Evie chuckled. “Loretta and I drew up lists of potential candidates. We gave up being logical and went with someone who has a big bubble and a rainbow aura. Larraine Ward has outside clout that Clancy can’t even begin to wield in his small-minded territorialism. We were sitting with Desmond Redfern, a bit-time campaign manager from Atlanta.”
“AndMissWard is known to the locals as Larry?”
She heard his skepticism and shrugged. “Gender has no business in politics.”
“Agreed, but this is a small town, and it does. If I want to keep on the good side of the courthouse and its cronies, I’ll have to move into my office and pretend I don’t know you.”
Evie stiffened. “Your call.” She’d probably have to kill him if he sided with Clancy. Or evict him. “You have an office?”
“I am now officially a local businessman.” Jax dropped an arm over her shoulders. “I hate politics. What was Roark’s message about Swenson?SenatorSwenson?”
She relaxed a fraction, although she still frowned. She didn’t like hurting Jax’s new business. She probably should have considered that—if he’d bothered telling her he was starting one. “I’ll let R&R have the pleasure of explaining. They did the footwork. Roark helped me deliver a turtle house to Ariel today. Did you give her a turtle? She’s like a kid with a new toy. She even came out of her cave to show us where she wanted it.”
“Turtles need houses?” Despite his sarcasm, he sounded pleased.
“Probably not.” His arm around her stirred sensations best left unstirred. She stepped away at the town’s one stoplight as they crossed the road. “But if she regularly puts food inside the house, the turtle is less likely to wander off. We put it near a camera so she can watch. I was amazed that she didn’t hide when Roark showed up.”
It had been fun watching them. Roark had pretended he was just a delivery driver doing his job, ignoring Ariel. Ariel had surreptitiously watched his every move while pointing out what she wanted. She’d eventually fled inside, but for Ariel, it had been a breakthrough.
“He acted as her taxi driver a few times. She’s seen him with me. He’s not a total stranger.” Jax slowed down as he passed an office building and gestured. “My new office is in there. I’ll need furniture.”
She wasn’t entirely certain how she felt about him setting up business in Afterthought, but her pulse responded by racing. “I suppose clients here won’t be any more wicked than in the city.”
“And a few of them might even be innocent,” he countered wryly. “I’ve mostly done fraud research, with a little family law on the side, though. I’m not a defense attorney. I suppose boring, safe stuff will leave me time to look after Loretta’s affairs.”
“And Loretta?” she added, just to see if he understood the kid needed a father figure.
“I’m not good with kids, but I’ll be here. It’s the best I can offer.”
Elated that the uptight lawyer accepted that much responsibility, Evie tugged him to a halt and smooched his bristled jaw.
Jax responded by pulling her into his arms and kissing her—a real kiss and not a pacifying kiss. A kiss that burned right through her middle and had his aura shooting sparks. A kiss that let her feel every hard inch of him and wonder if his office had room for a bed.
“I’ll help you find furniture,” she said breathlessly when he finally set her down and dragged her onward while they both caught their breaths.
He responded by yanking out the clamp holding her hair in place, tumbling her curls into her face. “That was an impressive act back there, but you don’t have to pretend with me.”
Evie ran her hands through the mop, massaging her head after the tight bun. “I didn’t want to shame Miss Ward by looking like a ragamuffin. I had to borrow the clothes from Prissy. I should probably try harder to look normal for Loretta’s sake, shouldn’t I?”
“Nope. Only do it if it makes you feel better. You’d even look good in one of those overstuffed quilted parkas.” He returned his arm to her shoulders.
“That’s because, underneath that control freak exterior, you have an absurdist streak that enjoys abnormal. Others don’t appreciate weird so well. If I mean to get respect and run a successful business, I probably ought to practice normal.” Evie tried to decide if she liked his proprietary arm. Mostly, she enjoyed the buzz of having a hot hunk this close. His square shoulders were twice her size.
He laughed. “You think you ought to dress normal for a ghost-busting business?”
She shrugged, more interested in his news. “So you bought Norton’s practice?”
He squeezed her shoulders. “Yes, I am now the impoverished owner of a once-successful law practice. Do I need to dress normal, too?”
“Depends on who you want for clients. If you want rich people, yup, sorry. You’ll probably have to join a Charleston country club too. Otherwise, wear Birkenstocks and let your hair grow out and the rest of us won’t care.”
“That’s small-town attitude. In Savannah, some of the richest people I know looked as if they’d just dragged in from a box car. I grew up with suits, so it makes no difference to me. Give me some hint about Swenson. Roark is likely to be unavailable when we get back.”
“You sweet-talker, you. How likely is it that someone from a sheriff’s office would call to verify I’m a client of Stockton’s and ask for my address to sign a statement?”
Sensing his sudden tension, she didn’t bother tuning in to his aura. She could read him without her extra sense these days.
“Not likely. The police should have better things to pursue—unless they have someone breathing down their necks. I gave them an address. They shouldn’t need more.” He muttered a few obscenities under his breath and picked up speed.