Appeal to the Heart

by David Horne

  “I have.” Alex shook himself and picked up the file. His hand was shaking. “Who goes first?”

  Stephen shrugged.

  “I don’t mind. Why don’t you start us off?”

  Alex glanced at Joe, who was not looking at him. He was focused on Tracey, who was scowling at him. It was like Joe had shut down, attempting to maintain focus. Alex wished he could do that.

  He opened the file and took a deep breath. God, why did he have to read this out? It looked awful to him, and he had drafted many of these before.

  “Ms. Banfield wants full physical and legal custody of Lily and James. Mr.…” He glanced at Joe, but he still wasn’t looking at him. “Mr. Swarbrick will be allowed to see them every other weekend, but there are a few specific members of his family that Ms. Banfield doesn’t want Lily and James to interact with.”

  “I see.” Stephen’s expression was blank, but Alex had known him for a while. He wasn’t happy. “Do you have a list of these people?”

  “Right here.”

  Alex passed over a list of names. Tracey seemed to have included everyone and their grandma to the list, from what he could see. Stephen took the list and passed it to Joe. Joe scowled.

  “You’ve put my parents on the list?” He stared at his ex-wife. “Why? They’re the ones who help with raising your children.”

  “Because I don’t want them around Lily and James. They’re creepy.”

  Joe’s eyes narrowed.

  “Bullshit, Tracey, and you know it. My parents wouldn’t hurt a fly. Unlike your family.”

  Tracey bristled.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You put Mom and Dad on a ridiculous list because I refused to let Lily and James visit your mother’s house while your brother is there.” He looked at Alex, the first time since they sat down. “Are you aware that her brother is a registered sex offender?”

  Alex stared. How had he not been told about this?

  “No, I was not made aware of this.” He turned to Tracey. “Nobody said anything about that.”

  Tracey pouted.

  “Why are you looking at me like that? It was a misunderstanding!”

  “You kept it from your legal counsel while I’m drafting custody for you.” Alex could feel his anger being stirred. “And the fact you’re bringing children around someone registered for sex crimes against minors is something I should be aware of.”

  When he asked about family the children were close to, Tracey had mentioned her mother and brother. She had spoken about both in glowing terms, no mention of a sexual predator at all. Alex made a mental note to double-check a client’s words on a family member. That was too big for him to ignore.

  “Well, now you know.” Tracey shrugged. “It’s not going to change anything.”

  “If you think it doesn’t, you need to rethink things, Ms. Banfield.” Stephen said sharply. “That admission alone shows that you’re not a safe provider for your children.”

  Tracey’s face went red.

  “How dare you?”

  “How dare you?” Joe shot back. “Your family has a documented history of abuse, not just your brother, and yet you accuse my family of it?”

  “Okay, that’s enough!” Alex barked.

  Tracey stopped abruptly, while Joe flinched. Both of them turned to glare at him, but Alex didn’t care. As long as they stopped arguing. He was still reeling from Tracey neglecting to tell him that someone who was not allowed around kids was in regular contact with her children, and she saw nothing wrong with it.

  She really needed some help.

  You really need to drop her. She’s bad news.

  Taking a deep breath and trying not to look at Joe, Alex turned to Stephen.

  “What are your terms of custody, Mr. Roney? I trust they are reasonable.”

  “My client wishes to keep custody as it is right now but make it official with the judge.” Stephen passed across the file to Alex. “He has majority custody as the children are settled where they are. Ms. Banfield sees them as she was before. The only changes are that her mother and brother are not permitted any contact with Lily and James due to their actions, and Mr. Swarbrick has the right of first refusal if any childcare is needed when Ms. Banfield is unable to watch the children.”

  That sounded reasonable. And considering what Alex had heard from other people and witnessed just now, he considered what Joe was offering Tracey the best offer she was going to get. From the very little Alex knew of Joe, he was very determined.

  But Tracey was shaking her head through it all. Alex could tell she was going to fight it.

