Desiring Dylan - Suzanne Jenkins Page 0,35
news could be. Farmers was a trendy sandwich place. She’d only talked to Marty Rogers on the phone, so she had no idea if he was already there, watching her stumble around.
A pale, slender woman approached her. “Miss Fontenot? I’m Faye White, Mr. Roger’s associate.” She held out her hand to shake Landon’s. “We’re way in back. Sorry about the crowd. We thought lunch would be over by now. How was your trip into town?”
They made small talk walking to the corner where Marty Rogers waited. He was breathtakingly handsome, tall and built and had a bit of an attitude, but it didn’t faze Landon after being with Dylan.
“Thank you so much for going out of your way. We debated going into this with you but decided it will help if you know what we’re faced with. It shouldn’t make a difference in the outcome of the trial, but what you’re put through could potentially be made more uncomfortable.”
“Oh god, what is it?”
Faye White dug through her briefcase and handed her a sheet of paper to read. “Do you want coffee?”
“Iced tea.”
“This is brief.”
Landon nodded, looking at them both. Skimming the paper, it appeared to be testimony from Catherine Stowe. She read it once and then reread it.
“This is bullshit.”
“She has proof,” Marty said. “Photos of them together that appear to be authentic. Screenshots of text message conversations. Emails. Testimony from friends. Evidently, the band members also knew about it.”
That last bit hurt the most. She thought of Terry the drummer, always concerned, and now wondering if he wasn’t hoping for a booty call.
“Why is it coming out now?”
Faye and Marty looked at each other. “She’s pregnant,” Faye said. “She must have gotten pregnant while he was in Philadelphia because she says she’s about ready to pop. The timing is right. We don’t know why she didn’t come forward earlier.
“The defense is going to ask for a continuance. Just an FYI, the subpoena was slightly premature. The news came out to the defense attorneys, who obviously weren’t as observant as they should have been. Either that or they were working on another angle that we can’t figure out.”
Like she’d been socked in the gut, the wind knocked out of her, Landon gripped the edge of the table to keep from falling over.
“I’m so sorry. You can see why we wanted to talk to you about this before it goes to court. She still murdered him, that’s undeniable, but the justification is ramped up a notch. She could get leniency for a crime of passion.”
“Why did her lackeys beat me up? I still don’t understand what they hoped to accomplish.”
“She was livid about the reading of the will. She wants to sue his estate for child support, but it will be hard with everything in trust. She found out you were named in the will, and the rest is history.”
“If she goes to jail, who will raise his kid?”
“The Riders know about the baby,” Faye explained. “They’ve vowed to support the child.”
“Oh, great. No wonder they were so eager to sever ties with me.”
She sat back in the chair, dumbfounded. Where did she go from here? It sure made forgetting about Kenny Rider, jackass extraordinaire, easier.
“I feel like I have asshole written across my forehead.”
Trying and failing at containing their mirth, the attorneys shook their heads. Faye grabbed her hand.
“You’re fine, Miss Fontenot. Now we have to get through the trial. I hope the delay doesn’t last too long.”
Landon pushed away from the table. She quickly called for the car to return.
“Thank you both for being so kind. Let me know, I guess. I wish we could get this over with.”
“If we can do anything for you…”
“Thank you,” she said again, thinking, Thank you for making it possible to get my life back.
Waiting outside for the car gave her a little time to think. She was raw, but all she could see was a way out of her grief. The betrayal and all that went with it made her angry, but she wasn’t hurt. She was way past hurt.
The car arrived, and she got in, ready to text Dylan. It appears my wonderful boyfriend had a side piece, and she’s in jail for his murder and expecting his baby any day. I’m on my way home to make your dinner. Can’t wait to see you and make up for lost time.
The pain of Kenny’s deceit would come later, in waves, with the grief. But enough time had passed that the pain