The urgency eats at me like acid. I can't focus on the marketing reports in front of me, can't think about anythingexcept the timer ticking down on Sadie's world. I spent the entire night researching Oregon custody statutes until the legal jargon blurred together, but I'm no lawyer.
Which is why I find myself standing outside Adrienne's office door, hesitating before I knock. My sister is the only attorney in the family, corporate law, not family, but she'll know people. Connections. Resources. Something to help Sadie fight this.
I knock twice, then slip in without waiting for an answer. Adrienne looks up from her desk, glasses perched on her nose, already narrowing her eyes at me.
"What did you do?" she asks immediately, setting down her pen.
"Why do you assume I did something?" I counter, shutting the door behind me.
"Because you're skulking into my office at eight a.m. with that look on your face." She leans back in her chair. "Last time you looked like that, you'd crashed Dad's boat."
I take a deep breath. "I need an Oregon custody attorney referral. Like, good-good. Not just competent. The best."
Her eyebrows shoot up. "Custody attorney?" She studies me for a beat, then her eyes widen. "Please tell me you don't have a secret child."
"No! God, no. It's not for me." I pace in front of her desk. "It's for a… friend."
"A friend," she repeats, folding her arms. "And this friend needs an out-of-state custody attorney because…?"
I hesitate, weighing how much to share. "Single mom. Custody hearing in Oregon in three weeks. She needs help yesterday."
Adrienne's expression shifts from skeptical to serious. "This wouldn't happen to be the café owner you've been mooning over, would it?"
"I haven't been mooning," I mutter, but my face heats up.
"Right." She pulls out a legal pad. "Okay, tell me what you know about the case. Basics only."
I give her the outline: Sadie fled Oregon with her infant daughter, court papers she'd been avoiding, the looming hearing date. I keep it clinical, factual, respecting Sadie's privacy as much as I can while still giving Adrienne what she needs.
Adrienne listens, but my focus isn’t on her. Every word I say, every detail I lay out, just makes the need to protect Sadie sharper. She’s mine to guard now, even if she hasn’t realized it yet.
"This is serious, Axel. Default judgments in custody cases are hard to overturn," Adrienne says, her professional demeanor fully engaged now. "And interstate custody disputes are even more complicated."
"I know." I sink into the chair across from her desk. "That's why I need someone good."
She studies me for a long moment. "You really care about this woman."
It's not a question, but I answer anyway. "Yeah. I do."
Adrienne nods once, decisively. "I know someone. Melissa Chen. We went to law school together, she specializes in complex custody cases, practices in Portland. She's expensive—but she's the best."
Relief floods through me. "Money's not an issue."
My sister's eyebrows shoot up. "Axel, good attorneys in these cases can run upward of fifteen hundred an hour."
"I said it's not an issue." I meet her gaze steadily. "I'll figure it out."
She watches me for another beat, then picks up her phone. "Let me call her now. See if she can squeeze in a consultation today."
I exhale slowly, some of the tension easing from my shoulders as Adrienne dials. While she speaks in low,professional tones to her contact, I check my phone. No messages from Sadie since last night.
"Melissa can do a video call at noon," Adrienne says, hanging up. "I told her it's urgent."
"Thank you," I say, relief washing through me. "Seriously, Adrienne. You're a lifesaver."
She scribbles on her legal pad, tearing off the sheet and handing it to me. "Here's Melissa's contact information. Tell Sadie to mention my name when she calls. Melissa will make time for her."
I take the paper, staring at the neat handwriting with a name, number, email, a lifeline for Sadie. "I owe you big-time."
