Nancy looked at the time on her phone. “Shit. We better get going. Judge Halloran is a stickler for time.”
The security line to get inside was a mile long. Guess everyone decided today was a good day to get divorced. Nancy went through the attorney line so that she could at least be there when the case was called. It took me a solid fifteen minutes until I made my way to the right courtroom on the second floor. The door was closed, and when I opened it, the judge looked right at me. I froze in place, and every head swung in my direction. It felt like a blaring record came to a screeching halt. I thought perhaps I’d walked into the wrong courtroom, but that was definitely our judge sitting up on the bench.
“Can I help you?”
“Ummm. Yes. I mean…I’m supposed to be in here…with my lawyer, for my case this morning.”
The judge took off his glasses. “And what time is your calendar call?”
“Calendar call?”
He sighed and looked over at where Nancy was standing. “Miss Lafferty? Did you or did you not inform your client that my court starts at 9:30?”
“Yes, Your Honor. I apologize. The security line was pretty long this morning.”
He put his glasses back on and lifted a paper. Nancy caught my eye and motioned for me to get to her table fast. The judge didn’t bother waiting for me to take my place. He started reading some legal mumbo jumbo as I did my walk of shame. Approaching the gate that separated the players from the spectators, I made the mistake of looking on the other side of the courtroom. My soon-to-be-asshole-ex-husband flashed a phony smile. Such a dick. But it was the man standing next to him that made me lose my focus.
And…apparently I needed that focus to put one foot in front of the other. Because as I pushed the little wooden gate open, I lost my balance and tripped.
Shit.
Sprawled out on my ass, I looked up. The judge did not look amused.
The man whom had been the cause of my distraction crouched down next to me and extended a hand to help me up.
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
The Adonis from the coffee shop.
The asshole who’d never called.
Was apparently, Rex’s lawyer.
I knew his attorney’s name: Chester Saint. Never apparently knew he went by Chet. I had so many questions. Did he not know it was me that day? Or had he been playing some kind of evil game?
He whispered in my ear as he helped me up. “I guess the joke was on me. Karma’s a bitch, isn’t it?”
Flustered, I stood. Chet—the Kissing Bandit, Esquire—returned to his table, yet I continued to stand there staring at him, dumbfounded. The judge sighed again loudly. “Ms. Adams? If you’re not inju
red, could you possibly take your seat? I think you’ve made your grand entrance at this point.”
I blinked a few times and looked over at Nancy. She gave me a look that said get the hell over here, you idiot.
“Ummm. Of course. Sorry about that, Your Honor.”
The judge continued. “Mr. Saint? Why are you requesting a continuance today? This is an uncontested divorce, and the asset settlement seems to be in order.”
Mr. Saint rose and buttoned his jacket. “Your Honor, we’ve only just recently found there is a potential discrepancy in the valuation of Ms. Adams’ assets, and we need a little bit of time to further investigate the matter.”
The judge looked at Nancy. “I take it this is acceptable to you?”
“No, Your Honor.”
The judge mumbled, “Of course not.”
Nancy motioned to the defendant’s table. “I only received the Motion to Continue five minutes ago, when you did, Your Honor. As far as we’re concerned, there is no issue on asset valuation. My client and Mr. Adams came to an equitable agreement in good faith.”
The judge looked over at the other table. “What seems to be the issue, Mr. Saint?”