The waitress returned with his drink, but before he could ask her anything, he saw Sara heading toward him. A simple, sleeveless cream-colored blouse was tucked into the slim waist of her jeans, and her blond hair seemed slightly wilder than he remembered her wearing it. Longer, too, skimming her shoulders. She looked so beautiful.

He started to rise but she waved for him to stay seated. To his amazement, his heart beat faster the closer she got to him. That hadn’t happened since he was twenty. In court, at times, while awaiting a verdict. But he hadn’t been this attracted to a woman since…

Since that damn kiss.

“Traffic was brutal,” she said as she pulled out a chair and gracefully sat down. “I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”

“Just got here. And I’m early.” He’d forgotten how much he liked her lilting Southern accent. Not too pronounced. Soothing. Which was odd, because accents generally annoyed him.

She glanced at her watch, frowned and then promptly lowered her wrist and smiled. “Interesting place, huh?”

“That’s an understatement.”

She looked past him, her gaze narrowing as it flitted around.

“It’s got a lot of energy.” He caught their waitress’s eye as she served drinks at another table and she gave him a nod.

“I’ll say.”

“You seem surprised.”

She shifted, clearly uncomfortable, but only shrugged a shoulder. “I was getting my hair done when you called and I asked my hairdresser for a recommendation.”

“Ah. I like it.”

“What?”

“Your hair.”

“Oh.” She absently tugged at a curl that wound its way toward her cheek. “Not my usual.”

“No,” he agreed. At work she’d always worn her hair in a sleeker style, one he normally preferred on women. But this sexy tousled look suited her heart-shaped face and contradicted those clear, innocent blue eyes. “So where do you usually go?”

“Me?”

He smiled. “Yes.”

Sara gave a self-deprecating shake of her head, her lips curving. “I don’t go out much.”

He found that hard to believe. She had to have a lot of dates. “Really?”

She briefly met his eyes and then turned her attention to the waitress who’d finally shown up. Sara ordered white wine, and then changed her mind and asked for a frozen margarita. “Dakota got me hooked on those,” she said as the waitress walked away. “How is she, by the way?”

“Great. Busy as usual.”

Sara’s gaze narrowed. “So what are you doing in Atlanta?”

“Representing a client.”

“I didn’t think you ever left New York.”

He smiled. Basically, that was true.

“Seriously. I would’ve thought you’d have sent Matthew or Sterling.”

“Yes, well…” Of course he should have. Everyone in the office was probably wondering the same thing. Dakota had been the only one to call him on his decision to come himself. She’d even had the nerve to ask if Sara was the reason. As if he’d let his personal feelings influence a professional decision. “The guy I’m representing…his father is an important client and he’s called in a favor. His son’s gotten himself into a little trouble that’s become too public.”

She seemed to tense, her pink-tinted lips tightening as she leaned forward. “Anyone I would know?”

The local papers had already run the story so it wasn’t a matter of maintaining confidentiality. Her reaction, however, made him hesitate. He shook it off. What difference could it possibly make? “Harrison Manning Junior.”

“Ah.” She relaxed back in her chair. “I read something about him in the newspaper. He’ll never see the inside of a courtroom.”

“Not if I do my job,” he said, confused at the flash of anger in her eyes. “Do you know him?”

“He’s in the Journal a lot. This isn’t the first time he’s gotten himself in a mess.”

That was news to him. “Really?” Cody picked up his drink and took a sip while studying her over the rim, his curiosity piqued. This was supposed to be a slam dunk case.

She blushed a pretty pink, then shook her head. “I don’t really know. It’s just gossip.”

He decided he didn’t want to talk about Harrison Manning Junior. “What have you been doing?” he asked. “Since you got back.”

She looked down at her hands, then back at him. “Still temping.”

That surprised and annoyed him. She was too talented to still be drifting. “Dakota tells me you’ve taken some law classes…”

She nodded and then picked up one of the menus the hostess had left. “Have you had a look at this, yet?”

“She also told me that you’d caught a couple of significant errors in—”

She looked up, clearly flustered. “Are you trying to recruit me?”

“I thought I was making small talk.”

Sighing, she sank back. “Sorry. I had a bad day. Traffic. You know…”

“Well, since you brought it up, how would you like to assist me while I’m here? Thirty percent over whatever we paid you in New York.”

Her gaze met his, her blue eyes narrowing in alarm. Her lips, pink and glistening from a slow swipe of her tongue, parted slightly. “I already have a job this week.”

“Hey, that’s fine. That’s good. Just thought I’d…” He picked up his menu and pretended to read it. He had to stop staring at Sara before he said or did something stupid again. What if she’d accepted his ridiculous offer? Where had that come from, anyway? He’d always kept his social and professional life separate.

That was the problem. He didn’t know what he wanted from Sara. His whole attraction to her was weird. Sure she was gorgeous, but they basically had nothing in common. It wasn’t like college, where he felt free to pursue any woman at any time. Besides the fact that he wasn’t a kid anymore, his career was too important for him to not be discriminating.

“Cody, what are you really doing here?” she asked, breaking into his thoughts, her tone bordering on accusing, as if she’d read his mind.

He reluctantly looked up from the menu. “Excuse me?”

“Come on. Tell me.”

The challenge in her eyes made him smile. “I have a client—”

She tilted her head to the side. “I know why you’re here. I just don’t understand it.”

“Don’t understand what?”

“You barely gave me the time of day when I was in New York.”

“That’s not true.”

“And then that last night—” She briefly looked away, and then stared back with determination, leaning closer, the undersides of her breasts grazing the table. In a low voice, she asked, “What was that about?”

He felt his face flush in embarrassment. He turned to his menu and prayed for a waitress.

“Don’t be defensive. Please. I just don’t understand why you didn’t ask me out months ago.”

He looked up at the change in her tone. There was no accusation, just curiosity, and that he understood. “You were working for the firm.”

She looked him straight in the eyes. “Was that the only reason?”

He shook his head. “Man, I should’ve gone to a Braves’ game.”

“I assume that means I’m not going to get any more out of you, right? Well, that’s okay. I shouldn’t have put you on the spot. As for the Braves, they’re out of town, playing the Cubs. But they’ll be back on Wednesday.”

“You like baseball?”

Her eyes widened. “Doesn’t everyone?”

“Uh, no. You go to the games?”

“Most of them. Are you a Mets’fan by any chance?”

Amazing. She was the only woman he knew who liked baseball. “Hell, yes.”

“I bet you have great season tickets.”

“I don’t have time to go to the games. I try to catch the scores on ESPN.”

“That’s sad,” she said earnestly. “The fun part of baseball is sitting in the stadium with all the noise and eating hot dogs and popcorn. Oh, and I love those big pretzels.”

He smiled at the rapture on her face, at the flash of memory from his college days. Before law school. Before life had gotten so damn complicated. “Don’t forget a tall frosty beer.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I can do without that.”