Be My Baby

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter One

“The forecast for Erie, Pennsylvania, calls for lake-effect snow. We’re expecting anywhere from twelve to more than eighteen inches in the snowbelt tonight. Just another snowy Erie winter. It’s good to know that some things never change…”

Change.

Amelia Gallagher switched off the radio with a bit more force than was required. She could do with a change. But it looked like what she was getting was more snow.

A lot more snow.

“If you keep glaring like that, you’re going to scare away the paying customers,” Larry Mackenzie said as he walked into Wagner, McDuffy, Chambers and Donovan law firm.

She watched him as he stomped his feet on the entryway floor, leaving a small pile of snow on the carpet.

Mac was easy on the eyes. As a matter of fact, some might say the phrase tall, dark and handsome had been invented with him in mind. But Amelia knew the truth. Her mother used to say pretty is as pretty does, and what Larry Mackenzie did best was annoy her.

Of course, she did her best to annoy him right back.

He didn’t feel the name Larry inspired the type of confidence an attorney should inspire, so he preferred being called Mac, which is precisely why Amelia said, “Larry—”

“Mac,” he corrected her for the millionth time.

Amelia hid a smile as she continued. “You’re making a mess on the floor and I’m not cleaning it up.”

He scowled, which cheered her considerably.

She handed him a number of memos. “You’ve had three messages from a Kim Lindsay while you were at court. She says to call her right away.”

He glanced at the top paper she handed him and studied the name a moment. “Lindsay…Kim Lindsay? It doesn’t ring a bell. Did she say what it was about?”

Amelia shrugged. “Listen, I just take the messages, I don’t get an autobiography. You probably met her at a bar last week and have forgotten her already.”

“The only bar I attended was a Bar Mitzvah for Mark’s kid.”

“Funny, Larry.”

That was the thing about Larry Mackenzie—he thought he was funny.

Come to think of it, most people agreed with him. But Amelia didn’t, although she could think of a number of descriptions she did feel suited him.

Annoying.

Egotistical.

Frustrating.

Cavalier.

Annoying…oh, she’d already thought that.

Gorgeous, if a woman was into superficial looks…which Amelia wasn’t. It’s just sometimes she forgot she wasn’t and couldn’t help but enjoy the view.

Like right now, as he stood, laughing because he thought he’d verbally bested her with his Bar Mitzvah comment…if he was anyone else, she’d have to say that twinkle of humor in his eye was endearing.

But endearing wasn’t one of the words she’d ever use to describe Larry Mackenzie.

To clear her head of such inappropriate thoughts, she stared at the puddle he left on the floor with his unstomped shoes.

There. She felt better.

Larry was annoying.

Egotistical.

She sighed as she realized that she was just recycling terms. She’d just have to spend the rest of her day thinking up other appropriate adjectives—non-gorgeous ones—to describe Larry Mackenzie. It wouldn’t do to run out of them if she needed them.

“Listen, if you can’t manage calling me Mac, maybe you should call me Mr. Mackenzie?”

“Or maybe I should simply call you—”

She couldn’t think of a barb to end the sentence with, but thankfully, Larry would never know because at the moment, Elias Donovan, the firm’s newest partner, walked into the building and said, “Tsk, tsk, tsk, kids. If you’re going to fight, I’m going to have to put you in separate corners.”

He’d kicked off most of the snow outside on the steps, which was considerate, unlike some people who didn’t care how much work they made for others.

“Separate is always good, at least when it comes to Larry and me,” she said.

Mac, without saying another word, stalked up the stairs toward his office.

“Do you have to pick on him like that?” Donovan asked.

“No. I also don’t have to floss every day, but I like my teeth and hope to keep them, so I do. Just like I enjoy needling Mac and would hate to lose my edge.”

Donovan laughed as he started up the stairs to his office. He turned and added, “In case I forget later, call me if you need a ride Monday, okay? Your car won’t make it out of the drive if the storm hits.”

“Thanks, Donovan,” Amelia said.

Donovan was a nice guy…unlike some other people in this firm.