by Jade Winters
Dylan learnt young. Her father taught her a valuable lesson when she was a child by drumming it into her head that the animal kingdom mirrored the world she lived in. ‘It’s a dog eat dog world out there, Dylan. You walk your own path, and you’re responsible for what goes on in your world—nobody else’s.’
All of her life, she had seen people do the meanest things to each other, from the bullying at school she witnessed, to the bullying in the workplace. The evidence was all around her that her father was right, but still, she couldn’t help but wonder what Harper had experienced to see things so differently.
Dylan’s thoughts returned to their meeting. How long will it take Harper to realise that Robyn isn’t going to cave in to her client’s demands? It was Robyn’s father that was apprehensive of the fall out with regards to the case going public, in reality Robyn couldn’t give a shit. The woman had the kind of steely determination that went down well in high powered jobs, but not in your normal day to day existence. That was Dylan’s opinion anyway. The offer had been put on the table, now it was a matter of waiting to see if Abi took the bait. If Harper was a good solicitor, the offer would be turned down without a second thought.
‘Dylan, wait,’ Harper’s voice called out as Dylan came to a stop outside her car. Turning, Dylan waited for her to catch up. Maybe I was wrong about her. If this deal is accepted I will be speechless.
It took Harper a couple of minutes to reach her. Breathless and panting, Harper bent over, rested her hands on her knees and inhaled in short jerky breaths.
Dylan watched her with amusement. For a woman so slender it was only natural to assume Harper would have been slightly fitter than she appeared at that moment.
‘I spoke to Abi.’ Harper straightened up and took a deep breath.
Dylan leant against her car. Surely it can’t be this easy? Where’s the fun in that? Dylan’s mind had already gone to work on the paperwork that would need filing, and the forms that would need signing.
‘She said no to your offer,’ Harper said, her breath resuming its natural rhythm.
‘Come again?’ Dylan still had to play the game of being shocked by the refusal. Saying it was what she’d expected would mean the beginning of the mind games. Though it wouldn’t bother her normally, in this case the longer things dragged on, the longer it would be before she could get together with Harper. Dylan nearly licked her lips at the thought.
‘The answer is no.’
Dylan raised her brows. It was times like this she was grateful her mother pushed her into drama lessons at school. When it came to bluffing, her poker face was priceless. ‘I see. You do know what this means?’
Harper nodded. ‘That you and your client go back to the drawing board and try and come up with something that’s not so insulting.’
Dylan gave a shake of her head. ‘I’m starting to think your client is doing this out of spite, rather than anything else.’
‘Spite?’
‘Yes, spite.’ Dylan smiled to herself when Harper’s cheeks flushed pink. It amazed her how easy it was to rile her.
‘Do you want to know what spite is, Dylan? Really know? Has it ever occurred to you to see beyond your nose and understand the damage divorce cases like this cause to innocent people?’
When Dylan remained silent Harper took a step towards her.
‘Have you got to go to work now?’
Perplexed, Dylan checked her watch. Was it wishful thinking that Harper wanted to go back to her place to talk more? Maybe Dylan could even persuade Harper to forget about work for a few hours. After all it was only a matter of time before Harper’s resistance started to fade. It only took a few seconds for that dream to be shattered.
‘My first appointment isn’t until eleven. Why?’
‘Good. Open the car door.’ Harper strode around to the passenger side and pulled at the door. ‘I said open. I want to take you somewhere.’
Dylan rolled her eyes and pressed the button on her key. The car’s locks popped up and Harper pulled the door open and jumped in. Dylan looked heavenwards before following suit.
‘Where’re we going then? I take it it’s not to your place or mine,’ Dylan said grinning.
‘No. Just drive towards Hackney.’
‘Excuse me. That’s like half an hour away.’
‘Just drive.’
Dylan sighed and slipped her seat belt over her chest. ‘You’re so bossy.’ The engine started smoothly with the soft purr of a cat and seconds later they were heading towards east London.
