Ryan stepped away from Melody and she instinctively brought her knees together, tugging her skirt down. She rose shakily from her chair, gathering her notes and files while Ryan took a seat behind his desk. She glanced at him and cringed; she was certain he had his hand in his lap, but there was no way she really wanted to find out for sure.
“I’ll…I’ll drop off the draft later, with Lori.” Melody ducked her head, turning the doorknob. The door refused to open and she tugged harder, making the door rattle in its frame.
“Melody…unlock the door.”
She thumbed the lock, jerking open the door and all but tumbling into the narrow hall that separated Ryan’s office from Lori’s cubicle. Lori looked up, startled, as Melody gained her feet and ran around the corner.
Melody flung open the door to stairs, heading up a flight to the law library rather than back to her own floor, taking the short hallway to the back of the library. Clutching her files, she darted into the farthest corner of the stacks, pulling out a chair at one of the empty tables, dumping her files carelessly across the polished mahogany.
What the hell just happened? She realized belatedly she was shaking, and she sat hunched forward, clutching her hands between her knees, taking deep breaths until she felt calmer. In the quiet of the library, she allowed herself to think about her meeting with Ryan.
It was clear he was harassing her, but where did that leave her? He threatened no only to take away this case, but ruin her entire career.
She couldn’t abandon Logan now, not with his case against Ashton just starting. And he’d asked for her. And she didn’t want to risk her career either.
But she knew too that Ryan held a great deal of power in the firm. He’d made his mark long ago, and his rank among the other senior partners proved it. Anyone who’d crossed Ryan would find themselves out on the street. And in the small world that lawyers inhabited, word got around fast. Those who were out were usually out of more than just Marshall, Avery and Shaw. They usually found themselves out of a job anywhere.
And Melissa was gone. Melody shook her head, not quite sure where Melissa fell in all of this. Granted there was a grain of truth to Ryan’s claims of unprofessionalism, but Melissa’s overall performance far outshone the occasional lapse in meetings with clients.
Melody finally rose, leaving the library and taking the elevator to her floor. The sight of Melissa’s empty desk made her heart sink. I’ll call her at lunch…
Sitting behind her desk, eyes scanning over the clutter, she wondered where to start. Glancing at her watch she decided to give Logan’s case a good solid hour before anything else. Pushing Ryan from her mind, she opened the case file and notes and lost herself in the details of the case, in the precise language of law, knowing she was doing this for Logan.
A knock at her door startled Melody and she looked up. Melissa was standing in the doorway, holding a cardboard box.
“Melissa! Come in…please.” Melody came around her desk, reaching out for Melissa’s arm.
But Melissa stood just outside Melody’s office, her face solemn, not speaking. It wasn’t until Melody stepped into the hall that she noticed Joe Hunter, from Human Resources, standing at Melissa’s desk.
“I’m here to get my stuff and I wanted to say good-bye,” Melissa mumbled, head down. Melody wanted to hug the girl, but with Joe standing there, practically guarding her, it didn’t seem the right thing to do.
“I’ll call you. Okay? Tonight.”
Melissa nodded and Melody could see tears gathering in her friend’s eyes. Rather than embarrass Melissa, and herself, she went back to her office, closing the door quietly.
Melody forced herself to focus on Logan’s case. She felt he had some solid grounds to go after Ashton, but all of it would depend on the financial documents both sides produced.
It was just before lunch when Melody felt she had enough to take to Ryan. But she hesitated, not wanting to face him again, so soon after the morning’s confusing and shocking meeting.
Glancing at her watch, Melody decided to take the file to Ryan’s office. If she were lucky, he’d be at lunch and she could just leave it on his desk. If not, she’d leave it with Lori and just avoid him altogether. Not the best plan, but I can’t face him again right now.
But when she came around the corner on Ryan’s floor, Lori was gone. Ryan was standing at Lori’s desk, reading a file. He looked up as she came to an abrupt halt several feet away, clutching the file to her chest.
Her first instinct was to bolt, but she forced herself to make her feet move toward Ryan. After all, what could he do to her, here, in the middle of the office?
“Melody. Just coming to find you. Do you have a minute?” Ryan inclined his head toward his office.
“Well, actually…I was just dropping off the MacKenzie file with the complaint for you to review, like you asked for.” She held the file at arm’s length, hoping he would take it.
“Yes, I see.” Ryan reached out and Melody handed him the file. He was looking at her with a calculated gaze. She felt like she was being studied, and found wanting.
“As you wish. I’ll read through this and if it’s acceptable, I’ll have Lori type it up. We should be able to file tomorrow morning.”
