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My life-saving lawyer called me first thing in the morning, requesting a short meeting. When he said jump, I had no choice but to do so if I wanted to keep out of jail. So I drove out to his office, wondering what new information he had.
My stomach was in knots. More like knots wrapped around a ticking time bomb. What if I needed to go back to the police station again to plead my innocence? What if I showed up and the police were there to pick me up? What if my ex-client was demanding I pay back the stolen money right now? Not knowing ate at me, and I contemplated how many antacids I could take before it began messing with my stomach.
Koen was in the waiting room when I got there. He was chatting with another man, so I left him to it, giving him a little finger wave before checking in with Denise, their baking-loving receptionist.
I wanted to gossip with her, mainly to find out if she made any cookies this time too. The phones needed answering though, so I sat down.
Mr. Hayes came out shortly after to bring me back into his office. Koen met my eyes and sent me a supportive smile before turning back to the man that looked as fancily dressed as he did. Men and their suits.
“How are you doing, Miss Daniels?”
“Please, Maddie,” I corrected, settling into a chair. It was a decent chair. Definitely didn’t invite visitors to stick around after a meeting. Probably smart on his end. His office was messier than Koen’s. They were about the same size, furnished similarly, but Mr. Hayes had no issues leaving papers out. There was even a stack of magazines on the floor by his desk.
“Maddie. I hope you’re doing better?”
I winced, not needing the reminder of that incident. I had done a good job of keeping it out of mind.
“I’ve calmed down.”
“That’s good. I do have good news, that’s why I wanted you to come in. We have a couple of options now in terms of how to handle the allegations against you and how we can combat them. You were obviously let go because of rumors rather than proof. I have to say the client obviously jumped the gun with this one. The police have already cleared you.”
I blinked. “Really?” That was fast. Super fast.
Mr. Hayes smiled. “Yes. They’re an efficient bunch and there’s enough proof that someone is putting you in a precarious position. Your finances are clean.”
“That’s good, right?”
“Yes. That means they can focus on where that money really disappeared. Most likely one of their own employees. That happens.” He shrugged like he didn’t have a care in the world. It had nothing to do with him, so he didn’t.
“What are the next steps?”
“It’s still a waiting game. The police are aware of your situation, so they can look into who’s been trying to ruin your career. I’m working on a case to prove the slander. There is also the theft of your clients’ information. Once they have a person caught, we’ll be able to claim retribution for loss of income. The individual who hacked into your computer and stole the information will be looking at jail time. We will fix this for you.”
My shoulders slumped. “But I most likely won’t get my clients back.”
“Unfortunately not. It’s still something, though. Koen told me he thinks it’s your stepmother setting you up. I’m in agreement. We’ve seen it before. But it isn’t always easy to prove it. Even if we find the man making the phone calls, we’d still need to find the connection between him and your stepmother that proves they were working together to hurt you.”
“Of course it’s her,” I muttered.
“Which we would need to prove before calling her out on it.” Mr. Hayes smiled. How far did his patience go? It felt endless to me.
The rest of the meeting only rehashed everything that was going on, along with where we stood with the custody case. There were so many balls being tossed in the air that I was afraid something was going to drop, and if any of them did, it didn’t bode well for me. Mr. Hayes gave me a list of questions to be prepared to answer if needed. We also made a list of everything I do right and Olivia does wrong. That was fun to do. Maybe I should use it in therapy.
There was a checklist of all the paperwork I should gather. I didn’t realize how many lists were involved in preparation for court. It only made the situation so much more real.
“It’s going to be fine,” Mr. Hayes said once we finished.
“That’s what everyone keeps saying.”
“Then everyone sounds like they have a lot of trust in you.”
That got him a small smile. He deserved it for working so closely with me on this.
Koen was still in the waiting room, but there wasn’t a client there. The moment he spotted me, he came over with a tentative smile, trying to read my mood. “All done?”
I glanced around. “Did you wait for me?”
“I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m fine.”
“I can see that.” He dug through his pocket and pulled out a folded paper, holding it out to me.
I eyed it, expecting it to perform some kind of magic trick.
Koen chuckled. “It’s not going to hurt you.”
“But it’s come from you. Who knows what it’ll do!”
“Take it, Maddie. It’s only meant as a kind gesture to help you.”
“Fine.” I huffed and snatched the paper. I opened it quickly before I chickened out. Frowning, I took in business names and phone numbers. “What is this?”
“A list of dentists and eye doctors around Boston. I already checked and they are accepting new patients. There are multiple options since I don’t know what insurance you have. All of them are known to do well with children too.”
“Oh... wow...” I stared at the list in shock. Not what I was expecting at all. “So Dayton ratted me out, huh?”
“Kind of. He asked where I go for my glasses.”
“And you being psychic knew it was more than an innocent question.”
“Dayton has never had trouble with his eyes before.”
“Hm, I’m going to have to give him a lesson in being discreet.” I looked down at the paper, my heart all warm and bubbly at his thoughtfulness. “Do you even sleep? When did you have time to do all the research for this? Even I hadn’t had a chance yet to call places. I had a list though. I swear.”
