17
“In my professional opinion, he doesn’t have much of a case.” Tanika Nowak leaned back in her chair, crossing long legs and clasping her manicured hands in her lap. With her impeccable makeup, cap of short, dark hair, and the ivory pantsuit that highlighted her warm brown skin, she was the picture of confidence, even without the diplomas from UVA and Harvard on her wall. “Even if precedent didn’t dictate that mothers overwhelmingly win custody battles, a judge is going to take circumstances into account. You’ve both been documented victims of identity theft and fraud of the exact same variety that Mr. Raynor went to prison for. Even if that original conviction was appealed, it doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together. It’s not like the timing was subtle.”
“What about that whole innocent until proven guilty thing?” Cayla asked.
Tanika waved her hand. “Those are instructions given to juries in an effort to promote impartiality. Mr. Raynor isn’t on trial here. There’s no jury involved. And he was proven guilty on those counts. I can’t imagine any judge awarding him custody. Not without irrefutable evidence that y’all are unfit parents, which I feel certain doesn’t exist. A hard-working long-term single mother and a decorated war hero? The only possible angle I can think of that he might try to argue could be some kind of psychological issue on Mr. Steele’s part.”
Holt sat ramrod straight, unmoving in the chair beside her, as if he were on trial himself or testifying to his Army superiors. “Dr. Audrey Graham, the therapist in charge of my program, will be happy to testify as to the stability of my mental health.”
“Then they have nothing.”
“What about visitation?” he demanded.
Tanika angled her head, conceding the point. “That’s harder. His crimes weren’t violent, so it’s harder to make a case to keep her from him entirely. But we can certainly fight to limit it to supervised visitation. Since the FBI is still working on gathering evidence for the retrial, my inclination would be to use delay tactics to stretch out the process as long as possible before we go in front of a judge. The bottom line is, you aren’t in this alone, and you don’t have to worry about losing your daughter.”
Cayla relaxed the death grip she had on her hands. Her fingers tingled as blood rushed back into them. “How long are we talking?”
“Easily a few months. And if we need to, I can stretch it out up to a year, most likely. A veritable death by a thousand paper cuts, as it were.”
A year. The idea of being embroiled in this mess that much longer made Cayla physically ill. How many more people would Arthur drag down in the meantime because he wasn’t getting his way? And he wouldn’t be getting his way. Not now. Not ever. But that didn’t make living with the consequences any easier.
“There’s just one more thing.” Cayla renewed the strangled tangle of her fingers. “If we do this and it stretches on that long, there’s the matter of billing. How would that be handled? Given the current restraints of our situation because of the fraud investigation, that’s something of an issue.”
Tanika’s velvety brown eyes softened. “We’ll do it however you need to. Hell, we’ll ask for attorney’s fees because he’s brought a nuisance suit to waste everyone’s time.”
“Will that work?” Holt asked.
“I mean, stranger things have happened. But even if they say no, we’ll make whatever arrangements are necessary, whatever kind of payment plan you need, until they sort things out for you.”
Cayla struggled to keep her shoulders straight and maintain eye contact. “And if it’s years?”
“Then it’s years.” Tanika shrugged. “I’ll still win this battle for you. Trust me, honey, I’ve taken payment in the form of fresh eggs and turnip greens before. I’m not worried.”
Humbled by the other woman’s kindness and buoyed by her confidence, Cayla nodded. “Thank you. Then we’d appreciate it if you would take the case.”
They stayed a while longer, going over the particulars of what information Tanika needed to formulate their initial reply to the petition. When they left her office, it was nearing the end of the school day. As they hadn’t known how long they’d be in Johnson City, Donna was picking Maddie up and taking her back to the house. Cayla was grateful for the near hour’s drive to pull herself together. She felt brittle and bruised, and she was so very aware of the need to present a picture of normalcy for her child, even though it felt as if her world was falling apart.
She didn’t know how to do that with the man sitting next to her in the driver’s seat. Holt kept his eyes fixed on the road, his jaw set. He’d been entirely shut down, back to the distant, taciturn soldier she’d seen when he first arrived. But he’d never been that way with her before.
She’d hurt him yesterday. For all the things unspoken between them, she knew that beyond the shadow of a doubt. In her despair, she’d essentially thrown everything he’d done for her and Maddie back in his face as worthless. It wasn’t worthless. Despite the inherent stress of their circumstances, the past several weeks with him had been so much more than she could’ve hoped. She’d truly believed that they were building something real and lasting.
Now it felt as if the man she’d come to love was a stranger.
She’d been the one to do the hurting, so she was the one who had to make amends. Not knowing how to broach the topic, she glanced in his direction. “I’m sorry about last night.”
A muscle jumped in his jaw, but he said nothing.
Cayla gripped her fingers again. “I overreacted in the moment. I was upset and felt cornered. And I… I’m just so sick to death of empty assurances everything’s going to be okay. Because right now, I don’t see how. It feels like nothing can be done to stop him, and that terrifies me. Knowing the full scope of what he can bring down on the people I love, what he has brought down—I don’t know how to live with the burden of knowing I’m the reason he’s targeted everyone.”
The tightening of his hands on the wheel was the only sign he was listening.
“But I’m going to have to learn how to live with it. Because there’s no reality where I’d sacrifice Maddie. Not even if he burns the world.”
Holt’s exhale was slow and controlled, a clear releasing of tension. “Good.”
That single word was his only response. He didn’t even look at her.
God, did he really believe she was capable of doing that? Had he truly been worried she’d go that far?
Heart breaking, Cayla suffered his silence the rest of the drive back to Eden’s Ridge, wondering if she’d destroyed her marriage with her lack of faith. Then again, was it a real marriage at all if it could be so easily broken? She’d come up with no answers by the time he pulled into the driveway at the house.
He parked outside the garage and finally deigned to look at her. “I’m gonna drop you off. I need to catch up on some work at the bakery.”
There was nothing of the warmth she’d come to expect in his vivid blue eyes. No hint of forgiveness. But maybe he needed more time to process on his own.
“All right. Do you think you’ll be home for dinner?”
“I’ll probably be working late.”
Eyes burning, Cayla just nodded and slipped out of the SUV.
Without another word, he drove away.
* * *