Page 18 of Just Like That

Hazel sputtered as my throat went dry and the room around me narrowed.

She herded him in the direction of the bathroom. “Teddy, why don’t you use the bathroom before we head in.”

Unfazed, he went in, and I turned to Joss and Hazel, still reeling from Teddy’s flippant use ofDad.

Joss’s head shook as he sized me up. It was no secret that the pretty-boy attorney was friends with the Sullivans, and given our muddy history, his obvious skepticism made sense.

My eyes roamed over Hazel, unable to stop staring at how the loose tendrils of hair perfectly framed her pretty face.

I wrenched my gaze free to look at Joss. “Are you here providing legal representation?”

Joss’s winning smile grated on my already fried nerves. His eyes moved back to Hazel, and his grin widened. “This was simply a lucky chance meeting. Ms. Adams was looking a little lost.”

Joss slipped his card from the inside pocket of his jacket and handed it to Hazel. “But if you ever need anything, please, don’t hesitate to reach out.”

A disgusted noise rattled in the back of my throat before I could stop it. Hazel’s long lashes swooped down as she looked at his business card and accepted it with a soft smile. I rolled my eyes as he turned and his loafers clacked down the hallway.

“Problem?” she asked as she turned toward me.

I stared down at her. “Several, actually.”

Once Teddy returned, I gestured to the door to Judge Burns’s office, and the pair entered before me.

Hazel’s face twisted. “Do you likeanyone?” Hazel asked as she passed in front of me, but she didn’t wait for my response.

No, not really.

I checked us in with the receptionist and waited to be called back to the judge’s chambers.

Teddy looked up at me. “Have you considered the loss of consumer trust?”

I looked down, confused. “What?”

A serious line creased Teddy’s eyebrows. “I’ve been thinking about it. The news reports say things arebadfor King Equities. You should start by acknowledging and apologizing.”

A laugh sounded from my chest. I had never been a kid person, but Teddy seemed different—like a sixty-year-old man trapped in a child’s body. “How do you know about that?”

He shrugged. “Google.”

I nodded.Fucking Google. “Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind.”

I then focused my attention on my watch and tapped my foot as the minutes ticked by.

4:07—the judge is late.

“Got somewhere better to be?” Hazel asked, annoyance dripping from her silky voice.

I didn’t need to look at her to perfectly picture the crease between her eyebrows. My arms crossed. “Some of us have jobs to get back to.” I glanced down at her. “What is it you do again? Social media ... something or other?”

Her nostrils flared as she stared ahead at the large wooden door of the judge’s chambers. “Influencer,” she gritted between clenched teeth.

I huffed.Figures.

Before Hazel could fire back, the door to the judge’s chambers opened. I stood, smoothing a hand down my suit, and stepped forward. “Judge Burns, pleasure to see you again, sir.”

We shook hands as Hazel looked on. She turned to Teddy. “You’re going to sit out here and read for a little bit. No wandering off.”

Teddy nodded and propped himself up in a chair in the waiting area.