Chapter One

      The street was deserted in the early-morning hours. Sunlight slanted over the roofs of the brick buildings as Lexi Preston huddled on the front stoop of a dark storefront. She rested her head in her hands and watched the wind swirl a small pile of autumn leaves. The air held a chill, but it felt good after being stuck in her car for the last day and a half.

      Almost six months had passed since she’d set foot in Brevia, North Carolina. She couldn’t imagine the reception she’d receive, but was desperate enough not to care. Her eyes drifted shut—just for a minute, she told herself—but she must have fallen asleep. When she blinked them open again it was to the bright sun shining and someone nudging a foot against hers. She scrambled to her feet, embarrassed to be caught so off guard.

      “What the hell do you want?” Julia Callahan’s voice cut through the quiet.

      Lexi backed away a few steps. Yes, she was desperate, but Julia had every reason to hate her. Still, she whispered, “I need your help. I have nowhere else to go.”

      Julia’s delicate eyebrows rose. Lexi wished she had the ability to communicate so much without speaking. She could almost feel the anger radiating from the other woman. But Julia’s furrowed brow and pinched lips did nothing to detract from her beauty. She was thin, blonde and several inches taller than Lexi. The epitome of the Southern prom queen grown up. Lexi knew there was more to her than that. After all, she’d spent months researching every detail of Julia Callahan’s life.

      “You tried to take my son away from me.” Julia shook her head. “Why would I have any inclination to help you?”

      “I made sure you kept him in the end,” Lexi said, adjusting her round glasses. “Don’t forget I was the one who gave you the information that made the Johnsons rescind their custody suit.”

      “I haven’t forgotten,” Julia answered. “It doesn’t explain why you’re on the doorstep of my salon. Or what kind of help you need.”

      Lexi crossed her arms over her chest as her stomach began to roll. She should have stopped for breakfast on the way into town. “They found out it was me,” she continued. “Dennis and Maria Johnson fired my father’s firm as their corporate attorneys. Several of their friends followed. We lost over half our business.”

      Her voice faltered as memories of her father’s rage and disappointment assaulted her. She cleared her throat. “In response, my dad made a big show of humiliating me in front of the entire firm. Then he officially fired and practically disowned me.”

      Lexi had worked for her father’s firm since she graduated from law school six years ago. Following in his footsteps, doing whatever he expected, had been her overriding goal in life. She still lived in the apartment he’d paid for since college. Her eviction notice had come two days ago.

      She drew a steadying breath. “He said he regretted the day I’d come into his life. That I’m nothing more than...”

      “Your father is an ass.” Julia’s clear assessment almost made Lexi smile.

      “True,” she agreed, blinking against the sudden moisture in her eyes. “But he’s all I have. Or had.”

      “What about other family?”

      “I was adopted when I was six. I was in the foster-care system and barely remember my biological mother. My dad never married. He was an only child and my grandparents died years ago.”

      “Friends?”

      “I have work acquaintances, country-club cliques and clients. I’m not very good at making friends.”

      “It’s probably hard to be a backstabbing, underhanded, slimy lawyer and a good friend at the same time.”

      Although the words hurt, Lexi couldn’t help but hear the truth in them. “I guess.”

      “Sheesh. That was a joke.” Julia stepped past her and turned a key in the front door. “Lighten up, Lex.”