N. Walters - A Legal Affair

Shannon picked at the fabric of her apron and shrugged.

Gill reached out and took her hand, squeezing it gently. “Tell me.”

She pushed her long braid over her shoulder and squared her shoulders. “It’s about…”

A loud male voice interrupted her. “What’s this I hear about you and young Alicia?

Any truth to the rumors, boy?” An old man doddered up to the table. Every head in the place turned to watch them.

Gill straightened in his seat, but forced himself to remain relaxed. Shannon grabbed her coffee pot and eased out of the way. “Now, Burt,” she began.

“Don’t you ‘now, Burt’ me, missy.” The old man stopped when he reached Gill’s table. “People are whispering, so we might as well talk about it. Get it out in the air so to speak. Doesn’t do anyone any good to listen to gossip. It’s time to get the facts.” He squinted down at Gill and waited.

Gill knew who the man was. Burt Banner was in his eighties, if he was a day, and respected by one and all in the community. Patrick had pointed the man out to him his first day in town. “Would you care to sit down?”

Burt laughed. “At my age sitting is always good, but then the rest of the folks in the diner wouldn’t hear and they’d hurt themselves straining their ears.” His voice rose near the end and some folks turned away, pretending to be concentrating on their meal. Other people didn’t even bother to pretend they weren’t listening.

Gill paused. He’d thought that the old man had approached him because he wanted to cause trouble, but that wasn’t the case at all. He could see the intelligence and the knowing glint in the older man’s eyes. Burt knew that people were talking, and this was a way for Gill to control exactly what they were talking about. Smart.

He leaned back, resting his arm across the back of the bench seat. “What exactly would you like to know?”

Respect and approval flashed in Burt’s face before he raised his hand and scratched his jaw. “Well now, are you seeing our gal, Alicia?”

“Yes. Alicia and I are seeing one another. I’m doing some work for her.” You could hear a pin drop in the place as everyone listened. No one wanted to miss a word so they could recount the tale to their friends and family later.

Burt squinted. “You a lawyer too?”

“No.” Gill shook his head. He might not be a lawyer, but thanks to years of going to night school, he did have two college degrees. One in criminal justice, and a second one in counseling, which he’d just finished before he left the force. “I’m an investigator. I just retired from the police force down in Alabama.”

Burt’s head wagged up and down. “So you’re a cop.”

Gill almost laughed as Burt went about establishing his credibility and his reputation with the townspeople. “Twenty years.”

“Well then. There’s nothing to be concerned about, is there? You wouldn’t do anything untoward, would you? A working relationship, you say?”

Someone snorted and a female voice filled the room. “If staying all night, every night, is working. Alicia Flint is having an affair.”

The bell tinkled over the door as the woman was speaking. Gill felt his stomach drop as Alicia froze in the doorway, her face pale as snow, the accusation still ringing in the air. This was just what she’d feared.

Even though he wanted to jump up and go to her, he made himself remain seated.

This was her chance to deny all the rumors, to deny their relationship if she wanted. He realized that she was right. Her reputation was at stake. Everyone in the diner was watching. Some of the folks looked amused, while others sat with pinched features and condemnation in their eyes.

“Clara Jenkins!” Burt roared.

Alicia straightened her spine and strode right up to Clara’s table. “That’s all right, Burt. I can handle this.”

She leaned down, planting her hands on the table. They were bare. Once again, she’d forgotten her gloves. Gill hoped her hands weren’t cold. He was like everyone else in the place, unable to look away from the scene unfolding in front of him.

“What exactly do you want to know, Clara?” She didn’t give the younger woman time to speak, but kept on going. “That I’m actually having an affair? That I’m sleeping with a man?” She straightened and took in the room in one sweeping glance. “Is that what all of you want to know?”

No one moved.

Alicia snorted. “I’m thirty-seven-years old, I operate my own law practice, own a house, pay my taxes on time and abide by the law. What I do in my own home is my business.”

“Not when you’re in such a prominent position,” Clara brazened out. “Why, if you’ll sneak around having an affair who knows what other sneaky things you might do?”

