“No, I meant I know the best family lawyer in Washington state,” he said. “The guy never loses, and he works for the best firm in Seattle.”
“Oh, Simon, that’s very nice of you, but I couldn’t possibly afford someone like that,” she said. “I’ll go with the lawyer I’ve already got.”
“And leave it up to chance?” Simon frowned. “This is on me, Heather. You don’t have to pay a dime. I’ll take care of the expenses.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“Who said anything about asking? I want to help you.”
She frowned. “But I can’t accept your money—”
“Why not? It’s not like I spend my money anyway.” His fingers curled around her shoulders and he stared deep into her eyes. Heather had her pride. That much had been obvious. From the lies she had told him in her first interview to refusing his help, she had a way of standing on her own two feet that he admired. She was independent. Wanted to do it all on her own. But no mother should have to face something like this on her own. Not even a mother as strong and brave as Heather.
She bit her lower lip. “I don’t know. Let me at least pay you back.”
“No,” he said firmly. “If you want this lawyer’s help, you have to agree to let me pay. This isn’t a loan. I’m doing this to help, so I don’t want you to pay me back for any reason. You got that?”
Truth be told, he was going to be sending the lawyer no matter what she said. But sometimes it was best to let Heather think she had made a decision rather than try to dictate one to her. If she ever found out that he had every intention of asking his lawyer for help no matter what she said, she’d probably never forgive him, but right now he didn’t care. Couldn’t care. All that mattered was getting Finn back.
“Okay,” she finally relented. “Call the lawyer and I’ll give him the details.”
In less than five minutes Simon had the family lawyer on the phone, and Heather started talking to him. When Heather hung up she turned to face him.
“He says he’s going to call Gary,” she murmured. “I suspect he’s going to try to scare Gary into doing the right thing.”
Simon nodded. “He’s damn good at settling disputes and I’m sure we’ll hear from him soon.”
“I’m exhausted.” Her voice sounded distant, like she was a thousand miles away.
He reached for her and helped her sink down onto the sofa.
“This has got to be tough on you,” he said as he sat down beside her. “I’m here if you need anything at all. How about something to drink?”
“That would be nice,” she said softly. “Thank you, Simon.”
With Heather resting on the sofa he headed into the kitchen to start making some herbal tea. Coffee wasn’t a good idea at a time like this.
He brought a steaming mug into the living room, but Heather barely touched it. They spent the rest of the day waiting in tense silence, with Heather sitting motionless, holding on to his hand.
Finally the phone rang again, and she answered it before the first ring even finished. Her eyebrows furrowed. “Yes. That’s the right address. Thank you so much!”
“What’s going on?” he asked after she hung up.
She jumped to her feet. “The lawyer says that Gary has agreed to bring Finn back. But I can’t take Finn directly from him, so the family lawyer will be coming down here soon to wait until Gary arrives. Then, the lawyer will take Finn from Gary and hand him over to me.”
“That sounds like the kind of insane thing your ex-husband would cook up,” Simon muttered.
“It was probably his idea,” she said, taking her seat beside him. “But all I care about is getting Finn back.”
“Of course.” He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. The rage that was boiling inside him was going to have to stay hidden. No point in making Heather feel a bunch of emotions that weren’t going to help her. Gary might have been a bastard, but it was clear that Finn was her priority. Whatever Gary believed, Simon knew that Heather was a damn good mom. He’d spent enough time with her over these past few weeks to know that Finn was lucky to have such an attentive mother.