“Thought you might want to go through these together,” he whispered, the grit of his knuckle catching the outside of her wrist as he handed her the papers, the sensation thundering up her arm to settle, heavy and warm, at her shoulder. His eyes steady on hers as he leaned closer. “There are some fascinating patterns emerging in the depositions.”

They gravitated toward the conference room without discussion, as if pulled by some unspoken gravity. The emergency lights cast intimate shadows as they spread the documents across the table, their movements unconsciously synchronizing. Daniel settled into a chair, his left knee dropped wide, right angled higher, that casual sprawl that kept drawing her focus, while Juniper found herself leaning in despite her best intentions.

“The discovery process requires careful hands,” he mused, fingers trailing over a particularly crucial document. “Some evidence only reveals itself under sustained examination…”

“Like families,” Juniper said softly, surprising herself with the admission. “My father always said you have to look beyond what’s obvious… that everything counts.”