As if he were beckoned by me leaving him out, Mason appeared from around the corner. “Hey, guys.” Reading the room, he asked, “Is everything okay?”
“We’re talking about what we might want to do for Chelsea,” I explained.
Mason nodded and leaned a hip against the counter. He was wearing another pair of those expertly tailored dress pants. I’d come to realize that he preferred to be casual most of the time, jeans and a button-down. But on days when he had meetings with clients, he dressed up. “Whatever you want to do, count me in.”
Justin smiled. “Told ya.”
I ruffled his hair. “Too smart for your own good.”
Mason grabbed a water bottle from the cabinet and filled it. “I’ve got meetings this morning, but I can pick Justin and Lyla up from camp if you need to work past three.”
I desperately needed to. And while we had aftercare for the parents who worked late, it was a long day for the kids when they were just getting back into the swing of things. “Sure. Thanks for doing that.”
He gave me a wink. “No problem. Just call or text if you need anything. And my secretary knows to patch you through if anything’s urgent, even if I’m in a meeting.”
My stomach gave a healthy flip at that. Such a silly thing to react to. But it was because he’d made me a priority. Even in this weird pseudo-friendship, fake marriage that we had going, he made sure I knew I was important. “Thanks,” I whispered.
“See you guys at three.” He gave a high-five to Justin and Lyla as if he’d been doing it all his life and headed for the front door.
Justin swallowed his bite of cereal. “Bananas are kinda good on cereal.”
“Told ya.”
My landline rang,and I pushed my laptop back. I was going to kiss whoever was calling because approving kitchen supply spreadsheets was never at the top of my list of favorite things. “Hello, this is Anna.”
“Hi, Anna. It’s Keisha.”
“Hey.” It was the only word I could get out, my throat suddenly dry.
“I’ve got some updates for you if you have a minute.”
“Of course.” I wanted every piece of information I could get my hands on. Somehow, it made me feel more in control. If I could emotionally prepare for everything that might be headed my way, I could stand strong. Not have another meltdown like the one I’d had on the side of the road yesterday.
“I’ve got good news and bad news.”
“Give me the bad first.”
“I received the first list of people Mr. Paisley is calling to give testimony.”
My grip on the receiver tightened. “And?”
“They’ve listed Justin and Lyla’s birth father, Jeff Angler.”
Jeff had left my sister high and dry, wanting nothing to do with her or the kids after realizing that he wasn’t cut out for a family, after all. He’d been only too happy to sign over his parental rights if it meant not having to pay child support. Lyla had no memory of him, and Justin’s memories were minimal at best.
“Why would they call him? He has no legal rights.”
Papers shuffled over the line. “I’ve got our P.I., Dante, looking into him. I can only guess why they’d put him on the stand. Perhaps to say where he’d like Justin and Lyla to go as their closest living relative.”
“Wait. If he’s taking the stand, does that mean he’ll be in town?”
“I’d guess he’s already there. My good news is that our first court date is at the end of this week. We’re going to get this underway and wrapped up as soon as possible.”
My stomach cramped. Jeff was here. Would he try to see Justin and Lyla? That would only confuse them. Especially after just losing their mother. “Do you have a recent photo of him?”
“Dante just sent me one. I’ll text it to you now.”
“Will you send it to Mason, too? Explain who it is. I just want us to be on the lookout.”
