“So Archer told Logan you decided to close the firm. Is that true?”
“I did.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Really.” Another blessing-in-disguise. “There was just too much dirty laundry attached to that place.”
“What are you going to do now?”
“Actually I decided to open another firm. A non-profit that will offer free and reduced-cost legal aid to those in need of a good defense.”
“So like what you did at your old firm?”
Cassie nodded. “But instead of there just being me working those kinds of cases, I’ll have an entire staff of lawyers available to our clients.” Ironically she’d decided to use some of Russ’s hefty life insurance policy to make that dream possible. “And, as much as I hate to admit it, since my charges were dropped, I’ve had people crawling out of the woodwork to send me their CV’s.”
“That’s great! You know, if that doesn’t work out, Eagle’s Nest could always use a good lawyer in our corner.”
Part of the conversation they’d shared entailed Natalie’s explanation of how she’d helped Logan and the others start their private protection firm.
Maybe we are kindred spirits, after all.
“Thanks.” Cassie offered the other woman a smile. “But I think I’m going to stick with keeping my personal and professional lives separate from now on.”
With a chuckle, Natalie slid on her coat and hung her purse from one shoulder. “I don’t blame you. Although I got very lucky with my crew.”
Yes, it seemed as if she had.
“So.” Natalie stood inside the open doorway. “About our thrifting date.”
“Let me look at my calendar and I’ll text you the date’s I’m free.” Because starting tomorrow, she was putting herself back to work.
It wasn’t an easy task, building a non-profit organization from scratch. But with a renewed sense of purpose, she truly couldn’t wait to get started.
“I can’t wait.” Natalie pulled her in for a hug. “Thanks again for lunch. We should make this a regular thing. But next time, it’s on me.”
“Deal.”
With a parting smile and shared waves, the two women said their goodbyes.
Cassie closed her door and reentered the code before heading into her office. She’d barely sat down when her system notified her of another vehicle arriving in her driveway.
Assuming it was Archer coming back from his meeting, she continued reading the documents outlining all the steps needed to get her new firm up and running. When the doorbell rang, Cassie started a bit from the unexpected sound.
Archer wouldn’t ring the doorbell. Not unless his hands were full.
Still paranoid from all that had happened, she opened the security system’s app on her laptop, stunned to see the face of the woman standing on her porch.
What the hell does she want?
With a growl, Cassie pushed herself to her feet and marched toward the home’s entrance. She’d had a lovely afternoon with her new friend, and her evening was looking to be even better. She did not need this woman showing up and ruining her perfectly good mood.
So don’t let her.
Her inner voice was right. She couldn’t control anyone else’s actions or choices, but she could control her own.
With that in mind—and two very long, very cleansing deep breaths—Cassie disarmed the alarm once again and opened the door.
“Hello, Cassie.” Barbara Montgomery greeted her with a tight, thin smile.