dallas love football. Trevor’s a hero. When the NFL issued the statement about the suspension, people went crazy defending him. No one wants to believe he’s guilty of killing someone, let alone a woman he was in a relationship with, especially when a judge determined the suspension was unjustified. The grand jurors will be predisposed to believe in him. All he has to do is go in there and answer honestly that he doesn’t know a thing about what happened. He can admit to disagreements with her, like any couple has, but maintain that he’s not capable of the kind of violence it would take to do her physical harm.”
“And what if he is?” Landon asked. “What if the Trevor you’ve seen isn’t the real deal, and he has some low simmering anger that Donna Wilhelm is able to coax out of him right there in front of all the grand jurors?”
Carly started to respond, but Landon held up a hand to stop her. “And there’s more. All you need is one woman on the grand jury who has hashtag #MeToo on her social media profile, and Trevor is toast. The headline will be Trevor Kincade told his side of the story, and they indicted him anyway. Everyone will think he’s guilty, and most won’t bother parsing out how a grand jury proceeding is different from a jury trial. His entire career will be over.”
“The same thing could happen at trial, but at least this way we’ll get two shots at winning.”
“We could put together a grand jury packet without him having to testify, and include letters from people that know him, respect him, know the nature of his relationship with Meyers.”
“Dull, lifeless. I would’ve expected you to be more of a gambler,” Carly said.
“Why?”
“I don’t know.” Carly considered. That wasn’t entirely true. Landon’s entire personality evoked a sense of living on the edge, taking risks. Why was she playing things so close to the vest in this case? “Maybe I’m off base here, but someone who shirks Harvard to chase after love seems like the kind of person who doesn’t play things safe.”
“Ah, but that was personal and this is professional. Even someone like me can tell the difference between the two.”
Carly wondered why it seemed so easy for everyone else but not for her.