Dean looks over at me, his eyes glowing with affection. Well, someone’s a quick study. “It’s okay. The short story is she stopped the wedding just in time. And in the aftermath”—he gently takes my hand and strokes it with his thumb—“I realized the person who truly mattered more than anyone else in the world is Solange.”

What. A. Faker. I’m proud of him, though. And slightly off-center as he caresses me. We may need another safe phrase—the kind that’ll protect me from enjoying his touches so much.

“Aww, that’s too sweet,” Nia says, her hands pressed to her cheeks. “Inject it into my veins and keep it coming.”

Molly nods along. “You two are the poster children for improbable but satisfying romances the world over.”

“That’s enough about us,” Dean says to Kimberly and Nia. He gracefully moves his hand away from mine. “We’re here to answer your questions. About DC. About the firm. Whatever.”

Kimberly and Nia share a tender glance, then Kimberly says, “Well, as you can imagine, this is a big move for us. Nia and I found a good groove in Atlanta, but it’s the right time for her to take advantage of artist-in-residence programs in DC.”

Nia jumps in, deftly steering the conversation to her own interests for a moment. “The opportunities in this area are an embarrassment of riches. The arts funding here is heftier than what’s available elsewhere. So I see myself staying for a while.”

“We see ourselves staying awhile,” Kimberly interjects, her mouth curving into a half smile as she surveys Nia’s face. “And honestly, I’m not averse to starting over somewhere else, so long as I don’t take a big hit on seniority.”

“I think it’s safe to say that won’t be an issue at our firm,” Peter observes.

Kimberly tilts her head at him. “Oh, yeah? Why’s that?”

“Um,” Peter says, swallowing hard and visibly fumbling for his next words. “It’s just . . . you’re an outstanding candidate, and your reputation precedes you.”

“Well, let’s hope that’s the case,” Kimberly says to the men. “In the meantime, I’m interested to hear what’s kept you both at the firm this long.”

“The money,” Peter says, chuckling.

“Oh, hush,” Molly says.

“What?” he asks, his gaze bouncing around the table. “I’m kidding, of course.”

“For me,” Dean says, “it’s the quality of the work. We have one of the best communications practices in the city. I’ve learned a lot about media law from the partners, and they give me high-level responsibilities on major cases. You won’t push papers or spend hours reviewing thousands of documents looking for the smoking gun. By the time you’re a senior associate, you’re working on substantive issues and regularly consulting with the firm’s clients.”