‘So are you going to tell me where we’re going?’ Dylan asked after they had sat in silence for ten minutes.
‘A place where I volunteer.’
‘Oh goody,’ Dylan said sarcastically. ‘Can’t wait. And what exactly am I going to see here?’
‘The consequences of your actions.’
Goose pimples rose inadvertently on Dylan’s arms. I pray to god it isn’t anywhere too depressing. ‘Where’s that then?’
‘You’ll see,’ Harper replied.
Dylan glanced over at her and felt a warm fuzzy feeling overcome her. It was nice to have Harper so near, even if it was under these circumstances. The realisation that it would take but a second to let her hand accidentally slip from the gear stick and onto Harper’s thigh thrilled her. Not that it was likely. Harper’s expression spoke volumes.
Unable to stand the tension in the air, Dylan switched on the radio hoping a bit of Heart FM would melt the ice maiden. It didn’t. All it did was induce sarcastic comments from Harper about the sloppy lyrics. Which was a shame because Dylan found some aspects of the words actually rang true when the singer sang of love and attraction. It was exactly what she herself had experienced since meeting Harper the previous day; the head rush, the pounding heart, the silent need to be near her. Eventually, Dylan gave up trying to engage with Harper and switched the radio off. They rode the rest of the journey in silence.
Harper indicated for Dylan to pull into the car park of a large warehouse. A group of women were standing idly outside the entrance.
Dylan ducked under the windscreen to look up at the building reaching high into the sky. ‘You volunteer here?’
Harper nodded.
‘Do you mind me asking why? Is it some kind of homeless place for divorced women?’ Dylan said trying to inject some humour into the air. It failed miserably. Harper’s face was still as serious as it had been at the start of the journey.
‘It might as well be. It’s a food bank.’
What in hell does this have to do with me? Dylan frowned. ‘A food bank?’
‘Yes. Come on, let’s go inside.’
They both got out of the car simultaneously and headed towards the building. As they neared, several women greeted Harper. Dylan was still trying to figure out where she fit into all of this as they entered the staff entrance of the warehouse. A woman holding a box called out from the top of a ladder. Rows and rows of food lined each aisle.
‘Alright girl, how ya doin’?’ A short, dark haired woman with a protruding belly, descended the metal staircase carrying a large cardboard box.
‘I’m fine thanks, Diane,’ Harper said, hurrying over to help her. ‘Yourself?’
‘Just about keeping my head above water, but it’s all good.’ Diane dropped the box on a table and began rummaging through the contents. ‘Is it really rocket science to remember to put sodding milk in these boxes?’ Diane glanced at Dylan and smiled. ‘The amount of exercise I do running up and down those stairs—I should be a size ten by now,’ she said slapping her round belly.
Dylan couldn’t help but like the woman straight off the bat. She had a warm, down-to-earth approach about her.
‘Who’s your friend?’
‘Oh this is Dylan, a work colleague.’
‘One of the good guys I hope,’ Diane teased, but Dylan noted that it wasn’t a hundred percent all humour.
This was one of the reasons she kept her profession to herself when socialising outsi
de of the legal world. People were too caught up in their perceptions of the good guys verses the bad guys, when in reality both sides were just doing the job they were getting paid good money for.
Diane trotted back up the ladder, returning with several boxes of dried milk.
‘I forgot to tell you, Harps. That advice you gave me for my friend last week, it was wicked!’ Diane dropped a carton of milk into the box missing one. ‘Had her husband in a right frenzy with all them big words.’ Diane let out a roar of laughter.
So Harper gives out free legal advice to women in need while she’s handing them food boxes. What a novel idea.
‘I’m glad things worked out okay, Di,’ Harper said.
‘Right, I’d better get this day movin’. I swear the queues are gettin’ longer each day. I don’t know nothin’ about politics, but I do know whatever them hoity-toity politicians are doing ain’t helping the poor. All they think about is scratchin’ each other’s balls, know what I’m saying?’ She winked. ‘Might as well be back in the Victorian days, init?’
