“I don’t understand you,” Adrian spat. “What do you want from me?”
“How about honesty?”
“Oh, you want to talk about honesty? What about your lack of treatment? If it weren’t for Gilda, I still wouldn’t even know about that, would I?”
Margaret paused. “That has nothing to do with this.” She looked away.
“Doesn’t it, though? We’re talking about honesty, right? Or does honesty only apply to me and not to you?”
“Okay, then. Since we’re getting things out in the open, do you want to know why I didn’t tell you about your father’s illness? Because he asked me not to.”
Adrian’s stomach plummeted. “What do you mean?”
“His doctor found an arrhythmia, and he didn’t want to worry you. He’d been taking some medication to help with it for a few months, and we’d been working on lifestyle adjustments, but his heart just gave out. His doctor did everything he could to save him, but it obviously wasn’t enough.”
Adrian’s jaw dropped. Her father didn’t want to worry her with his health? What was more important than that? She sat on the edge of the sofa, in shock, as the memory replayed in her mind. She thought about her father’s funeral and how ugly she was to her mother. She’d blamed Margaret for robbing her of the opportunity to say goodbye. She even cut her mother out of her life because of that lie. Adrian felt ashamed at her behavior in retrospect. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Like you would have listened? I’d grown quite accustomed to being the bad guy over the years, anyway. It was always you two against me.” Margaret’s eyes watered.
“That’s so typical of you. You should have tried harder to tell me. You should have called. Hell, you could have sent me a letter, an email, anything. But you didn’t, and now you expect me to feel sorry for you?”
“Don’t you dare talk to me that way,” Margaret said and coughed. Her eyes grew wide as she tried to catch her breath.
Seeing her struggle diffused Adrian’s anger, and she felt guilty at her outburst. She grabbed the glass of water next to her mother’s chair and handed it to her, rubbing her back until the coughing stopped. Margaret took a sip once she caught her breath, and then she cleared her throat.
“I’m sorry, Ma. Are you okay?”
“I’m dying, Adrian.” Margaret looked into her eyes with a weak smile. “How’s that for honesty?”
Tears welled in Adrian’s eyes, the reality of her mother’s condition setting in. “What can I do?”
“Call a lawyer, and make sure that child is really his.”
Adrian hugged her mother, and it was the first time in her entire life that she let go of Margaret first.
Adrian fixed a simple dinner while Margaret rested in her chair. The events of the afternoon had taken a toll on both of them in different ways. Adrian still couldn’t believe Brad had been unfaithful with Celeste. She’d thought she knew her husband better than that. But then again, how well can you really know anyone?
She thought about all the times Brad worked late. He and Celeste were on the same team, and come to think of it, he would casually mention her more than the rest of his co-workers. Celeste probably pulled some Sharon Stone leg crossing move on Brad, leaving him speechless. Adrian shuddered at the thought, wanting to slap her dead husband for his stupidity.
But then again, wasn’t she being a little unfair? How did she know it wasn’t him who initiated what happened? Adrian knew better than anyone how charismatic Brad could be. She fell hard and fast for him long ago. He was determined, never settling for anything less than what he wanted. Once he’d decided what he wanted, of course. So, he probably set his sights on Celeste, and the rest was history.
Regardless of the details, it didn’t change the fact that Celeste gotten pregnant and obviously wanted some kind of financial support. How could they even prove paternity with him six feet under? Would they have to exhume his body? That would go over like a lead balloon with his parents. Your philandering son got his slutty co-worker pregnant, so we need to dig up his bones to prove paternity. Adrian cracked a smile thinking of his mother’s reaction. She’d love to hear his mother explain that to her girlfriends at the club.
And then there was Adrian’s father. She still felt her mother could have tried harder to tell her about George’s illness, but she saw her point. Why did her father insist on not telling her? Maybe she could have done something for him sooner, and he’d still be there. He always put himself last, giving every ounce of himself to Margaret and Adrian. In the end, he gave a little more of himself to Margaret, and she honored her husband’s wishes, knowing how it could potentially ruin the already strained relationship she had with Adrian.
