“We can work out the details later. Let’s get the conversation over with Whitney and Maylee. Then we work from that point. A mortgage won’t be a problem. We have two houses and this business property, all paid for, with no mortgages on any of them. It proves to the bank that we are solid. I can’t see any issues with getting the money from the bank.”
Clem again is already pre-thinking and getting things straight in his head. I go with the flow because I’m more of a hands-on person. I let Clem do most of the thinking.
Chapter 10
Maylee
Sitting behind my desk, I give Annabelle a bright smile as she enters the office. “Did everything go as planned?”
“Sure did.” I hold up my arm to show her the cast has been removed. “Nothing to it, and the Doc said to just take it easy and use the ball squeezing to strengthen the arm muscle.”
“Oh, I wondered what that was. My friend had one she called a stress ball. She squeezed it when her nerves got the better of her.”
“She should take up boxing. That’s something that would relieve stress.” I giggle at the shocked look on Annabelle’s face.
“Can you check the paperwork for Oren’s adoption and make sure the mother has signed, giving up all her legalrights to him? Myles said she did that, but I want to make sure it’s in the process and not overlooked.”
“I can, and I’ll do that next. You have the final paperwork for Mrs. Carmichael’s divorce to look over. I think the judge signed off on what you wanted, but you need to check.” Annabelle hands me a file and quickly leaves the office.
Having placed the file on my desk I look at the door and think how lucky I am to have Annabelle as my assistant. We get along so well that she knows what I want often before I want it. She makes my work life much easier.
Opening the file, I skim through each paper, checking that everything is in order. With marital property, he has to pay her half the value, even if he has to sell it. No separate properties, so that is not a worry. He had a debt, and the judge said he keeps that. I can’t help but smile as he thought Gloria would have to pay fifty percent of that. Monetary gains for Gloria include half the savings, which isn’t much, but she’ll get something at least. She also gets alimony until she earns a set amount. Nice that the judge thought of that. This is the penalty for being a wife abuser. He also has to pay all her legal costs. We have a protection order for Gloria’s benefit. All-in-all, I’m happy with how this has ended.
I write the notes needed to conclude the case for Gloria and the final invoice for payment, which will be sent to Mr. Carmichael’s lawyer.
Taking up the next folder, I see it’s a custody case for a girl of six who is in foster care at this point. The mother died in a vehicle accident, not of her doing, but ended her life nonetheless.
The father went off the rails somewhat, and the child was taken into care, then into foster care. The foster parents want to keep the child, but the father wants her back now that he has his life in order.
I don’t want to take this case because it should be cut and dried. It’s the system that is making a mess of it, not the people involved. Foster parents know they are fostering and not adopting, and some are getting far too aggressive about what they want.
I’ll speak to my boss about this one because I’m not sure I’m the right fit to work on this case.
An hour later I’m sitting again with the file in front of me, and I have to be the lawyer to work this case. Picking up the phone on my desk, I hit the internal button for Annabelle. As soon as she answers I ask, “Annabelle, contact Mr. Grovesnor and book an appointment for him to see me about his daughter.”
“Will do, Maylee. I have that information regarding Oren’s mother too if you want it now.”
“Yes, please bring that when you have a moment. Thank you, Annabelle.”
Two hours later, I am satisfied that I have read all of Mr. Grovesnor’s paperwork. I’ve seen the counseling he has completed due to the trauma of losing his wife, and the realization that he could lose his daughter.
I can easily put a good case forward for Mr. Grovesnor. The foster parents I want to have more information on, as I have a feeling something isn’t as it should be.
Picking up the file Annabelle brought for Oren I smile when the official signed parental rights form is here. There is no way his biological mother can now stop the adoption. Let her try. I’ll rip her a new asshole and enjoy doing it.
Myles hasn’t been worried at all regarding his ex-wife. I’m not sure how he got the parental rights signed by his ex, and I’m not bothered either. He has them, and that’s all that matters to me. Oren has not once asked me or mentioned his mother during the last year. Now he sees and calls me mom, and that’s all I care about.
Walking over to Whitney’s cottage, I give the old witch across the way a wave and a bright smile. Yeah, she doesn’t like the fact that we are not rude to her, but if she does something to Oren, I’ll use all my resources to make her life miserable.
I open the door and step inside. “Hey, are you busy?” I ask Whitney who is standing in the kitchen area with what looks like a tall glass of something good.
“No, I’m not busy now. I’ve just finished for the day and am waiting for Clem to get home. Where’s Oren?”
“He’s in the yard. He’s watching the squirrels running around. I wanted to know if we are going to plan anything for Valentine’s Day?”
“Oh, I haven’t thought about it. But what do you have in mind?” Whitney hands me the glass and I take a sip.
“What is that?” I ask because it’s sweet but not overly sweet.
