Protecting Melissa (Holiday Cove 4)

“Chase? Oh thank God.” The relief in my brother’s voice didn’t sit well with me. What is going on up there? “Are you guys safe?”

“Yes, I won’t get into the details, but we’re fine.”

“You have no idea how worried I’ve been! I’ve been trying to call, but every time I do it goes straight through to your voicemail. After a few days with no contact…” Matt’s voice trailed off, as though he couldn’t put into words the scary thoughts that had been inside his head.

“I’m sorry, man. I didn’t mean to spook you. We ran into some trouble in Cabo and then got caught in a nasty storm. It’s been a hellish two days to say the least. But we’re fine now and things are looking up.”

“Glad to hear it. How’s Melissa holding up?”

An image of her naked body, lying in my bed with slivers of moonlight playing off her skin flashed through my thoughts before I could answer. What would Matt think about the fact that I’d been intimate with his client, a woman who was not only married but in the middle of a nasty divorce and possible custody case? Would he think I was taking advantage of Melissa in her emotional state?

Or, even worse, would he tell me I was being an asshole for dragging her small son into the situation? Would he think I was playing it off like we were a little family instead of on the run from his father? I wasn’t entirely sure what Matt would say and since he obviously had enough on his mind already—I’d keep that to myself.

“She’s a trooper. Of all of the clients that I’ve worked for, she seems to be the most levelheaded, which blows my mind considering what she’s been through. I don’t know how she keeps it together, but she does for the most part.”

“Melissa’s a strong woman that’s for sure. She’s smart too. What about her son? How’s he holding up? This has to be tough for him.”

“He’s really good, actually.” I chuckled softly. “He thinks that we’re on some kind of adventure. He sings pirate songs and talks nonstop about fishing or looking for whales with his binoculars.”

Matt gave a surprised burst of laughter. “Really?”

“Yeah,” I paused, smiling to myself. “He’s fine. He’s asked some tough questions, but his mother handles it with ease.”

“Well that’s understandable,” Matt replied thoughtfully. “Since day one she’s always wanted the best for him. It’s only natural she’d start looking at this new lifestyle and realize it might not be the best for her son—or for her.”

I couldn’t help but feel a little defensive. “It might not be normal, but it’s a hell of a lot better than living with some power-hungry asshole in a business suit!” My voice was too loud and I realized I’d drawn the attention of the people sitting at the table on the opposite end of the patio. I gave them a sheepish smile and a short wave and they returned to their previous conversation.

Great, Chase. First day in a new city and you’re going to broadcast what’s going on to all the locals.

“Whoa, slow down there. I wasn’t saying she should send him back to live with his father. On the contrary, Melissa needs to be with Jackson and if she comes back to California, that won’t be possible.”

“What do you mean? Not possible?”

Matt sighed. “Henry’s got his legal team filing documents about her supposed drinking problem and it looks like they are lining up to make a case that she is an unfit mother. If Melissa comes back now, or is dragged back, it’s going to be a hell of a fight.”

My heart hammered inside my chest and another loud objection was clawing its way up my throat, I force myself to take a deep breath in order to keep my tone smooth and even. “Drinking problem? Unfit mother? What the hell is he doing? How can he even say that about her when anybody that knows her would say the exact opposite?”

Matt heaved another heavy sigh. This case was wearing just as heavily on him. Matt was always like that, taking on his client’s problems as his own, especially in family cases. In the past, I’d joked with him that he was half therapist, half lawyer, and that eventually all the ghosts of other people’s pasts were going to catch up with him and force him into an early retirement.

He continued, “I have sources, let’s say, and they reported back to me some of the documentation Henry’s team is preparing. He’s coerced a doctor at a rehab facility to fabricate a report that shows Melissa was in an outpatient program there for several months to combat a drinking problem. I don’t know what leverage he used on the doctor. Untraceable cash no doubt. And that, combined with the fact she pulled Jackson out of school and away from his home and family to run off on some Mexican cruise isn’t going to sit well with the judge. I’ll do my best, but it’s going to be a long fight.”