  “No chance on that. None at all. You won’t keep my family away from them, or from me. My kids are coming with me.”

  “They need a stable home, Ms. Banfield.” Stephen pointed out. “From what we’ve seen of your situation over the last six months, you can’t provide that for them!”

  “I can!” Tracey’s shout made Alex wince. “I live with my mother! I’ve got a stable home!”

  “You also live with a sexual predator, and conditions of his parole were that he was not to be around children, even if they’re blood-related.” Stephen looked at Alex. “I’ll be notifying the brother’s parole officer about the situation.”

  “I’m not about to stop you.”

  Alex would have done it himself had he known about it. He was not about to condone what happened. Tracey looked like she was about to burst a blood vessel.

  “What? I told you, he has not done anything wrong!”

  “I also advise, Mr. Cooke,” Stephen went on as if Tracey hadn’t just screamed at him, “that Ms. Banfield signs up for court-approved parenting classes. That is the only way Mr. Swarbrick is willing to change the custody arrangement, if Ms. Banfield can prove she can take care of her children in a way that is appropriate.”

  “What crap!” Tracey snorted. She slammed her hand sharply on the table. “I’m a good parent. I don’t need to do that!”

  Alex glanced at Joe, but Joe was focused on his wife with a blank look on his face. Yet Alex could see the anger and pain in his eyes. Was it directed at Tracey? Or at Alex? He wasn’t really sure.

  “Perhaps we should consider it if they’re willing to change…” Alex began, but Tracey cut him off, her swiping hand almost hitting Alex in the face.

  “No! I will not be treated like I’m a bad person. I love my kids, and they’re coming with me.” She jumped to her feet and jabbed a finger at Joe. “I will not let you have them!”

  Alex tensed. He was half-expecting her to launch across the table. From the way Joe was sitting, he was expecting it as well. Then Tracey moved away and stormed toward the door. Before Alex could call after her, the door was flung open and Tracey was gone, her footsteps loud and thunderous down the hallway.

  It took a moment for him to realize what had happened. And Alex was still not sure if he had actually witnessed that. He’d had clients who refused agreements and made outlandish claims, but Tracey was something else.

  She really did have a screw loose.

  Stephen sighed heavily.

  “Alex, can I speak to you privately?”

  “Sure.” Alex glanced at Joe, who was still refusing to look at him. “We can go into my office.”

  He was just thankful that this had happened in the conference room down the hall from his office. Alex felt like he needed to lie down on the couch with a cold flannel over his face after that. He was reluctant to leave Joe, however, but from the look of it, Joe wanted nothing to do with him. That hurt. Alex knew they needed to talk.

  And talk a lot.

  Stephen followed Alex to his office and stepped inside. The older man looked exhausted, rubbing a hand over his head.

  “God, that was one heck of a whirlwind.”

  “I agree there.”

  “Why did you take her on as a client, Alex? You’re smarter than that.”

  Alex sighed and shut the door.

  “I didn’t know until it
was too late. And my senior partner said the best thing we could do is make sure they’re not unleashing too much crazy.”

  “You thought you could keep her calmer than she normally is.” Stephen grunted. “Your white knight stuff isn’t going to help you here.”

  “I figured that much.”

  Stephen sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets.

  “You know this is the right thing to do. Mr. Swarbrick has been perfectly reasonable in all his requests. But he’s concerned with Ms. Banfield’s antics and that the children will spiral into whatever is going on with her.”

  “I don’t blame him for concern, Stephen. And I know it’s the right thing to do, but I have to go with what my client wants.”

  “You got the wrong side in this one.”

  Alex didn’t comment on that. He ran his hands through his hair. “The only compromise you’re going to give is you’ll relax the custody a little if Ms. Banfield agrees to parenting classes?”

  “And goes no contact with her mother and brother. Especially her brother.”

  Stephen was giving him a sharp look. Alex raised his hands.

  “I swear to you, if I’d known about the brother, I would have reported it myself.”

