“Well, he’s a local defense attorney who Brooke accepted into her circle because of how great of a person he is—and he really is.”
“What’s his name?”
“Zac Buchanan.”
“Brooke has mentioned him to me many times. Zac is like a son to her.”
“She told me that too.”
“Did you meet him at court?”
I half-laughed. “No, we met at a bar.”
“What?”
“Last Friday, Brooke invited me to join her and my new teammates for drinks at a bar after work. Zac was standing by our table and talking to Brooke when I came back from using the restroom and that’s when he and I met. It wasn’t the first time that I’d seen him, though.”
“When was the first time?”
“The Saturday before on a running trail that isn’t very far from my house.”
“After you and Zac met, did you mention that you saw him on the trail?”
“I did, and he said he remembered seeing me. We talked about running and several other things, and we were both so surprised by how much we have in common.”
“Other than running, what else is there?”
“Like me, Zac is a huge fan of Hendricks gin. We’re also both of Scottish descent and share the same deep reverence for our ancestry. He also has a four-year-old little boy named Malcolm, believe it or not.”
“Wow on all of that, but especially his son’s name and age. I’m sure that really tugged at your heartstrings. It tugs at mine.”
“Yeah, it did. Still does. I didn’t tell Zac about my Malcolm, though, because it wasn’t the right time.”
“I understand,” Melissa said. Then I heard her sigh.
“What is it?”
“Stevie, my dear friend and Joan of Arc, whom I greatly miss being here… Going by everything that you just told me and also the lightness that I hear in your voice, I can tell you’re interested in Zac.”
“I’m intrigued by him is what I am. He’s such a refreshing soul to be around, but I’m well aware that he’s romantically off-limits to me just like I am to him. Because of that gold band on his finger, it’s more than safe for us to be around each other. Besides, you know me. I’m not the type of woman to pursue a married man and never will be. I’d be the hypocrite of the year if I did that after what I went through with Graham.”
“I’m not worried about you in all of this. But who’s to say Zac wouldn’t try pursuing you? I have no doubt that he’s as intrigued by you as you are by him.”
“He may be, but we will only ever be friends. On top of that, Brooke and I had an in-depth talk about him after we left the bar and it is crystal clear to me that he is not the type of man to be unfaithful to his wife. Not even if his home life is miserable—and his is very miserable.”
“Brooke has never directly said anything to me about it, but I’ve homed in on little comments that she’s made about Zac’s wife over the years. They made me wonder what Zac’s marriage is really like behind the scenes.”
“Well, it’s volatile. His wife, Avery, is an alcoholic and when she starts drinking, she goes after Zac—cussing and yelling at him, clawing him up, hitting him, and throwing things at him. According to Brooke, Zac either just tries to defend himself or hecompletely gets away from Avery. He’s taken Malcolm and left his house before to drive around. He’s gone over to his parents’ house too, to give Avery time to sober up, simmer down, or whatever.”
“That’s really sad, and let me guess… Zac stays in that marriage because of his little boy, right?”
“Yes. He doesn’t wanna have to split custody of him and be a part-time father.”
Melissa sighed again. “Stevie, do meandyourself a favor.”
“Okay.”
“Be cautious of that entire situation.”