CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
TOMMY
“About time. Where have you been?” I ask Ash as he enters the music room.
We’ve been practising and writing new material at my place since Ash arrived home from Greece.
“Sorry guys. I took the kids to the beach this morning. They didn’t want to leave. Oh, and you’ll be happy to know the press have pissed off from outside our place. I guess they finally realised you’re not staying with us anymore.”
I answer, giving him a bro hug. “I’m sorry about that, man.”
Max smirks like a kid with a secret after slapping Ash’s back to welcome him in. “Come off it, Ash. That wasn’t the reason they left.”
I turn to Ash. “What’s he talking about?”
“Thanks, fat mouth.” Ash smirks at Max.
“Ash?” I ask again.
“You know Calla. She takes no shit from those guys, not anymore. She paid them a visit and threatened to prosecute anyone who didn’t bugger off our property within an hour, and if they reported anything, she would take them to the cleaners.”
“Your wife scares the shit out of me.” I laugh.
“Nah, she’s a pussycat.” Ash winks. “Talking of which, she wants a word. She’s waiting for you in the kitchen.
I rub the back of my neck. “Any idea what Cal wants with me?”
“I don’t know, but she’s mad.”
“With me?” I point my finger to my chest.
His slow nod is a warning sign. “I don’t know what to tell you. You’ve obviously pissed her off somehow.”
“What’s up? You scared?” Max sniggers. “Does Tommy want me to hold his hand?”
“Fuck off.” I grin, giving him the finger. “I’ll be back soon.” I stalk off with more confidence than I feel and my stomach rolls a little. There’s no reason for me to be nervous. Except I am. This is the first time I’ve been on my own with Calla since their family arrived home a few days ago.
Calla is placing tiny cupcakes on a plate as I walk into the kitchen.
“Hey.” I lift my chin in her direction and she greets me with a hug.
“Hi, Tommy. I didn’t mean to disturb your practice,” she says, pulling back and smiling. “I just wanted to drop these cakes off. The kids have been busy again.”
“It’s okay.” I flicker a smile her way, knowing her visit involves more than cupcakes “Do you want a drink or anything?” I point with my thumb to the fridge behind me.
“No. I’m fine, thanks. I won’t stay long.” She smiles again.
Whatever it is that’s bothering her can’t be that bad. She seems fine.
My hands slip into the pockets of my jeans. “So, I hear you’re mad at me, but I’m not sure what I’ve done.”
Her eyes narrow. “Who told you that?” Then she raises her hand. “No. Don’t tell me. It was my husband, wasn’t it?” She grins. “He’s winding you up, Tommy. You can relax.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. “What a dick.”
Calla folds her arms and smirks. “Am I that scary?”
“Not at all.” I chuckle. “But I thought I was in for a lecture about how to treat your best friend.”
“I’m not here to lecture you, Tommy, but I have come here to make a suggestion.”
“Okay,” I reply, sitting down at the kitchen island while reaching for a cupcake.
“I think you should move in with her.”
What the hell? I nearly fall off my stool. “Whoa, Cal. What brought that on?”
“All this keeping a low-profile business is just crap.”
“So, she told you our plans?”
Calla raises her brows. “She had to. I’ve hardly seen you two together and I was worried about both of you.”
“We’re good. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“So I hear, but I don’t see why you can’t nip the whole thing in the bud. Chelsea cheated on you, not the other way around. There’s no shame in your relationship with Angie. You’re together. Tell the world.”
I sigh. “I’m sure it’s not what Angie wants right now.”
She smiles, leans over the counter, and squeezes my arm. “No, but it is what she needs.”
I chew on my bottom lip. “How can you be so sure?”
“You make her happy and she’s had very little happiness in recent years.”
My brain ticks over. I’d be lying to myself if I said I hadn’t thought about it, but I worried it was too soon. It's still early days for us, and we have so much to sort out.
“Before you get ahead of yourself, there’s a lot more I have to do before anything like that can happen. Finalising my divorce with Chelsea, for one.”
“Then do it, Tommy,” she says, raising her eyebrows with a beaming smile. If you’re so set on divorce before you move on with Angie, then make it happen as fast as you can. Life is too short and you’re wasting time.”
“Is everything okay, Tom?” Alex, my solicitor, asks while we wait for the bane of my life.
Not wanting to get my phone out in case it seems rude, I look around his sleek, comfortable office for a clock, finding one on the wall behind him. “Yeah. What time are they getting here?”
