Chapter 81

Catherine gave him her hand, but instead of shaking it, he turned it up and kissed it as Joe was saying, "Her name is Catherine Chandler, be nice to her, or I will assign her to someone else."

"Oh I intend to be very nice to her. We are going to get along just great, aren't we Cathy?"

"Possibly, Mr. Radler, but I would like my hand back," Catherine told him a little coolly.

He released it with another smile and told Joe to get lost so they could get settled at her desk. Then he gave her a run down on the cases he was currently working on. He started handing her files and telling her what needed to be done on them. As soon as he finished he cheerfully told her he had to run, to interview a witness, but he would be back in an hour.

Catherine gasped, "You just gave me two days worth of work! You don't expect me to be done by the time you get back do you?"

"Nah, but I thought Maxwell's savior could get that done in a day…you disappoint me Radcliff!"

With a mild glare at him Catherine dug in to the work and was startled when a hand holding a sandwich appeared in her line of vision. "Sorry I took longer than I said, but I brought you lunch to make up for it."

She looked up to see the smiling face of Jeff Radler and then at the clock over his shoulder. "Noon already? I hadn't realized! I have three of the files you gave me finished Mr. Radler…"

"Call me Jeff; it's so much nicer if we're going to be friends. Don't you agree Cathy?"

"I guess so, Jeff. Any way these three are finished, but I am going to have to visit the library for some of the rest of this stuff."

"Okay, why don't we eat and get to know each other some, then I can show you the dusty old book room when we're done."

She nodded her agreement as she unwrapped the ham and cheese sandwich he'd brought her. Catherine conceded that he was a good looking guy, but he had three deep scars marring his left cheek. She couldn't help but wonder how he got them.

"So Cathy, how is it that a beautiful, smart lady like you is still single?" Jeff broke into her thoughts to ask.

Knowing that it would be hard to try and explain a fiancé that no one would ever see, she chose instead to give a safe answer, "I was engaged, but broke it off a couple months ago."

"Discovered he was cheating on you?"

"No," she answered.

"That he was gay?"

"No!" this one was a bit sharper.

"Running a crime syndicate from the back seat of his chauffer driven limousine?"

"With an imagination like that, you should be writing fiction instead of practicing law!"

He grinned at her, "Hey that's something I've never tried! I'll keep it in mind."

Shaking her head at his ambiguous comments, she turned the tables on him and asked, "How long have you lived in New York Jeff?

An odd look came over his face and as he hesitated Catherine thought he was going to find some way to avoid the question. Then suddenly he grinned like a Cheshire cat and blithely told her, "I was born and raised here, then at the grand old age of fourteen I struck out on my own. I've traveled to, and lived in different places all over the world, but I guess this will always be 'home' since I've found my way back here."

Before he could get a question off to her, she quickly followed up on what he had said, "Did you look up your family when you got back?"

Again the odd look was back and this time his hand seemed to inadvertently find its way to his scarred cheek. She had just enough time to wonder if abuse had been the reason he'd run away from home when he said, "Actually I haven't been back that long and I've been busy settling into a new job and apartment. I just hadn't had the time."

"Surely Joe lets you have a day off now and then?" she chuckled. "How had would it be to just drive by the old place and see if the lights were on?"

He chuckled too and replied, "Harder that you'd think. But I wanted to get to know you better, and you've been asking all the questions. Why don't you go out to dinner with me this evening to make it up to me?" he asked with a charming smile.

To be continued….