A Surprise Favor – Chapter 6

Declan meets me at a candlelit table on the far side of the pool with a plate of barbecue food.

Mmmm. I have to admit, Kalvin did it right. He’s the cook he promised he’d be. The burgers are grilled to perfection, and he cooked the sausages just enough for them to still be juicy and not charred. With a side of spiced rice and a salad, it’s a perfect poolside meal.

“How did you know this was my kind of food?” I ask Declan as we begin to eat.

He laughs and sips his drink. “Kalvin assured me these were your favorites. You have to know how to gather evidence to be an excellent lawyer.”

“Well, you certainly saved the Amagi, even though those military bastards tore it to pieces.”

He frowns. “I regret I wasn’t able to get more from that deal for you. We got lucky when Renata Dellis showed up at the trial. She made the other side sweat.” He chuckles, and I smile at his deep voice. “I was afraid the military lawyers would put up a bigger fight.”

I pick up the burger. “You argued the case, and I had to stop myself from jumping to my feet and cheering.” I laugh and sink my teeth into the bun and meat. Fresh lettuce, tomato, cheese, and something sweet explode across my tongue. “Oh my God,” I say, covering my mouth with my hand, “this is amazing. What is on this burger?” Some kind of relish? I look up from my spot and see Kalvin talking to Lia and Eduardo on the other side of the pool.

“It’s delicious. Kalvin is a good cook.” He raises his eyebrows. “Lucky you.”

“Lucky us,” I correct him. “Saif is a part of my network, too.”

He nods once. “It’s all pretty new, right? I checked the records to see if you had filed any contracts yet.”

“Spying on me, already?” I smile to let him know I’m not upset by this. The rice is spiced with tiny currants and loaded with toasted pine nuts. I can’t stop eating it.

“I double check everything. You can never be too careful.”

I sigh. “I could use some of that in my life. And yes, it is rather new. But they’re with me, nonetheless. Running for your lives together on Rio tends to bond a group in ways you can’t imagine.” I sip my wine and hum at all the flavors on my plate. “Mmm, mmm. I could eat this all night.”

He raises his glass to me. “I won’t object.”

“Deal,” I say, tapping my glass to his. “Tell me about living here on Laguna. Do you love it?”

Declan smiles in response to my question. “I do love it here. It’s always been a special place for me.” He pauses, taking a sip of his drink. “When I was a kid, I used to come here and explore the beach and the caves. We would go fishing or just wander around looking for interesting things to pick up. It was a lot of fun.”

We talk about life on the beach during dinner, and his voice lulls me into a state of contentment. He tells me about his relatively quiet existence here in his off months — how much he enjoys surfing in the mornings before anyone else, how peaceful it is at night when the world is sleeping, and other little details that make it sound so relaxing and perfect.

He takes another sip of his drink before continuing. “And when work gets hectic, there’s no better place to escape than here. Even if I’m only on planet for a few days, I make sure to get out on the sand early in the morning and swim or lie in the sun. It’s peaceful and helps me clear my mind so I can focus on the tasks at hand when I return home.”

“It sounds like a great place to relax and get away from it all. I love coming to Laguna. I can see why you love it here.”

“Where do you like to spend time off your ship?”

“Hmmm, mostly on Ossun, at Vivian’s farm.”

“The one she purchased at auction?”

“Yeah, I love it there. I never used to spend time on planets as a kid. It was a rare treat to be off the home ship. But now, the place is starting to feel like a home, a place I belong. It’s too bad my room there is a literal closet.” I chuckle as I finish my rice. “It’s not like I’ll ever be able to afford land there, but I’d love to live close to Vivian, raise our kids together.” I stare off at the stars in the sky above. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s a dumb dream.”

“It’s not a dumb dream.” His voice is gentle, the opposite of the all-business lawyer in the courtroom. “If that’s what will make you happy, then that’s what you should work towards.”

I like Declan already, and not just for his hot body and face that would set panties on fire at one hundred paces. He’s a wonderful conversationalist and has good taste too. There has to be some kind of catch.

I’m always suspicious.

“Do you spend a lot of time on Rio?” he asks, shifting the conversation back to me. “I saw you won the Bridge Tournament with Takemo Diaz.”

My eyes search out Takemo, and he’s across the pool with Nisrine and Carlos, sitting in the cabanas. He must sense me watching him because he turns and smiles in my direction. I wave to him, and he lifts his chin.

I’m not sure what to make of him.

“Is he a part of your network?” Declan sits back in his chair and finishes his drink. A server comes by and removes our plates.

“I have no fucking idea.” I return to sipping my wine. “The man hates me one moment and then tags along with everything I do the next. He is baffling.”

“Ah, I know this one well. Too many of my clients have been the same way.”

“What way is that?”

“Oh, he’s in denial.” Declan touches his chin for a moment as he examines Takemo from a distance. “Possibly close to coming out of it, by the looks of him.”

“What about you?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “Definitely not in denial, though that seems to be the safe space for most men when confronted by a gorgeous and confident woman.”