  “I know you would. The fact Ms. Banfield doesn’t see it as a concern is a worry for me.”

  “Same with me.” Alex lowered his hands. “Was she always like this?”

  “According to Mr. Swarbrick, no. Things changed after James was born. He thinks the baby blues, but Ms. Banfield said she was fine and refused to get treated.”

  It would explain why she was less enthused about James. Alex had read up on postpartum depression with other clients. They had a hard time adjusting and bonding with their newborn babies. Their mental health would go through the wringer, especially if left unchecked. But with Tracey Banfield, it was more than baby blues; something else was there and had been hidden for a while. Now it was making Tracey look like she was about to snap into complete craziness.

  She was a massive confusing mess, and Alex was torn between getting her help and getting as far away as possible. He still wasn’t sure which one to do.

  “I’ll relay all of that. Whether it’ll be accepted is another matter, but they’re not unreasonable in the circumstances.” Alex paused. “Ms. Banfield is getting a better deal than other people in her situation.”

  “And could you make sure that Ms. Banfield and her family don’t keep making false claims about my client to CPS? We’re sure it’s one of them or all three. If this keeps on going, they will be arrested for filing false reports and harassment. CPS won’t be too impressed that their time is being wasted.”

  “You think I don’t know that?” Alex shot back. “Ms. Banfield has admitted that she does it, but she says she’s not going to stop.”

  “Maybe the threat of arrest will stop her.”

  Alex doubted that. Especially the way Tracey was going. It was certainly vindictive rather than out of concern.

  “I’ve got the feeling that she doesn’t want the kids for herself, or because she loves them.” Alex said quietly. “She wants them to spite her ex, make sure he can’t have them.”

  “We came to that conclusion as well.” Stephen shook his head. “Joe’s concerned about what might happen if she gets more custody than she already does. It’s all been documented on his end, and you’ll have copies sent to you shortly. I want to keep you in the loop.”

  “Thank you.” Alex would have a look over everything. If he could come to a compromise that Tracey liked, then they might be able to get somewhere. She was still his client, even if Alex wished he could get rid of her. “I’d happily agree to the custody agreement, but…”

  Stephen’s expression softened. He looked sympathetic.

  “I know, Alex. Sometimes our jobs just suck.”

  Alex didn’t respond to that. He had no idea how much it really sucked right now.

  ***

  Joe was still reeling from what he saw walking into the conference room. Alex had been there, sitting at the table with Tracey pacing around like a caged animal. It had taken a moment for Joe to realize that Alex was Tracey’s lawyer.

  Fuck. He had slept with the opposing lawyer.

  Joe had no idea what he was meant to do. He had to go through that uncomfortable meeting with Tracey screeching in his face with Alex sitting beside her looking like a deer in the headlights when he realized that Tracey hadn’t disclosed Lucas’ current status. It was no surprise Tracey hadn’t mentioned it; she was still excusing Lucas and what he did. And from the little Joe knew of Alex, he knew Alex wouldn’t have sat there doing nothing about it.

  This felt like one sick joke. And Joe felt sick for having enjoyed the best sex of his life with a man who was meant to be the enemy.

  This had to be a ploy. Tracey had to have put Alex up to it to sleep with Joe and find out what he could about his side of the case. But then he discarded it. Alex hadn’t acted like he was fishing for information. He was in it for the sex. No prying into Joe’s life at all.

  Besides, he wouldn’t risk his job like that. Would he?

  Joe didn’t know what to think anymore. He just needed to get out of there. As soon as Stephen came back and said the meeting was done, Joe hurried down to the parking lot. He would have to see Alex again on Monday, and maybe at future court appearances if Tracey dragged this out. Joe wasn’t sure how he felt about that. But he just knew that it was going to be incredibly painful to go into a room and know that his one-night stand was on his ex-wife’s side.

  Joe felt like he had been duped.

  He was hurrying to his car, parked almost at the other end of the parking garage, when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

  “Wait up, Joe!”

