“I am,” she says, nodding as if the words further her resolve. “Anyway, I wanted you to meet someone.” She turns to me and puts out a hand with a flourish. “This is Dean Chapman, the lawyer I mentioned. Dean, meet my father, Larry Bailey.”

“Good to meet you, sir. You’re a legend in the legal community.”

He folds his newspaper in half and wedges it under his arm before accepting my outstretched hand. “Too bad I’m not a legend to my own daughter.”

“Sorry?” I ask.

He rolls his eyes. “She wants nothing to do with Baxter Media, a fact that breaks my heart.”

“I’d have to be a glutton for punishment to work with you,” she says with a smile. “Hard pass.” Then she tilts her head as though she’s working through an idea. “But I have it on good authority that there’s an amazing lawyer in DC who’s both skilled at media work and a champion for pro bono service. Sounds like someone you might want to consider adding to your staff.” She winks at me. “Just a thought.”

Larry Bailey swings his gaze between Kimberly and me, glances at the box at my feet on the pavement, then purses his lips as if the suggestion isn’t entirely preposterous. “Despite your current situation, a recommendation from my daughter means a lot. She rarely gives them. And given what my daughter did, I’d be the last person to say that lying about a relationship is necessarily disqualifying.” He pulls the newspaper out from under his arm and slaps it against his thigh. “Send me your résumé. We’ll talk.” Then he rounds the hood of the SUV and climbs into the driver’s seat.

“Take care, Dean,” Kimberly says, her hand on the passenger-side door latch. “Maybe I’ll see you again soon.”

“Stranger things have happened,” I say. “Most of them in the last month.”

She gives me a two-finger salute before she enters the SUV, then lowers her window to wave goodbye. “Good luck with Solange. I hope you get the answer you’re hoping for.”

“So do I, Kimberly. So do I. And good luck with Nia,” I tell her. “I hope you get the answer you deserve.”

Meanwhile, I’m mentally ditching my old life plan. Solange is it for me. Once I make amends with her, everything else will fall into place. Or not. Thing is, if I’m destined to stumble, I’d rather do it with Solange by my side. So as soon as she returns from Vegas, I’ll tell her exactly how I feel and beg her for another chance.

Chapter Thirty-One

Solange

“We’re such a disappointment,” I tell Brandon as I snuggle into the comforter in our double room at the Mirage. “We should be on the casino floor playing slots or something. I even went to the bank and got two rolls of quarters.”