Page 20 of Tequila Tuesdays
“Thanks.” I was silent for a moment. “Martina showed me the video of what happened. It was hard to watch.”
Damien let out a breath. “I know.” We were both silent for a moment, then I heard someone talking to him in the background. “I’ve got to go. See you tonight.”
I didn’t know what he was talking about at first. Then I remembered Ramone and Jonathan were hosting the Martini Monday. Anxiety and butterflies rolled around together in my stomach. Damien would be there, and I was looking forward to seeing him. And that worried me.
The theme for Martini Monday that week was comfort food. Jonathan decided to have people bring their favorite comfort food to go along with the drinks since it had been such a long, crappy weekend for them.
I made fried macaroni and cheese balls, and Martina baked a tres leches cake even though it wasn’t anyone’s birthday. Damien brought fried chicken from Dan’s Hot Chicken, and Sebastian plunked a six-pack of Fat Tire beer down on the counter.
I looked at his offering and snickered. “It was a toss-up between fried mac and cheese balls or Coronas with lime wedges.”
Sebastian nodded in approval.
Luckily, Grace and Sheila brought a veggie and fruit board, so the spread that night wasn’t completely made up of alcohol and greasy food.
Laurel walked in, and I saw the fading purple and yellowish bruises on her neck. Sheila had been right; her dad was a bastard.
“How’s your team looking this season?” Damien asked, distracting me from staring at Laurel’s neck.
I sighed. “We held a practice last week. I think they’ve actually gotten worse.”
“That’s too bad. Maybe we’ll pull out a win this time.”
Over my dead body. “Mm-hmm. Sure.”
He grinned, and I knew we understood each other.
I’d snagged a dirty martini since I’d never tried one before. I took a sip and made a face. “I’m just not cut out for martinis. I’m more of a margarita person, I guess.”
“Is that a dirty martini?” he asked. “Because the olive juice is a no-go for me.”
“Ah. That’s what I was tasting.” I set the drink down on the bar.
He laughed and held out his beer bottle. “Do you need something to wash it out?”
It seemed like a dare, so I grabbed the bottle and took a swig. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He studied me. “Are all your teammates current or former clients?”
“No. Anyone who’s successfully graduated from a drug court can join too. But some of them are.”
“Are you worried about getting too close to them?”
Damien made me nervous and twitchy. “Maybe. I’m working on staying objective.”
I started edging away, and Damien casually grasped my elbow. “Do you work for a firm around here or are you a solo practitioner?”
His touch stopped me. The heat from his hand traveled up my arm, and his masculine scent seemed to envelop me. “It’s kind of a hybrid situation.”
“What do you mean?”
I explained my current setup with Yun and Sariah. “It was a good change for all of us. Sometimes being a female attorney is difficult.”
His gaze sharpened. “In what way? Did something happen?”
The conversation was getting too personal, so I changed the subject. “You used to be a police officer, didn’t you? Did you make detective before you resigned?”
“Yeah.” He took a drink.
