Jake’s dad might be safe from this particular nightmare. Then again, apparently, there had been three people in that marriage and that was still blowing my mind.
Not once had Jake ever mentioned it. I had a lot of questions. Ones I would never ask unless he wanted to share. That he’d trusted me with that information was a big deal. I intended to respect that. Which brought me full circle to the woman at the other end of the conference table. I’d taken the chair the farthest away from hers.
Mr. Wittaker now stood, nominally, between us. Though his attention was on the other attorney, whose name was…something. I honestly didn’t listen. Maddy glared at me, and I just stared at her back. The weird thing that happened though, was I didn’t really care what her response was. The fury in her eyes, the way her lips compressed, even the flush to her cheeks—those were all warning signs that told me to back off, retreat, change the subject, or at least try to placate her.
Fuck. That.
Instead, I just focused on her. Everything about her was put together, smooth, and professional. I’d bet every dime in my savings account that those were new clothes and probably designer. They looked expensive. I’d never even looked up the address for their new place, but I would imagine it was pricey, too. Didn’t know. Didn’t care. Never intended on living there.
But Maddy had on a skillful amount of makeup. The hair style hid it, but she’d gotten it cut. There were layers. Her nails were perfect. They were also the exact same shade as her lips.
Fuck, she looked almost like a Stepford wife, and that was creepy enough. It was worse that she was me in twenty years. We had the exact same eyes, nose, and chin. In so many ways, she was my distorted mirror. At least I wouldn’t be bad looking?
Ugh, it was enough to turn my stomach. That pretty face housed a really not pretty person, and I wanted to be nothing like her.
Ever.
“Frankie?” Mr. Wittaker said, and I glanced at him. He and the other attorney looked at me expectantly, and I hadn’t heard a word they’d said.
“I’m sorry, I was gathering my thoughts, could you repeat that for me?”
He gave me the kindest of smiles as he pulled out the chair next to mine, but that would also keep him between me and Maddy. “We just went over the terms of how this conference would go. Both Mr. Stevens and I would prefer that all communication be conducted between the two of us. Our job is to facilitate this interaction so that both you and Ms. Curtis can have all your concerns addressed. Does that seem reasonable to you?”
“That’s perfectly reasonable to me. I’m happy to let you do the talking.”
“I’m not,” Maddy snapped, and she shook off her attorney when he put a hand on her arm. “I came here to speak to you, not your attorney.”
I probably shouldn’t smile, but her aggravation at being blocked amused me. It was petty and small. But it was still funny. I leaned back in my seat and kept my focus on Mr. Wittaker. His eyes held the faintest twinkle to them as he raised his brows at me.
“You are aware of my goals, and I think you have a grasp on the big picture here.”
His eyes warmed, and he inclined his head. A split-second before he turned from me, all the warmth drained from his expression, and he favored Mr. Stevens with a look. “In that case, Mr. Stevens, do you need a few moments to confer with your client? She seems to be expressing some difficulty with this situation.”
“I’m not experiencing difficulty,” Maddy snapped at him. “I have a right to speak to my child. Mine, by the way, not yours. Not his. Mine. She’s not eighteen. She shouldn’t even have an attorney without my permission.”
“Ms. Curtis,” Mr. Stevens began, but she glared at him.
“You’re my attorney, you’re here to do what I want. Not what they want.”
“Of course,” her attorney attempted again, and I chuckled, I couldn’t help it. Of course, Maddy didn’t want rules or restrictions. They were getting in the way of what she wanted. “However, this conference is to discuss the fact that you plan to file an injunction to end the temporary emancipation. It would be better if we discussed that before we got into more complicated and emotional matters that might lead to an