Love Proof (Laws of Attraction) Read Online Free Page A

was.
    Sarah turned and opened her eyes just a slit.  “Surgeon,” she said.  “I
took out a brain today.  I’m really exhausted.  So if you don’t mind . . . ” 
She closed her eyes and leaned back again.
    “Surgeon?” the man said loudly enough that when Sarah opened her eyes
again she could see Joe looking back at her with a smile playing on his lips.
    “Yep,” she answered just as loudly.  “Today brains, tomorrow
intestines.  We do it all.”
    “Are you shittin’ me?” the man asked.
    “No, I am not shitting you,” she said with perfect enunciation.  “Now
if you don’t want me to kill my next patient in the morning, you’d better let
me get some sleep.”
    “You’re shittin’ me,” the guy muttered.
    Sarah risked one more quick check on Joe.  He’d obviously been waiting
for her to meet his eye, because as soon as she did, he turned his fingers into
scissors and cut at a downward angle.
    “Big vasectomy tomorrow afternoon,” Sarah added.  “Wouldn’t want me to
make a mistake there, would you?”
    Joe nodded, satisfied.  Then he turned back around.
    And Sarah immediately regretted what she had done.
    Why was she playing with Burke?  They weren’t friends.  They weren’t
anything.  If she could take back that last statement, she would.
    “Now I know you’re shittin’ me,” the man said with renewed confidence. 
“Nobody does all that.”
    Sarah shrugged.  “I’m the best.  And we’re done here, sport.  No more
talking.”  She popped in her ear buds, even though she wouldn’t be able to turn
on her music until the plane leveled off.
    She wished she had never let herself get drawn into the conversation. 
She could tell herself it was because she couldn’t resist making her seatmate
look like a fool, but she knew the real reason:  she was showing off for
Burke.  As soon as she knew he was listening, she just had to remind him how
clever and smart-mouthed she could be.
    Why? she
scolded herself.  Why do you have to prove anything to that man?
    Because , she
answered honestly, it would be worse to think he forgot.

 
     
    Five
    As soon as the plane landed at LAX, Sarah prepared to make a fast
exit.  Joe’s row emptied before hers, so there was nothing she could do about
that, but she could certainly beat Paul Chapman out of the airport before he
felt compelled to ask for or offer her a ride.
    Sarah had the feeling he didn’t understand the boundaries of co-defense
attorneys who worked for different clients.  Yes, Chapman was technically on
her same side against all of Joe’s plaintiffs, but Chapman’s client was the
main manufacturer, whereas Sarah’s was just the subcontractor.  If she had any
chance at all to heap all the blame on Chapman’s client and get hers released
from the case entirely, she would take that victory any day.  There was no
chumminess on the defense side of the table as far as she was concerned.
    She also had the feeling Chapman undervalued her because of her looks. 
And, no doubt, her age.  It wasn’t so much any particular thing he had said,
but just this overall demeanor toward her of All right there, little lady,
you go ahead, but try not to hurt yourself asking all your big girl questions.
    Maybe it was her imagination, but she didn’t think so.  She could
usually smell a jerk.
    Too bad she had missed the scent on Joe.
    Although he never seemed to underestimate her intelligence, so maybe
that wasn’t a fair comparison.  If she was worried about being fair.
    She saw him up ahead, reading his phone while he made his way toward
the baggage area and ground transportation.  She had no idea where he lived,
but assumed it had to be somewhere in the Los Angeles area, since he worked in
the city.  Her place was in Culver City, close enough to tomorrow’s deposition
in Pasadena that she decided not to stay at the hotel, but to spend the night
in her own apartment instead.  She would have to leave with plenty of time to
spare