Adrian marveled at the sacrifice Margaret made in the name of love for her husband. God had other plans for her father, and even though his death initially pushed them apart, they were together now for a reason. Would she allow their stubbornness to push them apart again? Her mother had always been a bit of a mystery to her, and if she’d learned anything since she’d arrived, there was so much more about Margaret she wanted to understand before it was too late. Chances were, she wasn’t the only one feeling that way. She knew she had to do her part to be vulnerable. She could only hope that Margaret would follow her lead.
“Ma, dinner is ready.” Adrian plated spaghetti as Margaret shuffled into the kitchen and sat in her usual chair. Adrian set the plates down and joined in her usual seat to the left. They twirled noodles around forks in silence. The sun began its descent, and the streetlights sparked with life.
Adrian set her fork down. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Margaret mumbled through a mouthful of spaghetti.
“For not making it easier to tell me about Dad. I know I wouldn’t have listened in that moment. You were right about that.”
Margaret took a sip from her water glass. “Yeah, I’m sorry too. I could have tried harder to tell you. I just didn’t think you’d listen.”
“You weren’t wrong about that, but I wish you would have said something, even after the fact.”
“Would you have listened?”
“Of course, I would have. I always listen to you, don’t I?” Adrian cracked a smile.
Margaret’s shoulders relaxed, her lips curling into a smile. “I’ll remember that.”
Adrian picked up her fork. “I’m glad we’re talking now, though.”
Margaret placed a bony hand on top of Adrian’s, waiting for their eyes to meet. “Me too.”
They both smiled, feeling their relationship begin to thaw.
Adrian cleared the table after dinner and started the dishwasher before stepping outside to call Laura. She grabbed her pack of cigarettes from the car, lighting one as she dialed the phone. “You won’t believe the day I’ve had,” she said when Laura answered. She sat down by the front door, exhaling billows of smoke. “Celeste, one of Brad’s old co-workers, showed up here, pregnant, saying the baby is Brad’s.”
“Wait, what now?”
“You heard correctly, my friend.”
“Well, at least you know who the mystery woman is now.”
“Yeah, how cliché of Brad to have an affair with his co-worker.” Adrian watched a puff of smoke head out over the sidewalk.
“And she’s pregnant?”
“Yep, looked to be about six months along.”
“The plot thickens.”
“You have no idea.” Adrian rubbed her temple.
“Well, if we’re doing simple math, chances are Celeste told Brad, so he probably knew about the baby before he died.”
Adrian’s heart sank. “I hadn’t even thought about that.” So even Brad knew Celeste gave him something Adrian had been unable to. No, thank God she hadn’t. She couldn’t imagine trying to raise his spawn after finding out all of this about him.
“But this is assuming she’s not lying. If I were you, I’d get a lawyer. Speaking of…didn’t you tell me Christian was a lawyer?”
�
��Yeah, he is, although I don’t know what kind.” Christian. Maybe he would be able to help her make sense of this.
“I’ve been thinking you should call him anyway, but now you have a legitimate legal reason to seek his counsel.”
“I can practically hear your eyebrows wiggling over here.” They both laughed.
“But seriously, you can’t do this on your own. You need to have someone in your corner who's got your back. Don’t just take her word for it. People lie.”
“You’re right about that.” Adrian put out her cigarette. “I’ll call him.”
“At least he’ll be nice to look at while he’s fighting for your honor.”
“No doubt.” Adrian thought about Christian in his pinstripe suits. “Thank you for your sage wisdom.”
“That’s what I’m here for, girl. Now, go get ‘em.”
“Peace begins with me, right?”
Laura echoed the mantra before they hung up. Adrian knew it was no accident she ran into Christian a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully, he could help her out of this mess.