Ryan tapped the folder on the edge of Lori’s desk. “Do you have time for lunch? I was just heading out to grab a bite…”
Melody was shaking her head before Ryan finished his sentence. She registered the darkening look on his face, but went on. “Um…no. I have…more to do. I have a filing due today, if you remember, on a different case. And with Melissa gone…I don’t want to fall behind.”
“Right. That reminds me…come into my office.”
At the repeated invitation, Melody felt her heart begin to race. She glanced around the area. The last place she wanted to be was in Ryan’s office, when the rest of the floor was deserted, secretaries and paralegals at lunch, several nearby offices dark.
Ryan was waiting for her. She reluctantly walked into his office, careful to stay in the doorway.
“Why so shy? You were anything but this morning.” Ryan was behind his desk, watching her closely. He finally shrugged, taking a file from his desk.
“Here…it’s a list of paralegals who’ve submitted resumes to the firm. Read through them, pick out five or so that interest you and let Joe Hunter know which you like. They’ll set up interviews and we’ll have someone for you as soon as we can.”
Melody took the file, stepping back into the hall. “Thanks, Ryan. I’ll do that.”
As she turned away, she felt Ryan’s eyes still watching her. She barely resisted the urge to run.
In her office, she closed the door, tossing the file on her desk. She wanted to call Melissa, but more than that, she wanted to hear Logan’s voice, the soft cadence of his speech, maybe he’d tell her again that he loved her.
In the heat of the moment last night, and the rush of the morning, Melody hadn’t had time to savor Logan’s words, their full meaning. He had said he loved her.
She closed her eyes, letting all the wonderful feelings those three words created wash over her. It was most secure, the happiest she’d felt in weeks. She didn’t know if she felt same about Logan; it was too soon for her to tell. He’d said he didn’t expect the same from her; he seemed satisfied just to say it himself, to put it there for her, like a gift. And right now, that was enough for Melody.
When the phone rang, she jumped. The display showed an external incoming call, but the number was marked private.
“Melody Lawton.”
“Melody…” Logan’s voice on the phone made her smile.
“Logan! I was just thinking of you.” She cringed. Such a cliché.
“Well, I have to say I was thinking of you, too, since I’m calling. Before that, I’ll admit you haven’t been at the top of my thoughts, sorry to say. I would much rather have been thinking of you, but my morning hasn’t been to my liking.”
Something in Logan’s tone made her clutch the receiver tightly. “What is it?”
“The band…and Ashton. The band has threatened to boot me out, permanently. Ashton’s told them enough lies to make them believe I’ve left them. And in the midst of that, Aston called. He’d gotten wind of the lawsuit somehow and is furious. Claims it’s all something I’ve made up, which is a load of crap. But you know that…”
She heard the frustration in his voice. “I’m sorry, Logan. This is horrible for you. Did Ashton say how he found out about the suit?”
“No, just that he would see me in hell before he’d admit he’d done anything wrong. Claims he can ruin me before we even get to court.”
Melody sighed. This wasn’t anything new; there had been cases before where the mud slinging started well before the case even got to court. She had always been professionally distant from the client’s day-to-day issues, but this was Logan and she felt his pain.
“Well, I can tell you we’re filing tomorrow. Aston will receive a summons and have to make a formal answer to the claims. He may counter-sue then, most likely he will, by the sounds of it. But we’ve done what we can for the moment. The ball will be in his court and then, from there, we’ll know what his answers are to the complaints and what we’ll need to do from there.”
“Thank you, Melody. I mean it. I can’t think of anyone I’d want in my corner but you, for many reasons. But I trust you, above all. Can’t say that about many people.”
“I’ll do my best, Logan. You know that.”
“Let’s have dinner. You never really got to have any last night, if I remember. I asked you out to dinner and then made it quite difficult for you to eat.” Logan’s tone had lightened and she smiled. She envisioned him from the night before, his easy smile lighting his eyes.
“Yes. I’d like that.”
“I’ll call…
There was a knock at her door and it swung open, Ryan standing in the doorway.
“Melody, I…” He stopped abruptly when he noticed she was on the phone, but remained standing in the doorway.
“That’s fine. I’ll call you later when we have confirmation of the filing. I believe I have your contact information right here.”
Without waiting for Logan to answer, she replaced the receiver.
“Sorry to interrupt, but Hunter is waiting for those resumes, if you’ve had a chance to look them over.”
“Just getting to that now. I’ll have them to him within an hour.”
Ryan hesitated briefly. “Logan MacKenzie on the phone?”
Melody resisted the urge to lie. Logan was her client, after all – she was allowed to speak to him on the phone.
“Yes. He was looking for an update on the case. Seems the band has threatened to fire him and Ashton knows about the suit. I suspect he’ll file a counter-claim, but we’ll have to wait. I’m not sure if the band’s actions have any bearing on the initial claim. We may need to address that before we file.”