When We Kiss by Darcy Burke Page B

nothing, Alex’s dream of his family owning and operating a five-star destination spot would go up in flames.
    No pressure.
    She skimmed the brief, the apple ignored in her hand. Unease mounted as she neared the end. Sutherlin knew how to argue, but then that’s why he was one of the best in the state and commanded his five-hundred-dollar-an-hour fee.
    Aubrey sat back in her chair and nibbled at the apple. She’d started her brief weeks ago but had waited to finish until she saw what Sutherlin put together. Now she had three weeks to file her response, and presumably the oral argument would happen a couple of weeks after that.
    Her stomach in turmoil, she tossed what was left of the golden delicious into the trash. She needed a little pep talk.
    Standing, she left her office. The building was small, a converted Victorian house with just four attorneys, including Aubrey and her uncle, who was the Tallinger in Tallinger and Associates. Uncle Dave, her father’s younger brother, had given her a job the second she’d started law school. She’d interned here in the summers and started as a full-time associate immediately after graduating. His faith in and commitment to her were the constants in her life. She had no siblings, and her cousins—all on her mother’s side—lived in California. Her parents also lived in California, in Carmel, where Aubrey had grown up. Right now her family consisted of Uncle Dave and Aunt Cyndi, and she wouldn’t want it any other way.
    She stopped in the kitchen at the back of the building and grabbed a cup of coffee before heading upstairs to Uncle Dave’s office. He had the largest space, taking up the bay windows that looked out onto the street below. Just a block off Ribbon Ridge’s main thoroughfare, they were close enough to walk to all the shops and businesses the town had to offer, including the Archers’ flagship pub, The Arch and Vine. It was also only six blocks from Aubrey’s house, resulting in a super easy commute on foot.
    Uncle Dave’s door was ajar, which meant he was working but interruptible. Aubrey tapped her knuckles against the wood before gently pushing it open. “Uncle Dave?”
    He looked up from his computer screens—he had three—and turned his head to smile at her. “Come in.” He took his glasses off and set them on the desk as he pivoted his chair to face her. “What’s up?”
    She sat in one of the chairs situated in front of the desk. Behind him, the wide windows framed a gorgeous spring day. The blossoms were nearly gone from the trees, whose green leaves were in various states of unfurling as they welcomed the warmer weather.
    â€œSutherlin’s brief came in. I just forwarded it to you.”
    He glanced at his computer. “Yeah? What’s in it?”
    â€œEverything we expected, given his objections to the record.”
    Dave pursed his lips, then sighed as he sat back in his chair. “We’ve discussed how to argue it. Are you unsure?”
    â€œNot about what to do.” She struggled to find the right words. She was fighting the urge to hide her insecurity, something her parents had enforced. Be sharp, be confident, be ruthless was her father’s motto. A successful entrepreneur, he peddled medical equipment. Rather, he had until he’d sold the company two years ago. He’d made a mint, and now he and Mom were professional amateur golfers and wine tasters. They came to the Ribbon Ridge area every July for the International Pinot Noir Celebration in nearby McMinnville. They golfed, they drank wine, they occasionally spent time with Aubrey. Last year she’d “accidentally” scheduled a trip out of town at the exact same time. Maybe she’d do the same this year, too.
    But she wasn’t talking to her critical parents, she was talking to Uncle Dave. She forced the tension from her shoulders. “I’m just having a moment of