14
The following week, Adrian sat in the quaint waiting room of Kellogg, Stephens and Associates, waiting for her name to be called. There weren’t too many frills in the waiting area. It had stark white walls and brown faux leather chairs with just enough cushion to make the wait more bearable. The office was located in an old bungalow style house, with a large bay window overlooking the coastal drag. Fortunately, Christian had a cancellation, and his assistant was able to fit her in on short notice.
She tried to distract her mind with two-month old copies of US Weekly to no avail. She set them down in defeat. Not even Hollywood drama held a candle to her own. What if the baby was really Brad’s? Would she be forced to be some sort of twisted proxy, supporting it for the rest of her life?
She’d grown accustomed to not wearing power suits and attending meetings to discuss other pointless meetings. She liked where life had taken her, allowing her to explore the idea of trading in her briefcase for a paint brush. The life she’d always envisioned for herself was within reach, and a love child’s tiny hand could snatch it all away from her in an instant.
Contrary to recent events, she’d always been a relatively lucky person. Things always lined up for her, even in the bleakest of moments. She always persevered, finding a way to come out of a pile of garbage smelling like roses. She wasn’t about to let her luck run out. There had to be a way out of the current mess.
“Adrian, Christian will see you now.” His assistant interrupted her train of thoughts. Adrian followed her, a lanky older woman with chestnut hair pulled back in a tight bun wearing entirely too much makeup, as she took her back to his office. Christian motioned for Adrian to come in despite cradling a phone receiver between his shoulder and right ear. She felt his eyes trail over her entire body as she sat in front of his desk. She smiled at him, and he made a rolling gesture with his hand to indicate he was wrapping up the call. She mouthed “take your time,” and his eyes lingered on her lips. He was only charging her by the hour, right?
She looked around his office while she waited. It wasn’t a typical lawyer’s office. It didn’t have an ounce of stuffiness to it, despite the obvious age of the building. It was surprisingly bright and airy, with cream colored walls and blue accents reminiscent of a coastal escape. He didn’t have any personal photographs anywhere, although a lone nail hammered into the wall left a reminder of what used to be. His diplomas were prominently displayed, including a law degree from Stetson University, and white bookcases lined one of the walls with prolific volumes on law. Oddly enough, a copy of Oh, The Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss stood prominently on one of the shelves. Adrian giggled, looking back at Christian, who hadn’t taken his eyes off her the whole time.
He finally hung up. “Sorry about that.”
“You didn’t strike me as a Dr. Seuss kind of guy.”
He gave her a confused look, and she pointed to the book on the middle shelf on his bookcase.
“Oh, that.” He chuckled. “My aunt Beverly gave that to me when I graduated from Law School.
“It’s a classic.”
He shifted in his seat, clearly entering into lawyer mode. “I want to start off by saying today’s consult will be at no charge.” He held up a hand to cut off her protests. “I insist, and it’s not up for debate or discussion. With that said, this isn’t my normal area of expertise, but I’m happy to help as much as I can.”
“Thank you. I truly appreciate it.”
“My pleasure. So, tell me about this pregnant mistress.”
She recounted her interaction with Celeste, and he took diligent notes while she spoke. She felt vulnerable when she told him how Brad had confessed his infidelity moments before their crash. She hadn’t planned on telling anyone other than Laura about that, but something about Christian made her feel completely at ease. She could talk to him about anything, and she sensed there was no judgment.
His eyes met hers, expressing deep empathy for being cheated on. “Did Brad have a will, by chance?” Adrian shook her head, and he scribbled some notes. “And what assets did he have?”
“He had a car that was paid off, and we had a joint bank account and owned a house together.”
“No 401k or anything like that?”
“No, we had a combined Roth IRA account we both contributed to on a monthly basis.”
“And what about the house? Did you own that free and clear?”
She shifted in her seat. “Sorta. We opted for the mortgage insurance that pays the balance in the event that one of us died.”