Koen chuckled. “I believe you, Maddie. Just take it and make use of it. I promise, I personally looked up each person on that list. My doctor is on there too, but I’m not telling you who.”
I glanced at the names. “I bet it’s Dr. Jakobe Reeves.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Dr. Reeves. That’s an awesome doctor name. Very professional. And Jakobe.” I sighed. “Say it with me. Jah-Koh-Bee. Absolutely beautiful.”
Koen laughed. Really laughed. The full belly laugh that would leave his body shaking and lungs aching. I gaped at him, taking in the sound, basking in it, pretending to swim around in the sound. A rare one indeed. I loved it.
“In fact, he is my doctor. He’s a good guy.” Koen shook his head as he got himself under control.
“Is he cute?”
Koen didn’t respond.
“Come on. It’s okay to admit if you have a bro-crush.”
“I am not answering that question,” he finally replied. “You know what, Dr. Jana Gibson is good too. She had a lot of good reviews, especially for children.”
I shook my head. “Nope. Not happening. If you don’t want me to use Dr. Jakobe”—I sighed at the sound of his name—“that means he’s handsome.”
“Maddie.”
“Koen.” I smiled innocently. He was getting so flustered, and it was absolutely adorable. I leaned closer. “Aw, are you worried he’s going to take the twins’ away from you. I promise, you’ll remain their favorite lawyer.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m the only lawyer they know.”
I nodded. “All the same, they’ll probably like you more than a man digging around in their teeth.”
“Probably?”
I shrugged. “I only have so much influence on the twins. They are their own munchkins after all. I refuse to dictate how they are to feel.”
“And you? Will you still like me more?”
That question totally took me by surprise. I actually didn’t think he’d be brave enough to ask. It felt like we went from joking around to something more serious with the potential of wonderful, beautiful things.
That was dangerous territory. I couldn’t let that happen. Not right now. Not after being kissed by Dayton and Bryce, his two best friends. I was not a hussy.
“Oh, I despise dentists. It’s a low bar to surpass.” I patted his arm. “You have absolutely nothing to worry about.”
His expression fell into something more neutral, the softness in his face disappearing. “Right.” He nodded. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.”
“You realize it’s like ten feet from the building?”
“All the same, I’ll walk you. I need some fresh air anyway.” He grabbed his coat that was hanging on a coatrack by the door and led me out. “What are your plans this weekend?”
“World domination.”
“Oh, and after that?”
I rubbed my jaw. “I haven’t made the twins watch a Disney movie in a good three days. I think it’s time.”
Koen grinned. “The male population is capable of enjoying a good Disney princess movie.”
“Oh? Does that mean you have a favorite?”
“My mom was a huge fan, so I learned to appreciate them. It’s nice seeing Disney take a dark fairytale and twist them into something that motivates people and makes it easier to believe in magic and love.”
“Magic and love. Yes, the ever elusive unicorns of reality.”
“You don’t believe in either?”
“I’m surprised you’re willing to believe in magic.”
He shrugged. “In a way, isn’t that what God is? Isn’t that what miracles are about? Or how people are able to discover a technique or solution capable of saving hundreds if not thousands of lives? Everything has to align perfectly for those things to happen, and I think that’s pretty magical.”
“Or science. Science and hard work.”
“That too, but I like to think that science and magic go hand-in-hand.”
“Oh, that’s deep,” I teased.
“I can be deep when I want to.” He went to my door and waited for me to hit the unlock button on my fob before opening it for me. “And don’t think I didn’t notice you completely ignoring the concept of love.”
“Disney makes love seem like it’s something unconditional. I can appreciate that, and I want to believe in it. I do love love. The concept of it. But I haven’t really seen it in my life yet.”
“What about your mom? She loved you.”
“A mother’s love.” I nodded. “I can get behind that. But I also know parental love isn’t something automatic.”
“Your father.” Koen saw right through what I wasn’t saying. “Have you ever sat down and talked with him about everything.”
I snorted at his silly idea. “Have you ever sat down and talked with God?”
“I’ve sent my fair share of prayers to him.”
“Has he responded?”
Koen didn’t respond.
“Exactly. Neither has my father. I’m a reminder of his infidelity. To him, it’d be so much easier to pretend I don’t exist. Then he can pretend he’s happy with his wife.”
“God doesn’t answer in the way we expect. I think your father is the same.”
“That’s a pretty line.”
“You once mentioned he paid your mother’s medical bills. And after she died, he took you in.”
I gritted my teeth and yanked the door out of his hand. “So I should be thankful? I should be kissing the ground he walks on for providing the bare minimum of what a person expects from a father?”
“That isn’t what I’m saying.”
“Koen. You aren’t a therapist. I suggest you don’t try to be.” I climbed into the car and slammed my door shut. Not looking at him, I turned it on.
“I’m sorry, Maddie,” Koen said, his voice muffled through the window.
I gave a short shake of my head, needing him to shut up. Not giving him a glance, I pulled away from the curb and away from him.
Koen needed to keep his day job. He’d never make a good therapist.
