But it was.
“Ever smoke?”
“No.”
“Use drugs? Or alcohol?”
“Never.” She’d had a sip of beer last spring at a high school party that she and Chloe had gone to. Should she mention that? Would a court find out?
“What?” Jamie said, pausing.
“Well, I did go to a party with my friend. There was a keg.”
“Did you drink?”
“Like a sip. It was gross.” She made a face. “I don’t get what the big deal is.”
Jamie smiled. “Good. Keep it that way.”
The meeting took over two hours, and by the end, Julia was drained. They’d reviewed Julia’s background and what life used to be like with her parents. They covered the tension at home with Candace, and the anxiety and fear she felt about being moved to London. Pippa was discussed as well. “I’m going to need to compile school records, pediatrician files, witness accounts, and your parents’ estate planning documents. It’s going to require some digging. Are you prepared for that?”
Julia nodded. She gave Jamie a list of people who’d witnessed the distress at home as of late: the Fitzpatricks. Eliza. Wendell. After some thought, she added Sam, too.
“There’s something else we need to discuss. Once I file with the court, the judge will schedule a hearing. As your guardian, your aunt will be notified of the filing and of the hearing date. How do you think she’ll react to that?”
Not well,Julia thought. “Should I tell her?”
“That depends. Will it cause more strife in the household?”
Julia shrugged. “Probably. But it’s not like I’m afraid of her or anything like that.”
“So you feel safe at home?”
It was a terrible question that caused her some guilt. Candace was awful, but not like that. Julia had no fear of her acting out abusively. “Yes. She’s not a good match for us, but she’s not a bad person.”
Jamie made some quick notes. “Good. I will also be requesting that the court assign a guardian ad litem. That person will be visiting your home and interviewing all of you. Plus friends, the therapist you mentioned, that sort of thing.”
“Okay.” It was a lot. “How long does all this take?”
Jamie glanced up from her notes. “A good bit of time. We want to do a thorough job if we’re going to do it right.”
Time was one thing they didn’t have a lot of. But having a petition filed would force Candace to keep Julia and Pippa in the state until the court held their hearings and made their decisions. Julia felt an immense sense of relief for that.
“All right,” Jamie said, leaning back in her chair at the end of their session. “We have a lot to do. But I will say this: I think you have a case.”
“I do?”
“It’s early to get excited. And I want to caution you to manage your expectations. This is a serious thing, to file a petition for emancipation. After everything we’ve discussed today, are you certain this makes good sense to you?”
Julia didn’t hesitate. “More than ever.”
“Okay, then. Any questions?”
“Yes.” Julia paused. It was the one thing that worried her almost as much as the potential outcome. “How do I pay you?”
Jamie pushed a one-page contract toward her. “I’m not goingto charge you up front. If you sign this contract today, you will be retaining my services with a contingency clause. That means I will recoup reimbursement for my fees once we request that the court release some of your trust funds. Are you comfortable with that?”
“Yes. One more question. Where do I sign?”
