A Silken Thread - Brenda Jackson [22]
“Several people happened to like Ms. Lawson’s outfit and thought it was very flattering. I was one of those people.” And without giving her mother a chance to say anything, Erica opened the back door and walked out.
When she got to her car she just sat there for a moment as she gazed up at the house she had lived in most of her life. The Sanders Estate was a huge three-story mansion with dormer windows housed under a gambrel roof. She’d always been told that her great-great-grandfather had befriended a Dutchman who had built the house in 1915, which was the reason for its Dutch colonial design.
She had always loved everything about the house, especially the fireplaces in all the bedrooms. As a child she would lie on the shiny hardwood floors in front of her bedroom fireplace with a pillow and blanket while she read her favorite book.
The huge, welcoming structure had been her safe haven, and her secret “away place” beneath the stairs had been her private sanctuary. Even after returning home from college she hadn’t thought of living anyplace else but here, especially since she’d had the entire third floor practically all to herself.
But things changed after that summer she’d met Brian. Once her mother began badgering her to break things off with him and focus on winning Griffin’s heart, she’d made the decision to move out. It hadn’t taken her long to turn her condo into a home and, when Brian had flown in one weekend to spend time with her, he had helped her christen the place in the most romantic and intimate way. Just thinking about that particular weekend always made her smile.
She had been upfront with Brian from the start, figuring it was best to level with him regarding her mother’s attitude. He had accepted it all in stride and assured her he was the sort of guy who eventually grew on people.
So far he hadn’t grown on her mother…and probably never would.
“Thanks for letting me sit in on your court case today, Brian.”
Sitting across the table in the now empty conference room, Brian glanced up and smiled at one of the firm’s new attorneys, Donna Hardy. “No problem. I hope you were able to learn something.”
“I did. Never go into a courtroom to face Judge Meadows unprepared.”
Brian laughed as he stood. “You figured that one out quickly, didn’t you?”
“Yes. I admired the way you handled him.”
“Or the way he handled me,” he responded with a smooth grin. “I’ve been in his courtroom enough, and besides, my father was there before me. All the rumors you’ve probably heard about Judge Meadows are probably true, and to be downright frank, it’s long past time he retired.”
“I agree but I have a feeling he’ll be around awhile.” They began walking out of the conference room together when Donna asked, “So, your father was also an attorney?”
“Yes, and one of the best until an aneurysm cut his life short when I was fifteen.”
“Did your mother remarry?”
He glanced over at her, wondering why she’d asked. “No.”
She nodded. “My dad died when I was twelve and Mom remarried within a year to a man who also had a daughter my age. I was lucky to acquire a sister and a best friend in one.”
Yes, he thought she was lucky in that aspect. When he was younger he’d thought about his mother remarrying and having another child, but after a while he got used to it being just the two of them. He’d wondered how his mother would adjust once he left home for college and she’d made the transition just fine. It wasn’t uncommon to get a call from her from just about anywhere in the world.
“I understand you live in the Vanity Oaks subdivision.”
He nodded, wondering who’d told her that.
“I’m buying a home there, too. On Pecan Park Road.”
He chuckled. “Hey, that’s right around the corner from me. That means we’ll be neighbors…at least for a while. My fiancée and I plan to live there for a couple of years before building elsewhere.”
She lifted a brow, surprised. “You’re engaged?”
A huge smile spread across his lips. “Yes, and I’m counting the