"We also have reason to believe that Luke's arrest was initiated by Paul Simmons, the same man who is paying for the private investigator," Cessily said casually. "That tie raises a lot of questions. Is Meredith complicit in arranging an assault on Luke and his co-worker? Is she simply profiting from Mr. Simmons' attempts to acquire the land Southwind is on? I'm prepared to argue both."
"Meredith simply accepted an offer from an old family friend," Russell assured her. "She does not keep tabs on Luke or his daily actions. That's why she heard about the incident from a friend she knows at church."
"Which makes it sound like nothing at all has changed," Cessily said, closing her folder. "We're ready to prove that Luke is not only a fit parent, but the preferred one. He's offering Meredith an extremely lenient custody agreement in the hopes that it will benefit Faith in the long run. He's making no attempt to prevent your client from seeing her daughter, and there has already been one visitation."
"Why not more?" Russell asked.
"Because she didn't ask for more," Cessily said.
"I was informed that Meredith wanted a weekend with Faith and was told no." The man's smug smile was starting to get on my last nerve.
"Luke?" Cessily asked.
"When we met to talk to the school principal," I explained, "Meredith said she wanted a weekend with Faith. I didn't want to reward her - Faith - for getting in trouble, so I said the next weekend. Meredith didn't complain, and in fact agreed that would be ok."
"I see," Russell said, making another note.
But Cessily was also scribbling something down. The tension in the room was thick, feeling as if this was the final standoff before shots were fired. I grabbed my coffee cup, needing to do something with my hands, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Meredith smile.
They were planning something. I had no idea what, and even as I wracked my brain, I couldn't think of anything I'd done wrong. Not unless she knew about Violet and Ash? But how? Had Faith sent her a text? It was possible, and I couldn't exactly stop her from doing it, but that could ruin everything.
All of our points about a stable home would come crashing down if Violet and I broke up. Never mind my daughter being right in the middle of that! My girlfriend cheating on me with another man in the house? Yeah, there went my whole "good home" debate, which would give Meredith the upper hand.
Fuck!
Cessily closed her folder again, then lifted her head. "Then we will make sure the final appointment with the psychiatrist is completed this weekend - due to his scheduling, not ours. The report will be sent to you just like the last. Otherwise, if there's nothing else?"
"Not at this time," Russell said.
So Cessily stood, offering her hand over the table. "Let me know if anything changes. If not, we'll see you both in court on the twenty-ninth."
"Sounds like that will be the case," Russell agreed, standing to clasp her hand. "I'm sorry we couldn't come to an amiable conclusion otherwise."
"Well, both parents love their child. It makes sense that they both want to be responsible for her as well. Have a good day, Russell. Meredith."
Cessily smiled at my ex while I stood, and then she gestured for me to head out first. I did, pausing outside the door to be a gentleman and let her lead the way. The woman's heels clicked hard as she walked, but that was the only hint that anything was off. It made me realize just how impressive she was, so I did my best to keep up. Not with the pace, but with her calm detachment and completely stoic expression.
Once we made it outside the office, I reached over to take her coffee cup and folder. Our eyes met, but we still didn't talk. Her things went in the back seat. We both climbed into the front. I started the truck and pulled out, but the moment I was on the road, she turned to face me.
"They have something," she said.
"Got that impression," I agreed.
"But what?!" she demanded.
"Faith probably told her mom about Violet," I said, waiting for the blowup.
Instead, her lips curled into a smile. "Oh, that's easy enough to deal with."
"Cheating in a house where we live with both of them?" I asked.
"From the way I heard it," Cessily said, "Violet was dressed in a nightgown. Ash was dressed in a pair of briefs. There was embarrassment about being caught like that by a child, but no actual infidelity was witnessed. Instead, they allowed the girl to think that because Ash was seeking help with a larger and more personal problem."
"Such as?" I asked.
"Something Faith wouldn't understand," she said. "Him having a crush on you. Him having sexual problems in his own relationship. Maybe something triggering for Faith. If we have to, I will coach Ash and Violet. I will coach the shit out of them."
"I don't want to do that," I breathed.
