I suddenly remembered Carter would be there, and my mood improved drastically. I’d taken an instant liking to him when he’d spoken about his niece. He was obviously close to his family too. I usually tended to see the best in everyone, but I didn’t think I was so far off base with Carter.

Of course, those piercing hazel eyes and overall delicious package might cloud my judgment.

I smiled as we all sat at the table, ready to dig in. My ranch-style home always felt too big, except during Friday dinners.

When I’d bought the land and built the house on it, I might have been overly optimistic about my love life. It was that optimism that had gotten my heart into trouble so many times.

I wasn’t giving up on love, but I did plan on taking things easier. Much easier.

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Carter

“Come on, man. It’s Friday night,” Anthony said. “Stay for one more round of drinks.”

“Yeah, the next round is on me,” Zachary added.

They were my partners at Sloane & Partners. We’d taken out our entire team of twelve for drinks, to celebrate the move to the new office.

“Have fun. I need to get home to the girls.”

There were several boos from the team, but I shook my head, smiling.

“You should bring them too,” someone said.

“At a bar?”

“We can move to a restaurant.”

“I promised I’d watch a movie with them.”

“Awww... that’s so sweet.” That was Ashley, one of our interns.

Zachary shuddered. “Ashley! Don’t say that in public. Imagine if word went out that the great Carter Sloane’s employees call him sweet? His reputation would be ruined. Our entire business would collapse.”

Clients flocked to us because we had a great track record. They trusted my ability and work ethic, and appreciated my no-nonsense attitude.

“Hey, who knows? It could be a unique selling proposition. Most people think lawyers are soulless robots,” Ashley volleyed back.

“Could be true,” I said.

“Nah, boss. You’re not fooling anyone,” Ashley said.

I liked to think I was the kind of boss everyone liked. I was ruthless when I had to be, but I liked the casual atmosphere. The law business was exhausting as it was. We could all do without the additional pressure of a stressful office life.

As I waved goodbye to everyone, I caught Zachary eyeing Ashley suggestively. I cocked a brow, motioning him to follow me. Once we were far enough from the group, I went straight to business.

“No fucking around at the office.”

Zachary set his jaw. “I know the rules.”

“You weren’t looking at Ashley as if you were planning to follow the rules. Employees are off-limits.” My tone was harsh, but I wanted to get my point across. Even though we’d been friends since law school, rules were rules.

“Understood.”

“Good. Have fun.”