He scribbled more notes. “And have you sold the house, or do you still own it?”
“I have it currently listed on the market, but it hasn’t sold yet.”
“Did you have health insurance?”
“Yes, and I had about $50,000 in medical expenses beyond what was covered by our policies.”
“Gotcha.” He cradled his face in his hand and furrowed his brow. He was kinda sexy when he was deep in thought. “So, this is not a typical paternity and child support case, since the father is deceased.” He looked over his notes again. “I know how things would be handled here in Florida, but since this happened in Texas, it would be in accordance with Texas law.”
“That makes sense.”
“But typically, the child would be due a percentage of net income on a monthly basis from the father, but since he’s deceased, Celeste could come after a portion of his assets. Have you gone through probate yet?”
“I didn’t see the need, since all of our assets were in both of our names.”
He made another note. “And did Brad have a life insurance policy?”
“Yes, but the majority of the funds were used on our medical expenses from the accident.”
“Hmm…okay. So, the biggest assets are your house and IRA. But first things first—we need to prove paternity, and we can’t do that without a body or a baby.”
“So, what can I do?”
“I’d advise you to wait it out for now. We can’t do anything until the baby is born anyway.” He leaned back slightly in his chair.
Waiting had never been her forte, and she felt herself deflate. “Celeste was pretty certain he was the father, and I’m sure she would know.”
“Don’t be so sure. Have you ever seen daytime talk shows?”
Adrian laughed, and it was the hardest she’d laughed in a couple of weeks. “Point taken. You didn’t strike me as a daytime TV kind of guy.”
“What can I say? I’m full of surprises.” He smiled and reached his hand across the desk and covered hers. Heat radiated through her body from his touch, making her knees weak. “Don’t worry. We will figure this out together.”
They locked eyes, and in that moment, she no longer felt alone.
Adrian ladled golden milk into two mugs, placing one in front of her mother before joining her at the dining table.
“More golden milk, I see.” Margaret wr
inkled her nose. “Why are we drinking this again?” Her voice sounded a little wheezy.
“Because Laura said it’s good for our immune systems.” They’d established a ritual of drinking the milk after dinner. Neither one of them expected it to be a cure-all by any means, but if it bought them a little more time together it was worth it. The fact that they wanted to spend more time together, and Adrian noticed Margaret had been sleeping better, made her chalk it up as a win.
“How did your meeting go with Christian today?”
“It went well, or as well as it could have, anyway. He told me basically to just sit and wait. Celeste hasn’t officially filed anything yet, so there’s really nothing for me to do.”
Margaret snickered. “Yeah, like you’re so good at waiting.” Adrian stuck out her tongue and they both giggled. “What about the paternity?”
“We’d have to wait for the baby to be born, and then we’d most likely have to exhume Brad’s body to prove it.”
“Wow, and if the baby is his after all is said and done, what then?”
“She’d be entitled to a portion of his estate, which would include our house and potentially our retirement funds since the majority of his life insurance policy paid our medical bills.” Adrian rubbed the back of her neck.
“Rats.” Margaret looked disappointed. “He’s even worse than I thought, leaving you with this mess to clean up.”
“Didn’t you teach me to not speak ill of the dead?”
“Yeah, but now I’ve got the sick old lady card to play and can say whatever I want.”
“And you’re milking it, aren’t you?” Adrian smirked. They finished their drinks, and Adrian placed the empty mugs in the dishwasher. “If you don’t need anything else at the moment, I’m going to call Laura.”
“Try to smoke only one cigarette this time. Remember, all this could be yours.” Margaret waved her hands over her body like Vanna White.
Adrian rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Ma.” She stepped outside and retrieved her not-so-secret stash of cigarettes. As the phone rang, she brought a cigarette to her lips and heard her mother hacking up a lung inside. The cigarette suddenly lost its appeal, and she slipped it back in the pack.
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