Blackjack and Moonlight: A Contemporary Romance (42 page)

Leaving Jack for her flight had been excruciating not because of Peggy’s heart attack but because Elise must have worried she’d never see him again. She understood now why she didn’t like leaving people.

People. Men. That clicked—all those guys she’d dated, some she’d even liked. Every single one of them had conveniently “left” before she could feel more for them than she cared to. She’d never needed to break up with any of them, either. They just stopped—no, that wasn’t right.

Elise traced a pattern on her tablecloth. The men hadn’t left, exactly. They’d given up. They might have been the ones leaving, but she hadn’t given them much reason to stay. They all dumped her—no, she was getting it wrong again. She would date a guy, have fun, then when he pushed for something more, more of a commitment, something, the relationship ended. Elise would stop returning phone calls, work would get busy, something. Eventually, the guys gave up or left or whatever.

Christ. Good thing Jack had fallen in love with her at first sight, because she certainly didn’t give men much time to decide if they even liked her. Of course, Jack was a colossus compared to the frat-boy types she’d dated before him. No wonder she kept insisting she was a beer-in-the-cheap-seats sort of date. Her attitude to romance was firmly stuck in sophomore year of college.

Jack. Elise choked back a half-laugh, half-sob at the thought of his patience with her. Poor guy. She’d never given him a chance, had she? She’d been so certain he was going to leave her that she made it impossible for him to stay. Well, he was gone now, probably for good.
Good going, Elise
.

Her head shot up. She was doing it again, wasn’t she? Pushing a man out of her life, then convincing herself that he hadn’t really wanted her after all. Because, if he’d wanted her—if her parents had really wanted her—they wouldn’t have left her on her own.

Only this was Jack McIntyre, not a frat boy. Hell, he wasn’t even like her parents, who had loved her but couldn’t figure out how to reassure her. Or Tom, who’d rejected Peggy, not a seven-year-old girl who just got caught in the adult crossfire. No way had Jack fallen out of love with her in, what—one week? Not her Blackjack, her superhero Boy Scout—fidelity was in his DNA.

Elise grabbed her keys and dashed out of the house before she could think twice. It was ninety-something in the shade but who the hell cared. Philadelphia was half-asleep on a dusty, end-of-summer Sunday. There was very little traffic, even on Broad Street. She ran to his house in Society Hill, arriving overheated, drenched with sweat and frankly disreputable in her doing-the-laundry shorts and tank top.

He wouldn’t care, though. He loved her.

Blackjack McIntyre
loved
Elise Carroll.

She grinned in relief.

Two minutes later, Elise revised that statement. Blackjack McIntyre might love her but he wasn’t home to confirm that.

She patted her pockets. No phone. No money, either.
Crap.

Nothing to do but walk back home. Twenty sweltering blocks in which to decide what her best move was. And as much as she wanted to phone him the moment she got inside her house, find him, glue herself to him, she hesitated. There was a principle at stake. She needed to do something huge to demonstrate she’d turned a corner and wasn’t ever going back.

First thing Monday morning, Elise called Brenda, Jack’s secretary. Not a pleasant conversation at first, as Brenda made it very clear it was damned uncomfortable working around his honor since the wedding and that they all blamed Elise.

Elise apologized profusely, then told Brenda what she needed, swearing her to secrecy. Brenda put her on hold while one of Jack’s law clerks made the necessary arrangements for later in the day.

When she got off the phone, Elise’s heart felt like a drum corps had taken up residence. She glanced down at her navy dress. She fingered her pearls.

If this worked, she would get another chance to show Jack that a well-dressed lawyer kept her pearls on, even while naked in chambers.

Elise left her office and headed for the elevator, her eyes fixed on her watch. She’d timed it just right. She could get to the courthouse with enough time to go through security and up to the tenth floor and into his courtroom without running into anyone.

She nearly slammed into Geoff.

“Okay, you win.” His voice was solemn. She looked up. There was a sly grin on his face.

“What?” Elise was confused.

“Kim will be back next week.”

“Great,” Elise said, reaching around him to press the down button.

“Don’t you want to know if you still have a job?”

Elise looked up at the indicator lights. She needed an elevator now. “Not especially. But if you want to tell me…”

The elevator doors opened and she walked in, then turned to press the button for the lobby. Geoff was staring at her. Finally he put his hand on the elevator door edge to keep it from closing.

“What’s more important than your job here?” he asked.

She grinned at him. “True love.” She pushed his hand off the door so it could close.

“All rise,” Tony said in his basso profundo voice.

Jack walked across to the bench. He had papers in front of him, but he’d had no time to read them. Just as the clerk’s office was closing, they’d called up with an emergency hearing. Brenda had told him that he was needed in court immediately to rule on a request for a temporary restraining order, his first TRO hearing.

He looked up. There was no one at the plaintiff’s table, which made no sense. Jack looked over at Ms. Riley, who was in the clerk’s seat. Before he could say anything to her, though, someone stood and walked over to stand at the defendant’s table. Elise. Jack was still struggling to process the sight of her when she addressed the court.

