Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Cece ended the call with Blaise and stared at her phone for a few quiet seconds. The house felt oddly quiet. She sipped her tea, but it was already going cold. She stuck it in the microwave to reheat, leaning on the counter while she waited.
She loved Blaise. Anyone who thought she had nefarious motives wasn’t paying attention. Holland Tanner was going to need an attitude adjustment or at least a personality tune-up. The nerve of him.
She set the phone down just as it lit up again.
Natalie.
Cece’s stomach tightened the way it always did when her daughter called now, a reflex she hated but couldn’t help. She swiped to answer. “Hey, sweetheart.”
Her daughter blew out a long breath on the other end. She sounded half exhausted, half determined not to collapse. “Mom. Do you have a minute?”
“I always have a minute for you,” Cece said gently. “What’s going on? You all right?”
“I…” Another breath. Longer this time. “I told Tyler the whole truth. About the cheating.”
Cece slid into a chair, bracing herself. The microwave beeped but she ignored it. “Okay. How did he take it?”
“Not great,” Natalie admitted. “But not terrible either. Not as bad as I thought he would. He didn’t yell or freak out. He just went really quiet and asked if Dad was coming back.”
Cece closed her eyes, an image of her sweet grandson in her mind. She could see him saying those things. “Oh, honey.”
“I told him no,” Natalie said, voice quivering. “I told him some things you can’t undo, even if you’re sorry afterward. I didn’t tell him that his father was sleeping with another woman, just that things were broken between us.”
Cece rubbed her forehead, wishing she could physically climb through the phone and hug her daughter. “And how did he react to that?”
“He cried,” Natalie whispered. “But he tried to hide it. He kept wiping his face with his shirt so I wouldn’t notice. And then he asked if it was because of him.” Her voice broke on the last word.
Cece’s heart ached. She closed her eyes. “Kids always think that. Even when it’s the furthest thing from the truth.”
“I told him exactly that.” Natalie sniffed.
“I told him his dad’s choices were his own, and they had nothing to do with him.
And he nodded but…I don’t know if he believed me.
And I don’t really want to tell him the real truth.
Not yet. Maybe in a few more years. He’s still my baby.
I don’t want to ruin his childhood like this. ”
Cece swallowed. “I know, I understand that. He will get it, though. Just keep telling him you love him and that it’s not his fault.”
“I will. I am.” There was a pause. Not silence. Cece could hear Nat breathing, processing, maybe even getting herself together so she didn’t break down.
Cece got her tea out of the microwave, giving her daughter time to compose herself.
“Jim texted,” Natalie said finally. “He wants to meet tomorrow. Says he ‘deserves’ to talk to Tyler.”
Cece’s jaw tightened. She didn’t love that, but Jim was Tyler’s dad. “Mm-hmm. And what do you want?”
“I don’t know.” Her voice cracked. “Part of me wants to tell him to stay out of Tyler’s life for good. The other part…” She sucked in a breath.
Cece understood. She’d felt the same thing when her husband had left. “Wants Tyler to have a father,” she finished softly. “Even if Jim is a lousy husband.”
Natalie let out a shaky laugh. “Pretty much.”
“But at the same time, you don’t want Jim poisoning Tyler against you or making him think, even for a single second, that cheating is okay.”
“Exactly.” Nat’s voice was much more stable now.
Cece tapped her fingers on the table, thinking carefully before she spoke. “Let him talk to Tyler—if you feel up to it. But do it on your terms. Neutral place, set amount of time, no guilt on Ty, no rewriting history and trying to pretend he didn’t cheat. No lies. You make the boundaries clear.”
“He’ll push back on that. I know him.”
“Then no meeting. And you call me for support if you need it.”
Natalie’s hesitation was palpable. “You always make it sound so easy.”
“It’s not,” Cece said. “But you’re stronger than you think. You’re my daughter, after all.”
Natalie sniffed again. “I’m trying.”
“I know you are. And I’m proud of you. So proud, sweetheart. This is going to be hard, but I’m here for you. I want you to know that.”
There was a soft, muffled sound, maybe Natalie wiping her eyes, maybe trying not to cry at all.
“Thanks, Mom,” she whispered. “Really. I don’t think I could get through this without you.”
Cece’s throat tightened. If she could handle this whole thing and save her daughter the grief, she’d do it in a heartbeat. “You would,” she said. “But I’m glad I can help. Listen, how are things going with the lawyer?”
Natalie huffed out a sigh. “Not great. To be honest, I don’t like him. He doesn’t seem like he’s going to fight for me.”
“Then you need someone different. Hey, you want me to do the research for you? Gather some names?” She already knew Joe could help her with that.
“I hate to ask for more help, but that would actually be great.”
“You got it. In fact, cancel that appointment. I know I can find you someone better.”
