Page 46 of Legally Yours

On Wednesday,I arrived at Family Law Services to find Kieran on the phone, frowning and talking loudly. She gestured that she’d only be a minute, and waved me to the extra desk in her office.

“You’re ridiculous, you know that?” Kieran barked to whoever was on the phone. “When are you going to learn to relax? Seriously, Brandon, you’ll do better if you just stop with the fucking bravado.”

I stiffened when I heard the name. How likely was it that she knew two men with that name?

“Okay, tell me what she says this weekend,” Kieran said quickly. “Good luck.” She hung up. “Sorry about that, Skylar. Just a friend who needed some advice.” A smirk appeared as if she were enjoying some private joke.

“Brandon Sterling?” I couldn’t help myself.

Kieran’s eyebrows rose. “Oh, that’s right, I forgot that you know him.”

I nodded, hoping to God that my glass face wouldn’t betray just how well I knew him. “A little. How do you know him again?”

I knew I shouldn’t pry, but curiosity got the best of me. I knew I was the one to leave him standing on an airport curb, but for some reason, the idea of him talking to another woman—which was clearly what they were discussing—really ate me up.

“We grew up together,” Kieran said simply. “In the same building. At least, until we were twelve or so.”

“What happened?” I focused on maintaining my features in the blandest expression possible as if it didn’t matter what the answer was.

“He went into foster care permanently.”

Right. I knew that.

Kieran observed me in the same way I’d seen her observe clients, usually to determine whether or not they were lying. She didn’t usually care if they were guilty, but she wouldn’t represent them if they lied. “His dad was a rough son of a bitch until he was locked up, and his mom was an addict. Brandon had it kind of bad, and used to spend a lot of time in my family’s apartment.”

I balked. “I’m surprised he’s okay with you telling me all of that, considering how private he is.”

Kieran shrugged. “It’s not exactly on Wikipedia, but it’s one of the worst-kept secrets in Boston. It’s why his firm devotes so much pro-bono work toward child advocacy. He actually donated most of the money to fund this center.”

I blinked, unsure of what to say. Brandon had mentioned his time in the system, but none of this.

“I think that’s why he always has a hard time with women,” Kieran continued, uncharacteristically chatty. “He just does too much, you know? Hang-ups from when he was a kid, I guess, always trying too hard to make people like him. I tell him that he’s more likable when he doesn’t go overboard with money and gifts and things, but he just can’t seem to rein it in. Attracts too many gold-diggers and scares off the good ones.”

Kieran peered at me with one raised brow, as if expecting me to own up to something. I gulped, praying my skin wouldn’t betray me now.

“What happened to his folks?” I asked.

She furrowed her brows. “Well, his mom died a while back—overdose—and I think his dad is still in jail. Why are you so interested?”

It was a direct call to my bluff. This time I was unable to stifle the flush that covered my face and neck.

“Just curious,” I said, hoping to come off embarrassed by being put on the spot. “He’s an interesting…character, you know?”

“Interesting. Mm-hmm.”

I couldn’t tell if she believed me or not.

“Do you have that file on the Chang case?”

With that, we abandoned the topic of Brandon Sterling and turned to work. But even as I tried my hardest to focus on work, all I could see was a pair of bright blue eyes. Date that weekend, hadn’t she said? It was exactly as I’d thought—there was nothing special about our interaction. To him, I was just “that kind of girl.”

Eager to rid myself of the sinking feeling in my stomach, I took out my phone and texted Jared to confirm our Sunday brunch. I needed to stop thinking about a person I knew wasn’t any good for me.

Sixteen

Ihad never been on a date in the morning before, so I was unsure of what to wear when I got ready for brunch on Sunday. Jane stumbled into my bedroom with coffee and tea for me after I got out of the shower.

“I don’t know what is wrong with this boy that he thinks Sunday morning is a good time for a date,” she grumbled as she sat on my bed.