Chapter 27 #2
Hawk: Good. My friends call him the closer. He’s routinely pulled into difficult cases to counsel with existing firms on high-profile and delicate situations. Family law is only part of what he does.
Cade: Sounds ominous.
Hawk: Not if he’s your attorney. He’s interested in keeping me happy with him. Keep that in mind, and let me know how it goes.
Channing Finn entered the room, and all the air left.
He was a pristinely dressed man with a face like flint and a cold expression that transformed into something caring within a flash.
One minute he strode into the room, file in hand, with an expression that promised he feared nothing.
The next minute, he smiled warmly at Noelle, took her hand, admired Lily, and put himself in front of me.
I wasn’t sure whether I respected or hated him, or some unsettling mixture of both.
Then he opened his mouth.
“Miss Morgan, it’s an honor to meet you. Cade, I’ve heard great things from Hawk about you and your sister. Please, take a seat. Let’s discuss the situation with Lily and her paternal grandparents. Their attorney and I have been corresponding over the last several days, and I have updates.”
Noelle sent me a worried glance, so I winked. She reached out, interlocking our fingers, and I squeezed them gently.
Having her seek me out for comfort?
Yes, please.
All day.
I gently brought Lily’s car seat in front of our chairs. We sat before a shiny desk that spanned almost half his office. A bank of windows peered over jagged, steep mountains that were covered with blankets of snow. The smell of coffee permeated the room, as well as the sounds of a law office.
Channing put his forearms on the desk and said, “First of all, Noelle, let me reassure you that I feel this is a case we can win.”
Noelle instantly relaxed.
“Really?”
Channing sent a quick glance my way, adding, “But that doesn’t mean it’s going to be quick, or easy. These sort of battles are often prolonged affairs.” He flicked open a folder, glanced at the papers, and then elevated a few. He passed them over, and Noelle accepted them.
“Lily’s grandparents are proceeding with filing for custody, and have requested three things. First, a temporary placement.”
A beat passed before Noelle hissed, “They want to take her?”
“They can’t,” Channing immediately replied. “Not without a judge’s order, and they don’t have one. You have read their letter and know what they’re claiming, so I won’t bore you with a review of those.”
Noelle passed me the papers, having only briefly glanced at them. I quickly skimmed the pages, but my brain didn’t comprehend a single word. Noelle’s grip on my hand tightened.
“Doesn’t matter if what they’re claiming is true yet, just that they can claim it and make it sound concerning. They think they have leverage.” He raised a careless, almost bored brow. “They don’t have anything.”
Noelle leaned back in her chair, and I could see the whiplash of hope to terror in her eyes. Fortunately, Channing didn’t make her linger in the questions for long.
“The path forward is clear. They’re going to file, we’re going to respond with a firm defense.
It’s my job to make it very clear that removing Lily from your care would be extremely disruptive to her and therefore not beneficial.
Her young age makes that a little easier, since you are all she’s known since birth, and you have a verbal request from your sister to have her.
We’re going to focus on that point, and then reassess when we see their response.
If they continue to push, then they will have to prove that you are unfit. ”
Channing met Noelle’s stare right on.
“They won’t be able to.”
She breathed out, and her grip relaxed again. My eyes trailed to Lily in the car seat, her eyes closed, asleep, the blanket tucked tightly around her.
“What do we do?” Noelle asked, gesturing between her and me. “I mean . . . is there something we can do that will help you? I could call my aunt Marsha and see if—”
Channing held up a hand. “Not necessary yet. Let me respond to their filing and take us to the next step. My guess is that, when they have to prove you are unfit, we’ll see their resolve weaken. If they continue to push, I will make it very expensive and difficult for them to do so.”
“They have so much money.”
He shrugged.
“Every hurdle is a win, Miss Morgan. I’m here for the long haul.”
There was a firm promise in his tone. Not venomous or malicious. Not even protective, but competitive. In a way, this sort of tussle was a game, and Channing was a dog with a bone.
Good.
I was glad he was on our side.
“I understand this is a very quick meeting, but I don’t see any reason to waste your time reviewing big plans that might be unnecessary. We’ll respond to every allegation, and take the case from there one step at a time. Do you have any questions?”
Noelle frowned, searching, but shook her head. “No. Not that you haven’t already answered. But . . . thank you. For taking us on, for meeting us today. I feel better having met with you in person, and I feel better knowing that you have our backs, too.”
The edges of Channing’s face softened in the aftermath of Noelle’s sincere and heartfelt words. Gratitude dripped from every word she said, and it affected Channing, a man that I’d compared to suave granite.
“You’re most welcome, Miss Morgan, and you are not alone. I don’t take on cases that I can’t win, and I don’t tolerate bullies.”
He stood up. “I will update you when I have more information. You have plenty on your plate taking care of Lily, so I won’t bore you with unnecessary details, but I will keep you apprised when it is pertinent. If you have questions at any time, please let me know.”