Free In Too Deep by R.W. Shannon Page A

that was on the voice mail for Blake’s business. Was Brooklyn mixed up in all of this too? If so, how? She leaned away and took a step back from Brooklyn. There was something about Brooklyn that was familiar to her, but she couldn’t place where she’d seen her.
    “I almost forgot,” Brooklyn said while reaching into her tote bag. She yanked out a bottle of white wine and handed it to Analeigh.
    She took the offering and glanced at the label, but her mind was still in a state of shock from recognizing Brooklyn’s voice. “Thank you.”
    “No. Thank you,” Brooklyn said. “I don’t get to do this very often. You don’t know how grateful I am.”
    Duncan bristled. He crossed his arms over his chest and sent a steely glance in her direction. “Wow. You act like you don’t get out much.”
    She turned to him. “I don’t. I’m usually busy with work.”
    “Then maybe you should make room in your schedule so that I—I mean, someone can date you.”
    Brooklyn was visibly taken aback by his comment. She parted her lips to speak but nothing came out. Analeigh watched the exchange and wondered what was going on between them. She looked at Blake, who appeared very amused.
    “Should we leave?” Blake asked.
    “No,” Brooklyn replied while swiping at a loose hair that had fallen across her forehead. “Everything is fine.”
    “So you say,” Duncan muttered.
    Analeigh cleared her throat. “Please make yourself at home. Blake, can you open this while I get everything ready?”
    “Sure,” he said, taking the bottle from her.
    Blake started to set the envelope on the coffee table, but seemed to change his mind. Instead, he excused himself and took it to his office. Analeigh studied his back as he left the room. What was in that envelope that was so important that no one, or rather she, couldn’t see?
    “Let me help you, Analeigh,” Brooklyn said.
    The women went into the kitchen. Analeigh put on a pair of oven mitts to pull the bread out of the oven. She was glad to be temporarily alone with Brooklyn. It would allow her to question Brooklyn about Blake. And why it was her voice on his phone greeting. Brooklyn took a pile of plates that were stacked on the kitchen island and carried them to the small dining area to the right of the kitchen. Analeigh quickly slid the bread into a basket and followed her.
    “How long have you known Blake?”
    “Too long,” Brooklyn said with a laugh. “I’m kidding. We met more than ten years ago. Been working together for nine.”
    “So, you’re a lawyer?”
    “Paralegal. I interned with Blake’s firm before I was hired on.”
    Analeigh moved away to get the bowl of salad from the counter. Brooklyn’s explanation seemed possible, but Analeigh couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t being truthful. She looked at Brooklyn. The woman seemed lost in thought, had been folding the same napkin for a while. Analeigh set the bowl on the table, then covered one of Brooklyn’s hands with hers.
    “Are you okay?” he asked.
    Startled, Brooklyn jumped but quickly recovered. “I’m fine,” she said. “What happened to the wine?”
    Analeigh twisted around to peer into the living room. The men were huddled on the sofa in deep conversation. With a sigh, she moved to the coffee table where the bottle sat unopened, picked it up, and carried it into the kitchen.
    “Sorry about that,” she said while opening it and pouring two glasses.
    Brooklyn waved her off. “Not your fault. What’s that expression? A good man is hard to find?”
    Analeigh laughed. “Maybe it should be ‘a hard man is good to find.’“
    Brooklyn clinked her glass to Analeigh’s. “I’ll drink to that.”
    “You two are having too much fun over here,” Blake commented as he walked toward them with Duncan behind him.
    “We’re just having some girl talk,” Analeigh told him. She moved to get the pot of paella from the stove. “And, dinner is served.”
    Once they sat at the table, Analeigh