“They’re late, but don’t let it bother you. That’s exactly what they want and, remember, I’ll do all the talking.”
Alex’s assistant taps against the door. “Mrs Graham and Mr Morrison are here for you, sir.”
“Thanks, Jules,” Alex says, and we both stand.
Alex offers his hand to Chelsea’s solicitor, and so do I.
Meanwhile, Chelsea struts into the room wearing bright red lipstick, a short as hell red dress, and black high heels.
She’s ready for war, but I’ve been told by Alex not to bite.
This has to go smoothly, although this is Chelsea we’re talking about, so anything could happen.
The three of us take a seat in comfortable leather chairs, while Alex sits at his desk. His elbows rest on the top, his fingers steeple, and he waits for them to start the conversation.
“So, Mr Graham, we’ve received your offer in writing. The financial payout and split of assets are very generous, but we have some concerns over your personal conditions,” Morrison says.
“Which are?” Alex replies.
“You’ve requested Mrs Graham publicly apologise for the allegations she made against your client during an interview with Tame Magazine.
The allegations reference an affair with Mrs Angela Knox while they were still married.
” His glasses slip down his nose as he looks over them towards me.
He’s trying to intimidate me, but the old geezer doesn’t faze me at all.
“Correct,” Alex answers. “The apology should be made to Mrs Angela Knox, in particular. She suffered immense stress and loss of earnings to her business due to the huge amount of press attention.”
“So, you’re saying the affair never happened?”
“Correct. My client and Mrs Knox dated while at university some years before, but since then, they haven’t been romantically involved.”
I hope my face isn’t giving anything away while I wonder if kissing counts.
“I see. And you’re absolutely confident about this?” The old git smirks.
“Yes, I am, but you seem to imply otherwise.”
“It’s just your client has previously stayed at the address owned by one—” he looks down at his papers, “—Ashton Chambers. The same Ashton Chambers who is a neighbour and brother-in-law to Mrs Knox and is also part of Mr Graham’s rock band.
” He pronounces rock by rolling his R and exaggerating the K.
Then he tuts. “You must concede it’s all very convenient. ”
“Convenient, yes, but it doesn’t mean an affair took place.”
Keeping my mouth shut is fucking hard, but Alex knows what he’s doing. That’s obvious.
“You have to view the facts, Mr Morrison. As there is no visual evidence or witnesses, it means your story holds no weight. It’s the complete opposite of your client’s situation.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Chelsea stands abruptly from her seat while Morrison shoots a hard-faced scowl towards her. She sits back down, and Morrison continues, giving her the side-eye. “Go on, Mr Pine. You were saying.”
Alex takes a collection of photographs from his desk and passes one to Morrison.
“I believe this should tell you everything. It’s quite clear Mrs Graham is in a romantic embrace with another gentleman.”
I catch the images of Chelsea and Dylan that were couriered to me.
They’re getting down to business, half naked.
Those images still turn my stomach, but I silently thank Brett for sending them.
To say Dylan and Chelsea weren’t too discreet was an understatement.
Brett was the third person, that I know of, to see them together.
I felt like a fucking idiot for not realising myself.
In Brett’s letter, he told me he took the images on his phone the day before our last gig.
He also said he found it funny at first, which is why he took the photographs, but as he sobered up, he felt bad for me.
It was also difficult because he’d already made the decision to leave the band and wasn’t in a good head space.
He was drinking too much and we weren’t getting on, so he decided to walk away and pretend it didn’t happen.
Things changed when he saw Chelsea’s interview.
He knew he had to get the photos to me as soon as possible.
I appreciated that. He’d helped me out more than he could ever know.
“If you’re in any doubt who the gentleman in the picture is, you’ll find he’s quite the public figure. This is Dylan Jennings, who toured with Mr Graham at the time this photograph was taken. We have witnesses who are willing to give evidence regarding an intimate relationship between the two.”
Chelsea stands in protest. “This is such a pile of bullshit.”
“Please, Ms Graham,” her solicitor barks. “Sit down. I’ll handle this.”
Chelsea does as she’s told while Morrison clears his throat and brings his attention back to me and Alex. “These photographs could easily have been tampered with.”
“Indeed, they could, Mr Morrison, but we’ve had an expert look them over and confirm their authenticity.”
Morrison glances at Chelsea, giving her the evil eye and a huff of annoyance. Her face is a fucking picture of shame as she squirms in her chair.
