Instead, I climb into bed beside her and hold her.
“So, Christine Lawson, attorney at law. What are you going to do about this scumbag?” I ask encouragingly.
She sniffs and I realize she’s crying. My heart clenches.
I’m going to kill that son of a bitch.
“Honestly, I don’t know. Let’s not forget I was a terrible lawyer.” She chuckles.
I love that she can still find joy even in sadness. “You’re not a terrible lawyer, only for the bad guys. And from where I’m laying, he’s definitely the bad guy in this so I’d say it’s an easy win for you.”
She smiles and puts her arm on top of mine, cuddling closer.
“Thank you, Michael. And thanks for not suggesting to fix it with your money like you usually do. I’m a big girl. I’ve got it.”
“I know you do,” I say, giving her a long kiss on her forehead.
I would buy that entire block for her, but she won’t even let me buy one little building.
Still, I decide to reach out to my assistant to discuss a few possible options if the opportunity presents itself.
“Mr. Crane?” Jason questions sleepily.
It’s 11 p.m. Jason’s job can be a bit demanding since he’s my right-hand man, but I make sure to pay him well above his pay grade. He knows what he needs to do and gets it done. I’m too busy to micromanage, so he’s the right guy for the job. He gets things done, that’s all I care about. It’s still probably a little late to call.
Not everyone’s an insomniac like you, a voice whispers in my ear.
But I’ve gotten better. I manage to get twice as much sleep anytime I’m with Christine at night. It’s like my entire body shuts down much easier when she’s around. I feel much more at ease.
“I’m sorry, Jason. But I need you to do something as soon as possible.”
I quickly tell him the name of the new building owner. Information I managed to get from Christine prior to putting her in an orgasm-induced coma.
I smile at the thought.
“You want me to get you his contact details?” Jason asks.
“Yes, for tomorrow morning.”
I can almost see his eyes widen. “But sir, it’s almost midnight.”
“That means you’ve got at least eight hours to do this. Good luck, Jason,” I say with a small smile.
I really should get him a nice bonus for all his work. I wonder if a vacation for two in Spain would do the trick. He could take his girlfriend. If he has one.
Christine turns in her sleep and I quickly move back into my spot behind her, lest she wake up.
CHAPTER22
CHRISTINE
After my little pep talk with Michael, I feel seen. It reminded me of a time when we were at the county fair and the town’s “mean girls,” Rashida Morgan and her entourage, decided to slut-shame me for dating a Crane. Unless you were one of the elites, getting involved with anyone in the family made you an instant gold-digger.
Matt laughed at their “joke,” but Michael overheard them and asked if I was going to my family’s coffee shop afterwards. The girls were shocked when they found out we owned the most popular coffee shop in town.
“Oh, your family owns that place? I love the cappuccino there. I thought it was a Crane property since they seem to be there all the time,” she’d said.
“We have other reasons for visiting,” he’d said, looking at me.