Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
What happens if it does?
I really, really don't want to find out.
But…hiding from it won't make it go away. That just makes me a coward. And I've been there, done that. I can't do it again now, not when the cost is so damn high.
Chapter Ten
Ridley
"Ridley." Alexa Warner looks up from her desk as soon as I step into her cramped office, her blue eyes narrowing on me. "Please do not tell me that you're in some kind of trouble. My dad will be pissed."
"No, I'm good."
"Thank God." She grins, leaning back in her seat with a pen still dangling between her fingers. "He says your dad and uncles caused him enough problems when they were younger."
"Why am I not surprised?" I ask, shaking my head. Her dad, Brent, was a cop in Santa Maria for most of my life. He spent a lot of time at the vineyard with my dad and uncles before he retired to the beach a few years ago.
Alexa laughs quietly, motioning at a chair pulled up across from her desk. She seems to realize she's still got the pen in her hand because she grimaces before stuffing it into an overflowing cup of pens beside her monitor. "If you aren't in trouble, what do you need?"
"A job."
She blinks at me, taken aback. "Uh…did you get a law degree I wasn't aware of?"
"I'm not here about me."
"Yeah, I'm not following," Alexa says. "Who needs a job?"
I run a hand through my hair, muttering a curse. "Her name is Paisley Molina."
"Paisley?" The confusion clears from her expression, replaced with a smile. "Lucy's friend from Stanford, right?"
"Yeah. You know her?"
She nods, her blonde hair bouncing around her shoulders. "Of course. We've met a few times. She's looking for a job?"
"She just passed the bar."
"Nice. And she wants to work here?" Alexa quirks a brow. "She knows the pay is shit, the hours are long, and there are no thanks, right?"
"Oh, she knows. Her father is a judge, and her grandfather is on the state's Supreme Court."
"Shit." Alexa's eyes widen. "She's related to Justice Molina?"
"Yep."
"She could be working anywhere. Why the hell does she want to work here?"
"She doesn't…exactly."
Alexa's eyes narrow. "Explain."
I mutter another curse, shifting in my chair. "She was offered a position at Crudup."
"Jesus Christ. That's the biggest criminal defense firm in the state, Ridley."
"I know, but she doesn't want to work for a criminal defense firm. She wants to follow the same path her father and grandfather took, and they both started out in the DA's office." I pause. "And I need her here."
"Ah." Alexa's lips curve. "So it's like that, huh?"
I nod, not denying it. Because, yeah, it is like that. I'll beg, borrow, and steal if that's what I have to do to give Paisley a reason to stay. She doesn't need that job in Los Angeles. She's needed right here. This is where she belongs.
But I can't fucking ask her to stay for me when it's her dreams on the line. That's a dick move. She's already given up and lost so goddamn much. I won't let her sacrifice something she's worked so hard for just to be with me. What kind of man does that shit? So…I'm here, asking Alexa to do me the biggest favor of my life and hire her, instead.
And if Alexa won't hire her? Well, I'll cross that bridge if I come to it.
"As much as I'd love to help you, you know I don't have the authority to hire anyone, Ridley," Alex says softly.
I stare at her for a long, silent moment, not entirely surprised by her answer. Honestly, I expected it. "Rumor has it that the DA isn't running for reelection next year," I murmur. "And rumor also has it that you're the one everyone expects to replace him."
"You hear a lot of rumors out there on the vineyard."
"Are they accurate?"
"Maybe."
"Maybe I'd be interested in seeing you get elected."
A bark of laughter erupts from her lips. "Are you trying to bribe me into helping you get her hired on here?"
"No." Hell yes. But am I dumb enough to admit it? Fuck no. "I'm just pointing out that you could use someone like Paisley on your team, especially if you're going to be running next year. She's damn good at what she does, and she's a Molina. This is Santa Barbara County. How often do you think someone like her comes along, willing to work for a pittance just to be here when a firm like Crudup is offering a king's ransom?"
Alexa eyes me critically for a long moment before sighing. "Not often," she admits. "Most people would kill to work for Crudup. Hell, I would have killed to work for Crudup. But I don't have the pull you think I do. I can make suggestions, but it's not up to me. It's up to Don. He's still the DA."