Love You Better (Better Love 1)

* * *

On Tuesday, I head straight to the firm instead of attending lecture. Ms. Pierce told me I didn’t have to make up the hours I missed this weekend, but I’d much rather be helping out here than sitting in a class that I currently have an A in. I figure, the experience at my internship will be much more valuable to my future career than my ECON elective.

“How was your weekend?” Amelia asks when I walk into the conference room, a stack of file folders piled high in my arms.

“Good. It was good to see Jacob and Mom. I feel a little better now, you know, about everything with him at school.”

“Mmhmm. Middle schoolers can be little assholes. I’m sure he was glad to see you too.”

“Yeah, I think so. How about you? How was your weekend?”

“The usual. Devon is still on nights, and I had homework to catch up on. But Sunday we were able to have some family time, which was really nice and much needed. Destiney had us play a board game and then we watched some documentary on climate change.”

I giggle. “Destiney picked the documentary, didn’t she?”

“My little world changer.”

Amelia’s family is perfect. Her husband worships her, as he should, and they have an amazing eight-year-old daughter, Destiney. A marriage like theirs, a little family that is happy and loved—someday, I’d like to have that.

“I looked over the work you did last week. Your notes are good. Concise.” Amelia hands me a packet of papers. “There were some places where your verbiage needed to be cleaned up. I highlighted them. Also, I printed out some examples of estate cases that were contested and went to court. I want you to look over those documents and write up the links to the Harrison case.” She levels me with a no-nonsense look. “This has the potential to get messy.”

“Are we thinking it won’t be settled in mediation?”

“My guess? Definitely not. You spent last time organizing assets, so you haven’t gotten to the will yet.” Amelia raises her prefect eyebrows to punctuate her cryptic message, then takes her coffee and saunters out the door.

After a few hours, I’m in disbelief and calling Amelia back into the conference room.

“Mr. Harrison wants to leave everything, absolutely everything, to his thirteen-year-old grandson?”

“That’s right.”

“Nothing to his only son?”

“Not a thing. And that’s not all. Did you look at the notes on the trust?”

“Yeah. He wants to put everything into a trust for his grandson and make the trustee the kid’s mom. His daughter-in-law. Doesn’t want the kid’s dad, his own son, to be able to touch any of it.”

Amelia nods slowly, and my wheels start turning. This could be tricky.

“I’ve got some ideas,” I say absently, my mind whirring while I jot down some notes on my legal pad. “I have to do some research.” Then, I get to work.

* * *

Bailey and I pull up to the intramural fields at 6:50 on Wednesday evening. Kelley’s scrimmages usually start around seven, so the teams are just finishing up some warm-up drills. As we head toward one of the scattered sets of bleachers set up along the edges of the field, I hear my name shouted and the distinct sound of sprinting shoes on pavement behind me. I know what’s about to happen, and I have just enough time to drop my messenger bag, freeze, and brace myself for impact before I’m scooped up and thrown over Jesse’s shoulder.

“Ivy Bean has brought the par-taaaaay,” Jesse shouts as he runs in circles around Bailey with me giggle-shrieking and gripping his waist for dear life.

“Put her down, you menace, before you trip and drop her on her head,” Bailey yells. Jesse stops running, and I hear him gasp as if he’s offended.

“I would never trip. I’m far too coordinated.” He puts me back on my feet and lunges for Bailey. “I’ll show you.”

Bailey squeaks and kicks her foot out at him.

“Hernandez, I swear to god, if you try to pick me up, I will kick you in the dick.”

“Ow, no.” Jesse jumps back, one hand cupping between his legs and the other thrown up at Bailey likes she’s a wild animal. “Loud and clear, Barnes. But if you put me out of commission there will be some very disappointed people on campus, feel me? This is the best thing I’ve got goin’ for me.” Jesse wiggles his hips a little and winks at us.

“You’re disgusting.” Bailey laughs.