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Debra called Rachel a week later to let her know Craig had an attorney and had filed his answer with the court.
"So, what exactly was his response?"
"Nothing I wasn't expecting," said Debra. "He denies any wrongdoing on his part, and he's sticking to his story about you being the one harassing him. They're also claiming it's a frivolous lawsuit, and they're threatening to file a countersuit against you."
"Are you kidding me?"
"It's okay, Rachel," said Debra, reassuringly. "It's a typical response. Even with ironclad proof stacked up against them, defendants will still deny any wrongdoing, and sometimes even threaten to go after the plaintiffs. It's just human nature. We're all hard wired to defend ourselves, so, from here on out, you can expect a rough ride. I've been up against Leo Hartman before. He's an old cowboy who lives on a small ranch east of town, and he fancies himself as some sort of Old West outlaw. He even spends his weekends in Tombstone with a gunfight reenactment group."
"Oh brother." Rachel rolled her eyes.
"He's a character alright, and he can be as mean as an Old West gunfighter in the courtroom. However, I've also talked to him at a few bar association events, and he's been a perfect gentleman. I have a hunch that once he reads Jonathan's report he may change his tune, so I'm still hopeful that we may be able to settle the matter out of court."
"But what happens if we can't?"
"Then we take it to the judge, and we put Jonathan on the stand. Don't worry, Jonathan has testified in other cases as an expert witness. He knows what he's doing, and he's pretty unflappable."
"Yes, he told me that as well."
"See? There you go. The law is on our side, Rachel, so chances are pretty good that we'll win this thing. But for now, you need to be patient and not let the other side get to you. It's all part of the game."
"So what happens next?"
"In a nutshell, the case goes to trial, but first we go through a process called discovery, which is when Leo gets to read all those reports. We'll also be taking depositions, which is pretrial testimony. As I've explained before, all of this will take months, possibly years, especially if we end up having to go in front of a jury. Don't worry, you'll get copies of everything, and I'll be keeping you up to date. In the meantime, you go on with your life."
***
AS PAPERS SHUFFLED back and forth with the court, the final preparations were being made for Alice's wedding, and they were happening at a fever pitch. The blue shoes arrived, and they matched Rachel's blue dress perfectly. The dress itself needed a few minor alterations, so she had a fitting at the bridal shop. She would have her hair and nails done the morning of the wedding, and she had scheduled those appointments well ahead of time. The only glitch came at the last minute, when she realized she didn't have an evening bag to go with her dress and shoes. The bridal shop didn't have anything she liked, so she went online, but the few she liked were either of stock, or the shipping costs were ridiculously high. She would have to hit the stores the weekend before the wedding. Luck, however, was on her side. She found the perfect blue clutch purse at a resale boutique. While she was there, she looked for an outfit for her upcoming trip with Shane. They would leave the morning after the wedding, and she looked forward to a few blissful days of much needed peace and quiet. Pilar called her while she was in the fitting room. She hadn't heard from her friend in sometime, and she smiled as she accepted the call.
"Hey stranger. Long time, no hear."
"I know," said Pilar, "things have been hectic, as usual, and you're probably up to your eyeballs with all the last-minute details for your sister's wedding."
"Tell me about it. Everything had been falling into place perfectly, until I realized I didn't have an evening bag, so I'm over at Cactus Couture."
"I love Cactus Couture." Pilar's voice pitched with excitement. "I swear, every time I bring in something to sell on consignment, I end up buying three other things before I leave."
"I hear you, girlfriend. In fact, I'm in the fitting room as we speak, trying on a pair of blue jeans, which just happen to fit perfectly. You know Shane and I are heading up to Sedona next Sunday."
"I know, and how exciting for you." Pilar paused for a moment. "Hey, I know this is last minute, but are you by chance free for lunch?"
"Sure, but right now I'm across town."
"Not a problem. Jacob is with his dad, and Luis lives fairly close to Cactus Couture. There's a really good bakery and sandwich shop called Delilah's at the other end of the strip mall. I can meet you there in about forty-five minutes, and then I can go pick up Jacob when we're done."
Rachel was sitting at quiet table enjoying a glass of iced tea when Pilar came into the small restaurant. She hopped up from her chair and gave her friend a squeeze.
"Good seeing you. How have you been?"
