it on her slim finger. “It has a fierce quality, though.”
“Fierce.” My mind drifts to the last time I saw Joselyn. “It’s a good description.”
“Just so you know, my middle name is Lynn, which can be a boy or a girl’s name.”
A smile fidgets at the corner of my mouth, and I shake my head. “You can hold the baby names. I’m not proposing with this.”
“You’re not!” Her jaw drops, and she’s so disappointed. “Then why are you here? I told you I’d bring it to you.”
“I had some business to settle in Providence. It was just as easy for me to collect it from you.”
“What business? Are you stepping out on me, Spence?”
I hate that diminutive. “It’s not hard to say the R.”
“Stop changing the subject. What were you doing in Providence?”
“Wrapping up some family business. I would expect by now you’d know we deal with Grafton before anyone.”
A smile breaks across her face. “Being careful is what keeps me on top.”
“Yes, I know.” I hold out my hand, but she shakes her head in disgust.
“I’m not giving it to you like this. I have a box and tissue. I’ll wrap it up and make it look nice. Maybe then… if you’re lucky, she’ll accept it.”
If I’m lucky. She has no idea.
I’m about to make a comment when my phone buzzes in my pocket. She texted me last night, but she didn’t want an answer.
Now when I see her words, my shoulders tighten. “Sorry, Heather. I’ve got to go.”
Sliding the ring into my pocket, I make a quick call to the airport and arrange the private jet. The rest I’ll handle on the flight home.
Chapter 29
Joselyn
“He asked if I would meet him for coffee.” Courtney’s voice is so small in this enormous conference room.
She sits across a wooden table from a team of lawyers led by an older woman in a St. John suit.
The day after the incident, we took Ollie to stay with my mom in Fireside. Tom suggested it to get him away from the news and the reporters. Then Courtney and I moved to a penthouse suite in a downtown Westin, supposedly in case there was a backlash. Courtney and I were both confused, since as far as she knows, Ozzy has no family in the States.
She was taken before a judge for arraignment, and now we’re meeting with Spencer’s team of lawyers in preparation for her preliminary hearing.
All these things are happening at his direction, but I haven’t seen or heard from him.
I’ve become an expert at pretending I don’t care.
The female lawyer glances at a yellow legal pad. “You agreed to meet your ex-husband for coffee knowing he had a history of violence?”
“It was in a coffee shop. Tom was always with me. I didn’t think—”
“Exactly, Mrs. Clayton. You didn’t think, which is precisely why you won’t speak in your defense. They’ll rip you to shreds.”
Courtney’s chin drops, and I want to scoot forward in my chair and hold her hand, give her my reassurance. It’s just the two of us here at this meeting.
“He said he wanted to talk about Oliver.” Her voice is a bit louder, a touch angrier, and I’m surprised by her sudden show of strength. “I thought I could get him to leave us alone.”
“And how did that go?” The woman’s eyes never leave her notebook. She’s impatient, and I want to throw something at her.
My friend’s shoulders droop, and she exhales. “He told me I was moving home with him. He said I couldn’t hide forever.”
One of the younger male lawyers sits forward. “Tell me, Mrs. Clayton—”
“If you don’t mind,” Courtney interrupts him, “I don’t go by that name anymore. I use my maiden name now. It’s Shaw. You can call me Miss Shaw.”
“Sorry.” The guy makes a note. “Miss Shaw, can you tell me how the gun was introduced into the situation?”
“I didn’t mean to take it out. I was leaving, going to my car, and he followed me.” Courtney talks fast, like she’s embarrassed. “He grabbed my arm, and my bag fell. It hit the ground and he saw it. That’s when he lunged for it, but I beat him to it.”
“So he saw the gun in your bag and tried to take it from you?” The guy repeats.
“Yes. I didn’t want him to get it because it’s registered to me. I didn’t trust him.”
“So you never at any time intended to kill your ex-husband?” The older woman is back in the lead.
Courtney’s eyes go to