Gill couldn’t believe that some people were actually nodding. But they were mostly older folks, who had grown up with a much stricter set of values when it came to relationships outside of marriage.

“Is that so?” Alicia questioned, her tone mild, almost amused.

Gill almost pitied Clara as Alicia glared down at her. His woman was spitting fire.

She was hell on wheels when she got started. He’d never felt prouder of her.

Alicia spread her arms wide. “I thought I was being discreet, not sneaking around.

I’m having a relationship with a man.” She turned on her heel and stalked toward his table.

He stood as she approached, aching with the need to hold her in his arms.

“This man.” She turned back to the crowd, not even stopping for a breath. She held them all spellbound, her voice projecting easily without her having to raise it. “He’s healthy, single and a damn good man. I’m proud to be in a relationship with him.”

Gill couldn’t resist any longer, he moved to stand behind her, glaring at the crowd over her head. Most of them had the good grace to glance sheepishly away. All except Clara, who just glowered at them.

“Any more questions?” Alicia raised an eyebrow and fanned her gaze over the people.

One gray-haired man stood up and shook his head. “I don’t hold with affairs outside marriage. I just lost one lawyer because of underhanded dealings. I need to feel as if I can trust my lawyer.”

Alicia shook her head. “We’re two single people in a relationship, Don. That has nothing to do with trust or honesty. But if you feel that way I’ll have Millie transfer your records to the lawyer of your choice. Just contact my office and let me know where to send them. And that goes for anyone else. If you’ve suddenly decided I’m not honest and trustworthy, then I don’t want your business. Contact my office and we’ll forward your records wherever you want them to go.”

Burt ambled forward and extended his hand to her. “I won’t be taking my business anywhere else. You’ve always done a good job for me. Besides, Gill seems to be a fine young man. He’s a friend of the sheriff, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is.” Shannon stepped forward. “Gill saved my life. You all know what I went through with my ex-husband. That’s no secret in this town. Gill Baron saved my life back in Alabama and was responsible for putting my ex in jail. I won’t hear anything bad about him.”

Gill was stunned and touched by Shannon’s courage. It wasn’t easy for her to talk about her past and certainly in such a public setting. “Shannon,” he began, but she ignored him as she turned to Alicia.

“Can I get you some coffee, Alicia? Maybe some breakfast?”

“That’s a great idea, Shannon.” He knew enough about human nature to know that if he and Alicia left the diner, most people would see it as an admission of guilt and remain suspicious and skeptical. However, that opinion could possibly change if the two of them sat here and ate as though they didn’t have a care in the world, as if they had nothing to hide. And while he wanted to take Alicia off somewhere they could be alone, he knew they had to stay. “Sugar?” he whispered in her ear. It was ultimately her choice.

He felt some of the tension drain from her body. “Breakfast would be nice.” She kept her voice steady, but he could hear the underlying strain.

Ignoring the rest of the folks, many of whom were already lined up at the counter to pay their bills so they could leave and spread the gossip, Gill slid Alicia’s coat from her and then seated her across from him.

Burt stopped long enough to squeeze Alicia’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. You might lose a few fools, but you might gain just as many new clients.”

Alicia gave a sharp laugh. “You may be right about that, Burt.”

Shannon poured more coffee and took their orders. Gill smiled at her. “Thanks for your support earlier.”

She shrugged. “It’s the least I could do after everything you’ve done for me.” She turned to Alicia. “This will all blow over in a few weeks. You know how these things go.”

Alicia smiled and waited until Shannon left before meeting his gaze. She looked tired, her face strained. “My meeting was cancelled so I got here faster than I thought I would.”

“What happened this morning? Why did you want to talk to me?” He figured it had to be better than the scene that had just played itself out.

She picked up her coffee and sipped, carefully placing the mug back in front of her.

“I had a call from my mother this morning.”

Oh shit. Gill felt like banging his head against the table. Just when he’d thought it couldn’t get worse.

Alicia’s head still felt like it was whirling an hour later when she let herself and Gill into her home. She’d already contacted Millie and told her to reschedule all her appointments for the rest of the day. She’d also had to explain that possibly quite a few of their clients might be requesting their files be transferred to one of the two other law firms in town.