They talked for another minute before Natalie signed off to get Tyler ready for his soccer game. When the call ended, Cece sat alone with her cooling tea, staring at the quiet kitchen.
Helping Blaise. Helping Natalie. Keeping the pieces together.
She exhaled slowly.
Tomorrow would bring more pieces.
But for now, she let herself sit in the quiet of the house and think. It was weighty to be relied on again. But in a good way. It had been a long time since that had happened.
She sighed. Morning sunlight streamed through the kitchen window, warm and bright, in complete contrast to the heaviness sitting in her chest. Outside, a few Colony residents were walking their dogs, the easy peace of the day at odds with the strain in her daughter’s voice still echoing in her ears.
Peanut was somewhere around.
Cece drank her lukewarm tea, picked up her phone again, and scrolled to Joe’s number. She knew he’d help and it was a good feeling.
He answered almost immediately. “Morning, Cece. This is a nice surprise,” he said, his voice pleasantly gravelly, as though he wasn’t fully awake yet. “How are you?”
“All right.” But even as she said the words, she knew her tone belied her actual mood.
“What’s wrong? You okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said, moving out to the living room. She couldn’t just jump into this. “First, let me say that last night was amazing and honestly one of the best dates I’ve ever been on. Maybe the best.”
He let out a soft laugh. “I am very glad to hear that. I do feel a bit like I’m being buttered up for something.”
She smiled. “You’re not wrong. Do you have a few minutes?”
“For you? Always,” he replied, the gravel in his voice replaced by something warm and real.
Cece let out a slow breath. “It’s about my daughter. Natalie.”
“Ah.” The shift in his tone was subtle but unmistakable. Like he’d straightened in his seat and put on his lawyer hat. “Tell me.”
“She told Tyler this morning that she and Tyler’s dad aren’t getting back together and why,” Cece said.
“About the divorce. About Jim leaving. About the cheating.” She rubbed her forehead.
“Anyway, Jim wants to meet tomorrow. I’m guessing he wants to discuss custody expectations, which he will tackle like he’s negotiating a business deal. ”
Joe made a low sound in his throat. “Of course he will.”
“Natalie didn’t get a good feeling from the family law attorney she talked to,” Cece continued. “So I told her I’d come up with some alternatives. She needs someone who won’t let Jim twist anything. I was hoping you might have referrals. People you trust.”
There was a small pause on the line. Then Joe said, “Cece, I handled family law for over a decade. Custody agreements, divorce negotiations, mediation. All of it. I can take her case.”
Cece’s mouth came open. That wasn’t what she’d been after. “Joe, I wasn’t angling for that, I promise. I know you’re retired.”
“I know and I am,” he agreed. “And if you were asking me to go argue in front of the Supreme Court, I’d politely decline. But this?” His voice warmed. “Helping your daughter ensure her son is protected? That she’s taken care of? I can do that.”
“Oh, Joe,” Cece said softly. “That’s above and beyond. I don’t think I can ask you to do that. I didn’t mean for you to feel obligated—”
“Obligated?” he repeated, almost amused.
“Cece, I spent half my career fighting for families who deserved better than the mess they were handed. Allow me to say this: your daughter deserves better than Jim’s sudden interest in fatherhood.
And you deserve a little peace. The knowledge that your daughter and grandson are in good hands. ”
His words touched her more deeply than she expected, and she pressed her fingers to her temple to steady herself. “You’d really do this?”
“It would be my privilege,” he said gently. “Let me help her.”
Cece closed her eyes, a wave of relief loosening the tightness in her chest. “Okay,” she whispered. “I’ll tell her.”
“Good,” Joe said. “And Cece?”
“Yes?”
“Take a breath. I can tell you’re holding the whole world on your shoulders. You don’t have to do that now. I’m right here with you.”
Her eyes burned a little. His kindness was easily his most attractive quality, and he had a lot of attractive qualities. “One of these days, I’m going to learn how to hide that from people.”
“I sincerely hope you don’t,” he said.
She smiled, small but real. “Thank you, Joe.”
“Anytime,” he said. “Now text me Natalie’s number and I’ll call her, give her some peace of mind, and get things started.”
“I will. Immediately. I owe you.”
“How about dinner tonight then?”
“You got it. But my treat, okay? I insist.”
“I won’t argue.” He laughed. “I’ll save that for court.”
She laughed, too. “I’ll text you right away. Thanks again. Bye.” Cece ended the call, staring at the bright light spilling across her kitchen floor. The weight she’d felt was still there, but now it felt shared.
What a difference that made. What a difference a good man made.
She texted Natalie about Joe, then sent Joe Nat’s number. With that done, Cece did a quick search on her phone for the best local restaurant. Nothing was too good for Joe.