“Thanks, but no, I’m happy here. I owe Erin for allowing me to stay, and who knows, maybe once this case is done we can talk again. I don’t think Erin will need my services regularly, but we can discuss me working for you. Also, before we go any further, I have to say I have a colleague arriving within the week, and she will be my second chair. Or your third chair, however you want to work it.”
“Is she any good?”
“She worked as a defense attorney in California for at least twenty years. Yes, she’s good.”
“Bring her by, and we can talk. This case is on the docket, but the actual trial date isn’t until early May. We’ll have plenty of time.”
“Who is the lawyer for Royal?”
“A public defender. His accounts were seized, so he has no money, and his friend who helped out is sitting in jail in Wyoming, with his accounts frozen. They have to get court appointed lawyers.”
Jason gave an evil grin and nodded. “I’ll call you when Ilsa arrives and I talk to her about this case.”
“Good. I look forward to working with you, Mr. Black.”
“Jason, please call me Jason.” They shook hands, Jason left, and because it felt right, he stopped by the diner, and had a leisurely lunch before heading to the grocery store to pick up supplies. While he had been back in DC, he had told Mrs. Hastings about him learning how to cook, and she helped in his education by also teaching him, and she had put several of his favorite dishes in a recipe book. He had asked her about grocery shopping, and she had educated him in how to do that by making him go with her several times so he could get the hang of it to be able to do it by himself successfully.
He arrived home and swore when a vehicle was parked in front of the cabin in the space he always parked. As he disembarked from his truck, a figure exited the truck, and he grinned. Instead of saying anything, he opened his arms wide and laughed when Ilsa slammed into him. It didn’t take long for him to slam his lips over hers.
CHAPTER 24
Jason liftedhis head and stared down at her. “You made it.”
“I did.”
“Where’s your stuff?”
“The truck is about two hours behind me.” She sighed and stepped out of his arms. “I’ve only been here for about twenty minutes. Here at the cabins, that is. I stopped by and talked to Erin. She said you were meeting with the DA about her case?”
“I was, then I went to lunch, and then the grocery store, or I would have been here.”
“Which cabin is ours? We are sharing, right?”
“Yes. The one on the right.” He nodded with his head as he turned and started gathering the grocery bags, and when he told her she didn’t have to help, she only gave him a look. He shrugged and led the way. He had to set the bags down to open the door.
“No lock?”
“There’s one, but I don’t lock it.” He turned in a circle and pointed with his full hands. “Who is going to break in.”
“There is that.” She laughed as she entered, and looked around. She had to set her bags on the floor near the cupboards,and walked around as he started putting the groceries away. She returned in ten minutes with a smirk.
“What?”
“You weren’t kidding when you said you weren’t bringing much furniture.”
“I didn’t have it to bring.” At her raised brows, he sighed and shook his head. “I worked fourteen to sixteen hours a day. I came home, showered, ate whatever Mrs. Hastings left in the refrigerator for me, then worked in my home office more, or went to bed. I had my bedroom set, the three spare bedrooms in my town house were empty. The only living room furniture was the chair that’s in this living room. I ate at the kitchen counter, and the dining room table sat twelve. There was no way that would fit in here, so I let it go with the sale. I brought my office and bedroom. Oh, and some dishes.” He opened the cupboards and watched her inspect things. They worked together to finish putting the groceries away, and caught up on their lives.
When the rental truck arrived, so did Caleb and Katherine. After the heartfelt reunion of mother and daughter, Caleb sent a text, and within twenty minutes everyone was there to help unload. It took less than an hour to get it empty, and the boxes put in the proper rooms. When everyone left, just the four of them were there to finish unpacking. That took them two hours, and Caleb had decided to fire up his small grill for their dinner. During the unpacking, they all received a text from Erin that they would have a ‘family’ BBQ the next night at the large cabins.
Once Caleb and Katherine left for the night, Jason looked at Ilsa.
“What?”
“I’m suddenly nervous. I want this relationship to work, but I don’t want to push you.”
“There’s nothing saying we have to have sex tonight, Jason. We can sleep together, see how that goes, and Erin said if itdoesn’t work out between us, I could always move into the other cabin here. I think one of them is reserved for Caleb’s friend and colleague.”
“That’s what Erin said. If you’re okay with not rushing, I’m okay with that.”
“Then let’s do that. I’m not a young impatient teenager anymore. I’m a grown ass adult, and I don’t rush headlong into things any longer. We will take our time.”
“I like that,” he said with a smile, and as they settled in the living room, with a fire going, because the outside temps had dropped, they caught up more, and he told her about his meeting with Liam Nester, Erin’s original lawyer, and Mark Bender, the DA, and that he wanted to meet with them once she had arrived and settled in.
They sat up for a few more hours, and when they went to bed that night, they were on their own side of the bed, but during the night they ended up cuddling together. When they woke the next morning, they looked at each other with a grin, then rose and got ready to head over to Erin’s Way to the office Jason had set up.
That day set a pattern for them, and it wasn’t until shortly after the Easter holiday that they took their relationship to the next level. Once they fell apart from one another, both breathing hard, Jason knew he was one hundred percent in love with Ilsa Miller. He would do everything in his power to keep that love alive.
THE END
