“No problem. That’s what you pay me for.” Zach saluted and walked quickly toward his own office.

I headed to Moira’s office. The door was closed. I knocked softly.

“Yes?”

“It’s Reid.”

“Come in, Mr. Wolfe.”

I opened the door. Moira didn’t sit behind her desk. Instead, she was seated on her burgundy velvet couch next to Zee.

Zee smiled listlessly when she saw me.

“Hey,” I said. “You okay?”

She nodded, but I wasn’t convinced.

“Zach tells me you were kind of a pit bull in there, Moira,” I said. “Thank you.”

“Not a problem. That detective was way out of line.”

I met Zee’s gaze. “I have to go to a meeting. Do you want me to take you up to the apartment first?”

She shook her head. “I’ll be all right.”

“She can stay with me as long as she wants to. I have some paperwork to do.”

“She doesn’t need a babysitter, Moira.”

Zee laughed softly. “No, I don’t, but Moira seems to know how to calm me down.”

“You remind me of my daughter,” Moira said. “I think the two of you would like each other.”

I looked hurriedly at my watch. “You sure?”

Zee nodded. “I’ll stay here for a little while, since Moira doesn’t mind, and then I’ll ask Rock or Lacey to take me back to your place. Will that work?”

“As long as you’re comfortable. I don’t know how long I’ll be in the meeting, but if you need anything—I mean anything—you call or text me. Got it?”

Zee nodded again, her smile faltering a bit.

I couldn’t help myself. I reached forward and brushed my fingers over her soft cheek. “I’ll be back soon.”

39

Zee

My cheek burned from Reid’s touch.

Moira, still sitting next to me, must have noticed. She’d have had to be blind not to.

“He’s a good man,” she said.

I nodded. “I really don’t know him very well.”

“By that blush on your cheek, I’d say you know him well enough.” She smiled.

“He… I like him a lot. But he looks so much like…”

“His father. Yes, he does. But Reid isn’t his father, Zee. He never was.”

“How long have you worked for the Wolfes?” I asked.

“About ten years,” Moira replied. “I was in private practice for twenty years, and this opportunity kind of stumbled into my lap.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. My daughter—the one you remind me of—did an internship here between her junior and senior year at Columbia. The Wolfes were expanding their legal department at the time, and she suggested I apply.”

“So you did.”

“I did.”

“You must be grateful to her.”