Dylan stifled a laugh. Diane had just about summed up MPs to a T.
Harper pulled Dylan to the side, leaving her hand resting on her arm as she spoke.
‘Are you ready?’
Dylan looked down at Harper’s hand, the heat seeping through like a fireball. ‘For?’
‘Reality.’ Harper handed Dylan some boxes and motioned towards a door at the far end of the warehouse.
Reluctantly, Dylan nodded her head and followed as Harper and Diane led the way down one of the aisles. As Harper pushed open the door Dylan braced herself.
The first thing that struck her were how normal the people queuing looked. They weren’t dirty, like the homeless people she saw on TV. Just average people. Some even had children with them. Dylan placed the boxes on the counter, as Diane got ready to serve the line of people.
First in was a jowl-faced woman in her thirties, pushing a sleeping child of around three in a buggy. Dylan noted the boy lacked the healthy glow of a ‘normal’ boy that age and wondered if he was sick. Dylan cocked her head to the side, paying close attention to what was being said between Diane and the woman. For some reason the woman looked familiar to her.
‘Alright, Michelle, how are you doin’ today?’ Diane said
Michelle looked at her. ‘What have I got to complain about? There’re a lot of people worse off than me. Been watching the news all morning, and those poor refugees. Heart breaking it is, seeing what’s happening to them. Being treated like bloody animals. The poor kids. I just wish there was something I could do to help.’
‘I know, doll. The world’s gone mad. I swear I don’t know how we’ve got the cheek to call ourselves humans sometimes with the things we do to each other.’ Diane shook her head. ‘Instead of gettin’ better, life’s gettin’ worse.’
Michelle nodded her head in agreement. She dragged the box of food from the counter and balanced it on the back of the buggy. ‘I’ll see you soon, Di.’
‘Take care of yourself.’ Diane waited until Michelle was out of earshot, then said to Harper and Dylan, ‘Poor woman. She had it all once. I went to school with her, and we all thought she was the one who had it made. Just goes to show you how life can change in an instant, don’t it?’
‘So what happened to her?’ Dylan asked, genuinely interested.
Diane snorted. ‘Filthy bastard of a husband traded her in for a younger model. Some scum lawyer managed to hide all his assets. He ran off into the sunset with his child bride, and Michelle ended up in a council flat with nothin’ but cancer. I’m sure it was the stress of the divorce that caused it. I know what I’d do if I spent one minute with that lawyer, I’ll tell ya.’
Dylan’s mind began to race. ‘Do you know her surname?’
‘Jacob or somethin’ like that.’
‘And the husband’s first name?’
If Diane thought Dylan was being too familiar there was nothing in her expression to suggest it at all.
‘Yeah, never forget that bastard. Called himself Rich. Oh, the irony.’
Rich? Short for Richard. It had to be the same case her father had won a few years back. At that moment she had an epiphany. Is this place the reality of my job? In all honesty Dylan rarely thought about the after effects of divorce. All she cared about was winning. She settled cases then moved on to the next one so quickly she barely had time to think about anything but the work at hand. Am I that thick that I didn’t realise these were the consequences of my actions?
Dylan felt something wet drop onto her cheek. Instinctively, she reached up to touch it. A single tear had escaped her eye. She quickly wiped it away with the tip of her finger. So this was what Harper was talking about.
‘You alright?’ Harper asked with a look of concern.
‘Uh, yes,’ Dylan said glancing away. ‘I had something in my eye.’
The sound of Harper’s mobile phone rescued the awkward moment. She patted down her jacket, felt her phone and took it out. She glanced down at the caller ID. ‘I need to take this. It’s work’
‘No problem,’ Dylan said.