“Your Honor, my name is Elise Carroll, and I’m here today to seek an emergency ruling by this Court.”

She was wearing that navy blue dress, the one with the buttons. He also recognized the pearls. She looked—she looked like heaven. Like a dream, that sad one that woke him when it didn’t end well.

Thank God for a judicial demeanor.

“Proceed, Ms. Carroll,” he said slowly.

“Some months ago, Your Honor saw fit to recuse yourself from hearing a case in which I was counsel of record.”

“Yes.”

“If I may, I’d like to refer to the transcript of that hearing.”

Jack couldn’t tell where she was going with this, but there was no way he wasn’t along for the ride. “Counsel may proceed.”

“‘The Court: In compliance with the canon of judicial ethics, I must recuse myself from hearing this case because I am in love with counsel for the defendant.’ Does Your Honor recall making that statement?”

Jack could hear the court reporter snickering, and, sure enough, Ms. Riley was grinning from ear to ear. As well she should, he thought viciously, given how bad his temper had been recently. Seeing Elise in his court improved his disposition immensely, but he was still guarded.

“Yes, Ms. Carroll, I recall making that statement. Do you have a point here? Because the Court is very busy.”

“Yes, Your Honor, I do have a point. If I may refer to one additional item from the transcript?”

“If you must,” Jack said in his best bored judge voice. He couldn’t read her expression. Should he be happy or very, very nervous?

“‘The Court: Have you never heard of love at first sight, Ms. Carroll? Ms. Carroll: Love at first sight is about as real as the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus.’” Elise looked up from the copy of the transcript she was holding. “Do you recall that exchange, Your Honor?”

“I realize now I should have held you in contempt of court. Don’t give me a second bite at that apple, Ms. Carroll,” he warned in a mock growl.

She never looked away. She even looked respectful, although that could be a trick of the light.

“No, Your Honor, I won’t. May it please the Court, I request the chance to change my position on the matter.”

Jack’s eyes widened. Did she mean—?

“What position would counsel care to take today?”

She put down the transcript and clasped her hands. “I was wrong. I would ask this Court to take judicial notice that love at first sight is not a myth. I’m further prepared to stipulate that you did fall in love with me on that occasion, although I reserve the right to question your personal wisdom in doing so.”

“Be careful, Ms. Carroll. You know that only the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court have the right to question this Court’s reasoning.”

She grinned at him, unrepentant. “I stand corrected, Your Honor.”
Minx.

He stared at her, waiting for her next outrageous remark. But her eyes had softened in appeal, and he took pity on her. “Why are you really here, Elise?”

She glanced at the court reporter. “I want it on the record. I’m in love with you, Jack McIntyre. I’m sorry I lack your judicial wisdom and farsightedness. I’m sorry it took me six months to see what you saw in six seconds. So sue me, I’m slow.”

Ms. Riley and the court reporter laughed. Jack could feel his lips twitch.

Elise went on, “May it please the Court, will Your Honor marry me? And by ‘marry me’ I don’t mean officiate at my wedding—you’ll need to get one of your colleagues to do that—but will you take me as your wife, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, as long as we both shall live?”

“Nothing in there about ‘obey,’ I notice.” He clenched his jaw to keep from grinning.

“I believe once we’re married the Court will no longer have the power to compel my obedience by threatening to find me in contempt. At least not officially,” she observed.

“You came here seeking the Court’s indulgence, Ms. Carroll, so don’t push your luck.”

“No, Your Honor.” She flashed that heart-stopping smile.

“The Court will take your proposal under advisement.” Jack signaled to the reporter to turn off the tape. “Counsel, approach.”

Elise came over to the side of the bench. Jack leaned over and kissed her. “Are you sure?”

“Completely. I want a future with you and no one else. I’ll settle for nothing less.”

“What happened to change your mind?”

She looked sheepish. “Long story. My mother called me yesterday. Turns out I took their divorce rather harder than I knew. I guess it left me ill-equipped to see how marriages work. Will you forgive me for letting you leave, Jack? I was an idiot.”

He shook his head. “Not an idiot, Elise. Never that.”

“Could I have your answer on the record, though?”

He gaped at her. He had to accept a proposal of marriage on the record? Was none of their romance to be private? Then she turned on that smile, the one he couldn’t resist.

“You really are outrageous,” he whispered.

“Yes, Judge.”

“Stand back.”

She went back to the defense table.

“We’re on the record. In the matter of—” He looked down at the papers, read the caption, and groaned. “Really, Elise? Oh all right, I’ll say it out loud. In the matter of
The Estate of Matt Tree-Moany
, this Court finds that petitioner’s request is granted.”

A surprising number of people cheered. Jack looked over. In addition to Tony in his usual spot by the door to chambers, Brenda and Mr. Alexander were standing there. All of them had sappy grins on their faces. And—yes, Judge King and Judge Williams had inserted themselves into the cluster. Jack supposed he should be thankful he didn’t have the entire Third Circuit in his courtroom.