Brother's Best Friend

by Natasha L. Black

  “I thought maybe we could paint the walls one color, the trim another color, then paint the furniture I’ve already got in there yet another color. You know, give it some vibrancy or something.”

  I grinned. “Lance is helping you, isn’t he?”

  “Do you really have to ask?”

  Of course my brother was helping. Other than his passion for facing people down in court, he was an avid painter. Not the artistic kind, either. He loved slathering it on walls and using tape to do all sorts of weird and fancy designs. He’d always been that way—very color-coordinated and had an eye for big room decorations.

  “If you let him, he’ll make you do an accent wall,” I said.

  “He can do whatever he wants, so long as it’s what Millie wants, too.”

  I smiled. “Well, if you need another hand with painting, or generally keeping her out of the way, let me know.”

  He grinned. “I’ll definitely let you know. Thanks.”

  “I need to get going. I’ve got prepping to do for tomorrow. But give Millie a hug for me, and I’ll check on you guys soon. Okay?”

  “You aren’t staying any longer?”

  “I can’t. I need to figure out the rest of my week, as well as what project I’m going to do with the fifth graders this week.”

  “How’s that program coming along anyway? Lance told me the school approved it.”

  I nodded. “It’s coming along great! The kids love it. They look forward to it every week. I just don’t know what I’m going to do with them this week. So, my afternoon will be filled with some research.”

  “Well, if there’s anything I can help with—”

  I smiled. “I’ll let you know. I promise.”

  8

  Cole

  “I know, but we need to wear something nice. Okay?” I asked.

  “I wanna wear those socks, though,” Millie said.

  “They don’t match, honey.”

  “Who cares?”

  “Do you want to change your dress, then?”

  “No.”

  “Maybe your shoes?”

  “No!”

  I drew in a deep breath. “If you put on these socks for me, I’ll let you watch cartoons with Hope once we get home.”

  She paused. “Really?”

  I smiled. “Really, really.”

  The last thing I wanted to be doing with my fucking Thursday morning was fighting with Millie on what to wear to the courthouse. So, I compromised. By the time we got home, she’d only have a couple of hours before bedtime. A couple of hours’ worth of cartoons wouldn’t hurt, right? I knew it might set me back with our massive tug-of-war going on right now, but I needed all the mental fortitude I could muster in order to confront Mom in court.

  It didn’t shock me that she was fighting this custody agreement. It didn’t matter, though. Susie’s will and testament stating her wants for Millie made it perfectly clear that she wasn’t to have custody. At all. That right had been granted to me, and no court would overturn that.

  At least, I hoped they wouldn’t.

  “Come on. Let’s get you in the truck,” I said.

  I offered my hand to Millie, but I didn’t expect her to take it. However, that afternoon, she did. I smiled down at her, and she stood by my side, with her mismatched socks and two different types of shoes on. I chuckled at the cute chaos. The more I got to know her, the more she reminded me of Susie.

  Don’t make her appear as something she isn’t. Mom did that all the time.

  We headed out to my truck, and I braced myself. I knew Mom would put up a nasty fight in court. The social-climbing witch would stop at nothing to try and repair the family name. Even if she had to use Millie in order to do it. I knew people in her social circle looked down on her because of Susie. Me, the success. And her daughter, the drug-addled addict. I wouldn’t let her do that, though. Not to Millie.

  I wanted Millie to have a better life.

  As we drove to the courthouse, I reminded myself of all the positive things I’d done that week. I got the doghouse put together. Hope, in general, had been a great idea. Disregarding the fact that the dog had pissed multiple times in Millie’s bed, that small wiener dog helped Millie to come out of her shell. And not only had I found her a primary care physician for a doctor’s appointment, I’d nailed down a therapist for her to go see, starting next Monday.

  Surely, that would work in my favor with the courts.

  The closer we got to the courthouse, the more afraid Millie became, and by the time I parked, I couldn’t get her out of the seat. She clung to the handlebars of her booster seat, refusing to reach for me so I could scoop her out.

  So, I rested my hand on top of hers and gazed into her eyes.

  “I know all this has been scary, Millie. But I’m going to do all I can to make this easy, okay?” I asked.

  “Are we gonna see the scary woman today?” she asked.

  “We are, yes. But she’s not taking you. Okay? You’re coming home with me.”

  “Promise?”

  “I’m going to do everything in my power to keep that promise. Mommy wanted you with me. And I will fight for that. Whatever it takes.”

  She nodded softly. “Okay.”

  She reached her arms out for me, letting me pick her up. For the first time since she’d been with me, she let me pick her up. I cradled her close and cherished the moment. Because all too soon, she was wiggling down, wanting to stand and walk beside me instead of allowing me another moment to cuddle her.

  Maybe soon, Cole. Take it slow.

  Hand in hand, we walked into the courthouse. We stopped just outside of the judge’s quarters, and I peered down at Millie. She gave me a weak smile, but I saw the fear in her eyes. And as Lance approached us from down the hall, she curled deeper into me.

  “It’s okay, sweet girl. He’s safe,” I said softly. “Mr. Lance is Miss Layla’s brother and my best friend.”