  Joe’s heart sank. He had hoped to get away without having to interact with Alex. But he could hear hurrying footsteps. Alex was going to keep running after him until he stopped to listen. Joe just wanted to punch him.

  Taking a deep breath, he turned and waited as Alex approached him. Why did he have to look good in a suit? And why did he have to look even better without that suit on?

  Get your head out of the gutter and focus. You need to keep him away or you’re going to start grabbing him again.

  He’s just betrayed me. Why do I want to run my hands all over him like I did last night? That’s not normal.

  “What do you want, Alex?”

  Alex slowed to a stop, just out of reach. He was watching Joe warily, keeping his distance. Smart man.

  “I wanted to talk.”

  “What is there to talk about?”

  “You know the answer to that.” Alex looked over his shoulder, but there was no one there. They were alone. “What happened last night…”

  “Did you fuck me to get information from me about the case?” Joe cut in sharply. “Because you went a shit way about it.”

  Alex’s eyes widened. Then he was shaking his head.

  “What? No, of course not! I wouldn’t jeopardize my job like that. And I had no idea who you really were until you walked into the conference room half an hour ago!”

  He sounded so convincing, and Joe almost believed him. He wanted to believe him, but something held him back. Joe was still dealing with the aftereffects of a sucker punch to the stomach. The night he made a daring move and had sex with a stranger, incredible sex, had now fizzled out and he was left feel cold and very hurt.

  “You don’t believe me, do you?” Alex looked just as hurt. “You think I actually knew who you were and I was on the prowl for information for my client.”

  “I don’t know what to believe anymore.” Joe swallowed. His hands were clenched into fists, and he could feel himself shaking. He wanted to scream. “Everything that happened last night has been tarnished because all I can see is someone on Tracey’s side.”

  Alex snorted.

  “Just because I’m her lawyer doesn’t mean I’m on her side. If it makes you feel any better, I think she’s jus
t as crazy.”

  “Isn’t that something you shouldn’t be saying to me?”

  “Probably, but I’m not in the mood for that right now.” Alex looked away, rubbing a hand over his face. “Look, last night...I saw a guy I was attracted to…”

  “Don’t.” Joe cut in abruptly. “I don’t want to hear it.”

  “It’s true.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel any better.” Even though the knowledge Alex was attracted to him stayed with him. “We committed a daring act and did something we never did before, either of us. That was it, and it was a mistake. We made a mistake.”

  “It was a one-night stand! What are we supposed to do? Give name and social security numbers?”

  “It was a mistake, Alex.” Joe said slowly. “And I’m not going to do that again.”

  Not do it again. That made Joe feel very cold all of a sudden. Not have sex with Alex again, that sounded more like torture. Even now, he was itching to get his hands on Alex, even in the middle of the parking garage.

  Stop! You had sex with him last night, a one-off thing. It is not torture if it’s not happening again.

  If it isn’t, why am I so hung up on all this?

  “You regret it, don’t you?” Alex was looking at him with such a miserable expression that Joe wanted to crumble. But he held himself back from reaching for the man. “You regret an awesome night, the pleasure of each other’s company, all because I’m your ex-wife’s lawyer?”

  “I’m sure that’s a clear case of conflict of interest.”

  Alex snorted. He turned away and ran his hands through his hair. Then Joe heard Alex muttering to himself. He looked rather distressed. Joe felt distressed himself. A one-night stand was supposed to be something with no strings, just a bit of fun and then go. They weren’t supposed to run into each other less than twelve hours later. And they certainly weren’t supposed to think of the sex as anything but sex.

  Unfortunately, something in Joe’s gut said this was more than just sex. It was something deeper, and he had to push that away. He couldn’t be attracted to Alex still, surely? Not after what he just discovered? But even as he watched Alex talk to himself, Joe knew that he couldn’t ignore the fact he had ended up caring about Alex on some level. He wanted to reach out and comfort him, touch him again.