“Yes, please. I’d like my dinner as soon as possible. I’m starving. Bring me her salad as well. I’ll eat it all.”
He nodded sagely. “Very good, sir.”
I picked up my phone, grateful the water hadn’t hit it. I would be lost without it. It was as necessary to me as breathing these days. I smirked wryly—I was glad she had chosen the water. I had a feeling red wine would have stung as well if she had been lucky enough to have hit me with it.
I went back to my emails, thankful for the distraction.
At least I wouldn’t have to send her flowers. But I was going to block her number from my phone and instruct Rene I was no longer taking her calls and she wasn’t welcome in the office.
He was going to laugh gleefully when I told him.
Bastard.
Halton
I strode through the door, past Rene, and into my private office, slamming the door closed. I flung my briefcase on the sofa and sat down heavily, resting my head back on the cool leather. It felt good against the anger-flushed skin on my neck. Words from the case this morning echoed in my head.
“But your honor, it’s not in the best interest of the child!” I argued, knowing my words would fall on deaf ears but determined to try.
Judge Sparks lifted one eyebrow in my direction, her voice filled with derision. “I’ll decide what is in the best interest of the child, counselor.”
“It’s not the mother,” I spat. I indicated my client, sitting beside me, his shoulders slumped. “Her father has great concern about her mother’s influence on her. He doesn’t wish to deny her visitation, but he feels it would be best if he were the primary caregiver for her.”
The judge shook her head. “I disagree. I believe the child belongs with her mother. Your client gets visitation. I suggest he make the best use of it.”
The gavel was loud in the courtroom, announcing the end of the case and her exit. I met Eric’s disappointed gaze.
“We can appeal. Try for a different judge.” I hated getting Judge Sparks. She always sided with the mother. Add in the snake of a lawyer Eric’s wife had retained and the decision hadn’t shocked me, but I had hoped things would be different.
He shook his head. “I can’t put Maddy through more, Hal.” He sighed. “We’ve tried everything.” He glanced over to where his ex-wife stood, talking to the other lawyer, the glow of victory evident on her face. “All I can hope is she tires of the responsibility fast. That once she feels I’ve been punished enough, she’ll let me have Maddy,” he added, studying his ex-wife. “I can hope for that, and in the meantime, be there when Maddy needs me and try to undo the negative influence Audrey has on her.”
I followed his worried gaze. His ex-wife was a nutjob. Much too focused on keeping her daughter skinny and making sure she hung with the “right kids,” rather than allowing her to be a little girl. She treated Maddy like a friend instead of a child, using her eight-year-old as a sounding board for her problems. Nothing was ever right for Audrey, and she complained endlessly.
Her constant criticism had driven Eric away, and he had fought to keep Maddy, hating the way his ex-wife made Maddy feel and act. I had personally seen how her mother affected her. She became withdrawn and nervous with her mother, always quiet and proper, the light gone from her eyes. She assumed the mantle of her mother’s sadness, acting as if it were her own. But with Eric, she was happy and loved. She laughed and played—got dirty and asked for hugs. He put no expectations on her aside from being a little girl. That was what she needed. To be loved unconditionally. Not to be treated like a mini adult and carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.
But her mother’s lawyer had spun everything. Used the guilt Maddy felt to make sure she asked to stay with her mother. Somehow got the judge he wanted. Produced affidavits from friends and colleagues saying how close Maddy and Audrey were. I had no idea how her lawyer, Scott Hutchings, had so many people lie for her, but he did. He did it all the time. He was my nemesis, and I hated everything he stood for.
Which basically was that winning was everything—no matter what you had to do to achieve it.
No matter whose life you screwed up.
The sound of my door opening brought me out of my musings. Rene entered, carrying a tray. He slid it onto the low table in front of me.
“I brought you coffee and a sandwich. Eat, dwell, then shake it off. You did everything you could, Halton. I know it. You know it. Your client knows it. At least you got more visitation than they were offering and stricter rules in place about co-parenting.”
I sighed, accepting the steaming mug he was holding out for me. “I know. Eric thinks she’ll slip back into her old ways of finding Maddy more trouble than she’s worth. I told him to keep records, emails, texts, and to tape all their phone calls.”
“Then we’ll let her self-combust. Eric will keep an eye on his child. He loves her too much not to.” He paused. “And you have other clients who need you.”
“I know. One of them is against Hutchings again. I hate that lowlife. He’s the sort that gives us lawyers a bad rap.”
Rene slid a folder onto the table. “I found some information that should help on that case. The father’s been giving into his love for gambling. He dipped into the savings they had for their son’s college fund.”
I whistled. “He was on thin ice already—even with Hutchings on his case.”
Rene chuckled. “I know. Amy hadn’t even looked at that account. I noticed the discrepancy and asked her to get me the records. I got the contact Reid Matthews put us in touch with to do some digging as well.” He tapped the folder. “Wyatt found some interesting things.”
“Excellent. Reid did us a solid, finding him. If I can’t have the master, one of his disciples is a great replacement.”
Rene laughed. I had used Reid a couple of times for special cases. The brilliant genius IT man for my friend Bentley’s company BAM, Reid had been invaluable.
And totally loyal to Bentley, no matter how much I offered him to come to my firm. Finally, he had recommended a friend of his, who was almost as good as Reid. He was great coming up with information I could use in cases. Even things I couldn’t use but helped steer me down a more legal avenue. His one stipulation was he worked from home—he hated everything that smacked of “the man” and the corporate world.
Except the large retainer I paid him. That, he accepted happily, and I had to respect his honesty. He hadn’t let me down, and I was glad to have his services.
Especially when up against someone as dirty as Scott Hutchings.
I sighed and rubbed my eyes.
“Are you not sleeping at all?” Rene asked.
I waved my hand, not wanting to get into it with him. “I’m fine.”
He waited, pinning me with his stern gaze.
“Fine,” I acquiesced. “The insomnia is worse right now.”
“You really need to see someone about that, Halton.”
I shook my head. “Nothing has worked. Ever. A couple of hours of broken sleep seem to be all I get most nights. If that.”
“It doesn’t look like you’re getting even that much.”
He was right, but I wasn’t going to tell him. Fifteen- or twenty-minute naps off and on were all I was able to get these days. I was exhausted.