Chapter 36
Claire
I fought the cloud-nine feeling all the way to Madison”s house, but there was just something about having heat in the car for the first time in as long as I could remember that just wouldn”t let me ignore it.
It really is the simple things in life, and I know I owe it to Walker. Just like I know it cost a lot more than fifty bucks to fix this old clunker because it”s not even making that loud, embarrassing whining noise. If Boone only charged him that amount then he did it because he took pity on me. As much as I want to get upset about that, I just can”t seem to pull up that irritation.
Larkin ran inside Madison”s house like she was beyond excited to be there, and that made it easier. I know she”s eventually going to ask for Nora and Leo, but that”s a bridge I”ll worry about when we get there.
I was feeling like a brand-new person, but as karma would have it, I got a call from the attorney”s office, urging me to stop by as soon as possible. They mentioned not being open this evening when I said I could come by then, and it left me once again needing to call work and let them know I was going to be a little late.
I pull in a deep breath before opening the door to the attorney”s office and stepping inside. The older lady smiles at me from the desk, her eyes barely moving away from the television she”s watching to greet me.
”Hello, dear. Barrett is waiting for you. Go on back.”
I blink at her, having thought they were using some sort of ruse to get me here to talk about the balance I owe them from him looking into that payout settlement for me.
Dread fills me with every step I take toward his office. I really thought things were going to start looking up for me, but this is what I get for thinking a working heater in the car had the power to change my life.
I knock on the doorframe, only stepping inside when he lifts his hand and waves me closer. He doesn”t even bother pulling his eyes from his computer as I sit. I know he makes me wait on purpose because he”s just a spiteful sort of man. That was clear when he just dropped the wombat bomb at my feet while hoping Walker would refill his flask with whiskey rather than calling me and either scheduling an appointment or telling me over the phone, either of which would”ve been more private than how he did it.
”I have to get to work,” I say when it doesn”t look like he”s going to address me.
”Firstly, I want to apologize for how I behaved at Adalynn and Cash”s wedding. It was uncouth and disrespectful.”
I nod my head in acceptance because the days of telling people it”s okay to mistreat me so long as they apologize are over. That era started yesterday when I walked away from Nora.
”And I wanted to touch base with you about the credit card issues. I looked into all the financials—”
”What?” I snap. ”I didn”t tell you a damn thing about my financials.”
”Ms. Kennedy,” he says with a sigh, frustration clear in the way he addresses me.
”Have you been talking about me with others?”
His lips form a flat line, but he doesn”t answer me.
”I swear if I had the time,” I snap as I stand. ”I”d sue you.”
”You wouldn”t get very much,” he says in a droll tone that makes me believe him. ”If you”d just take a seat, I have some good news for you.”
I stare down at him, unsure if sticking around would make me madder. Good news according to him might not be such good news for me.
”And before you think of calling another attorney, may I please remind you that you signed paperwork giving me permission to speak to others on your behalf. Although, at the time, I didn”t know that would be credit card companies, but that”s why we don”t add a list of people.”
Credit card companies.
He spoke with Walker. I have no doubt the man left my bed and came straight here, or at least was here first thing that following Monday morning after finding those letters and bills on my dresser. God, the man meddles too much. I know he”s trying to help but he”s making it so much worse.
Defeated, I drop back down into the seat across from Mr. Hyde’s desk.
”As you probably surmised, I did have a conversation with Walker.”
”What did he say?”
His mouth clamps closed.
”Really, so the discussion of my information only goes one way?”
”Walker hasn”t signed paperwork giving me permission to speak to others.”
I huff a humorless laugh. ”Can we get on with this? As you know, I”m broke and can”t afford to lose my job.”
I don”t give him a sob story about already not being able to work my shifts at the bar, due to not having a sitter in the evenings any longer because I doubt he”d care.
”I spoke with…” he drops his gaze to a stack of paperwork in front of him before raising his eyes back up to meet mine. ”Capital First Advantage on your behalf.”
”Did they lower my APR?” Because, honestly, that would really help. They send nasty letters, but they”ve also increased my limit on the maxed-out account just so they can add more penalties. I swear what they do should be illegal.
”They canceled the account.”
”They did that a long time ago,” I tell him.
”No, I mean they canceled the account. Wiped the balance.”
I swallow, tears pooling in my eyes.
”That”s not possible.” When he smiles, I feel like I”m being insulted. ”You”re a hateful man, Mr. Hyde.”
”That”s probably true,” he says. ”But I”m not lying about this. It took some doing, the threat of a court case and going to the media about credit cards and abusing the widows of fallen soldiers, but they looked at the account and wiped every debt that was charged before your wedding date to Huxley Kennedy.”
”What?”
I literally can’t believe my ears. These kind of things don”t happen to me.
”They”re not making you pay that money back.”
”I”ve paid thousands of dollars over the last several years in an attempt to clear that credit card,” I say because I don”t know that he fully understands the weight of what he”s telling me.
”And I”ll fight that in court. I don”t know if I”ll be able to get the money back, but I figured it was good news to know you no longer have to make payments on that account.”
”No more payments?”
”None,” he says before tilting his head. ”Have you opened other accounts in an effort to pay this one off? Because if you have, there”s a good argument to have those wiped too or at least make Capital First Advantage responsible for those as well.”
“No more credit cards.” I don’t tell him that I tried that and by the time I made that attempt, my credit score was so terrible, people would literally laugh at me when I applied for another card. ”What about my credit score?”
”That will take a little more time, but I can get a letter sent and can strongly urge CFA to do the same.”
I nod, growing hopeful that I might be able to afford a newer car now.
”I”ll let you know when and if we have to go to court, but I”m hoping a few more threats and CFA will just give you a lump sum including interest. Twenty thousand dollars is a lot for you, but it”s a drop in the bucket for a company that large. They”d spend more on attorney”s fees going to court.”
”Thank you so much for doing this,” I tell him.
”Hux never should”ve left you in this mess in the first place,” he says, and it feels like he”s confessing more to me than he normally would.
”What do I owe you?”
”Nothing,” he says without hesitation. ”My father was a vet. I”m considering this pro bono. Besides, it only took a few phone calls and I rather like telling people off and making threats. It was fun for me. I”ll make sure you have copies of everything you”ll need mailed to your house. Have a nice day, Ms. Kennedy.”
He turns his full attention back to his computer like it”s just another day despite having changed my entire life.