Dylan watched Harper move to a quiet corner of the room then turned her attention to the people coming through the door. Standing there alone with her thoughts Dylan wondered if all the lost souls milling around were there due to the actions of others, like me. Fear and guilt tore through her like a tornado. Dylan pictured the forlorn face of the small boy she had seen only minutes ago, and his mother who looked worn to the bone. Was this the kind of legacy Dylan wanted to leave behind? A worse reputation than scrooge himself. Did she want to have Abi’s downfall on her hands? No. There had to be a way round this situation. Her mind raced ten to the dozen. What can I do? Harper headed back over to her. Just as she reached her Dylan had a lightbulb moment.
‘Harper, I’ve got an idea that might bring a fair settlement for both parties.’
‘Oh yeah?’
‘I can’t say anything yet, but give me a few hours and I’ll let you know.’ I only hope I can convince Robyn to go along with it.
‘Can’t wait.’
Dylan hesitated for a moment. ‘You know you’ve got it wrong about me.’
‘Next, you’ll be telling me the Devil has wings.’
Dylan let out a sigh. ‘Believe it or not, Harper, it’s true.’
Chapter Sixteen
Robyn stopped pacing Dylan’s office floor long enough to see if her solicitor was having a laugh at her expense. ‘You’re deadly serious, aren’t you?’
Dylan nodded her head, saying nothing.
Robyn was convinced Dylan had taken leave of her senses. When Dylan had called her the previous day to arrange a meeting, Robyn assumed there had been some kind of breakthrough in the settlement. That Abi had caved in under the pressure and accepted her terms. What she didn’t expect was the woman she’d hired to help her get rid of the excess baggage, to suggest actually taking it on board. Robyn was beginning to wonder if Ms Blue was as hot a solicitor as her reputation made her out to be. ‘You want me to look after that baby. Why the hell would I want to do that?’
‘I thought you were a smart woman, Robyn.’
Robyn followed Dylan’s finger as she ran it across her exposed chest. Robyn was sure it was to draw her attention to her cleavage. If only my hands weren’t full with Tiffany. ‘You thought right. Which is exactly why I don’t want anything to do with Abi or that kid.’
Dylan stood and walked to the window. When she turned back to face Robyn several seconds later, her white shirt was buttoned up to her neck. ‘Just hear me out for a second, will you?’
‘I’m listening.’
‘Good. Right. You’ve made an offer that’s been turned down, which is making me think that money isn’t the object here.’
‘So what is?’
Dylan returned to her desk and leant over it as Robyn stared back at her, mesmerised by the steely determination in her eyes. ‘She wants to punish you. Don’t you see? Anyone
in their right mind would have taken the money and ran.’
‘So what’s me babysitting gonna change?’
Dylan straightened up and crossed her arms over her chest. ‘Jake’s important to her, isn’t he?’
‘And?’
‘And, what if she was to think you might be interested in sharing custody of him?’
Robyn leapt out of her seat. ‘What? Sharing custody?’
‘I thought you were going to listen. If she thinks there’s any chance that you’ll apply for custody it may scare her into being more amenable to a settlement.’
Robyn ran her fingers through her hair. ‘I don’t know. I mean she said she wants me involved in his life.’
‘There’s a difference between being involved and actually having custody. How would she feel about you playing happy families with her son and your girlfriend?’
Robyn grinned. She’s right about that, Abi would go mad.
‘Look, you don’t want this to drag on, do you? Abi’s solicitor isn’t going to let this go. I don’t think she’ll stop until she gets half of everything you own. Is that what you want?’
‘How’s she affording her?’
‘That’s irrelevant. The fact is she has a solicitor and a good one.’
‘I thought you were good.’
‘I am. But there’s only so much I can do.’
Robyn sighed in frustration. It looked like she wasn’t going to have much choice in the matter. ‘I’m not happy about this, Dylan. Not one bit. To top it off I received this today.’ She took out a folded letter from her pocket and threw it on Dylan’s desk.
‘What’s this?’ Dylan said, picking up the letter and inspecting it closely.
‘It’s a request for maintenance from the CMS.’