Page 14 of Flynn

She was beginning to wonder if something was wrong with her. Suppose she had a mark on her that attracted the wrong kind of males. It was depressing as hell to think about. She was thirty-two years old and had been in three relationships that had turned out to be disasters.

With Glen, she had seriously considered the spell had been broken, but he had turned out to be the worst. She was through romance, and that was that. She would do this one good deed for Julia and her son and concentrate entirely on work.

"My dear, are you all right?" The older woman's voice dragged her out of the depressing downward spiral she had started to slide into.

"I was thinking of work." She glanced at her watch. "Speaking of which, I have to run. I have court tomorrow, and I am far from being prepared. I will let you know how it goes." Sliding back her chair, she hurried towards the exit and, accepting her jacket, made her way out.

Julia smiled as the restaurant owner came to take the chair Ryleigh had been sitting on.

"She is a beautiful young woman." Mario Garcia murmured as he poured her some more of the excellent Spanish wine his vineyard produced and nudged it toward her.

"And I can see your thoughts as clearly as if they were written on a piece of paper on your forehead, Amor-" His swarthy face lit up with a smile as he poured a glass for himself. "You are hoping it becomes more meaningful than her being a surrogate."

"Am I so transparent?" She wondered with a sigh. She had taken Mario into her confidence, knowing that as her friend and lover, he would never betray her. Their romance was discreet, much to Mario's frustration, but he understood that she did not want any more publicity, considering what had happened with her son and brother.

"To me, you are. Certainly." His dark eyes wandered over her lovely face, and he felt the familiar surge of love inside his chest. He had met her years ago when he was just starting up his restaurant, and they had become fast friends.

She had supported him and encouraged the women in her circle to do the same. She also kept most of her functions and charity luncheons here, which had spread his reputation far and wide. Now, he did not have enough hands to keep pace with the orders and the reservations.

She was kind and sweet and the first woman he had ever considered good enough to replace his beloved wife, who had passed away ten years ago. "I just want Flynn to be happy." She murmured with a sigh as she sipped the rich red wine.

"You also blame yourself for that worthless brother of yours messing things up." He started to reach for her delicate white hand but decided against it.

The restaurant was filled with the lunch crowd, and several people from her society were present. He had promised to respect her wishes to keep things down low, and he would not go back on his word.

"He has been calling and trying to get me to Flynn to talk to him."

Mario's dark eyes blazed. "He should have thought about what he was doing before he did what he did. Families don't go around betraying their families. It's just not done. What he did was despicable and unforgivable."

"He is my brother, my only sibling, and it breaks my heart not to have him around." She admitted disconsolately. "And I am happy Flynn found out about that- that woman before it became permanent. He loved her.

She was the first woman he ever proposed to, and she broke his heart by choosing to lie to his uncle. Now, he is so hard and cynical that I just cannot bear it."

"Perhaps this surrogacy might be a blessing in disguise."

"I am praying it will be, for both their sake. You should have seen Ryleigh's face when she was confronted by her former colleague at the function. She tried to be brave, but the look on her face was one of bleak desolation. Even when she was seated across from me, I could tell she was still reeling from the encounter."

"It is going to take time, all of it."

*****

"I need another witness." Throwing down the pen in frustration, Ryleigh stared at the woman as she came into the room.

"Our Mr. Daley still in the hospital?"

"No." she shook her head, sighed, and leaned back in the chair. "He came out a week ago and claimed that he is suffering from palpitations. When I threatened to subpoena him, he just stared at me and told me to proceed.

'You are not as scary as my former boss.'" She threw up her hand. "Judge Baker has given me two days to come up with another witness, or the case will be thrown out.

When did we get here? That piece of crap is the bad guy - he did all those things, took the law into his own hands and meted out justice. And he sits in court in his Brioni suits, looking as relaxed and imperturbable as if sitting in a board meeting. It makes me sick to my damn stomach."

"We deal with the card we have been handed, and this case has enough holes to make it into a sieve." Rosalyn could see the frustration on her colleague's beautiful face and wondered if she should suggest she take some time off.

She had a feeling that would not go over well. "Let me talk to Judge Baker. I will try to convince her that we need a week.

"Thanks, Rose. In the meantime, I think I will go and chat with the detectives about the case."

*****