“We feel a full public apology to Mrs Knox, and my client, is a small price to pay rather than the alternative,” Alex explains.
“And what is the alternative, exactly?” Morrison asks.
“We will sue for defamation of character on behalf of both parties.”
He sighs heavily. “I’ll consult with my client privately on this matter. Now, if that’s all—” They’re about to get up from their seats when Alex adds, “There are just two additional amendments.”
They sit back down. “Which are?” Morrison asks, glaring at Chelsea.
“Once Mrs Graham has issued the formal apology, she should have no future dealings with the press regarding Mr Graham and any personal relationships he’s involved in.”
“That’s not happening.” Chelsea snorts.
All three of us glare her way.
“If you choose to break this agreement, then you will be expected to re-pay Mr Graham all money and assets from the previous settlement,” Alex says.
“You’re bribing me now?”
“It’s not bribery. It’s a condition.”
She rolls her eyes towards my solicitor and shakes her head.
“You said there were two amendments?” Morrison asks in a calmer tone. Maybe he’s seeing the real Chelsea for the first time.
“Yes. My client has requested full custody of his son, Ozzie Graham,” Alex responds.
“You’ve already agreed to joint custody in the original offer.”
“As I said, this is an amendment, and also a deal breaker. We have evidence that Mrs Graham is guilty of adultery while leaving her son in the care of his nanny.”
“So, the boy wasn’t neglected,” Morrison says.
“No. But Mrs Graham disappeared occasionally for several nights at a time without informing the nanny of her whereabouts. Can I further add that while Mr Graham has been staying in Braebeach, Mrs Graham has shown little interest regarding contact with her son.”
“Because you won’t let me see him,” she spits.
“I tried to contact you, Chelsea, but you ignored me. You can’t just turn up out of the blue and expect Oz to be available. It doesn’t work that way.”
“It’s better if you mediate between me and Mr Morrison, Mr Graham.” Alex throws me a look of caution, and I know I’ve got to back off.
I clear my throat. “I’m sorry.”
“Of course, my client is eager for his son not to lose contact with his mother,” Alex continues. “But either Mr Graham or his nanny, Connie West, would supervise the visits initially.”
“How dare you—” Chelsea fires towards me but stops after her solicitor stares her down.
“Please, Mr Pine. Continue,” he says as Chelsea glares my way with venom in her eyes.
“As I was saying, there would be a requirement for supervised visits initially, then at a later date, if all went well, Mrs Graham could take the child for a full weekend or a holiday.”
“Why don’t you trust me with him? I’m his mother,” Chelsea snaps, and I can’t help but fight back.
“Because I couldn’t count on you turning up. I’m not putting Ozzie through that shit.”
“That’s enough, Mr Graham.”
I back down as Morrison continues. “This is obviously a sensitive issue for you both and while you would usually agree to the custody arrangements privately, it’s clear you need time and guidance.
Now, as you can understand, your proposal for full custody will need careful consideration by my client, although I’m sure we can reach a mutually beneficial agreement. ”
“I will insist on a Consent Order if your client is willing to go ahead,” Alex says.
“That sounds reasonable,” Morrison agrees. “Now, Mrs Graham, we can discuss the points brought up today at length when we return to my office.”
“What a waste of time,” she spits, then storms out of the room while Morrison turns back to us.
Morrison stands from his seat, giving us both a false smile. He clears his throat. “I suggest we meet again in one month to complete everything we’ve discussed. Thank you both for your time.”
We shake hands while, in the background, Chelsea is heard shouting the odds down the corridor. Is she so deluded to think shagging another guy and leaving her son for days was a good idea?
Once they leave the room, I ask, “What happens now?”
“We apply for a Consent Order which outlines visitation rights, the address where your son will live, and additional information such as holiday arrangements. From there, a judge will need to approve it. It just gives us that extra level of security instead of settling for a verbal agreement. I wouldn’t want to leave anything to chance in this matter. ”
“Yeah, me too, although I wouldn’t expect Chelsea to agree to everything.”
“Don’t be surprised if we encounter a few difficulties, but I’d say we’re in good shape. Your soon-to-be ex-wife wouldn’t risk losing such a large amount of money. It seems to be her principal driving force and a large part of what she’s about.”
“That’s pretty spot on, Alex.”
“Try not to worry,” he says while seeing me out, but I know what Chelsea is capable of. Hopefully, this time, I’ve backed her into a corner.