  “Hey there, you two. How’re you guys feeling?” Lance asked as he stopped in front of us.

  He looked down at Millie, but she went silent, refusing to look at him and doing nothing but clinging tightly to my leg.

  “She’s scared,” I said.

  “Well, there’s no reason to be. You know we have the upper hand in this,” he said.

  “How did you get us out of a courtroom?”

  “The judge owes me a favor. That, and once I told him Millie was probably coming with you today, he was sympathetic to me not wanting to subject her to such a big room.”

  “You have no idea how much I appreciate all this. Thank you so much.”

  He smiled. “Not a problem. You two ready?”

  I rubbed Millie’s back as I drew in a deep breath, trying my hardest to trust in my best friend.

  “Ready when you are,” I said.

  The second we walked into the room, Mom tried coming over to Millie, and the girl practically scrambled up my leg. I picked her up and held her close, talking softly to her in my ear. Mom shot me a death glare. She postured so much her lawyer had to put a hand on her shoulder to get her to sit down. I scooted the chair away from her a bit, then sat down with Millie in my lap.

  And I felt her curl even tighter against my chest.

  “Your Honor, thank you for hearing us on such short notice,” Mom said.

  “I can make this quick,” Lance said.

  He brandished his copy of Susie’s signed and notarized will and testament.

  “What’s this?” the judge asked.

  “Susan Yarrow’s will. In it, it states exactly who gets custody of her daughter, Millie. And she deems Cole Yarrow—my client—her primary caretaker. Not her mother,” Lance said.

  “This is insane. I’m her grandmother, for crying out loud. My son has no idea how to raise a child,” Mom said.

  “That doesn’t matter. I drew up this will. I oversaw who witnessed it. I notarized it myself and had it filed,” Lance said.

  The judge studied the document. “It says
it right here, plain and simple.”

  “So, as her grandmother, I have no rights to her? At all? To how she’s raised or who gets to be in her life?” Mom asked.

  “You didn’t have that right before, Mrs. Yarrow. Is there any reason for you to believe that your son is an unfit parent?” the judge asked.

  “He has no parenting abilities! He doesn’t understand what he’s about to get himself into!”

  “Keep your voice down, Mom. You’re scaring her,” I said softly.

  I rubbed Millie’s back as she whimpered into my neck.

  “Your Honor, it’s not even a clouded statement in her last will and testament. She states that not only is her brother to have custody, but that her mother is explicitly not allowed it,” Lance said.

  “Let me see that,” Mom hissed.

  “I think not,” the judge said curtly.

  It was all very anticlimactic, the way it turned out.

  “Do you have any other complaints, other than his lack of experience, as to why your son can’t raise this child?” the judge asked.

  “Well—I—it just—I’m her—”

  “Yes, yes. Grandmother. I understand perfectly. Mr. Yarrow, are you financially sound?” he asked.

  “My lawyer has my financial paperwork if you’d like to see it. I own my own construction business in town. ColeRow Construction.”

  “Yes. I’m familiar with it.”

  “Here’s his financials,” Lance said.

  The judge took the paperwork before he started chuckling.

  “Well, seems you’re just fine financially. So, you can provide for the girl?”

  “Anything she needs,” I said.

  “And you have your own place?”

  “Yes, Your Honor. I bought and rehabilitated a historic Victorian home on the other side of town. Got a fenced-in backyard and everything. She’s got a lot of room to grow and roam,” I said.

  “I have more room!” Mom exclaimed.

  “One more outburst from you and you’re out of my office. Clear?” the judge asked.

  Mom’s lawyer talked harshly in her ear as her lips downturned.

  “Is there any other evidence?” the judge asked.

  “No, Your Honor. I think we’ve made our case clear,” Lance said.

  “This isn’t over,” Mom warned.

  “Well, it’s over so long as I have anything to say about it. I see no reason to remove this girl from this man’s care. The will stands.”

  “I won’t let you take my granddaughter away from me!” Mom yelled.

  “Get her out of my office before I have her charge with contempt,” the judge said.

  Millie cried softly into my neck, and it broke my heart. I stood up and walked into a corner, getting her as far away from my mother as possible. When they had escorted Mom down the hallway, I nodded toward the judge.

  “Thank you so much,” I said.

  “No thanks needed. Just take care of that little girl,” he said.

  “You have my word.”

  We walked out of the judge’s chambers, and I wrapped my free arm around Lance’s shoulders and bouncing him around. Millie’s cries turned to giggles. She patted Lance’s arm, stunning him to his spot. I released Lance and we both smiled at Millie, who gave us the sweetest smile in return.

  “Feeling better?” Lance asked her.

  “Yeah,” she said softly.

  “Cutie pie,” he said, chuckling.

  “We’re celebrating tonight. Call Layla. I want all of us to get together and show Millie who her new family is,” I said.

  Then, I looked over at my niece, who stared at me with wide, wondering eyes.

  “You and me, kid. Nothing’s getting between us.”

  As she threw her arms around my neck, trying to hug me until I couldn’t breathe, tears welled in my eyes.

  Yes. I can do this.

  9

  Layla

  “So, how are things? It’s been a while since we’ve been able to catch up. How are you doing?”

