Ian reached for the lid and covered the tomato sauce. “Are you sure you’re okay with all of this? I know he’s done a lot of horrible things, but he’s still your dad.”
Lily cleared her throat. “Being my dad doesn’t change the horrible things he’s done. I know it’s stupid, but I hold him to a higher standardbecausehe’s my dad, and he’s a lawyer.”
Ian turned his back on the stove and went over to the counter.
He cradled the phone between his neck and shoulder, picked up the knife, and began chopping the vegetables. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re handling it well. I have no idea what I would do if my dad was behind something like this.”
“Stu isn’t that kind of person anyway, so I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
Using his free hand, he scooped the vegetables up into a bowl. “You know you can talk to me about it, right? I wouldn’t hold it against you.”
“I’m just trying to do right by everyone,” Lily replied in a strange voice. “It feels like I’ve got a lot to make up for.”
“You don’t.Hedoes.”
“Sins of our fathers and all that.”
Ian paused to shove a lock of hair out of his face. “I don’t think it’s meant to be taken so literally. It’s not your job to absolve him of his sins, Lil.”
“You mean like how it’s not your job to solve Mom’s case?”
“It kind of is, though, since I’m a cop.”
“That’s not the same thing, E. You being a cop has nothing to do with you feeling compelled to solve Mom’s case. That’s all you, and I get it, I do. I just want you to know that you can walk away from all of this.”
Ian finished the vegetables and reached for the plate of chicken breasts. “You do realize that it’s a little too late to think of that now? I could’ve done that before I stuck to my guns with Eric.”
“It’s not too late, and no one would blame you for walking away. With everything going on, I’m actually surprised you haven’t.”
Ian wiped his hands on a rag and spun around to lean against the counter. “Between you and me, I’ve actually considered it a few times, but it’s the only thing keeping me sane right now. Since the doctors still don’t know what’s wrong with Lucy, this feels like the only thing in my life I can control.”
He wanted to believe he could steer it toward a good outcome.
Lucy blew out a breath. “I know how you feel. When I first came here, I threw myself into anything and everything that came my way, till I realized it wasn’t a good way to cope. You need to find other ways. When was the last time you made something with your hands?”
“I don’t have time for woodwork.”
“You should make time,” Lily advised, her voice drifting off before it came back stronger than before. “Okay, listen, I’ve got to go call the lawyer. He’s waiting on my call. Let me know how it goes when you’re done.”
Ian had chopped up the chicken and tossed it into a sizzling pan with olive oil when his phone rang again. He wiped his hands on the back of his jeans and pressed it to his ear.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, Mr. Railings. Ms. Alrich got in touch and told me she’s brought you up to speed.”
“I’m going to send you all of the evidence I have,” Ian replied, pausing to set the phone down on the counter. He set it on speaker and picked up the wooden spoon. “I do have to warn you that it’s not much, and I’m not sure how helpful it is. My lawyer told me that it’s all circumstantial.”
“It doesn’t need to be set in stone to grant Ms. Gruntle a divorce. All I need is enough evidence to present to the court to show the kind of man Mr. Taylor is.”
“There’s a newspaper clipping in there too. There were charges brought against Eric when Lily was three or something. It seemed like they had a good case too, till all charges were dropped.”
“I’ve got a friend in the DA’s office. I’ll see if we can dig up more information about what happened.”
Ian’s fingers moved quickly, pulling up the emails Bryce sent. “I’ll send you everything I have right now. You’ll also find a few emails hinting at bribery and jury tampering, but again, I’ve been told none of it is usable in court.”
“I’ll take a look and see what I can come up with.”
“I hope that this goes well for Amy, and please let me know if there’s anything else I can do, Mr. Compton.”
“Thank you for your time and help, Mr. Railings.”
