Amy blinked and stood. “Yeah, I am. I’m grateful I walked into your bakery too, by the way. I had no idea how much I needed a friend until I met you.”
Emily rose to her feet and drew Amy in for a hug. “Now we’re both going to be teary and emotional messes.”
Amy patted her back. “I think that’s fine.”
Emily was blinking away tears when she drew back to look at her. “You’ve got this. You can handle anything Eric throws at you. I’ll be right here when you come out.”
“You don’t have to wait for me. You can go and walk around or something.”
Emily shook her head. “I’ll be right here, and I’ll take you out to lunch afterward.”
Amy gave Emily another hug and lingered.
When Kate stepped off the elevator and cleared her throat, Amy reluctantly released Emily and stood up straighter. She felt the younger woman’s gaze on her back as she walked away, gaining confidence and courage with each step. As soon as Kate pushed the door open and Amy moved closer to Eric, she faltered and lost her footing.
Hastily, she stumbled into the nearest chair and tucked her hands under the table to hide the tremor. Kate took a seat next to her in her usual black five-inch heels, with a dark blouse tucked into her pencil skirt.
She paused to swat away a lock of hair and squared her shoulders. “Mr. Michaelson, I don’t have the patience for your client today, so if this is another meeting to waste our time—”
“My client wants to renegotiate the contract,” Tyler interrupted with a quick look in Eric’s direction. “He’s prepared to offer your client one of the properties in exchange for her silence.”
Kate was trying to keep the surprise out of her voice. “Her silence?”
But Amy knew she was thinking the same thing.
What happened to make Eric change his mind so quickly?
What made him feel threatened enough to completely backtrack and offer Amy compensation?
“My client is a well-known and respected lawyer,” Tyler continued, pausing to sit up straighter and adopt a self-important smile. “And he is a respected member of his community. In exchange for a divorce and a property of Ms. Gruntle’s choice, all my client wants in return is her discretion.”
Kate raised an eyebrow. “You want my client to sign an NDA?”
Tyler snapped open a briefcase and took out a stack of papers. He slid two papers across the conference table and stood. “We’ll wait for your phone call once you’ve had a chance to review the new terms.”
Without waiting for a response, Tyler left the room first, with Eric following in his wake. Amy twisted to watch them leave, heart thudding uncomfortably until they got on the elevator and the doors pinged shut behind them.
As soon as they did, she sagged in her seat and blew out a breath. “I don’t understand why they asked for an in-person meeting for this.”
Kate was chewing on her bottom lip as she reviewed the paper. “It’s a power move. They’re trying to pretend like they still have some kind of control, but do you know what this means?”
Amy pushed her chair back and stood. “No, what does it mean?”
Kate reached for her own briefcase and snapped it open. “It means they know we can’t be intimidated, and Eric is beginning to realize he’s going to lose. He’s trying to save face now. We have them right where we want them.”
Chapter Twenty
“Everything smells so good today.” Jack flashed her a smile and shifted from one foot to the other. “Any chance you’ve still got some of those custard croissants?”
Emily stood, and her heart gave an odd little flutter when she held Jack’s gaze. “You’ve got to be here at like eight in the morning for those.”
Jack’s face fell. “Oh, come on. Are you telling me that knowing the owner doesn’t get me any perks?”
“Most of the people who live here know me,” Emily said with a laugh. “I still can’t control the morning rush.”
Jack frowned. “What if I praised your baking some more?”
Emily’s stomach filled with butterflies. “I’m always happy to hear people are enjoying my treats.”
