“Oh, man. Glad to hear that. I didn’t know you had a sister.”
“Long story, but yeah, I have a half sister. She’s had some problems with an ex, so when she called me crying, I got very worried and left to check up on her. Turns out the ex proposed to her, and she was crying with happiness.”
“But you still have reservations,” Grady said, proving he was as sharp as I believed.
I sighed. “Let’s say I’m cautious. With reasons.”
“Look, I’ve got a mediation in a few minutes, but I have some meetings downtown today. Would you want to have lunch? I’m happy to listen and have you bounce your thoughts off me.”
I checked my calendar. “Yeah. That’d be great. When and where?”
“How about Smyth Tavern at twelve thirty?”
“Perfect. I’ll see you there.”
“Great. Bye.”
“Bye.”
I entered the lunch on my calendar, then tackled my files. There were days I wished I was part of a firm, like Weston, Brenner, and Grady, but I liked working on my own, without worrying about a senior partner hanging over my shoulder, telling me what to do and how to do it.
I placed a phone call to Patricia Engle. Patty and I had met at a college alumni event and became friendly. She was an orthopedist who’d fixed my broken wrist when I fell on the ice one winter, and throughout the years, I’d helped her with some minor legal issues.
“Patty, good morning. How are you?”
“I’d be better if I hadn’t discovered Chase cheating on me with his yoga instructor. Could it be any more clichéd? I need a good divorce lawyer. Could you represent me?”
Hearing that shocked me. I’d met Chase numerous times and had always thought they were a happy couple. “I’m sorry. I’m…stunned to hear that. And yes, of course.” Divorce cases always left me a little sad, and if they involved custody issues, it could be even worse.
“It’s not the first time, either. I mean, we’ve only been married ten years, for Christ’s sake.” Her voice rose, and I gaveher a moment to pull it together. “Sorry, Bailey. I didn’t mean to take it out on you. It’s just, I’m blindsided. He’s moved out, said he’s sick of being tied down and needs to be free to express himself. Everything about him has changed this year. Worst of all? He doesn’t want custody of Juliet. What kind of parent does that?”
I sighed. “I don’t know what to say.” Though I knew all too well. “How old is your daughter now?”
“She’s six and has no idea what’s happening. Just that her daddy left. Thank God we have a great live-in nanny. Juliet loves her, and I’m taking some time off to be with her as well.”
As Patty spoke, I took notes. “Remind me again what Chase did when you first met?”
“He was a jewelry salesperson at Cartier. I’d gone there to pick out a birthday present for my mother. He was so helpful, and we talked and talked… I asked him out to dinner, and we just clicked.”
“And he stopped working after you got married?”
“Yeah. He was busy decorating our apartment, and it seemed silly for him to stand on his feet all day selling jewelry when I could buy anything from the store myself.”
“Of course. Do you know who his attorney is?”
“Yeah. Weston Lively. That senator’s son? I forgot the name of the firm.”
“Don’t worry.” My lips twitched. “I know it. All right, I’ll get in touch with him, and we’ll start the ball rolling. I’m sure there will be alimony, and maybe he’ll have changed his mind about custody.”
“You know what? Screw him. If he could even think of walking out on his child, he doesn’t deserve to have her. I wantfull custody. You tell them that. I’ll pay him to get it done quickly. Lump sum, three hundred thousand. No more.”
“Okay, okay,” I soothed. “I’ll be in touch.”
“Talk to you soon.” Patty ended the call, and I sat staring off into space. Patty had a demanding practice, but I knew she always put her daughter first. She’d rejected the chief-of-department position because she’d thought it would take too much time away from her family.
Contrast that with my mother, who’d disappeared and had never once tried to contact me. Then had walked back in as easily as she’d left. No explanation, no apologies.
That conversation still weighed heavily on my mind when I met Grady for lunch. I arrived first and ordered a sparkling water. The server handed it to me just as I spied Grady entering.