I throw my head back and laugh. “Your flirting game is a crime. I could have you arrested for that.”

“I know an excellent lawyer who’ll get me out.”

Okay, not only is Declan hot and smart, he’s also funny. Check, check, check.

So, I’ve gotta wonder, why me?

I sip the last of my wine. “Takemo is not in my network. At least right now. Marcelo seems to think this will change, but I’m not sure. And let’s be real here, okay?”

His poker face is strong. It must come from all the time spent in court, where even the slightest facial expressions can give you away.

“You are a wildly handsome and successful lawyer with, what, two houses on two planets?”

“Three on two, actually. I own land, yes.”

“Right. So, why pursue me? You could hitch your ride to just about any star in business or entertainment and do a hell of a lot better.”

He says nothing.

“Come on. I want to know.”

Saif appears at the table with two drinks. “I saw you were both out.” He hands another gin and tonic to Declan and a glass of wine to me.

“Thanks, love,” I say to him, and he smiles as he walks away.

Declan is quiet for a moment as he watches Saif return to the bar.

“There’s something to be said for attraction at first sight,” he begins, leaning forward. “You walked into Ken Mata’s office before the trial like you had all the confidence in the universe about your place in it. You believed in me and my abilities right off the bat and then stomped around the office in your flight boots before waving and leaving without so much as a question.” He points at me. “You’re the kind of woman who intrigues me. I looked at Ken and he said, ‘That one is trouble of the best kind.’”

This makes me laugh and roll my eyes.

“I’ve been watching you ever since. You handled another hijacking, a trek through the desert that almost killed you and Kalvin, and now a family blowing up all over the Duo Systems.”

I wince at this. I have done everything I can to keep this under wraps, but it looks like I’ll need to do damage control soon enough.

“Well, I’m not really handling it in the best way.”

“You had Dominic arrested on Rio. He deserves to be in jail for the rest of his damned life, and you know it.” Declan’s eyes are intense.

I swallow and fear crawls up my spine.

“How do you know it?”

He relaxes a bit, his shoulders slouching. “I’ve seen a million men just like him. Men who don’t understand how good we have it after what the Brazilianos military did to our systems. We would be extinct now if it weren’t for the revolution and the development of relationship networks. We need more people like you, not less.”

I watch my fingers drum on the table.

“But, I don’t want to make the night about your struggles. I’ve gotten an overview of them from Marcelo, and I’d like to talk in more detail about this tomorrow. Will you and your network come to my house for some beach time and dinner?”

I grab my glass of wine and stand up. “Let’s go talk to Saif and Kalvin and see if we can make the plans happen.”

As we approach Saif talking to Lia and Eduardo, Eduardo touches Lia’s arm, says good night, and leaves.

“Was it something I did?” I ask Lia, jokingly. I lean past her to watch Eduardo make his way through the house to the front door.

“Oh, no. He has an early morning tomorrow or something.” She shrugs. “An interesting man, but honestly, nothing special.”

“Really? What did you learn tonight?”

“That real estate is boring, and he doesn’t have much of a personality to make up for it.”

I nod. “You are a shrewd woman.”

“I need to be.” She lifts her chin. “That’s what Vivian taught me.”

“Who did you say he was?” Declan asks.

“Eduardo Ribeiro, a real estate developer. He’s in town to scout out properties for development.” Lia shrugs. “Nice enough guy as long as he doesn’t talk about real estate. I’m sure we’ll see him around. He has a lot of places in Paloma to see.”

“Anyway,” I chime in, “everyone, this is Declan Sanches. Declan, this is Lia, one of my long-time friends and employees. And you’ve met Saif.”

Lia’s eyes shine as she takes in Declan. I wonder if he realizes most women undress him with their minds. I want to reach out and cover Lia’s eyes.

“Over there are Carlos, my head of tech, and Nisrine, my ship engineer.” I point to them lounging on chairs and drinking beers together.

Takemo and Kalvin join us.

“And, of course, you know Kalvin, but have you met Takemo Diaz?”

“No,” Declan says, extending a hand to Takemo. “It’s nice to meet you.”

They shake, and Takemo looks Declan over from his hair down before nodding.

“You’re the lawyer who got the Amagi back from the military, right?”

“Yes, that was me.” I smile at Declan, and he returns it.

“You argued in court like a master. Ken Mata is lucky to have you on his payroll.”

“Well, I think my job prospects are changing for the foreseeable future. If Ms. Kawabata will have me, that is.”

I open my mouth and shut it again. I’ll have him. One hundred percent. But I’m not jumping into bed with him until he knows the whole truth. I glance at Carlos across the pool. Tomorrow he needs to get on the case with those backups.

“Good.” Takemo nods. “We need someone like you.”

We? What is this ‘we’ business?

“I should head to bed. I have meetings at four A.M. I need to attend.” Takemo checks his watch. “It’s always a pain to be an entire system away, but I’ll make it work. Night, everyone.”

He turns to go, but no. I need to stop this now before it gets out of hand.

“Excuse me,” I say to everyone. “Talk and I’ll be back.”