4. Jedd #2
She would, and I didn’t have any new messages from her this morning, so it’s safe to assume she doesn’t know yet. I’ll find her after I leave here and break the news unless Alex calls her from the station first.
I don’t want to distract Andy from her meeting with the lawyer.
“Can you help?”
Harlan focuses on whisking the eggs he cracked into a mixing bowl before adding a dash of milk, salt and pepper. “I can.”
“I’m sensing a but in there.”
“But I don’t know that the courts will give her full custody. Family cases are thorny.”
“Har.”
He turns to me and holds a hand up.
“I’m not saying it’s impossible. But the likelihood of her getting full custody without Alex signing over her rights or agreeing will be slim. The purpose of social services and CPS in general is putting families back together. Yes, Andy is her family, but Alex is Piper’s parent.”
Anger starts to build. “What about Piper? She’s nine fucking years old and the only stability she’s ever known has come from Andy.”
“You know that, and I know that. I’m just telling you this could be a long hard climb.
And all of it’s going to be on Andy. She needs to prove without a doubt that her sister poses a danger to her niece.
And I’ll be honest, cases like this can get ugly.
Do you really think that she has it in her to paint her sister in that light? ”
I shake my head. She doesn’t. I know she doesn’t. She’s spent the majority of her life cleaning up her sister’s messes and trying to get her help.
“So what are we looking at here?” I ask.
Harlan shrugs. “I’m not sure. Best case, Alex agrees to give custody to her. Worst case is the petition goes to court. That’s where the fight will come in. Can Andy talk to Alex?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know. She says that she doesn’t know if Alex would agree to giving her custody.”
He opens his mouth and then closes it.
“What?” I ask.
“Judge Hamilton handles most of the social services cases for the county.”
“Okay?” We all know Judge Hamilton. He’s been a county judge longer than I’ve been alive. He has coffee, an egg white omelet, and half a grapefruit every Sunday at Ma’s Diner.
“He’s old-fashioned,” Harlan continues, expecting me to put together whatever he’s trying to say.
I wave a hand at him. “Yes. We know this. He’s a crotchety old man who hasn’t embraced change in general. How does that have any bearing on anything?”
My brother lets out an exasperated sigh, but I don’t know what he wants from me before I’ve had my second cup of coffee.
“Hamilton is the only judge in our county that looks at custody cases. Andy’s single. Unattached. I’m not saying that it would for sure help, but if she was in a committed relationship, that could potentially tip the scales in her favor if this goes to court.”
“Are you fucking saying they could dismiss her case because she’s not attached to a man?”
He shrugs again. “I’m not saying anything. You and I know she is more than capable of taking care of that little girl. That she could take care of ten Pipers without breaking a sweat. But not everyone knows her like we do.”
“This is so fucked.” I prop my head in my hands.
“Family cases always are. Has Andy talked to the case worker yet?”
I nod. “Yeah. They’re supposed to meet today with the family lawyer Andy hired to make a plan.”
“Okay. That’s good. It’s a good starting point. They’ll have more information than my assumptions.” He pours the eggs into a hot pan, then grabs a spatula. “Cases like this can drag out. They’re not quick and easy. If Andy needs anything …” He leaves the offer open.
“I already offered. But it’s Andy.”
“Stubborn to the core.”
“Yep.”
“Which is why the two of you get along so well.”
I scoff, but he’s not wrong. Andy is going to try to manage this whole custody issue on her own, and I’ve refused my family’s offers of help for my shop for years.
Maisie enters the kitchen and drops a kiss on Audra’s head. Then she reaches for Harlan and gives him a kiss that would make me blush if I hadn’t already been desensitized to it.
“Ewww, PDA.” Just because I’m desensitized doesn’t mean I can’t tease them about it.
“Jealous,” Maisie sings when she lets my brother up for air.
“Nauseated,” I shoot back.
She laughs and reaches into a cabinet for a coffee cup. “You know, I couldn’t help but overhear …”
I shake my head. “No.”
“I’m just saying.”
“You’ve been just saying for a while now.”
At some point, Maisie got it in her head that I have a thing for Andy, but I’m definitely not confirming anything in her kitchen. If I tell anyone about my feelings for her, it’ll be the woman in question first and foremost.
Maisie rolls her eyes at me as she adds creamer to her coffee. “Denial.”
“Delusional.”
How the fuck did she figure it out? Even my family—the people literally closest to me—have never questioned my friendship with Andy.
Though, Harlan has a point, and I cut Maisie off before she had a chance to reiterate it. If Andy’s chances can be improved by being in a committed relationship, then maybe …
Harlan’s phone pings on the counter, and he picks it up, swiping the screen to answer the call.
“Calhoun.”
I can’t hear what’s being said on the other end of the line, but Harlan’s eyes widen and shoot to me. “Okay. I’m on my way.”
“What happened?” I ask.
“There was a nine-one-one call from your shop. Someone got hurt. We need to go.”