"I'm doing okay." Pilar pulled out her chair and took her seat.
"Just okay, huh?" Rachel looked her up and down. "Well, you look positively radiant to me. So, what's going on?"
A server stopped by their table. Pilar ordered a glass of iced tea for herself, and once the server stepped away, she flipped her menu open. "You know they bake all their bread in house, so it's really fresh. Their tuna melt is awesome, and they have the best chicken club sandwich in town. It's always hard to decide."
"Stop changing the subject, Pilar. What's got you all happy?"
"Okay, okay." She grinned from ear to ear. "Well, first of all, I want to thank you for referring me to Matt. He's been a pleasure to work with."
"You're welcome, and he said the same about you. I take it you were able to make arrangements for child support and visitation."
"We were, and Luis and Jacob are bonding nicely. In fact, I've been seeing a positive change in Jacob. Children really do need both of their parents."
Her remark, while well meaning, made Rachel feel sad. "Yes, they do. I can certainly attest to that."
"I know, and you've been a great motivator for me to get this done, even though you probably weren't aware of it."
Pilar's iced tea arrived, and she ordered chicken sandwiches for both of them. "My treat," she said.
"Thanks," said Rachel, "but my stomach's been little upset lately, so I'd like to get the chicken and rice soup instead."
Their server made the change and hurried away while a concerned look came over Pilar's face. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, but between the lawsuit, and all the chaos surrounding the wedding, I've had a nervous stomach over the past few days. But once I'm in Sedona, chilling with Shane, I'll be feeling fine."
"Well, hang in there. You only have another week to go."
Rachel grinned and took a sip of her tea. "Exactly. So, enough about me, let's get back to you and why you look so gosh darn happy."
"Well, okay. Jacob has spent the past few Saturdays with his dad, and Luis has always invited me along. In fact, today is his first time going solo. So, a couple Saturdays ago, he asked me if I could find a sitter for Jacob that night, because he wanted to take me to dinner."
Rachel raised her brow. "Really?"
Pilar nodded. "He sure did. He took me to a nice restaurant, and we had a long talk. He still feels bad about the way he treated me before, and he said if he had it to do over again, he would have taken his time and gotten to know me better before we got seriously involved."
"I see."
"So, to make a long story short, he said he'd thought about me after he went back to his old girlfriend, and it was one of the reasons why things just weren't the same with her. He said he'd like for us to be friends, and this time around we'd take our time. He also says he's not making any promises, but gosh, wouldn't it be something if it worked out? Then Jacob would have his real family."
"Yes, it would be wonderful, but please, take your time. Remember, he dumped you once before."
"I know he did," said Pilar, "and yes, we are taking it slow. Right now, we're just friends, and we've both agreed to really get to know one another before taking it to the next level, assuming it ever goes that far. So, as I'm getting to know him, I'm learning that we have a lot in common. I'm also realizing he really is a good person who's made some bad choices in the past, and now he's trying to make up for those bad choices."
"Well, I hope it works out, Pilar, I really do, because a stepparent just isn't the same as a real parent."
Pilar looked surprised. "Really? Whenever you've talked about Bruce before, you always said he was just like a real father. So why this sudden change?"
Rachel frowned. "It's not Bruce. It's the rest of his family." She told Pilar about her grandmother's decision to give her china and crystal to Alice, and Aunt Laurie's remark at the bridal shower about it going to the only granddaughter.
"Wow," said a shocked Pilar. "You mean she said all that, in front of you, and everyone else?"
"Yep. She said it in front of the entire room. It was as if I didn't exist."
"How awful. So what was she thinking, and did your mother, or your sister, say anything?"
"Not a word. Either they didn't notice, or it didn't bother them."
"You're joking. So did either of them bring it up after the shower?"
"Nope. In fact, my mother was a little put out with me for not going to lunch with them afterwards."
Pilar shook her head. "Wow. I'm so sorry, Rachel. I don't know what else to say."
"It's okay. The point I'm making is that I wish you the best with Luis, and I sincerely hope, for Jacob's sake, as well as yours, that it works out between the two of you. Intentional or not, no one should ever feel like an outsider because they're not a biological child, and it doesn't matter if the child is a toddler or an adult. It still hurts to know that you were never really a part of the family."