I hoped so, too. I’d told Mark about Clement’s absolute faithfulness to Darlene and his refusal to even consider she might have tried to hurt him. Not only did I want to be that person for Mark, but I wanted to be able to count on him having that level of faith in me.
“I should go,” Anderson said. “I have a lot of work to do.”
He had the same clipped tone to his voice as I’d expect if I’d bumped into a stranger on the street because I wasn’t paying attention.
I glanced up at him. As a lawyer, he was good at hiding things, but I’d been trained by my parents. The muscles in his neck were too tense, and he wasn’t making eye contact.
I hadn’t thought I’d done that badly, so he shouldn’t be embarrassed to have me associated with his practice. “What’s wrong?”
He re-buttoned a perfectly fine button on his suit jacket. “You could have simply told me you didn’t want to join my firm as a partner instead of going through the charade of pretending you weren’t good in the courtroom.”
I felt a bit like I’d walked into a glass door that I hadn’t realized was there. I had succeeded in making my case and in getting Clement released. I’d even managed to be articulate most of the time, despite being rusty. “That was better than I’ve ever done before. I don’t understand what’s changed. If I could do that every time, I’d feel confident in taking on clients and joining you.”
Mark’s hand tightened on my waist. “It’s because he was innocent.”
I couldn’t keep my mouth from drooping open even though I could hear my mom in my head. You’re not a baby bird waiting to be fed, Nicole. Close your mouth.
Mark had to be right. When I’d been arguing in the courtroom, I hadn’t been thinking about how many people were listening or even how I sounded. All I’d been thinking about was Clement and Darlene and how they deserved to spend their golden years together. I’d been thinking about how it wouldn’t be fair for him to spend time in prison when he hadn’t wanted to hurt anyone. He’d thought he was protecting his home from a bear.
When I was working for my parents, I hadn’t wanted to defend people who were guilty. Even when I’d been trying to practice my public speaking skills in other forums like Toastmasters, it’d been with the end goal of defending people I knew should be in prison for what they’d done. It was like my subconscious rebelled in the only way it could, given how I felt about making my parents proud.
This time, I’d wanted to win.
I leaned into Mark. I probably should have seen it before, but at the same time, it made me feel very loved that he’d seen it.
I’d be able to argue competently in court whenever I was defending a client whose innocence I believed in. Since I’d made it clear to Anderson those were the only types of clients I was willing to defend, my last barrier was gone.
I stuck out my hand toward Anderson. “I think I will accept that offer. You have yourself a new partner.”
Will Nicole and Mark have the wedding they’ve been dreaming of or will Mark end up arrested for murder instead? Start reading the next book, End of the Line, to find out!
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What we don’t know can hurt us…
The worst way to find out that your boyfriend is already married is to see it on the news. The only way it could be worse than that is if his wife died under suspicious circumstances.
Unfortunately for criminal defense attorney Nicole Fitzhenry-Dawes, that’s exactly what happens. Her now ex-boyfriend insists he’s innocent, and he begs Nicole to find out who really killed his wife. She’d like to simply leave him to his fate, but her sense of justice won’t allow it.
With few clues to go on and her emotions getting in the way, Nicole worries that she won’t figure out the killer in time. And as she begins to unravel the truth, the killer turns the table on her, making it look like Nicole was the one who committed the murder after all…
Sapped is the prequel to Emily James’ Maple Syrup Mysteries series and is available through her newsletter.
Sign up and get your free copy of Sapped at www.subscribepage.com/maplesyrup.
Letter from the Author
It’s hard to believe that we’re now eight books into the series. I wanted to say thank you to all of you who’ve followed along on this journey with me. Your support of this series has allowed me to pursue my dream of writing as a full-time career. I couldn’t have done this without you!
In this book, I wanted to look at someone who was guilty but who Nicole could still feel good about defending. That allowed me to bring in all new twists.
In the next book, End of the Line, not only is Nicole and Mark’s wedding fast approaching, but the mystery of the ongoing corruption in Fair Haven will finally be solved.
If you enjoyed Bucket List, could you please take a minute to leave a review? Reviews and ratings are incredibly important to writers, and they also help fellow readers know if this is a book they might enjoy.
Love,
Emily
Bonus Recipe: Maple Syrup Truffles
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup softened butter
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon maple extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
