“You can’t do that, Lindsey.”
I sighed and rolled my eyes, half smiling at the absurdity of it all. “And here we are, right back to you telling me what I can and can’t do. Haven’t I already clearly established you don’t get to do that?”
“There is no reason for you to bring a lawyer into this,” he said.
“Of course there is. He’s representing me in this situation, just like you have a lawyer representing you. He needs to have the full information about the issues I’m facing. And your mother is a very big issue.”
“You will humiliate her in front of her social circle and cause problems for her and for my father,” he said.
He was biting down so hard each word sounded painful coming out, and I waited for his teeth to crack.
“Someone who acts like that deserves to be humiliated. She is an adult. She has been an adult for a very long time. By now she should have learned what is appropriate and what is inappropriate behavior. If she chooses to behave inappropriately, then she has to face the consequences, whatever they are. You know, I feel like I’ve had this exact conversation with you. Which would be just about par for the course,” I said.
“My mother was angry and upset about the papers your lawyer drew up,” Grant said. “She wanted to discuss them with you.”
“Again, Grant, and I can’t believe I’m having to go through this again with you. Your mother has nothing to do with this case. And I have absolutely no obligation to listen to her. I am Remy’s mother. You are his father. There was no one else involved in making him, and there doesn’t need to be anyone else involved in making decisions for him. Her claiming ownership and butting into his life is out of line, and I won’t stand for it anymore.”
“If I have her apologize, will you not mention it to the lawyer?” Grant asked.
“This is not up for debate or negotiation. She should have thought about her precious social circle and the impact her behavior would make on you and on Remy before she tried to intimidate and threaten me. My lawyer will have a record of it,” I said.
“Seriously, Lindsey. You need to be rational about this,” Grant said.
“How am I being irrational? Because I won’t immediately do what you say? Or because I dare hold your mother accountable for what she does? I’m not apologizing for either, and I’m not backing down about this. I’m telling my lawyer what happened, and we will have the police reports when we go to court.”
“Do you not care how much this is going to hurt Remy?” Grant started in an attempt to change tactics, but I held up my hand to stop him.
“You can stop right there. I let you railroad me when Remy was born, and I’m not going to do it anymore. You sent me papers. You started this. It’s not my fault your lawyer messed up. My lawyer is good enough to have noticed and to do his job. I’m not going to let you walk over me anymore. And I’m not going to stand here and listen to you. Your lawyer must have told you to stay away from me, so I recommend you take his advice. All you’re doing is making your case harder.”
Grant stared at me for a few seconds like he was waiting for me to break down and backpedal. I kept my eyes locked on his until he slammed his hands angrily on the bar and backed away. Nobody moved out of his path, forcing him to shove his way through the crowd and out of the bar. Nick and Quentin clapped for me, releasing the tension and making me laugh.21Vince“It’s fine,” Nick muttered into the phone.
With his muffled tone, the rain pounding on the windshield, and all the bar noise behind him, I could barely understand what my brother was saying. But it was enough to reassure me that I didn’t need to slam my foot on the gas. Flooring it would still take a while to get me to the bar, but I would do it if I had to. Knowing Grant was there with Lindsey made my stomach turn and anger burn on the back of my neck. I knew this would happen. I felt it in my gut. He wasn’t going to leave her alone.
Grant was going to do anything he could to make sure he got the final word in this. His mother was like a bulldog in a pearl necklace lashing out at Lindsey because she dared challenge the woman’s sense of entitlement.
From what I knew about Grant, he wasn’t used to people telling him no. It was just his experience in life that there was any path he couldn’t walk down, any obstacle he couldn’t climb over. There were rarely any stumbling blocks in his path, but when there were, it was easy for him to get them out of his way. Money and influence could do that. Coming from a family with both and engaging with social circles that sometimes showed the worst of what those resources could do, I could see it coming.