  I took a bite of my sandwich as I sat in front of Nicole, the only friend I’d made in the entire school. She was the PE teacher so, we always sympathized with one another. While we wanted to get to know our students one-on-one, sometimes we didn’t get that opportunity. We dealt with every single kid in the school every single week, and sometimes we simply couldn’t keep up with all the names, though we tried our best.

  “Things are okay. I mean, I still hurt. I’m still sad. But is it bad of me to wonder if maybe Susie is better off this way?” I asked.

  “That’s your friend that passed away, right?” Nicole asked.

  “Yeah. I feel like that’s such a cruel thought. I loved her. I grew up with her. But she was so troubled. She struggled so much. And in the end, her daughter struggled for it, too. Maybe this is the only way they could find peace?”

  “That doesn’t make you a bad person, Layla. You’re just trying to make sense of it all. I felt that same kind of peace when my grandmother passed away.”

  “You did?”

  She shrugged. “Yeah. That woman was a tank, but she’d battled cancer three separate times. She was tired of fighting, and we got that. She was tired of the medication and the poisons and the misery and the throwing up. So, she gave up on treatment and just accepted things.”

  “I don’t think Susie chose this, though. You know?”

  “The premise is still the same. My grandmother’s no longer in pain. No longer struggling. And that brings all of us peace. Susie’s no longer struggling, and now her daughter gets a chance at a better life. Right?”

  I nodded. “Right.”

  “Then, it sounds like there’s a silver lining to this cloud. Which is good. Not at all bad.”

  I took another bite of my sandwich before my cell phone vibrated in my pocket. I wiped my mouth off and dug it out, seeing that I had a text from my brother. I checked the time. Holy crap, was he already done with the court proceeding today?

  “What’s up?” Nicole asked.

  “I’m not sure,” I murmured.

  Lance: Open and shut, just like I figured. Millie’s with Cole, and we’re all celebrating tonight. He wanted me to message you. Meet at his place around four?

  “Yes,” I hissed.

  “I take it something good happened?” Nicole asked.

  “Hold on… just a moment…”

  I crafted a text back asking if I could invite Nicole to the festivities. I mean, the more the merrier, right? And it wasn’t like Nicole was a complete stranger. She’d been around us several times. Dinners and family get-togethers and events at the school the guys came out to support.

  Hopefully I wouldn’t be imposing.

  “What are you doing tonight for dinner?” I asked.

  She smiled. “Obviously, something with you.”

  “Good. Because we’re celebrating.”

  “Wait, is this about the court thing? Was that today?”

  “It just got done. And Millie’s staying with her uncle.”

  “That’s outstanding! Congratulations!”

  A hush came over the cafeteria, and I cupped my hand over my mouth. We giggled profusely as we crouched down into our seats, feeling everyone staring at us. Nicole slapped her feet against mine, trying to get me to stop laughing. But it only made me laugh harder, which made her laugh harder.

  “Well, thanks for the invite, girl. I appreciate it.”

  I breathed heavily. “Anytime. You know that.”

  “Where should I be and when?”

  I sat up in my seat. “Uh, we’re meeting at Cole’s around four. So, just come by my place after work, I guess? We can ride together over there.”

  “Sounds like a plan. I’ll be there as soon as I get out of this place.”

  We finished up lunch, and I walked back to my art room. Two more classes, then my planning period. And I had a lot to plan, because Nicole gave me a great avenue to take with the kids at the end of the week. The project that popped into
my mind would take a lot for me to pull off, especially with a gym full of fifth graders. But it also came with a valuable teaching lesson. The idea was simple: use modeling clay and get them to sculpt their favorite thing. Whatever it was that made them happiest in the world. Then, I wanted them to switch their items with a partner and try to find some joy in whatever it was their partner had created.

  Because I wanted to teach the kids how to find silver linings, even when things weren’t exactly what they wanted.

  Thank you, Nicole.

  The day went by faster than I had expected it to. And just as I pulled up to my apartment, I saw Nicole pulling in beside me. I looked over at her and smiled. I should have known she’d follow me back from the school. I shook my head as I got out of the car, and then the two of us made our way up the stairs.

  “So, how was your planning period?”

  “Good,” I said mindlessly.

  “You excited to see Cole tonight?”

  I unlocked the door. “Uh-huh.”

  “You’ve been helping him out a lot lately. Spending time together?”

  I opened the door. “Sure.”

  “You like the time you two spend together?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You like helping him out?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “You like sucking his face off because you have a crush on him?”

  I paused. “Wait, what?”

  Nicole laughed. “Have you been listening to a word I’ve been saying?”

  “Did you just say something about me kissing Cole?”

  “It’s obvious you like the guy, you know.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “I don’t have a thing for Cole. Gross.”

  Nicole laughed at me as we walked into my apartment. I tossed my keys into the catch-all bowl on the kitchen counter, then kicked off my shoes. I had no idea what in the world had driven her to think I had a thing for my best friend’s brother. He needed help, for crying out loud! We’d always been there for one another. It wasn’t like our relationship had come out of nowhere.

  “All I’m saying is you’ve been over at his place a lot,” she said.