“No.” I shook my head back and forth. “Definitely not…”
“I don’t think your sister’s case will be that difficult. Your sister is seventeen, so the judge will just ask her where she wants to live. Your father would have to prove that your mother is unfit.” She leaned back in her chair. “I can easily stall it out until she’s eighteen. Your father’s attorney might request an emergency hearing to determine temporary custody, but if your sister says she wants to live with your mother, then it shouldn’t be an issue.”
“Okay, that sounds good.” I nodded.
“I’ll get back to you in a few days after I do a little research. Call me if you need anything in the meantime or if the situation changes.” Addison pushed her chair back and started to stand.
“Thank you.” I stood and shook her hand again.
I decided to go and talk to my grandfather after my meeting with Addison. I hadn’t spoken to the man since he named my father as his successor at Sinn Technology, but I wanted to see if his situation was as bad as my sister described. I was grasping at straws—mainly because I didn’t have anything else to grab onto. My grandfather had a way of talking something that resembled sense into my old man when things got really bad, like when he was looking at a much longer sentence if he was convicted instead of taking the plea deal that the District Attorney offered.
Too bad he didn’t just let him go to prison and rot—it would have made things a whole fucking lot better.
The visit didn’t last long. Jenny was right. My grandfather’s mental state had started to deteriorate, and the man he used to be was no longer there. He was rail-thin. His eyes were dim. The nurse said that he was on a lot of medication that helped him stay calm because there was enough of him left to understand that something was wrong, but he couldn’t fully comprehend it. Seeing him like that twisted my stomach in a knot. I had some guilt for the way I handled his decision to make my father the next CEO of Sinn Technology. We were always close before that happened. I never did get an answer that fully explained why he did it—and it didn’t seem like he was ever going to be able to tell me.
I need to swing by my place and pick up some clothes before I go back to Sinn Manor…
“How is she?” I walked into the living room of my family estate with a duffel bag in my hand.
“About the same as she was when you left…” Jenny looked up at me, and I could see that she had been crying. “How did things go with the lawyer?”
“Promising, but she needs to do some research.” I dropped my duffel bag on the floor and sat down.
I went over everything with Jenny, and then I walked upstairs to check on my mother. She was lying in bed facing the wall—but she definitely wasn’t asleep. I wished I could get inside her head and fully understand why she had so much love for someone as awful as my father. I tried to talk to her, but I didn’t get much of a response. There was a half-eaten sandwich on the table by the bed, so I considered that a small blessing—she wasn’t starving. I started walking back downstairs and realized that in the chaos of everything that had transpired since the previous night, I didn’t call Leigh like I planned. I walked into the kitchen and pulled out my phone, but I decided to send a text message instead of calling.
This is the worst possible time to try and start a new relationship, but I really like her—I can’t ignore that.
Damien: I’m sorry I didn’t call earlier. Things got a little busy… I had a lot of fun last night…
Leigh: I was starting to think I wasn’t going to hear from you. I had fun too…
Damien: When can I take you out again?
Leigh: Tonight?
“Damn…” I exhaled sharply.
“Who are you cursing at?” Jenny walked into the kitchen behind me.
“Nobody.” I pushed my phone into my pocket. “Do you think you’ll be okay to take care of Mom tonight? I may need to leave for a little bit…”
“You’re coming back, right?” She blinked a couple of times, and I saw concern on her face.
“Of course.” I nodded quickly.
I was hesitant to leave, but I didn’t want to turn Leigh down if she wanted to see me again so soon after our first date. I typed out a response, and we agreed to meet at Cafe Russe for a late lunch or early dinner, depending on your perspective—it was going to be a late lunch for me since I hadn’t eaten anything all day except for a few bites of my breakfast. Cafe Russe wasn’t as fancy as Moretti’s and was the kind of place most people went for lunch instead of dinner, but I wasn’t in the mood for a heavy meal, even though I was hungry.
I’m more interested in spending more time with her than eating anyway…
Leigh made me smile and laugh—I really needed a dose of that after everything I had been dealing with since the previous night. Perhaps fate was trying to bring something positive to my life for a change, right when I needed it most—even if I didn’t realize how badly I would need it when I saw Leigh staring at me in the bar. Maybe I was making a mistake by rushing into any sort of new relationship with everything else crumbling around me, but something compelled me to try. It was the only thing that felt right.
It’s not like this can get any worse, and for once, I actually believe it…
Chapter Seven
Leigh
I didn’t have to work, so I spent most of the day taking care of the assignments for school that I had been neglecting. I decided to text my mother and make sure she was okay since it had been a couple of days since I had heard from her. She didn’t reply to my text message immediately, but when she finally did, she told me that she had big news to share when she got home—whenever that was. It wasn’t that unusual for my mother to disappear for days at a time when she was in a relationship with someone, but I usually got to meet the guy before it reached the point where they were taking trips together.