Bethany was a ball of nerves Tuesday morning. They sat outside the courtroom, and her palms were sweating. The court doors opened, and they entered. Zoe’s husband was missing again. In some ways, Bethany felt bad for her, but that wouldn’t last long. Every time the woman opened her mouth, she said something rude.
To Bethany’s surprise, the hearing was over before it even started. All the judge did was lay out what the week would be like. She wanted the case wrapped up by Friday. Before she dismissed them, she asked Jamie, David, and Bethany to meet her in her office.
“Explain why Annabelle is no longer your attorney.”
Bethany’s stomach fluttered, worried this would make things difficult for Jamie. Count against him somehow.
David spoke. “I don’t see how that is relevant to the case.”
“This isn’t a criminal case. Everything is relevant.”
“Annabelle had feelings for me,” Jamie said.
The judge grinned. “And you didn’t reciprocate those feelings.”
“Correct.”
“Very well. You may go. But I’d like to speak with David in private for a few minutes. See you tomorrow.”
Jamie held Bethany’s hand tightly as they waited for David. He came out a few minutes later.
“That went better than expected. Come on, we’ve got a lot of work to do before tomorrow.”