VERSUS (Second Chances 2)

As soon as Judge Mycella called recess, Kurt was on his way out of the courthouse. In the Uber on the way back to the office, Kurt received a call from a potential character witness for Troy Alcester.

I offered to take the meeting.

That will happen twenty minutes from now in an apartment two blocks from here.

I misjudged the time it would take me to get across town, so I stopped in here for a refresh of my makeup and a glass of cold water.

Noelle takes a few steps closer to me. She’s dressed in a pair of black pants and a short sleeve sweater that’s the same shade as her green eyes.

“I’m on a break. Shouldn’t you be at work?” I question with a perk of my brow.

“I came home for an early lunch today.” She sighs.

Our schedules have kept us from spending much time together in person the last few years, but we’ve made up for it by FaceTiming.

I know worry on my friend’s face when I see it.

“You trust the doctor performing your dad’s surgery, don’t you?” I ask, narrowing the space between us with a few short steps.

“She’s a brilliant cardiologist.”

I squeeze her hand. “She’ll do her job. Your dad is the most stubborn person I know. He’s going to come out of this better than ever.”

“When did you get to be so wise?” Her gaze narrows. “There was a time when I was the one comforting you.”

Noelle never left my side during the worst time of my life.

I’ll do everything in my power to help guide her through this.

“It’s my turn to take care of you.” I wrap my arm around her shoulder.

“I’m here for you too.” She leans into me. “If you need an ear, I have two.”

Telling her about what happened between Dylan and me last night would help me sort through what I’m feeling, but I need to handle this on my own.

I’m the one who went home with him and got into his bed.

Now, I have to face the consequences of not confessing that I was the girl he knew in high school.

The same girl who thought she’d never see him again.

***

Two hours later, I step into the afternoon sunshine flooding the streets of Manhattan.

The meeting I just wrapped up couldn’t have gone any smoother. I spoke to a woman who is going to take the witness stand to sing the praises of Troy Alcester. She’s not my star witness, but her words will set the stage for the slam-dunk I intend to deliver before the judge makes her final decision.

When Kurt and I first sat down to go over the case, he may have neglected to mention that our opposing counsel is Dylan Colt, but he did drop a bombshell in my lap about his client.

Trudy Alcester’s closet isn’t just filled with designer handbags and shoes. The woman has some hidden secrets that I have every intention of uncovering.

Kurt’s private investigator discovered new information two days ago. The continuance we were granted today will give me enough time to prepare a case that will level the playing field between my client and his estranged wife.

Nothing is fair in love and divorce.

I realized that during the first case I handled after I started working at Sufford, Lake & Chisholm. I watched a couple who had been together more than twenty years go at each other in a courtroom in Buffalo like two rabid animals crossing paths in a dark alleyway.

I fish my phone out of my tote bag when it starts ringing