Abby sat with Olivia on the hard wooden bench in the hall outside courtroom two as they waited for their lawyer, Magda. Worried about parking and being there on time, Abby had made sure they were there early. Watching Olivia’s leg tap up and down, she wondered if she should have timed it better.
She stared at a seam in the carpet where two pieces didn’t quite meet. It bothered her more than it should have. How effective could this court be if they couldn’t even get carpet tiles laid properly?
“Abby,” Olivia said.
“Yeah, sweetie?”
“Look.” Olivia pointed to her right.
Abby glanced over and her lips parted. Marching toward her like an avenging army was almost every woman she knew. Along with Tinker and an older man she’d never met.
She and Olivia stood as they drew near. Abby hugged her mom first, then Lindsey, Naomi, Angie, Dani, and Katherine. Even Paige gave her a quick hug. Tinker leaned down and gave her a quick kiss before wrapping his arm around her waist. He looked a lot better than he had a few days ago. The lines around his eyes weren’t so intense, and the furrow between his brows had relaxed. Was he less worried now or pretending for her sake?
Abby asked, “What are you guys doing here?”
“You didn’t think we’d let you do this alone, did you?” Naomi asked.
“Don’t you have class? And work?” Abby asked.
“We took PTO,” Lindsey said.
“And this is our work for the day.” Paige gestured to the older man. “Abby, this is Stuart Bakas. He’s the lawyer who handled Tinker’s expungement. He’s here for support and to answer any questions if issues come up.”
Abby blinked several times. If she started tearing up now, she wouldn’t stop crying. At the moment, her emotions were being held together with dental floss and chewing gum. Her hold was fragile at best.
“Thank you, everyone. It means more than you can imagine.”
Her mom pulled Olivia close. “We’re going to fight for our girl.”
Looking for something to distract her, Abby told Tinker, “You look nice.”
He smirked and ran a hand down the forest green tie.
“Don’t let the suit fool you,” Dani said. “There’s a grease spot on his ass.”
Tinker twisted. “Shit. Seriously?”
Angie and Dani laughed. Tinker glared, which made Olivia break out into giggles.
“Abby? Olivia?”
The group parted to reveal Magda.
“Hi, Magda,” Abby said. “This is?—”
“We’re her family,” Angie said.
Dani rolled her eyes. “You have got to stop adopting strays.”
Tinker glanced down at Abby with a soft look. “I’m pretty sure we’re the strays in this situation.”
There was that prickle again. “These are my friends and family.”
“It’s wonderful that you’re all here,” Magda said. “Stuart, it’s lovely to see you again. Thank you for the information you sent over.”
The two lawyers shook hands. “Maggie. Glad to be of service.”
“You know each other?” Sue asked.
