not to squeal. A fevered heat blossomed from her womb and then poured out towards points just south. It took her a long moment to remember that he’d asked her a question and that the waitress was waiting on her to respond.
“Oh, uh, only if you’re having some.”
John shot her a look that said he knew she was trying to keep her order less expensive than his, and that he wasn’t pleased. His eyes scanned the wine list quickly. “Fine, we’ll each have a glass of your best Cabernet.”
The waitress was suddenly far more interested once she realized that her tip that evening would be more than average. “Yes, sir. I’ll be right back with your wine and bread. Let me know if you’d like an appetizer.”
His piercing blue eyes turned back on her as soon as the waitress made her exit. “I asked you out, Arley. Please, get whatever you want. Let me take care of you.”
Her eyes flashed with heat. She was fairly certain he’d meant that in every possible way. She swallowed down raw need brought on by his commanding tone. It had been a very long time since anyone had taken care of her, and the last man that had ever cared enough to take care of her was dead and gone.
Refusing to agree with his request just yet, she drew an audible breath. “Let’s see here. You already know that I’d signed my contract before my dad died.” She tried to speak the words that always left her short of breath. He was the only person that had ever understood her. He was so proud of her work. He never batted an eye at any of her scenes. He even helped her improve them in the beginning. He taught her how to write and how to live. It killed her that she was certain he would be disappointed in the turn her career had taken recently.
John reached across the table and took her right hand in his. “We don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to. I was just thinking a contested will is much easier to solve than a Chapter 11 filing.” The warmth and substantiality of his voice and his caress allowed her to continue.
“No, it’s okay. I don’t mind. I just really miss him, you know?” She swallowed back another enclosure of emotion that had settled in her throat.
“I’m sure.”
“Anyway, my sisters and I were supposed to each get a few hundred dollars a month from his estate. He left everything else to my mom. Savannah and Charlotte get their checks each month, but my Aunt Judith is married to the probate judge in Tilldale, and they’re all so appalled by what I write that she picked some line out of the will about having to act in a manner my father would see fitting to continue to receive the check to hold up my inheritance.”
John rolled his eyes, but then another one of those sexy smirks formed on his lips. “Wait, wait, wait, your parents named you Savannah, Charlotte, and Arley.”
“It’s ridiculous! Isn’t it?” She was thrilled someone understood the insanity of that. “My mother insisted that we all had to be named after Southern cities. Daddy used to joke that they named us where they conceived us, but he just said that because my mom freaked every time he joked that way.”
Laughing over her tale, he shook his head. “Well, I mean, it could be worse. They could have named you Demopolis or Beaverton.”
It felt so good to laugh, Arley dissolved into giggles over the thought of that.
When she settled down, he was grinning at her sweetly. “Okay, Miss Southern City, your uncle is related to you, therefore he cannot preside over a hearing over the will.”
“Yeah, but this is Tilldale. He’s the only judge. We don’t even have our own police department.” She sighed.
“Then I will have a hearing moved to Birmingham, baby doll. That is not a problem, and we’ll get you your inheritance, but it didn’t sound like that was enough to get you back all of your rights.”
“No, it won’t be, but it’s something. I could maybe get the rights back to my last release that was pulled off the
“Oh, uh, only if you’re having some.”
John shot her a look that said he knew she was trying to keep her order less expensive than his, and that he wasn’t pleased. His eyes scanned the wine list quickly. “Fine, we’ll each have a glass of your best Cabernet.”
The waitress was suddenly far more interested once she realized that her tip that evening would be more than average. “Yes, sir. I’ll be right back with your wine and bread. Let me know if you’d like an appetizer.”
His piercing blue eyes turned back on her as soon as the waitress made her exit. “I asked you out, Arley. Please, get whatever you want. Let me take care of you.”
Her eyes flashed with heat. She was fairly certain he’d meant that in every possible way. She swallowed down raw need brought on by his commanding tone. It had been a very long time since anyone had taken care of her, and the last man that had ever cared enough to take care of her was dead and gone.
Refusing to agree with his request just yet, she drew an audible breath. “Let’s see here. You already know that I’d signed my contract before my dad died.” She tried to speak the words that always left her short of breath. He was the only person that had ever understood her. He was so proud of her work. He never batted an eye at any of her scenes. He even helped her improve them in the beginning. He taught her how to write and how to live. It killed her that she was certain he would be disappointed in the turn her career had taken recently.
John reached across the table and took her right hand in his. “We don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to. I was just thinking a contested will is much easier to solve than a Chapter 11 filing.” The warmth and substantiality of his voice and his caress allowed her to continue.
“No, it’s okay. I don’t mind. I just really miss him, you know?” She swallowed back another enclosure of emotion that had settled in her throat.
“I’m sure.”
“Anyway, my sisters and I were supposed to each get a few hundred dollars a month from his estate. He left everything else to my mom. Savannah and Charlotte get their checks each month, but my Aunt Judith is married to the probate judge in Tilldale, and they’re all so appalled by what I write that she picked some line out of the will about having to act in a manner my father would see fitting to continue to receive the check to hold up my inheritance.”
John rolled his eyes, but then another one of those sexy smirks formed on his lips. “Wait, wait, wait, your parents named you Savannah, Charlotte, and Arley.”
“It’s ridiculous! Isn’t it?” She was thrilled someone understood the insanity of that. “My mother insisted that we all had to be named after Southern cities. Daddy used to joke that they named us where they conceived us, but he just said that because my mom freaked every time he joked that way.”
Laughing over her tale, he shook his head. “Well, I mean, it could be worse. They could have named you Demopolis or Beaverton.”
It felt so good to laugh, Arley dissolved into giggles over the thought of that.
When she settled down, he was grinning at her sweetly. “Okay, Miss Southern City, your uncle is related to you, therefore he cannot preside over a hearing over the will.”
“Yeah, but this is Tilldale. He’s the only judge. We don’t even have our own police department.” She sighed.
“Then I will have a hearing moved to Birmingham, baby doll. That is not a problem, and we’ll get you your inheritance, but it didn’t sound like that was enough to get you back all of your rights.”
“No, it won’t be, but it’s something. I could maybe get the rights back to my last release that was pulled off the
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