Free Acts of Desperation by Emerson Shaw Page A

for them,” he said. “So, I’d been tossing around the idea of coming here for a while, and it was time for a fresh start anyway.”
    “A fresh start? What do you mean—” I began, but our server came by. She brought a small dish of fresh bruschetta and warm, crispy discs of buttered toast, and I completely forgot my question. Jax requested a few more minutes to look over menu, but, as soon as the server stepped away, he didn’t pick it up. Instead, he looked at me again.
    “So, what got you into law?” he asked.
    I took a moment, considering my answer. “Well, if this were a job interview I’d probably say something deeply meaningful about my profound admiration and respect for our legal system, but the truth is I watched a lot of law shows growing up with my mom. I loved the mystery, the arguing, and, of course, the romance. I can remember being eight and watching L.A. Law and swooning for Jimmy Smits and Harry Hamlin.”
    He smiled and let out a small laugh. “So you got into law to fall in love with a hot lawyer? How’s that working out for you?”
    “Oh my gosh, no!” I laughed and felt myself blush. However, looking at Jax—Harry Hamlin had nothing on him. “Law has always appealed to me. Did Bernie talk you into it?” I asked.
    His answer wasn’t immediate either . “No, but he was a major contributing factor. I didn’t know from the time I was eight or anything, but eventually, I knew it was what I wanted to do.”
    “He must ha ve taught you well. I heard you had quite the reputation in New York,” I said.
    “Yeah? ” He furrowed his brow. “You been poking around?” he said, his face losing a bit of its playful edge.
    I was caught slightly off guard by his reaction . “Why? Got some skeletons you’re trying to hide?” I joked, but when he didn’t laugh, I got tense. “Um…no, I just heard talk in the office, that’s all.”
    He laughed and the tension lifted. “Oh, of course,” he said and quickly picked up his menu when he saw our server approaching.
    This restaurant has the best cream of mushroom soup and gourmet brick oven pizzas. So while Jax scanned the menu, I ordered a bowl of the soup and the wild mushroom pizza—admittedly, I have a thing for mushrooms. He ordered a pizza margherita and a bowl of the soup as well. The server collected our menus and was off to place our order.
    “So… do you have some skeletons?” I asked, deciding to revisit the uncomfortable moment. With what Sarah was dealing with Anders and with what John had done to me, let’s just say I’d become less naïve.
    He laughed uncomfortably. “No, no.” He shook his head. “I’ve just left some things in New York, and I’d like them to stay there.”
    “ Really. Like what?” I asked.
    He picked up his glass and crunched on a piece of ice then ran his fingers through his hair. “I prefer not to talk about it, if you don’t mind. But I do have a question I’d like to ask you?”
    I sighed. “Ok.” If someone asks me a question, I usually don’t hold anything back. I’m not secretive, and I won’t hesitate to lay it all out there. But, not everyone is an open book so I decided to let my question go, for now.
    “ So is your boyfriend a lawyer as well?” He smirked. “I know you’re not dating anyone at our firm but there are plenty more in the city.”
    M y heart raced. He’d been asking around about me at the firm. Dee would have been the only one who knew anything about my personal life, but what she knew was limited. She only knew that I lived with someone, and I hadn’t updated her about my new living arrangement. What would I have done? Walked right up to her desk that Monday morning and said, “Morning Dee, I caught my boyfriend cheating on me over the weekend and moved in with my best friend. How was your weekend?” No, not my style. Although, now thinking of it, I would have to update HR with my new address.
    H earing his question, I knew I was stepping into unchartered